Page 30 of Sea of Evil and Desire (The Deep Saga #1)

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Morgana

I wheeled around, dagger raised, but my limbs were weak.

The eyes were still there, and the shadows around them were building . . . building.

I wanted to look away, to run, but my body was heavy. Why was it so heavy?

The darkness swirled around the eyes and thickened. A man’s torso and a glittering white tail appeared—a merman. Was I hallucinating?

The shadows built a face about the eyes, a beautiful yet terrible face framed by pale shoulder-length hair and with high chiseled cheekbones. Dark lashes and brows rimmed the red irises and black pupils I knew so well.

Siana , said the gentle murmur in my mind. Strong arms closed around me from behind.

The red-eyed merman’s pupils flared and then narrowed on my new assailant. His mouth curved into a malicious grin, and the grip around me stiffened. Cold scales pressed against my back—another merman had wrapped me in his muscled embrace.

A slick, slicing sound cut through the darkness, and a bubbly cry escaped my lips. The arms that held me had grown claws.

The red-eyed merman let out a long, slow laugh—I heard it in my head—and then disappeared into swirling shadows.

I wriggled, and my new attacker tensed. I thrashed, scratching and shrieking, as whoever it was began to swim with me held in their clawed fists.

The merman was carrying me through the water faster than I could ever go. Its arms were cold, and the claws . . . the claws. They were razor-sharp and glistened green, held together by slimy thick webs. I tried to free myself again, but the harder I struggled, the feebler my attempts became. My body relaxed, and my mind clouded with a pleasant calm. I let the dagger drift from my hands, and the darkness claimed it.

No , I tried to protest— someone help .

But my body had gone limp in my assailant’s arms.

“Morgana?”

I opened my eyes, and yellow light filtered in.

“Morgana?” the voice said again. It was familiar—but how could it be? Surely, I had been captured and was in some foul dungeon somewhere. It took a few blinks to clear my contracting vision.

“Where am I?” I asked as the coral pillars marking the front of the tavern came into view. The Captain was crouching beside me. I peeled my torso from the sandy seabed and scanned the dark waters for any sign of the clawed attacker or the red eyes. Had they been working together? It hadn’t seemed that way, but now I wasn’t sure.

“D-did you rescue me?” I asked the Captain, bringing a hand to my throbbing temple as it registered the familiar piano music and Drowned’s squabbling emanating from the doorway beside me.

“No, child, that was the merman.” The Captain’s amber eye was kind as he surveyed me.

“The merman?” Pulling myself to my feet, I stared into the darkness. I blinked and blinked, willing the world to come back into focus. Instead, my legs gave way, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I reached for one of the glowing coral pillars to steady myself.

“The one with a pure white tail . . .” I thought about the beautiful red-eyed merman who had disappeared in a cloud of shadows. The one who had called me Siana and whose whispers had made me sleepy. “B-but he cast a spell over me?”

“No, child, this merman did not have a white tail.” The Captain blew out a long breath before standing and wrapping an arm around my back to steady me. “He even had the nerve to scold me for letting you wander alone.”

What? I had been brought here by a different merman!

I thought back to the strong arms that had been clasped around me.

“B-but he had claws.” I looked at my own hands. I too had webs, but mine were delicate, and the merman’s had been thick.

“Yes.” The Captain smiled at me. “The Mer are fierce when aggravated. In this instance, I imagine he grew them to protect you.”

I was in the arms of a merman. By the sounds of it, I had also been put into a bewitched sleep by the merman with the red eyes and white tail.

“But what was he protecting me from ?” I was still blinking the stupor away.

“You shouldn’t venture too deep into the forest. They call it Therme Skótos.” He gestured to the pillars, still spewing out heat. “The Forest of Heat and Darkness. It is an ancient place. They say life itself came from within its depth.”

“I think I saw a merman built from shadows with . . . red eyes. He called me Siana.” I spilled my thoughts out loud. If the Captain were a Protector, perhaps he would know something.

He stiffened, and something flickered in his eye—fear and sadness. But he said, “You’ve had quite the ordeal. Let’s get you some rum.”

I continued to hold on to the pillar for support as the world faded in and out of focus. The sheath on my hip reminded me of the dagger I had lost, and I reached for it. To my surprise, I felt the hilt of the blade. My merman rescuer must have retrieved it when it fell.

“You were right. I am a descendant of a Selkie . . . Why didn’t you just tell me?” My throat bobbed as I surveyed the Captain’s lined face for answers.

He smiled, and his eye was understanding. “Would you have stayed and learned about our world if I had?”

“I don’t know.” My eyes fluttered with another wave of dizziness.

“Few visit this world from above and live to see it again. I say it’s a gift. Discover it carefully, and use it wisely, because you are likely here for a reason.”