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“I’m staying with Serena,” Russell said, directing his posture to Noah. “But don’t you dare get hurt, Noah. I’m not losing either of you today.”
“Give it a rest, grandpa,” Noah groaned. “You don’t have to keep acting worried about me.” I watched the sunken look on Russell’s face grow darker, his eyes downcast as his weary spirit. I understood Noah’s resentment for the years lost all too well, but it was harder to see this way. Now as an onlooker to someone else’s struggle, I saw the bitterness in myself I had to overcome with my own mom, and I hoped Noah could figure out how to do that for Russell.
We left Serena behind with Russell, hoping it’d be enough to keep Bastian blind to her whereabouts while still keeping her close enough to get the Crown to her. I pushed the doorway open, my chest full from a big breath of air I was too afraid to release. We were greeted by a gust of cool air and dim torchlight.
With a massive dome-shaped ceiling, this place really did look like a castle. Cracks in stone streaked like veins through the floors and ceiling. The walls glimmered with an array of items, some likely magic, some not—rare shells, golden statues, rare jewels and tribal masks, body parts in jars. I had to wonder how he’d managed to move all these things from his other hideaway spot in such a short time. Of course, it was likely magic. And in the center of the room, where the dome peaked with a hole through which the moonlight shone, there stood an eerily beautiful stone table with intricate paintings around it, but the images were faded and cracked. A short path of curved stairs led up to it, seeming more for decorative flair than function.
The dim chamber echoed with the taps of our footsteps as we worked around drips of blackened water that left a trail from the door to the front of the room. Bastian was nowhere in sight, but his throne certainly was. It sat empty, its velvet cushion seat nestled in a chair of bronze and gold, a puddle of more dark water pooling in the floor beside it. The Crown was nowhere to be seen, but my mother was.
Imprisoned in her tank, my mom swam to the glass, placing a hand against the glass, her face twisted in fear. I took a step forward to run to her, but the dark water on the floor converged into one mass and blocked my steps. I watched in horror and intrigue as the onyx black water rose up as if it had a life of its own. It grew to my height, then taller, until it towered over me and formed itself into the outline of a human. Bastian. It became Bastian.
“Hello, lovely Katrina,” he grinned, the black water still dripping off his face like ink. “I see you did as I asked. Smart girl.” His snake-like eyes flicked to McKenzie turned-Serena, who stood near the entrance with Noah. He pretended to hold her arm as though we’d forced her to come here.
“I did. I brought you Atargatis. Now let my mom go,” I demanded, my fists balling up without me meaning for them to.
“Patience, little mermaid,” he growled in my ear. “I make the rules, remember?”
“And the rule was that you take her and give me my mother. You made the offer. Now I’m taking you up on it.”
Bastian let out a low laugh. “I bet dear Bellamy wasn’t too thrilled with that decision. I’m guessing that’s why you came without him. Poor fellow. He’s been stabbed in the back so many times in life, and here you are adding your knife to the tally.” He smiled, inky black lining his teeth. “And your beloved sailor. What of him? Did he side with his brother at sea?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know where Bellamy is.” I said, hoping to keep him distracted as long as possible while I scanned the room.
“Of course I do. If I cared to keep track of pirate scum. But I have no use for his whereabouts without the goddess. And fortunately for him, she’s right where I want her.” Bastian eyed McKenzie in her Serena form.
I called to Milo. The Crown isn’t anywhere we can see it. We’ll have to find it. So when you get here, be careful. But we could certainly use your help. Bastian seems…stranger than before.
Of course. We’re in the tunnels. *You* be careful. Milo’s voice was my only reassurance in this cold, hopeless place, and I clung to it like a buoy in a storm. My eyes studied the room, desperate for any hint at where the Crown might be, but I couldn’t stop looking over at my mom in the tank. I was still grappling with the shock of seeing her with a tail, but then I wondered…since she was a siren, maybe I could communicate with her, too, the way I communicated with Serena underwater.
I called to her, throwing the voice in my head out to her, hoping for her to catch on to my words.
Mom, I’m here. We’re going to free you.
I hoped she got the message, but I didn’t have time to wait for a response as I stood before an impatient Bastian. “Bring the goddess forward,” I motioned to Noah. He followed, hesitating in a way that looked so convincing I couldn’t tell if he was truly afraid or just acting.
Noah stepped up beside me, pretending to drag McKenzie along as she put a convincing pull against him on display. They now stood beside me facing Bastian, whose shoes were still oozing in a puddle with the ink-water as it slowly ran down the sides of him.
He reached out to touch McKenzie’s arm, but I lunged forward and blocked him.
“Let my mom go first,” I demanded once more.
“Very well. After all, it’s not like you could escape now.” He straightened his shoulders, turned around, and then shattered the tank that held mom with a blast of black water from his hand. Mom flopped to the floor amongst the broken glass, her tail writhing. I ran to her and dropped down at her side.
“Are you okay, Mom?” I worked hard to control my breathing. I couldn’t let Bastian sense my fear, especially now that I’d just handed over my roommate and best friend to him.
“I’m not hurt.” Mom panted. “Just…just a little in shock. This…what is this? How is this?” She touched a trembling hand to her waist where her skin gave way to pearly scales.
“I know,” I said. “You’ll get used to it. But why did you do this? Why the hell would you do this, Mom?”
Her brown wet hair fell over her face as she leaned forward and hugged herself from the chill. Her chin quivered, distorting her words. “Your whole life I’ve never done anything to help you. This was me being a better mother. I made him promise he wouldn’t harm you in exchange. I did this to help you.”
Squeezing my eyes shut was the only way to stall the tears burning behind my sockets. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to be mad at her. And I was, but it would be useless to let her know that. And if things went awry and we didn’t make it out of here, the last thing I wanted was for Mom to think I hated her. She’d had enough of that.
Suddenly her voice startled me, because I was looking right at her but her mouth wasn’t moving.
Just so you know, I could hear you.
I sat upright, the jolt of her voice rattling me. I hadn’t expected it.
