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It has taken weeks for us to circle around Knott and find the island of Wayde. We passed by Pyre, where the dragons lived, and even went by Biryg, where the Witches resided. I had originally thought that was who Azil was selling Jesye to, but clearly, I had been wrong about so many things, as it turned out.
We were docking at Wayde, which was an above ground Mermaid city. There was no need for an underground Kingdom, because all the Sirens had the option of shapeshifting their legs into serpents or mermaids, whatever the occasion. Since they didn’t need to be underwater, their Kingdom was under the sun. The Kingdom itself was made of stone, and there was stone as far as the eye could see. Cobble pathways led to the actual Palace, and surrounding the Palace was the Kingdom, and all its residence. There were bridges made of stone, that looked like they were thousands of years old. There was an elegance to the area. Large statuesque buildings that screamed of royalty. Even the Kingdom’s people had homes that looked like they belonged in a museum. The whole island was surrounded by water, and I often wondered why they didn’t decide to live underwater where they would be safer. They would have less to risk by being underwater in a Kingdom that not many creatures could get to.
The area was prosperous and growing, an area of rebirth. Mainly because they had a Queen that cared about her people.
Despite the prosperous greens that enveloped the island, everything was old, and a little run down. The stone walls were coming down, even though they were properly guarded. None of the stone was new, and there were chunks missing in some areas, while parts were chipped and in need of repair. As run down as it looked in some areas, the island Wayde was far superior to where I was from. At least there was fresh air that didn’t resemble the color brown.
There were mountains off into the distance, so high that you wouldn’t be able to see over them, unless you were far away. They looked as if they touched the sun. Trees and greenery filled the Kingdom everywhere, and it made me wish that it was an area that I could call home. It was lush land, and one that far surpassed Demon Isle. If I wasn’t so scared, I would have thought the island was beautiful. I had hoped we were going to go inland, as I would not be able to make a home for myself there. I would not be welcomed and would be sent away. I wasn’t sure what would happen to me if I was discovered.
There were royal guards approaching the boat as it docked, and they were something to behold. They held spears that resembled Tridents, and they were all bare chested. They looked majestic as they approached the boat, and I wanted to sit and watch them in all their glory. But, these were not my friends. I was amazed at the sight of them, but I felt panicked because they were also a great danger to me.
It was the end of the line for Jesye and that broke my heart. He was going to be sold and then torn apart so each of his organs and parts could be sold separately. It sickened me just to think about it. I worried more for him than I did myself, and regardless of how I wracked my brain, I could not come up with a way to save him. But the thought would not leave me. I must save him, but how?
Xagon motioned for me to go downstairs to the bunkers, where he hoped I wouldn’t be discovered. The Mer Guard would come onto the boat and catalogue the contents before they would let the crew leave. It was unlikely that I wouldn’t be discovered, but they would likely assume that I was part of the crew, despite my appearance.
While below, I tried to think of a way to get Jesye out, but I was in just as bad of a position as he was. I hadn’t wanted to travel to Wayde, as it could be a death sentence for me. I rocked in the hammock, trying to see a positive coming out of all this.
I heard a commotion and knew that something was wrong. The royal guards were only there to check the boat and then allow the crew off. It was never a dramatic affair. I peered up the steps and saw that not only were there royals on the boat, but there were soldiers as well. That was not good news. Someone must have called in the ship ahead of time and warned them. I started to shake. Something was really wrong and I had nowhere to flee.
The soldiers came downstairs with Xagon in tow. He appeared to be trying to explain the people onboard. It wasn’t unusual to travel with different companions as long as they weren’t illegal.
“Who is she?”
“She’s with us.”
The soldier looked at Xagon as if he was joking. He called to another man. “Tag her as a hybrid, she will have to sit before the Queen for a decision.” He glanced at Xagon. “How dare you bring a Demon to Wayde.”
“I’m not a Demon.”
The other solider came over and grabbed my hands, tying them behind my back. “Mark her as dangerous and make sure her hands aren’t free.”
I glanced at Xagon who approached the soldiers. “Is this necessary?”
There were soldiers leaving the cargo hold, and approached the soldier in front of me, who was clearly the man in charge.
“Captain, we have cataloged two Denon’s on board, not just the one that they reported earlier.”
The Captain was still staring at me. “On second thought, tag this one for disposal.”
I blanched. “What?”
Xagon tried pleading with the soldier, but he was stopped. “There are men in your crew that are complaining she lit them on fire. She’s dangerous and we aren’t giving her a chance to kill the Queen.”
“Brimstone! Sir, I’m sorry, I would never. That’s not who I am.”
“That was a misunderstanding. The men have been regularly attacking her. She was just defending herself. She has that right. We can handle her situation, I consider her part of our crew.”
I was dragged upstairs with Xagon in tow, arguing with the soldier. When we got to the upper deck, Azil spotted us and hurried over. He looked just as panicked as Xagon, which shocked me because of the argument we had the night before.
“Whoa, Captain, what is going on here?”
“We are taking the hybrid in for disposal.”
“What? Oh, on the contrary, she’s harmless, there is no need to dispose of her. We have travelled safely with her. She has been a companion of ours, fought alongside us.”
“I don’t care. I will be taking it her to be disposed of immediately. We don’t allow dangerous hybrids to roam free on the island. You know better than this.”
