I swim beside my brother, hugging the shoreline. We watch, horrified, as the golden dragon sets fire to the city of Solwyck. Alarms blare through the streets as people cry out in terror, fleeing toward the only place they believe is safe—the sea.
Ships hastily push off from the harbor, filled with women and children trying to escape the destructive power of the dragon. He flies over the boats, releasing a stream of fire that sets the decks aflame.
Several other vessels try to take off, and our people swim out beside them, beckoning humans into the water for their safety. Some flee their ships and jump into the sea.
“Save as many as you can!” I yell, directing our people to help any of the humans who cannot swim to stay afloat.
But there are far more humans than Mer here. Most of my kind take to the deeper waters and stay there, preferring to avoid the land dwellers as much as they can. I watch in despair as a woman and her two children remain on the deck of one of the burning ships, refusing to retreat into the water.
I call out to her, “We will catch you and your children. We will help you to swim.”
Her eyes are full of fear, but she staunchly refuses to listen. “No. You will drown us.”
That these humans still believe a ridiculous myth spread to explain fishermen who are lost at sea confounds me. “You will drown anyway if you remain where you are.”
Instead of listening to reason, she takes her two children and runs below deck. I cannot bear to consider their fate, burning alive when they could be safe.
Rappelling up one side and gripping the edge of the deck, I pull myself onto the burning ship.
“Errik!” My brother cries. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to save them.”
“No! You’ll burn with the ship if you go below deck!”
“I have to try!”
It is cumbersome to move above water with only two arms and a tail, especially when one has lived one’s life completely underwater in a weightless environment. Heat sears my skin and my scales as I drag myself across the deck to the hold.
The door is sealed shut, so I pound on the outside. “Come out! Let us help you!”
When I hear no answer, I brace myself then slam my shoulder against the door repeatedly until it flies inward, shattering against the cabin walls.
Thick smoke billows from the hold. I cough when it invades my lungs, clogging until I can barely breathe.
“You must come out! You’ll die in here.”
No one answers, and I do not know if they are already dead, but I cannot leave without trying.
“Errik!” My brother’s voice sounds beside me, startling me.
“Toren, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to help you.”
I don’t want to risk my younger brother’s safety, but we don’t have much time. I start down the stairs, my tail dragging awkwardly behind me. When I reach the bottom, I notice the woman and her children are not alone. Another woman and young girl lie unconscious beside them.
Without hesitation, Toren and I begin hauling their limp forms back up the stairs. I’m relieved when two more of my kin appear at the door. They take the humans and send them down a chain of Mer, over the deck and to the sea, into the waiting arms of more of my people.
Once everyone is rescued, we jump back into the water. One of the children wakes with a scream. I rush to her side.
Her brown eyes are wide as she turns to me. “It is all right, little one. You are safe.”
“Are you going to drown me?” she mumbles.
“No. We are going to help you to swim and keep you safe from the dragon.”
She smiles tremulously.
An anguished wail echoes from the city, and I whip my head in that direction to spot a woman crouched atop Solwyck castle, leaning over a body.
“Look!” one of the humans cries out, pointing to her. “It’s Princess Halla!”
I watch as she stands, sword in hand. The wind catches her long, scarlet hair as she strides to the edge of the rooftop.
“She’s going to jump!” someone yells. “No! Not our princess!”
Dressed from head to toe in armor, she stands on the ledge with her sword upraised as if readying for battle.
The dragon flies toward her, and I watch in stunned silence as she jumps from the edge and impales his back, sinking her sword deep into the flesh between his wings.
The city shakes with his roar, and he begins twisting and turning, trying to shake her. She grips the sword handle, stubbornly refusing to let go.
The dragon begins a spiraling descent toward the sea. He twists again and crashes into the water.
My heart stops when the princess is thrown from his back. She slams against a nearby rock formation, her body releasing an audible crack as she makes impact with the unforgiving stone. I swim toward her, my tail beating frantically through the water; desperate to save her.
A rushing wave approaches behind the princess, and I know I will not reach her in time. Accelerating as best I can, I watch the turbulent sea toss her limp form from the rock and force her beneath the surface. Panic tightens my chest when I dive below the water and see her tumbling under the rolling wave.
She is still and unmoving when I wrap my arms around her back. I spin her to face me, and her eyes snap open. “Princess Halla.” I reach for her with my mind. “You must stay awake.”
Flame-red hair frames her face, and blue eyes search mine. She reaches out and brushes her fingers across my cheek.
“Your eyes… they are glowing. Are you an angel? Will you send me to join my father in the great halls of my ancestors?” she replies in my mind.
My heart clenches. “No, but I am going to save you.”
Without hesitation, I grip the back of her head, threading my fingers through her long, red hair. I pull her into an embrace and seal my mouth over hers, giving her my kiss so that she may breathe underwater.
When I pull back, I am relieved to see her breathing. Though all Mer possess this ability, I have never used it to save a human before. “My first,” she thinks aloud, struggling to stay conscious. “My first kiss.”
She closes her eyes and goes still. Fear steals through me that she is dead. Only the rise and fall of her chest tell me she still lives. I must get her to help. She needs a Healer.
I make my way to the rocky shoreline beneath the castle walls. In the distance, I notice several Mer helping the humans back to the beach. Now that the dragon has been slain, it is safe for them to return to their city, but their work has only just begun.
The air is thick with smoke. Ash falls like snow, blanketing the buildings and streets. The once shining and proud city of Solwyck, known as the jewel of the kingdom, is on fire and burning.
Halla’s form is limp in my arms as I pull her onto the obsidian sand beneath the dark cliff wall of the castle. A glance at my surroundings reveals that no one is coming this way. All are swimming toward the main beach and the harbor.
I lift my gaze to the palace overhead and notice a woman with long silver hair staring down at me from the rooftops. “Princess!” she shrieks and disappears behind the wall.
Halla stirs beside me. I reach down and take her hand. “Princess Halla. Please hold on. Help is coming.”
I’ve never seen a human up close before. Her long, red hair fans beneath her like a beautiful halo against the obsidian sand. I trace my eyes over her face, noting the fine and delicate structure of her nose, brows, and cheeks. The tops of her ears are rounded instead of sharp-tipped like mine. Gently, I cup her cheek and brush the pad of my thumb across her petal-soft skin. She is the most beautiful female my eyes have ever beheld.
Her eyelids flutter open, revealing eyes as blue and deep as the sea. Sunlight breaks through the clouds, accentuating the many spots on her otherwise pale skin. “What happened?” she murmurs.
Gently, I brush the hair back from her face. “You killed the dragon. You saved the city of Solwyck, Princess Halla.”
She shifts slightly in my arms, hissing in pain at the movement. “Everything hurts. Am I dying?”
Her words strike terror in my heart. “No. Help is coming. You must hold on.”
The tide rushes over us, and as the water retreats, I note the fine trail of red that follows in its wake.
Frantically, I move my hands down her form. Her tunic and pants are tattered and scorched by the fire, revealing the pale expanse of flesh beneath, interspersed with areas of redness and blistering skin. I reach beneath her, tracing my fingers across her back to search for the injury that is bleeding. When I pull my hand away, it is covered with blood.
I rip a long strip of fabric from her tunic and wrap it tightly around her torso, desperate to staunch the bleeding as I shoot another glance at the castle and cry out. “Help! The Princess is injured! She needs a Healer!”
“I’m coming!” I recognize the woman’s voice somewhere nearby. Close, but not close enough, I fear.
A featherlight touch on my cheek draws my attention back to Halla. Her blue eyes are bright with tears as she brushes the tips of her fingers over my face. “Are you an angel?”
Despite my worry, a faint smile crests my lips. She has already asked me this before. I take her hand in mine. “No.”
“Then why do I feel like I’m dying?” she breathes as another tear slips down her cheek.
I brush it away with the pad of my thumb. “You must live, Princess Halla,” I whisper. “You must live.”
Her head falls back, and fear wraps tight around my chest as she falls unconscious.
The sound of footsteps crunching over the rocky sand behind me draws my attention. I turn just as the woman from earlier comes into view. Her long silver hair is tied in a loose knot at the nape of her neck and her face is pale and drawn as she drops to her knees beside the princess.
“She’s bleeding,” I tell her. “She needs help.”
“I’ll tend to her.”
The sound of shouting voices carries on the wind and the Healer’s eyes go wide. “You should go. Some still believe the terrible lies about your people trying to drown them.”
“But—”
“Thank you for saving her, but you must go before anyone else comes.”
I dip my chin in a firm nod and retreat into the water. I swim out to a nearby rock and hide behind it, watching as the woman gathers the princess in her arms. Two guards rush to aid her and carry the princess back into the castle.
Please. I send a silent prayer to any gods who may be listening. Save her.
