Clash of Tides (A merman story)
Chapter 26 - |Waterfront|

A growl rumbles from his throat as he spins to face the Belua. He stretches out his arm and moves me behind him, shielding me from the creature staring at us with its piercing black eyes.

“A mer,” it – I believe a male – hisses out.

“This will not end well for either of us. Move aside,” Hass spats out. In his voice, I can hear the hate he has for the Belua. The water begins to move, forming a whirlpool encasing us.

The Belua does not respond to Hass. It slides its eyes past the merman to me, and then slowly, the edges of its lips turn upwards.

“A human. The human from before. Yes, come human. We will make you like us.” The inhuman, hissing sound comes from its mouth again, sending chills running through me. Without saying a word, the spiraling ring around us grows larger, faster, and larger again. Hass doesn’t need to speak to let me know what he is doing; he is preparing to fight because he knows the Belua may not let us go.

Hass is protecting me, but I don’t want others protecting me anymore. I have no powers over these waters, but I will not be unless.

Elena, follow my lead, stay close, and don’t respond to them. Even though I can’t see his face, Hass cannot hide the fear in his voice. The once confident merman seems shaken as I watch the circle of water growing. The Belua swims back a few inches, but it does not leave. Instead, its sharp gaze stares at us; it is a hunter waiting to attack, looking for the right moment to strike its prey.

“Why do the mers protect a human?” Another inhuman sound hisses from the side of us. I flick my eyes to the source of noise, and again, a wave of fear and uncertainty hints at me. My heart thumps in my chest as the enemy of the mers ascends around us. There is no longer just one Belua, but many. More and more appear from the darkness of the sea’s depth, circling us in a barrier of their bodies.

“It’s like they were waiting for us….” Hass says softly, only loud enough for me to hear.

We took a secret exit, correct? So how could…

For now, we must think of a means of escape! Place your back on mine and tell me how many Belua are behind us.

I grit my teeth and reluctantly do as he says. He wants to protect me, but I need to replace a way to save us both. Surrounding us is the mer’s enemy, and quickly, I count ten of them watching us.

How many do you see?

Ten.

That makes sixteen of them. The panic lacing his voice is evident in my head, just like the view of the enemy waiting to overtake us and, most likely, kill Hass. I wonder why that one Belua told me to go with him. Fear. Think. Panic. I flick my gaze from side to side, weighing what choices we have. They outnumber us, so we must lessen their numbers to match our own, perhaps there is a way.

Hass’s words catch me from my thoughts, Stay close; I will get us to the rocky wall so you can climb to safety, and I will…

No! I do not want anyone else to get hurt or die for me.

Elena! We do not have time…

While Hass scolds me, I remember what he said before, when I kept hurting myself in the tunnel.

Hass, before, you said if I bleed, I’ll call the creatures of the sea to us.

For a moment, I hear nothing until Hass groans. Elena, do not…

I am not a mer, but I am not weak. If the only power I have over the sea is my pain, then I will bleed. Hass yells my name in my mind, but now is not the time to hear him. As I dart my body away from his, I know I cannot swim faster than a Belua. As I approach the edge of the swirling water, I place my trust in Hass to let me through and follow me to the wall of rocks. I get closer; the water is still going in a circle, fast, strong, enough to sweep whatever touches it away. I will not back down. As I brace myself to try and pass through it, a gap opens up, and I propel myself forward. A belua comes my way, but before it reaches me, it is pushed away by a force of water. Instead of looking back, I place my trust in Hass to back me up. Moving my legs, I sway them up and down, pushing myself to the rocks coming into view.

As Hass said, the vast wall of rocks ascends upwards, leading to land. Instead of admiring the faint beauty I see, I stay resolute.

Looking back will only grow the adrenaline coursing through me; it is time to leave the past behind and make sure my boat sails forward. As the sounds of battle enter my ears and the water is restless, thwacking me from side-to-side, I reach my hand out, almost able to touch the rocks that will help me call the creature of the sea.

I grip the wall, push myself forward, and quickly secure my body in place without any hesitation. There is no time to watch the battle roaring behind me; with quick speed, I lift my dress and roam my sight over my legs until I spot my wound. The cloth is dirty now and tattered, but for a moment, it reminds me of Assan’s gentleness. I shake off the thoughts – thinking about Assan makes me weak, but weakness is no longer an emotion afforded to me.

Placing my other hand on the bandage, I get to work loosening the knot until finally, the physical manifestation of Assan’s kindness breaks from my skin and sinks to the depths of the ocean. In a way, it is a symbol of our goodbye and my rebirth. My stab wound is detestable, and after this, it will worsen.

Elena! I cannot…

Hass! Are you alright?!

No more thinking; I have to act. With determination, I press my injured leg, the semi-open wound, against a sharp edge and push with everything I have. I clench my teeth and use my hand to move my leg deeper into the jagged spike. Tears form at the base of my eyes, mixing in with the saltwater. Screams of agony leave my lips, but my goal is reached – blood drips from the cut.

Hass’s booming voice catches my attention, and I spin around, left gawking at what I see. The mer protecting me is panting as he holds himself up, and his hand slowly falls. The swirling water protecting gets smaller, and on all sides, the Belua waits to capture its prey.

Hass! I try to swim over to him to help and comfort him, but the pain pounding in my leg is too great.

Elena...I cannot hold them off any longer. Go, now!

I shake my head, trying to swim to him, but the stinging shoots to every inch of me, reminding me of our only hope to escape. I am not leaving you behind; we go together. To save my mind from despair, I avert my gaze from our enemy; I have to believe in myself and the advisor fighting to return me home. My chest rises and falls; my voice trembles, but red crimson still emits from my leg, and on that, I put my trust.

Hass’s sight does not leave the Belua. Together, with me behind Hass, we stand off against our enemy. Again, the circling water gets smaller, and soon, it’s gone. I brace myself for the Belua’s attack and right on cue, and they speed to us.

Forgive me, Elena. I have failed you as Assan’s advisor and protector. I never knew one could hear the mixture of exhaustion, despair, and regret in one sound. In this fleeting moment, that’s how the merman’s voice echoes inside my head.

No, Hass, you did not fail me. When I was scared and alone, you were the first mer to show me kindness, so thank you.

He turns his head to me and gives me a wry grin as I return his weak smile with my own. The Belua stop, still as statues floating in the water.

Hass’s eyes go wide, and he says, “There are many creatures of the sea, even some older than human history, and one has arrived.”

Even with the dim light beaming down from the sun onto the water, I neither see nor hear the sea creature that has ventured our way. My body sways from the water in the sea, always floating in one direction or another. However, the ocean is still like it froze with chill air and wind this time. The difference is the air is not cold, and there is no wind under the sea. In front of me, the mers’ and Beluas’ bodies have become stiff, reminding me of Hylnn guards that do not move to any reaction but instead, they are watching and always waiting.

Every one of us has not moved, that is, until a rumble goes through the water – a wave knocks me from side to side, and I almost lose my place, but thanks to Hass taking control of the water behind me, I maintain my position.

All of the Belua watching us from across the way open their mouths wide, and the screeching coming from their throats causes me to cover my ears. As I clench my teeth and hiss from the pain hitting me, I struggle to keep my gaze on them. Hass tries to stop them by lifting his hand and controlling the water, but midway, he stops; he swims backward, closer to me.

Coming from the waters’ depths, a creature - one I have not seen before - shots up, taking some of the Belua in its wide mouth. Another wave forms, but it spins Hass and me around, catching us in its circular web. Around and around, my insides whip about, causing bile to rise to my throat. Sailors often speak of boats getting caught in storms at sea, with winds roaring and growling like animals. Water splashes onto the ships - waves that float men away from the safety of their crew- destroying the only few vessels that can protect them.

Now I know what they mean- to be swept away, covered in water, and pushed away from the ones that can help you. I close my eyes and get caught up in the whirlpool forming around us. Like throwing a ball from person to person, my body has become the ball, and the water is the one tossing me about. The taste of salt forms all over my mouth, and the only sound with me is the rumbling liquid.

I’ve lost the ability to smell, and my weight is no longer heavy for a moment. Calmness washes over me; the roaring has died down; my body has stilled.

“Elena!”

His call brings me back from my thoughts. Now wide-eyed, I see Hass reach out his hand to mine. Instinctively, I do the same. Beyond Hass, I spot a few Belua coming our way, but above them, a vast shadow covers the faint light from the sun.

“We must hurry!” Hass shouts as he grabs my hand and drags me with him. With his hand wrapping around mine, his grip gets tight, causing me to hiss in pain. Hass rushes through the liquid, pushing our bodies with his strength. Every hindrance in our way he dodges with ease, and in the distance, through cloudy vision, a dark brown mass comes into view.

Hold on, Elena, we are nearly there!

The seriousness in his voice is unquestionable; there is no need to respond because whatever awaits us is one action: run. Chill water hits my face, arms, legs, everything; a sting of pain courses through my body, but I do my best to brush it off, only thinking about our next move. From behind us, I hear screams, hissing, and noises from what I assume is the creature of the sea devouring our enemies. Hass does not slow down and now, all around us is dark; we must be in the tunnel.

I sweep my eyes around, but it is still too dark for me to see. However, in the distance, a faint light seeps into the water.

We are here!

He stops, surfaces above the water, and then releases my hand. I blink; the salt water from my eyes and hair drips down my face like rain running down the glass. When I look up, there is a pathway made of rocks leading up to an opening. Beyond the opening, I cannot see anything else but light.

This pathway is only for me, not Hass.

“No!” I shake my head in protest.

Wordless, Hass purses his lips; he knows what I am thinking.

“Go, Elena! You told Assan you have someone who needs you, then goes to them.”

I curl my fingers into a fist. Hass is right. Joseph needs me, and I asked to leave the mer world behind. Why, in my last moments, do I have this need to stay with Hass? He helped me, showed me kindness, and even now, he is risking his life for me. Not only Hass, but even Assan has defied his father, the King, to let me live.

Instead of speaking, I nod my head and spin around, placing both hands firmly on the ground. Using what strength I have, I lift myself. Behind me, two hands touch around my waist, Hass. With his help, both my feet hit the ground, and when I turn to face him, the edges of his lips go upwards into a grin.

As I open my mouth to say my final farewell, Hass’s eyes go wide.

“Get to the forest; they will help you.”

“Has-“

In one quick move, he is gone, like he was pulled from under the water. My bottom lip hangs open in disbelief; the mer who protected me and risked his life to get me home is nowhere in sight.

Pain from my flesh, my heart, and from my emotional turmoil floods through me all at once. As I place my hand down and then the other and move to the edge of the little pool, I do the only thing in my power: A scream rises from my throat and through my lips as I mourn the mer who fought to return me home.