The Wild Mermaid Read online

  The Wild Mermaid

  mel braxton

  summary

  Cora was thrilled. Today she would reach Atlantis, and after a long migration she was eager to finish the journey.

  But when the Queen appoints Cora as the next soloist, she must take an unusual medication called physic. As the drug reshapes her mind, Cora discovers Atlantis to be far more sinister than her daydreams.

  To escape, Cora must navigate the Queen’s palace. Along the way, she is befriended and betrayed. She learns that myths can be lies and tragedies often leave scars.

  It’s an adventure that’ll ultimately transform her into The Wild Mermaid.

  copyright

  Copyright © 2020 by Mel Braxton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form (electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise) without prior permission by the author, except as provided by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Events, locales, characters, names, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is a coincidence.

  Edited by LY Publishing Services

  www.lypublishing.com

  Cover by Daqri

  www.coversbycombs.com

  dedication

  for those who fight for hope

  Chapter One:

  At the Gates of Atlantis

  Cora dreamed she was human. It was a familiar dream, even if it was quite silly.

  She stretched, extending her arms and expanding her fin. She was very much tired of sleeping with one eye open and looking forward to having a proper bed in Atlantis.

  Her pod had been migrating for months.

  Cora brushed her fingers against the body-like mantle of the squid at her side. Meryn had been her companion since she could remember. She’d named him from the ditty Mighty Meryn met the Merry Queen, but more because she liked the name than any reason she could recall.

  Cora grabbed at Meryn’s tentacle, and he flashed an arm in irritation, a warning. He wasn’t in the mood for play. Cora sighed and swam aside, giving him space.

  She lingered there, swimming at the rear of the pod. It was a shame no one liked Meryn as much as she did. Most of their animal companions were dolphins or turtles, but two sharks had joined their migration! Regardless, Meryn was the only squid. But considering his size—his mantel was as big as her body—and that the clubs of his tentacles had sharp hooks to stun prey… He made the others uncomfortable.

  Her eye caught the light as it wavered, dispersing into the water ahead. The evidence was thin but unmistakable: morning was here.

  She tried not to flip with excitement but didn’t quite succeed. Her tail brushed Meryn’s mantle.

  Sorry.

  But how could she not be excited? It was dawn, a new day! And—if she’d kept track correctly—they would reach Atlantis today.

  Atlantis. Home of the merpeople, the mer. City of the oceans and the site of Queen Mari’s magnificent fortress.

  Cora had forgotten what Atlantis was like. Triton said she’d lived there, but like the other mortal mermaids in their pod, Cora was terribly forgetful, and she’d wandered from her home. Fortunately, they had Triton to lead them to Atlantis.

  Triton!

  Cora sprinted ahead, weaving between the bodies of her sleep-swimming friends. Phoebe and Alvin and Diane and Garett and…

  She found Triton at the head of the pod, from which he could lead them from danger and toward their home. It was his job, and that of his three guards, to guide the lost mer back to Atlantis.

  She snuck behind him, fast enough to pull his green fin in play before he flipped onto his back and smirked at her. Cora giggled.

  She swam into stride beside him, lingering close enough so that their tails might occasionally brush.

  Triton tugged Cora’s hair with a grin. “Darling, how’s your morning?”

  Cora wondered if anyone else was his darling, but either way, she still liked hearing him say it to her. Maybe he was an immortal to her mortal, but that didn’t stop her from having a crush on him.

  Everyone had a crush on Triton. It was inevitable. Between his vibrant green eyes, his emerald fin, and the way he radiated life as only immortals could…he was irresistible.

  “Did I count the days right?” Cora asked. “Do we reach Atlantis today?”

  “Yes, my darling. You’ll see Atlantis today.”

  Cora fought the urge to spin with glee; she wasn’t a child.

  He took her hand and pointed with it. “Do you see that on the horizon? The space where the light is a little too bright?”

  It was easy to spot. “That’s Atlantis?”

  “Yes, we’ll arrive when the sun is high in the sky.”

  “That’s wonderful!”

  “Isn’t it.”

  Cora pulsed her fin, considering her words. “Triton, I know once we reach Atlantis…I can’t expect to see you again.”

  He’d return to the palace as the Queen’s courtier, but Cora would be expected to work, to support the great city.

  “I wanted to say thank you,” Cora continued. “Thank you for seeking us out and helping us return. Without your guidance, I would have been lost to the sea!” Although, she couldn’t remember exactly when she’d wandered from her home.

  “It’s been a pleasure,” he replied. “I’m proud to serve my people.”

  She swam a few more strokes by his side, pleased that he didn’t dismiss her. “Everyone is sleeping, can you tell me a story?”

  “But I told you one last night.”

  “I don’t remember it.”

  Triton chuckled. “You’ve got the memory of a mortal, don’t you?”

  She laughed with him but would not be distracted. “Tell me about the fall of Atlantis.”

  Triton cleared his throat and began.

  “Once upon a time, our people were born with wings and the strength of the sky. Under Queen Mari’s rule, Atlantis grew powerful but with that might came vengeful enemies.

  “If those enemies had faced us separately, all of them would’ve fallen—trust my word on that, darling, for I was there—Instead, they formed a coalition, a treaty. They bent the nature of science and magic and, through their combined powers, ravaged Atlantis with a spell of smite.

  “In an instant, our wings vanished to be replaced by fins and sealungs. Our buildings crumbled, and we fell, tumbling from the sky, splashing into the water below.

  “We would have died out then, if not for the Queen and her Great Architect.”

  Cora clapped at his mention of the infamous duo.

  “And together, they weaved the spells that saved us, developing the new forms of magic we needed to rebuild and thrive. The effort was long, spanning the lifetimes of many mortals. But now, no city is as powerful as Atlantis.”

  “Or as beautiful!” Cora added.

  “Or as beautiful,” Triton agreed. “So beautiful that rival cities curdled with envy to witness our civilization flourish. And when Tetheris, the strongest of them, began a new war… Ha! They were the ones to lose everything instead.”

  Triton’s tone was spiteful, and Cora wanted to share his hate, but the emotion washed over her. Hate never came easily for mortals.

  “Can you take me to Queen Mari?” she asked, then feeling suddenly abashed, continued, “I’m asking too much, I’m sure. But I long for even a moment within her aura.”

  “Queen Mari is as beautiful as a seahorse caught in a moonray. But I’m afraid, my darling, that the only mortals who ever see the Queen are her choir.”

  That was news to Cora. “I love to sing! Do you think I could join the choir?”

  “With a voice like yours
, maybe you could even be the soloist.” He grinned, showing all his teeth.

  Cora spun with joy. Today was going to be such a wonderful day!

  “Go rejoin the pod,” Triton said. “We'll be there soon.”

  The next few hours were dreadfully long. Cora entertained herself with the others, but she wasn’t the only one feeling eager and impatient.

  Soon Phoebe and Garett began a duet, performing a fantastic rendition of The Ballad of Melusine, all ten of its heartbreaking verses. It was one of Cora’s favorites.

  And once they hummed the final note, Cora began the next song, an uplifting hymn that praised Queen Mari and the glory of Atlantis. It was so well known that she’d barely made it through the first line before the others in her pod joined her. She harmonized her voice with the others, careful that she carried the tune without overpowering the voices of others. As a choir-member should.

  And when she grew weary, Cora swam close to Meryn, allowing him to rest an arm against her fin. She trusted him to guide her forward as she slept…

  Sometime later, she stirred to find Meryn stroking her shoulder with his tentacle. Cora blinked, checking her surroundings. There were plants kept in neat rows, kelp growing in tall ribbons, and fish contained in large bubble-like structures.

  Underwater farms! They must be on the outskirts of Atlantis! She twisted from Meryn’s grasp, spinning and turning in exhilaration.

  When she finally calmed enough to swim straight, she realized Meryn wasn’t at her side. She turned around to find he had drifted to a stop. She sprinted to his side.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  He waved his tentacles slowly.

  “You’re not going to Atlantis, are you?”

  He lowered himself in the water, confirming her question.

  She ran into his many arms, treasuring their hug for a final moment. “I’m going to miss you.”

  Meryn continued to drift away, and she paused, half tempted to follow him. She swallowed, finding a knot in her throat. She was terribly thankful for the time they’d shared, but… She looked to her pod on the horizon.; they were going home.

  If Meryn wasn’t going to Atlantis, then it really was time to say goodbye. She sprinted to him, kissed his mantel, and raced after her pod.

  Cora watched, somewhat less excited than she expected, as they passed through the farms. They were beginning to grow closer together. Here the carefully-tended seaweed grew into strong ropes, dolphins swam in their corrals, and glassy houses were filled with krill.

  Mer, mostly mortals judging from their imperfections, worked the farms, as was their role in supporting Atlantis.

  Triton stopped at one such farm and told Diane this was her home. She was the first to leave the pod, but Alvin left soon after. Cora rubbed her palm against her scales, wondering when she would reach her home and who her new friends would be.

  By the time they approached the city-proper, their pod had become much smaller. Not only had the other animal companions left, but only Cora, Garett, and Phoebe remained.

  Well, there was Triton, of course. And their guards. But the immortals didn’t really count in the same way.

  Regardless, they swam forward together, cresting a hill in the seabed to discover Atlantis sprawled before them.

  Cora gasped at the sight of it.

  A wall, more symbolic than functional, defined a perimeter to the city. Simple houses, not unlike those she’d seen on the farms, were built on the lower land. But as her gaze traveled up the city’s central hill, the buildings grew in extravagance, strength, and splendor. Each seemed more magnificent than the last until—

  There. That had to be the palace.

  The Queen’s fortress sprawled, claiming the hilltop with its many towers, soaring buildings, and glassy domed structures that reflected the bright light. An arena fortified its highest point, so high above Atlantis that it nearly reached the water’s surface.

  Cora realized she was holding her breath but didn’t release it until they passed through large ornate gates—the legendary Gates of Atlantis!

  A crowd of immortals had gathered on the other side, clearly eager for their arrival. They were singing loudly and, while she couldn’t place the song, it was one that even her bones knew.

  Cora sang, adding her own voice to the chorus. Her mind began to flood with glee. She began to flip and then to flop, anything to express the energy that now compelled her being.

  Then she tasted blood in the water.

  Cora spun to discover a merman holding Phoebe. She’d collapsed. He pulled a needle from her neck. Something was wrong.

  “Triton!” Cora cried. “Help!”

  Yet the mer continued to sing—didn’t they see what was happening?—but the song pulled at Cora, telling her to let Phoebe be. All was well, and she should be happy.

  But this wasn’t right. “Triton!” she cried again.

  Mer began to crowd around Phoebe, taking her away…

  Triton swam to Cora’s side, and she began to blubber, pointing and sobbing and unsure how to make the words coherent.

  She’d expected Triton to explain why she was so confused, to tell her that everything was just too complex for her to understand. But then she looked past Triton and saw the body of Garrett lying on the ground. She began to shake.

  “They’re not dead,” Triton reassured her, lifting his hand to her neck.

  Her skin pricked where he touched her, and his vibrant green eyes were the last thing Cora saw before her vision turned black.

  ✽✽✽

  Cora fluttered her eyes open. She was somewhere dark. Stale water flowed through her sealungs. She twitched her fin and discovered it ached to move.

  Panic pulsed through her, her breathing accelerated, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Everything was wrong. So wrong. She took a deep breath. She could do this.

  Cora reopened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the darkness as she slowed her breathing.

  A rocklight illuminated the small room with a deep red hue. It wasn’t bright but gave off enough light for her to comfortably see she was alone in the rock-walled cell. The door was the only way in or out.

  She coughed on the stale water.

  Isolation and loneliness washed over her. Where was the sea? Her pod? A mermaid wasn’t meant to be alone, locked away from the sea.

  The door had a small barred window, just large enough to look through. Curious.

  She flitted toward it—and fell back to the ground. Her fin shrieked in agony and the panic returned anew.

  She gritted her teeth and pushed herself against the wall, spreading her fin before her, searching for the injury with her fingertips.

  Her fin had been cut. Clipped.

  Cora bit down a shriek as her fingers brushed a sore wound. One long cut had separated her once beautiful, whole fin into two halves, the cut stopping at the point where her fin met the body of the tail.

  The slash was clean, and scar tissue was already forming on both sides of the wound. She doubted it would become infected, but that didn’t stop it from hurting. The pain was larger than the injury.

  Without a strong fin, her days of swimming in the ocean were over. Even if she healed perfectly and learned to use a strangely shaped fin…she would never be a powerful swimmer again.

  Now she was vulnerable and alone.

  It was Triton’s fault—Triton who betrayed her, betrayed the whole pod! Where were the others? Had their fins been clipped as well?

  Triton's deception hurt worse than her fin.

  She tightened her fists and drew in a deep breath. She flipped a little and neared the door. The movement was far from graceful, and while her body cried in protest, she successfully reached her goal.

  She peered through the small window. More stone, more darkness. A hallway, most likely.

  With a second surge of strength, she tested the door, and as she expected, it didn’t budge. And that was it; she was out of ideas. Triton had always said mortals weren
’t much for thinking…

  She settled herself against the wall and pulled her tail to her chest. She worked to steady her mind as it flipped between anxiety and numbness.

  Maybe she gathered her thoughts, or perhaps she fell asleep. Either way, she shook to alertness when the keyhole sounded with a click.

  Chapter Two:

  Within the Throne Room

  The cell door opened to reveal Triton. He was shadowed by his three guards: Isain, Janh, and Hanz. The guards were dressed as always with their armored breastplates, clutching spears in their fists.

  But Triton looked different, cleaner and brighter than ever before.

  Cora's heart raced at the sight of him, her head flooding with a wave of anger wouldn’t last, couldn’t continue now that she was back in Triton’s radiating presence.

  She tried to blame him for her clipped fin, that she was in this cell—but that made no sense. Why would an immortal hurt her?

  “Triton! I’m so happy you’re here. What's going on?” Cora asked. “I’m confused.”

  “I’m glad to see that you’re conscious.” Triton nodded. “How’s your fin, my darling?”

  “Healing. I think it’ll be okay in time, but—I can’t—” She began to hiccup. “I can’t swim right.”

  “The Queen will see you now,” Triton said.

  “Queen Mari?” Her eyes grew wide.

  “The very same,” he grinned. “Do you still long to meet her?”

  “Now?”

  “Now. Take a moment to prepare yourself.”

  Isain, the mermaid guard, handed her two brushes, one meant for hair the other for scales. Cora grabbed one and got to work, quickly scrubbing what scales she could. Isain played with her hair.

  “Wear this for your presentation to the Queen,” Triton said. Then he helped her with the clasps of a large bejeweled necklace—the deep blue sapphires a perfect pairing to her tail.

  “It’s beautiful. Can I keep it?” she asked. Mers loved treasures.