Coral City

The water glows all around us, mermaids and sirens swim past children point at us in awe.

That's right they're not allowed to go to the surface until their nineteen they've probably never seen anyone with legs that didn't have fins attached. The palace is just beyond our reach with coral and pearl walls and a gate made out of whale and shark bones.

A little mermaid points at us as we near the gate, "Mommy are they mortals?"

The older mermaid looks us over and shakes her head orange and violet hair creating small ripples in the water around her, "their Fay, look at their ears."

"Their pointy," the little mermaid swims over emerald eyes shining.

I hold my hand up before she can touch my ear, "I wouldn't do that."

She gives me a shark's smile and Night laughs, "just let her touch your ear."

"No," I try to kick him but end up doing a somersault instead, "fuck."

The little mermaid giggles more mermaid and siren children swim towards us.

Night somehow manages to bow without being thrown off balance, "forgive my mate, it's her first time visiting the Undersea."

One of the guard's swims over scales the color of berries, "what are Fay doing in the Undersea?"

Night gives him his most charming smile, "We would like an audience with Queen Galicia."

The siren snorts or at least I think that's what that sound was, "what makes land-dwellers believe you can have an audience with our Queen?"

"Who's he talking to?" I look at the children then at Night, "is it you he's using that tone of voice on or is the children?"

Night shrugs, "I don't know," he looks to the little mermaid, "who's he talking to?"

The children giggle and a siren child says, "you silly."

"Oh, I see," I lift my bow up and aim it at the siren guard, "Kaz, has patience I do not."

"It has no arrows," the guard says with a smugness that makes me want to tear him a new one.

I pull the bowstring back, "Doesn't it," and watch with amusement as their eyes widen.

"Just so you know they'll be nothing left of you when those arrows pierce you," Night says gesturing to the three arrows, "so what do you say you take us to your Queen."

"Insolence," a female voice says causing everyone to scatter, "how dare land-dwellers come to our home and threaten us. Don't you know you're out of your element?"

"Hello Tamara," Night drawls, "it's nice to see you where's your mother?"

Before Tamara can answer I let the arrows loose they pierce through the guard. True to Night's words nothing remains. "Fuck!"

"She didn't mean that," Night points at the now empty space, "it's the water makes everything slippery."

"Guards!" mermen and sirens emerge from the bone gate caring tridents and spears, "kill them."

"Any thoughts?"

"Kill them," Night draws Silver and Ash the swords humming, "you need to learn self-control, "he sends, "Tamara is mother's cousin, my aunt in a way."

"Did you forget your appearance has been altered," I send back, "she doesn't know you're Night."

"I forgot about that," he sends, "I have an idea."

"What?"

"Let's get captured."

"She said kill them," I send, "not capture them."

"I know just trust me," he turns his attention on Tamara, "Wait, Night says hi."

Tamara holds up her hand, "Night?" she frowns.

"Your nephew."

"How do you know him?"

"He's a good friend of mine, he asked me to deliver a message to Great Aunt."

"Why should I believe you?"

"When you were younger you tried to seduce the Dark King in hopes of angering Princess Crimson. No one outside the family knows that or I should say knew that. Princess Crimson only allowed you to live to avoid a war with the Undersea even though your execution would have been perfectly justifiable."

"You talk too much," Tamara lets her hand down and the guards advance.

"So much for your plan," I let loose a volley of arrows, somehow being underwater makes this a lot easier.

Night's swords cut limb after limb tail after until tail blood tints the water in shades of green. Tamara lets out an ear screeching scream as she sends water blades at us. I move towards Night and wrap us in a cocoon of shadow.

"What now?"

He relaxes his shoulders, "I'm thinking."

"Well think faster she's right we are out of our element, for all I know she can break through my shadow cocoon."

"She's not a shadow," he says sliding down the cocoon wall until he's sitting on the shadow floor. Here there is no water just us and darkness, "we could try to sneak in later."

"How?"

"Let her think we're dead."

"I doubt that will work," I wrap a hand around his arm and pray this works, "I need to borrow something," before he can asks I draw from his energy the moment I let the shadow cocoon fall apart I use it to send a blast that knocks Tamara back the bone gate shatters. The blast reverberates hitting one of the coral and pearl towers bits of pearl float around nothing remains of the tower.

"A little warning next time," Night hisses, "what now?"

"We find the Queen and get what we came for."

"Then follow me," he leads me past the wreckage and around a spiral tower. My heart sinks when I spot the little mermaid trapped under the remains of the bone gate. How could I forget there were children present, I send out a shadow hand and free her she looks up at me sadness in her eyes. Her mother lies motionless face down a piece of bone punctured her spine pinning her to the seabed. I swim after Night remembering my training, I turn off my emotions. I can't think about what I've done right now, but later, later I'll face the consequences. It will hunt me in wake and dream as all things do.