Chapter Twelve

Lily grimaced as she gingerly supported her injured leg to stand on her feet from the bed. Fidal had told her to wait, but then again, she's been gone for over fifteen minutes. The wound was itchy and the sensation of her pants sticking to it was uncomfortable.

Just as she tried to limp towards the connected bathroom, the door of the room pushed open and Fidal walked in holding two small black glass bottles in her hand. She rose a brow at Lily and sat on the bed seating the bottles on the bed.

"I thought you weren't going to come back," Lily explained sheepishly and Fidal cast an unexplainable look at her.

She limped back, sat on the bed, and silently supported her injured leg, extending it towards Fidal.

Fidal held her injured leg in place. She looked around and stood up for a minute, walking to the bathroom and coming out with a bowl of water and a rag.

She placed the rag under Lily's leg and scooped some water before pouring it on her injury. Lily hissed in pain while Fidal lowered her head and busied herself with wetting and washing the wound.

As soon as she was able to, she tore out the torn side of Lily's pants, freeing the material from the wound.

She opened a bottle and a light spicy smell escaped. Lily craned her neck and tried to glance at the content of the bottle.

"Black flower essence, it's black in color," she clicked her tongue and said to Lily, "this is going to hurt" then she dumped the whole liquid in the bottle onto the wound.

Lily wasn't prepared for the pain or the heat that surged within her as the liquid made contact with her skin hence, she cried out.

Fidal tutted while watching as Lily's injury closed over itself and healed immediately. There was only a light red mark left. "It's gone," Lily said to Fidal without being able to conceal her surprise. The wound was gone and she no longer felt the stinging pain.

Fidal hummed uninterestedly in reply and tossed the other bottle at her, "Apply it on your neck."

She caught it and peered at the small black bottle with interest "Where's this flower from?"

"It's from the waters, the mermaids grow it" Fidal answered.

"About earlier, I didn't mean to push you," Lily said. Although she hated having to explain herself, she had to make Fidal understand that even when she is most annoyed, she'll never resort to something as lowly as that.

Fidal picked up the empty bottle and flipped it between her long slim fingers, "You can't kill me even if you tried. You should worry about yourself instead."

Her careless tone was heavily apparent," she'll be back again."

Lily hugged her legs to her chest and wrapped her hands around them as goosebumps scattered across the surface of her skin.

"Yeah, I thought as much. Either she comes for us or we go in search of her," she asked

Fidal hummed in reply" Besides, she can't be allowed to roam freely, she's a ticking bomb."

"If I'm not wrong, that should be princess Ámāari who was ' sealed' as punishment. But she's a snake now, how did that happen?" Lily asked, truly baffled.

"Foul play," Fidal said "Have you ever heard of the story of a king who had an affair with his daughter?" she asked.

Lily nodded "Yeah, his daughter became his hidden mistress, when his wife found out about it, she was enraged. Her daughter had seduced her husband. The wife devised a means, knowing that her daughter was to be a prize, she slipped the words to her daughter out of 'goodwill '. The daughter connived with a palace warrior who was also her lover and they ran away or tried to. They were eventually caught. While the king was out seeking ways to appease the masters that were angered, the wife was left in charge of the punishment of her daughter.

We all know how that ends, don't we?" she asked

"she sealed her daughter in a pot filled with black snakes raised by a sorcerer, it was said that the daughter died slowly and painfully from their poison and bite," Fidal answered

Lily frowned and her eyes widened, "Except, she didn't die. Ámāari survived. Somehow, she was able to become one with the snakes and she can cough them out and make them do her bidding" she sighed and continued "This corresponds with the story on the wall at the temple. It's like a full picture now."

"It is" Fidal supported, "Behind King Abdimà's reign and fall was a story of betrayal and deceit. A triangle of hate...."

Her thoughts paused abruptly. Triangle. Grorhur, Kainsk, Naraphims.

"What wrong?" Lily asked

"What's your thoughts on Grorhur?" Fidal asked instead

Lily's brows crinkled "I'm thinking it's a place like Kainsk. It exists but its secrets are unknown."

Fidal stood up from the bed and made for the door as Lily watched in confusion.

"Never mind that, go to sleep. We'll talk in the morning." With that said, she left the room and the door softly clicked close.

*

In the deep dark ocean, a mermaid traced her fingertips across the faint scars of a healing wound as anger blazed her golden orbs.

Her other hand held a black flower with sharp crescent shaped petals that opened in soft bloom.

"A day," she muttered while looking at her reflection on a huge golden mirror that was a stolen loot.

"A day left for the scar to heal." She repeated as she crushed the petals of the flower and gently patted it on her scar.

The water stirred gently behind her and her ears twitched in notice. Her nose flared and she squinted with her lips pursed in a thin line at the unwelcome company.

"What do you want?!" she yelled angrily at the giant squid who had slithered into her presence.

"Master Arachne, Ecanté has been found." The squid said softly in its language.

A dark gleam flashed her eyes and Arachne sneered "And so? Does she think that after being away for so many days, she can just 'come back ' whenever she wants? If she dares fall into my sight, I'll kill her myself by gouging her eyes out and tearing her face."

The giant squid said softly, "Master, Ecanté is dead."

"Who killed her?" she asked but waved nonchalantly before the squid could reply " Nevermind, make the mermaid who killed her my new right-hand woman. For her to be able to get kill Ecanté, she deserves Ecanté's position."

"Master, I don't think a mermaid killed her?" The squid said.

The mermaid stopped for a minute and stared at the squid.

The squid took that as a cue and continued, "her body was found drifting along the waters but a shark dragged it towards our tide as a favor. A knife sliced her chest and her heart was missing from the body."

"Impossible!" Arachne bellowed and her voice echoed in the dark waters. "Which creature killed her? Which creature dares to challenge my authority?" she asked.

"Master, she was brutalized. Her tail was hacked off too." the squid finished.

"Sereid!" Arachne said in a voice that echoed right to the sky.

The pure night cloud turned black and loud crackling thunder boomed as lightning struck into the dark ocean tearing apart a ship on the surface. The lightning brought forth a long black serpentine fish with long rows of sharp teeth.

Arachne stretched her left hand and a black pearl appeared on her palm.

The pearl flew from her palm and merged into the forehead of the serpentine fish.

"Child of the ocean, protector of my name, protector of our clan. You will find the one who killed Ecanté and bring him to the waters. Make him swallow the black pearl when he is found and bring him alive. Be on your way Sereid" Arachne said.

Sereid lowered its head in respect and swarm away.

"Toss Ecanté's body to the sharks and be on your way," Arachne said to the squid.

The squid tilted its head in respect and swarm away to carry out the order.

Arachne turned to the mirror with madness and a hint of interest glinting in her eyes. "someone killed Ecanté, interesting." she muttered to herself.