My gaze drifts to the well, the missing mermaid still glaringly obvious among the four left behind, and I instinctively take a backward step, refusing to even consider going near that water again.
The sound of the running water feels familiar now as I’m engulfed by the marble that covers the space from top to bottom. Creams and golds glisten across every surface, intertwined in the marble.
I run my hands over every wall, every singleinch, floor included, all but the well, but nothing appears as the needed answer. Not even a close inspection of the well and its mermaids offers me anything.
I need to hurry. Fuck knows what’s happening up there while I’m hiding away down here, offering nothing to the situation.
When I find myself in the center of the room again, I fall to my knees in defeat. I squeeze my eyes closed, desperate to figure this shit out, but as hard as I try, it’s to no avail.
Frustration and desperation circle inside of me as I silently beg for something… anything, but all I'm greeted with are visions of Ocean in pain.
I freeze at the sound of hurried footsteps drawing closer, and my eyes fly open. I must act now.
I stare at my trembling fingers, unsure how insane I actually am, as a thought swirls in my mind. Anything is worth a try at this stage.
Taking a deep breath, I turn my hands to the exterior of the water feature, feeling a flash inside my chest at the connection, and it quickly morphs into hope. Magic travels through me. Not my own, or that of another being or their abilities, just… magic.
The sound of something cracking vibrates through the room, and I pry my eyes wide to find it's the wall in the far corner.
I don't know how, but I know I'm on the right track.
Powering on, my muscles tighten, the pain and strength of extracting the magic from the source consuming me, and I panic, unsure if I'm able to do this on my own.
Definitely not when someone’s so close and I have to worry about being attacked from behind.
As if sensing themselves in my thoughts, the door swings open and I freeze, only to find my mother in the doorway.
A sob parts my lips as she rakes her eyes over me, and I offer her the same, noting the blood coating her. I can’t stop the single tear tracking down my face as I try to contain the emotions running through me.
Struggling to catch my breath, I part my lips, but before I can speak, she falls to her knees beside me. “What's the plan?”
I frown at her as she braces her hands in the air, and another bubble of emotion forms inside of me.
“I can't do it alone. I'm trying to use my power to absorb the magic and ruin The Vale,” I choke,struggling to breathe with all of the magic, yet she offers me a gentle smile as she lowers her hands, repeating the same motion as me.
“Power is forged in ruin,” she muses, and I choke, feeling her magic intertwine with mine as we suck everything from the enchanted space.
“Where did you hear that?” I blurt, and her eyes turn glossy.
“It's something my best friend and I used to say when she had her son. It was scary at the time, but he was strong.”
“He?”
She nods. “Walker.”
We both hiss in sync as the magic burns through us, and my heart aches.
Emotions swirl in my gut, but I use all of them to push on through the pain.
My mother sucks in a breath at the same time another crack forms, followed swiftly by another.
It’s a domino effect, one crack leading into another and another until the room starts to crumble around us.
“This could kill us,” she breathes, looking at me, and I nod.
“It’s worth the risk,” I insist, and her lips form a thin line, but she nods in agreement.
“I love you,” she breathes, and I make a croaky noise. “And if you somehow make it out of this without me, please tell your father that I love him too,” she adds, and my lips part, ready to say what, I'm not entirely sure, but no words come as a yelp rips from my throat, the crumbling overwhelming us as everything turns to darkness, and I can only hope it’s for good.
