“My friends? I have friends?” I choked. “But you said there wasn’t anyone else who cared about me!”
Ignoring my anger, he dragged me off the dais and into the screaming crowds. I writhed against him, struggling against his hold until another thunderous rumble made usboth freeze.
The snakelike beast was staring straight at me, its huge eyes dragging up from my gown to my face.
Without warning, it charged. I didn’t even have time to scream. But just as its wet scales brushed my nose, it whipped to the side and crashed into Arenn instead.
The faery prince yelped, but before I could try and help him, something else crashed into me. When I opened my eyes, I was flying through the air. The grey shape that was inside the beast now had me doubled over its snout. Until we both plunged into the cave’s river.
Lilac water filled my ears. Panicking, I tried to swim up to the surface, ignoring the grey beast that circled around my body.
I was so close. My fingers had just brushed the surface when I was tugged back down again. Before I could scream, a woman’s lips smothered mine.
“Naria!” she yelled, pulling away from me. Somehow her voice was clear through the water. “Naria, look at me!”
She shook me violently, rattling my bones until my eyes were forced open. I gasped at the sight of her. Then gasped again at the realisation that I wasn’t drowning.
Long red hair spilled around her shoulders, floating around her tanned face like a cloud. On her chest, golden armour twinkled in the river’s lilac glow. The most shocking thing was her blue fishtail. With every swish, it kept us below the surface while her hands stayed planted on my shoulders.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?” I spluttered. There were so many questions on my tongue. How was I breathing right now? What did this woman want withme? Was everyone else up there going to die?
“It’s me! Adriana?” the mermaid scoffed. After a moment, her shoulders sagged. “Oh, right. Lukas did say that you might not remember me.”
Lukas?That name again… But then I shook my head. Whoever he was, he didn’t matter now. Wincing, I struggled against her hold, but she held me firm.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
She chuckled. “We’re rescuing you, silly,”
“Rescuing me?”
“Don’t look so alarmed. This is a good thing! Your heroic husband is up there right now slaughtering all the faery beasts who took you from us.” She grinned while I almost choked. “He’s tasked me with keeping you here until all the killing has been completed. Not my first choice of tasks, but I’ll admit it’s better Sweetie and I keep you company than one of my other sisters.”
My mind was completely scrambled. Somehow, through it all, I managed to ask, “Who’s Sweetie?”
“My shark!” She beamed. When the horse-sized grey beast popped up beside her, flashing a row of sharp teeth, I could’ve sworn I lost ten years of my life.
“What is that thing?” I gasped, backing against the crystal wall of the river.
Sweetie let out an offended sort of growl.
“Oh no, it’s alright, sweetheart.” Adriana nuzzled into his side. “She doesn’t mean it. Princess Naria’s just a little confused right now. The bad faery man got to her.”
Princess?My spine dug against the rock wall. I had to get out of here. This woman was completely unhinged.
“Lukas won’t be long now.” She smiled, turning back to me. “Let’s just give him a few more minutes to finish everyone off.”
“Right,” I laughed nervously. The mermaid spun away to fuss over her creature, checking him for wounds and adjusting what must’ve been his saddle.
“You were so brave up there, Sweetie,” she cooed. I glanced up towards the surface, seeing colours and shapes dart past the rippling water. “You did so good for Mama,” Adriana went on, thoroughly distracted. “You found Naria and brought her here for me.”
Slowly, I pushed away from the wall, swimming as quietly as I could. The shapes grew more defined the higher up I swam.
“Naria?”
I cursed under my breath.
“Where did you—” Springing forward, I dislodged a clump of sand from the wall and kicked wildly up to the surface. I burst up from the river just as the sand clouded the water, blinding my captor enough for me to scramble up to the river’s edge.
