Page 13 of The Hunted

“But …” Coral swam around Arelle’s side, edging closer to the still-struggling woman whose violet eyes—eyes so much like theirs that it hurt—looked between her sisters. “We should help her, Poe.”

“Let her die.”

“Poe!”

Arelle reached for Coral, ready to drag their younger sister back and away from the … well, she couldn’t quite call the helpless mermaid woman dangerous, could she? Not like she was. “Poe is right, we have to leave, Coral.”

“No.”

Poe had already turned to go down the canal. Arelle looked that way, peering through the dark murkiness of the water to call for her sister to wait.

“Help me … to the sea … take me into the sea.”

The words slithered through the water like an eel slipping along the sea floor. The merwoman’s voice so faint and painful that it made her flinch. And yet, she used their language, her pleas enough to make Arelle hesitate.

A second too long.

Long enough for Coral to grab the blade sharpened from the strongest of sea stones that Arelle kept strapped to her hip with a piece of leather wrapped in seaweed to keep it safe. Her little sister slipped out of her reach, heading for the merwoman just ten feet away in the water.

“Coral!”

It happened so fast.

Too fast.

Coral reached for the woman, only wanting to help because that’s who she was … sweet and curious and so foolish. Not at all scared, though she should be. Except when she extended that blade, ready to cut the contraption from the woman’s throat, purple exploded in the water.

Blood.

Their blood.

Because the woman struck back, whether from fear that she was about to be killed or for some other reason that Arelle didn’t yet understand … she attacked. Grabbing the blade from Coral, she first slashed it across the younger girl’s face, and then plunged it deep into her chest.

Violet all around.

It swirled and danced.

She could taste it in the water.

Arelle screamed, darting forward in the water to help her sister when Poe finally came back. She cut past Arelle so fast that she was only a blur of shimmering scales and red hair. Terrified Poe might be the next to find herself on the wrong end of the blade the other woman now had, Arelle swam into the fray as well.

Poe had her own knife, though. And hands that were fast with every strike. Their fight sent them farther down the canal, even as Arelle swam circles around the two women, trying to find that safe opening to help.

“Poe, we have to help Coral—Poe!”

Poe heard nothing.

Every swing of her arm caused another slice.

More purple in the water.

It was all Arelle could see.

“I want to die in the sea,” the dying woman whispered.

Arelle couldn’t see Poe anymore.

They were too far down the canal.