Fates: Chapter Thirty-Seven

Seirra

As part of the Celari clan, I had been trained almost my entire life to always keep watch for surprise attacks. Being the leader of a large group of soldiers, I knew how fatal it could be if we ever let our guards down. It didn't matter where we were or what we were doing. Enemies could strike from anywhere and a mere second of carelessness could kill a hundred merpeople.

It was one of the reasons why I had always been grateful of the Key of Saol. It was like my sixth sense and too much a part of me that I understood the meaning of nearly everything it ever tried to tell me.

Thus, I couldn't even begin to comprehend how I wasn't able to predict the magic that surged through the darkness and shot straight at Margaret. It was pure instinct and a sense of protectiveness that allowed me to move fast enough and shield her from the attack.

All feeling left me and the only thing I could do was smile--at least I thought I was smiling--because I knew that Marge was safe. At least at this moment.

My eyes closed involuntarily and I felt her stiffen just before my weight forced her to stumble backward. Forcing my arms to move, I pushed her head against my shoulder to keep her from getting any more hurt than being crushed between me and the ground. She was still frozen from surprise as I willed my magic to heal me faster.

And then I found out that even if she was frightened, it wasn't for herself.

"No. Don't die," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around me. "Please don't die."

It was all the encouragement I needed. I thanked Neptune that I wasn't exhausted or I wouldn't have had the energy to wield enough magic to fight whoever dared to strike Margaret. Finally, I found myself strong enough to move but before getting up, I knew I had to ease the fear that was still so evident with the way Marge was now shaking.

"I won't," I whispered, moving my lips close to her ear.

She froze again, stunned that I was still conscious. I would have teased her more if we didn't have our enemies advancing in on us. I used a bit of magic to temporarily protect both of us as I got up and scanned our surroundings.

There were just three of them but my instincts told me there were more. Or at least another one. None of these mermen exuded the kind of power that went beyond my and the Key's notice. They seemed angry about the fact that I was still alive and I braced myself for twice their efforts in killing me and Marge.

They didn't waste their time. My feet were not at all steady before they raised their swords, ready to strike at either me or Margaret. It was obvious they were planning to kill both of us.

I was able to ward them off but keeping Marge away from their attacks made fighting twice as difficult. She was trying her best to be alert and avoid the enemies' swords but she was not a soldier and weaponless to boot. I barely managed to drag her away as an enemy lunged towards her from my left.

And then another followed to attack us from my right.

This went on for about five minutes—Marge and I dodging while our enemies continuously struck at us. It was exhausting but I couldn't turn the tables with the odds so badly against us.

And then worse came to worst when my defense weakened and all three attacked us. I was able to keep Marge from getting hurt—I practically threw her away from me, the enemies and the swords—but I was not so lucky. I could only deflect two swords and the last one pierced through my gut.

Or so I thought. There was no way I could have stopped it from happening. I braced myself for the pain but it never came. I knew it would have killed me. I felt the cold metal touching my skin less than a second before I should have been stabbed.

The next thing I knew I was witnessing the deaths of three mermen. It was deliberately slow as their faces registered the agony of being tortured. I expected their screams but even though their mouths were wide open, their slow demise was silent. It was eerie. The lower halves of their bodies had already become bubbles when I noticed something strange about the magic killing them. It was powerful and achingly familiar. Almost as if I had experienced it firsthand before. For a second it even felt similar to mine.

I quickly scanned the surroundings, knowing that the source of such power was close by. Careful not to make it seem as if I knew something more about the leader of these monsters, I watched for every movement and every sound until a flicker of light caught my eye. I pretended not to have seen anything as Marge took refuge from my back, using me to block the images of the tortured creatures whose heads were the only ones left to dissolve into bubbles. I could not fault her. I was used to quicker deaths and even I felt sickened at such convoluted torment.

The second the last solid body part of the third merman dissolved into bubbles, I turned to Marge.

"Don't move," I whispered.

Before she could even summon a reaction, I pushed her aside and charged straight through the bushes that lined the pathway to Grassfield High's gymnasium. Without hesitation, I grabbed the neck of the merman who I knew was behind all these attacks. He was momentarily surprised which gave me enough leverage to catch him off guard. I pushed him against a tree, using my own power to keep him from being able to move. It was obvious that he was using morphosis to hide his identity and I took advantage of the fact that it would weaken him further. I was apparently stronger than him physically and anger rose within me as I recalled all my near-death experiences at the mercy of this merman.

I was too furious to even try to recognize him. I didn't care if he was a Celari. To try to kill me was one thing but to endanger Margaret was another. Worse, I knew his plans against Marge were simply because of her role in keeping Aquania hidden from the human race.

"Seirra, you're killing him," Marge said in a shaking voice that was devoid of the anger that I was feeling.

I wanted to shout at her for her lack of emotion but when I glanced back, I saw how scared she was.

How scared she was of me.

"Margaret."

My hostage took advantage of my momentary inattention and tried to get out of my grasp by using his magic but I was a Celari too and I was able to read his thoughts and actions immediately.

Power surged from his hands and suddenly, we were both enveloped in fire. He did not appear to be hurt but my skin slowly began to sting. He intensified his attack and soon, I found my skin about to get scraped and burned. I tried to stop his magic by using mine but keeping him in my grasp made it almost impossible. He was struggling too and after scratching a part of my skin, exposing the wound to the fire, the pain became too much to handle. I had to get out of the magic he created and the only way to do so was to release him.

I let go of him but not because I was giving him an advantage. As soon as I was out of the fire's reach I summoned the help of the Key of Saol to suppress the enemy's magic. Water replaced the fire and without wasting my time, I controlled the magic to encapsulate my unfamiliar enemy. I succeeded without any other problem. He had no difficulty breathing but he was not powerful enough to break the spell of the Key. I moved forward until I was mere inches away from him.

Rage flowed through me and for the first time, I got to stare at his eyes. Something pricked within me but I could not point out what it was exactly. It made me angrier that he could evoke such confusion in me. The Key caught on my emotions and without prompting it, his prison got smaller, almost to the point of making the spiraling water strangle him.

Good.

It was high time I found out who betrayed Aquania.

He appeared mildly terrified but in his eyes, I still saw a glimpse of indignation and something similar to...resignation. For a brief moment, he seemed ready to reveal himself. It was odd and most certainly disconcerting.

"Who are you?" I growled.

He didn't even make a sound. All he did was stare back at me, his entire face reflecting a combination of triumph and defeat. It was crazy. He was crazy.

"Who are you?"

Only his eyes moved but this time, he was ready to answer.

"Do you really want to know who I am?"

There was something familiar about his voice. I gritted my teeth in frustration as he shook his head slightly.

"You might regret it. Or maybe I would."

He was spitting nonsense and my patience was already running thin. Without thinking about it, my hand shot out straight to his neck. I felt blood rush through my veins as I squeezed ever so tightly. The enemy was beginning to pale, his eyes about to bulge out. Slowly, his monstrous form began to fade.

I was finally going to see his real self.

"Seirra!" Marge shrieked. "Stop it! If you kill him, we won't ever find out the entire truth. Seirra, please."

There were some things Marge could easily convince me but releasing this traitor was not one of it. I did not loosen my hold but neither did I tighten it. Using the Key, I made the capsule suck the remaining power that stimulated his morphosis.

Soon, all traces of green and slime that covered the enemy’s skin disappeared, starting from his feet. He was not young but he was fit, his muscles molded just as a soldier’s. Just like a Celari. With my heart racing, I raised my eyes immediately, eager to name Aquania’s biggest traitor.

And stepped back as if touching him would poison me to death.

Standing in front of me was Kalus, the most powerful living Celari.

My father.