2.97%
Chapter 4
Damien dropped the scissors and strode from the chamber. I was dragged in his wake, my mangled tail trailing crimson across the
stone.
Isolde lay draped across a chaise longue in the manor’s grand bedchamber, one hand clutching her stomach as she whimpered.
“Damien,” she breathed, her eyes shining with practiced tears. “The baby… it won’t stop hurting. The royal physician says I need pearls shed by a mermaid in childbirth, ground into powder to calm the child.”
Damien’s gaze snapped to me, sharp as a blade.
“Cry for me. Give me the pearl.”
I slumped against the wall, too weak to rise. My wounds oozed freely, staining the carpet.
“Mermaids do not cry. There are no pearls to give.”
Only in absolute despair, when blood and tears fused, could a Crimson Tear Pearl be born. But of course Damien did not believe me.
“If anything happens to Isolde’s child, your suffering will be endless!”
He seized me and hurled me back into the chamber, slamming a switch. Electricity surged through the brine.
My tail convulsed violently, the current ripping a scream from my throat. Blood fanned out in the water, painting it crimson.
“Seraphina Albright!” Damien’s shout thundered from above. “Still you refuse to weep?”
Before I could reply, Isolde cried out in triumph. She pointed to the jewel that had slipped from my hands, glittering in the water.
“Damien look! A pearl!”
My heart clenched in terror. That was no pearl of mine–it was Liora’s Ocean Pearl, the essence left behind when she dissolved into
foam. If returned to the sea, my daughter could be reborn.
I lunged toward it, but Damien’s grip was faster. He pried my fingers open and held the pearl aloft, admiring it with a cold, fascinated gaze.
“No! Give her back!” My voice broke as I clawed at the glass.
“That pearl is Liora’s soul–if it is returned to the sea, she can live again!”
Damien’s expression twisted with fury.
“Still you curse me with lies! You killed my sister, and now you dare speak of resurrection?”
He tossed the pearl to the physician.
“Grind it. Now.”
“No!”
My scream echoed against the glass as the mortar cracked down, shattering my daughter’s last chance. The Ocean Pearl was reduced to powder, stirred into a cup for Isolde’s use.
me…
I froze, numb, my ears ringing with phantom sobs. Liora’s voice seemed to cry out from the underground chamber–Mama, save
A searing pain tore through my chest. Blood welled in my eyes, streaming down my cheeks. As the drops fell, they hardened into dark crimson jewels, clattering across the floor.
Isolde gasped, her face alight with greedy delight.
“Crimson Tear Pearls! Damien, catch them!”
Chapter 4
WebNovel
4.3 FREE
Google Play
OPEN
It’s been a while, but I’m finding my faith
3.96%
Damien bent to gather them, oblivious to the calm settling over me.
For when a mermaid shed blood–tears, it was a curse. A disaster upon all who had stolen from her.
Damien frowned, unsettled at the sight of my bleeding eyes. He turned to Isolde–but she was already clutching her stomach,
drenched in sweat.
“Damien it hurts!” she shrieked.
He scooped her into his arms, barking for guards to restrain me once more.
“Wretched creature! If anything happens to Isolde, I’ll strip every last scale from Liora!”
I offered no answer. He locked me again in the underground chamber, leaving me to the silence.
But then–glass shattered. The scent of salt wind rushed in, carrying with it a song, haunting and ethereal.
I smiled through the blood and pain.
My brother had come for me.
Chapter 4
