Of Tails, Curses and Kings

1

 

Yperian

 

“The villagers are still afraid of you. The soldiers are, too, so I’m sure you understand my hesitation.”

They were sitting in the knight commander’s tent again, just minutes after depetrifying fifty-six people.

“I understand perfectly, but we have things to do.”

Yperian turned his gaze back towards the pair.

The masked snake, Tiphaine, was still struggling to sit comfortably in her chair, which was poorly suited to a member of her species. He wondered what she looked like under her mask. The unpetrified villagers said she had a human-looking, enchantingly beautiful face. Green eyes. Still, he’d rather not see it if it meant he would become a statue.

Yperian shook his head and took a sip of his drink, weighing his options. Mythics of any kind were not to be tolerated in Evaria, by order of the king. That decree was made years ago. Still, attempting to have these two killed could very likely turn out to be a bad decision – He still didn’t know for sure if they were friend or foe, and, more importantly, he didn’t know if they could be beaten. His men couldn’t even look at the snake. How could they win a battle with their eyes closed?

Lorick, one of the men sent after them into the forest, had come to report back to him ahead of the group, witless and confused, saying he saw nothing at all. It was unnervingly strange… They had obviously done something to him. Perhaps the man was a sorcerer. He did claim to be friendly with a witch…

A soldier carrying a jug of wine and some clothes entered the tent. Yperian noticed that the man, Emony, flinched at the sight of the liquid and subtly leaned away. He beckoned the soldier to put the things on the table and leave.

“You requested a pair of pants, along with these furs,” he said, taking the jug and pouring himself some more wine. “You seem to have changed already, though, so you clearly have two pairs already. Why do you need a third?”

“One can never have enough,” Emony responded, giving the warmest of the offered clothing to his companion. “This is for you, Tiphaine.”

“Thanks.”

Yperian shrugged. “No matter. Would you like another drink?”

“No, thank you. I haven’t finished the previous one. Anyway, since you’d prefer us not to go to the village, where would you have us sleep?”

“I’ve arranged for a tent on the far end of the encampment. You will be given suitable lodgings.”

“I hope it’s in the sun,” said Tiphaine from behind her mask, stretching her arms and putting on the offered furs. “It’s freezing around here.”

Especially for the cold-blooded, Yperian thought. He noticed the man shift in his seat closer towards her.

“Unfortunately, the days are getting shorter,” he said. “It will get colder before it gets warmer, though snow likely won’t fall for another month or two. That said, if you are to be our allies, you’ll be welcome by our fire.”

The lamia’s vipers ceased their quiet hissing for a moment. “Thank you,” she said.

“On that note, I’d like to thank you for reviving the villagers. Many of my men had family among them, and they are very happy to have them back.”

“I’m sure they have enough to deal with already, with those undead,” she responded.

“Tell us what you think of us,” Emony said suddenly, interrupting them. His tone had completely changed. It was as though he were attempting to sing.

“What do you mean?” asked Yperian.

Emony blinked, seemingly unnerved for a moment, before exchanging a glance with Tiphaine and regaining his composure. “Nothing in particular. I’d simply like to know what you would like our relationship to look like in the near future.”

Is he actually trying to sing? Yperian thought. He must have drunk more than he’d thought.

“Well,” Yperian said honestly, “I don’t know what to think of you. You appeared here out of the blue, turning half the villagers to stone. We thought you might be connected with the men of the lake, the other hostile mythics in the area, but then, upon our request, you revived everyone. So, neither of you are mindless aggressors, as the men of the lake seem to be. In fact, your friend Tiphaine really does seem to be cursed with the legendary Eyes, which, as unfortunate as it is, would explain some of today’s nonsense. I would wager you may really not be connected with the men of the lake. Most of us are afraid of you regardless, of course, given your nature and capabilities, and none of us know just about anything about you, other than that you claim to be willing to aid us.”

The lamia turned her head towards her partner again, while he simply offered Yperian a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

He still wasn’t entirely sure which of the two would pose a greater threat if it came to violence.

“At any rate, despite the law, we’d appreciate your help, and we would be happy to reward you for it. However, as mythics and magic have been officially forbidden from entering Evaria under the penalty of death, we cannot exactly let you two roam freely.”

“Do you really think you can prevent us from doing so?” Emony asked.

Gazing towards the two, Yperian honestly pondered the question in his mind. How many lives would it take to end theirs? Perhaps simply having them followed would suffice.

“Well, I suppose it would be unnecessary to move against you right at this moment. The law states exceptions can be made for mythics that prove themselves allies of humanity. I would have you do so, so that the king in Terrena won’t come for my head.”

“You would have us abide by your human laws?” Emony said, sipping his drink while staring at him.

“Earlier, you claimed to be human yourself,” Yperian said in turn. “I speak only to the lamia. What say you, Tiphaine?”

In response, the man gave him a particularly venomous smile.

“Come on, Emony,” Tiphaine said. “We have stuff to do here anyway. Let’s not make enemies for no reason. Besides, how dangerous can those men of the lake be? I mean, even if they’re undead, they’re just human. No offense, sir.”

“None taken, but I believe you may be underestimating them. Those cadavers are formidable foes. What do you know of necromancy?”

“Not a thing,” Emony said.

“I take it you, lady Tiphaine, cannot simply turn them to stone with a glance? Your curse is legend.”

“Thoroughly impossible,” Emony interrupted. “Her power doesn’t work on magical beings or dead people. Only on the living.”

If that was to be believed, it would seem that they were natural enemies, Yperian thought. Still, if they could help them push back the men of the lake… That was an impossibly enticing prospect. And it wasn’t the lamia’s fault she was cursed with the Eyes. The divines were often cruel to the least deserving. She seemed to be the friendlier of the two.

“Alright, then. I will allow you to leave our encampment, to go about your business. I’d advise you to stay in camp until tomorrow, though, and especially, to stay away from the lake. It’s only a matter of time until the corpses attack again. So far, they’ve always come during rain, and we are expecting some tonight.”

 

2

 

Emony

 

The knight commander personally led the pair to their tent after their conversation, with assurances that they would not be disturbed in the night unless it were necessary. Their place of sleep was somewhat distant from the rest of the soldiers’ tents. Emony couldn’t really complain about that – only that he was expected to share a space with Tiphaine. Sleeping next to her was always a dreadful experience. Whether she only wrapped herself around him to get warm and ended up breaking his bones or also turned him into a rock, he just couldn’t win.

Her sleeping face was stupidly cute, though. And after some initial panic, he could sleep just fine while being a statue.

A trio of torches illuminated the area surrounding the tent, apparently for her benefit, but likely to actually make it easier for the soldiers watching them to track their movements. The soldiers were sitting around fires all around the encampment, keeping warm with their weapons in their scabbards. Some were staring at him and Tiphaine, while others gazed nervously into the darkness under the trees surrounding the camp.

Though he couldn’t smell their fear, not being a werewolf at the moment, he could tell they were all very anxious. Perhaps the men of the lake were really more dangerous than he’d thought.

He and Tiphaine entered their medium-sized tent. It was a simple one, with a big pile of straw and blankets in the center of it and a small table at the side. A waterskin lay on the table, beside a silver chalice that would normally burn Emony if he touched it. The stale air was illuminated somewhat by the light of the torches outside.

I miss being a werewolf, he thought, poking at the silver and feeling nothing.

“I trust you haven’t really put your faith in that man?” he asked Tiphaine. It was nice that she was appeasing him and letting him do most of the talking, but he couldn’t have her thinking anything foolish. In this situation, he wasn’t sure how well he could protect the two of them what with his supernatural strength, speed and ferocity being replaced by the unreliable powers of a half-fish. After his embarrassing experiment back in the commander’s tent, he’d surmised he could only use his siren power when he had a tail. When he was a female.

His body shook at the thought.

“Tiphaine, how about we go meet your friend? he asked.

“What?” she asked, “What do you mean? We have to stay in here, didn’t you hear the commander? The men of the lake may come tonight.”

“Do you mean to take orders from the humans? We don’t even know for sure that those undead are our enemies if your friend is in the lake among them. I think we should leave, Tiphaine. Either that, or you stay up all night, turning anyone that comes too close into a rock. We can’t trust these people not to murder us in our sleep.”

“You’re always far too paranoid about humans, Emony. You just want to do the opposite of what they say. Look, the knight commander said the men of the lake swarm the whole forest when they attack.”

“It’s not paranoia if they are actually out to get you, Tiphaine. Anyway, you’re right, the human did say that, but there is also something he failed to explain. Did you notice? Don’t you find it strange that all of the soldiers are still here? The village they’re supposed to protect, right next to the lake, has been left defenseless, while all these soldiers are just sitting around on top of this hill. Don’t you find that weird? It’s just a guess but… what if the men of the lake, if they really do exist, are going to come straight here? That would explain why they’ve built up all these nice walls and left the people they’re supposed to be protecting to fend for themselves, don’t you think?”

“I’m not so sure…”

“Neither am I. But I think it’s either that, or there are no men of the lake, and after spinning that web of lies, they’re grouping up because they plan on killing us tonight, so it makes sense that they should all be present. Either way, I think we should leave.”

“I don’t know, Emony. I don’t think that man was lying. The magic in the air is getting really thick, and it’s all black. No, really, I’m serious. All of it is black.”

“Is it that bad? I wish I could still smell it, myself. Then… do you think we should run away? Not to the lake, in the opposite direction?”

Tiphaine nodded. “That might be a good idea. I’d rather not leave all these people to die, but… but if we do, then let’s leave now, before it starts raining. I don’t want to have to drag a mermaid around a forest while it rains.”

Emony stuck his head out of the tent and looked at the sky.

“Then we don’t have long. Let’s go.”

 

3

 

“It’s cold out here,” Tiphaine shuddered, covering her shoulders with the humans’ blanket only a minute after they had left the tent. “I wish we could just stay by the fire…”

“I mentioned the necessity of being quiet thirty seconds ago!” Emony whispered, holding out his hand. “I thought you agreed we should leave? Come on. Quickly. I think the lake is that way. Your plan – we’re going in the opposite direction.”

Tiphaine took his hand, likely appreciating the warmth, and nodded.

They silently made their way to the nearby tree line, keeping their distance from the light of the torches surrounding the encampment. Soldiers were standing around, keeping watch, but they didn’t seem to notice them leave. Over the years, the two of them had gotten very good at sneaking around. They passed beyond their perimeter without incident. Honestly, it was child’s play.

In fact, Emony thought it might have gone too smoothly, and he became anxious that they might have been followed. His senses had been dulled by his becoming a mermaid a few weeks ago – his werewolf hearing and sense of smell, as well as his ability to see in the dark, were nothing compared to how they had been before. He was practically as limited as one of the humans he scorned.

Which is why he made sure to take extra precautions, stopping in the shadows and listening for a few moments every now and then before moving on. Tiphaine, too, remained quieter than the wind.

Just as they started to move again from one of the trees, thunder began to roll across the sky. Dark clouds covered the rising moon, promising rain that would take away his legs. Looking back, Emony noticed the camp sentries begin groaning and covering themselves with long cloaks, while others ran around with torches preparing fires.

Should we turn back? he wondered. If there really was an army of undead roaming about, he could use the humans as a meat shield for him and Tiphaine if they chose to remain with them.

“We’re running out of time,” whispered Tiphaine next to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. “The magic is getting even thicker. I’m sure something is going to happen once the rain comes – and then you won’t be able to move. We have to hurry.”

“Agreed. Let’s go.”

“Okay. Wait, what—”

As soon as he turned to look at her, Emony saw the sword being held to his neck. Holding it was a man in steel plate armor and a helmet. This human he somehow recognized, it was one of those that had ordered them out of the tavern hours earlier.

“I knew you were traitors,” the knight growled. “You monsters always stick together. You scum have friends in that lake?”

Emony sighed. His senses really must have dulled more than he’d thought, since a human managed to sneak up on them. Though Tiphaine hadn’t noticed him either.

The blade suddenly cut three inches forward, reaching his skin and drawing a small trickle of blood.

“Not a move, snake! Or I slit his throat!” the human shouted. “You won’t manage to turn me to stone before I do. What are you, anyway, vagabond? Her wretchedness is visible, at least, but you are clearly a beast as well, since you are with her. So, what are you? And what are you up to? Answer me!”

Emony weighed up the situation and his options. Considering his dulled senses and lack of supernatural strength, aggressive resistance could well lead to his death, though he doubted it.

“Answer me, I said!”

He subtly glanced past the human’s blade, over at Tiphaine. She was terrified by this human. That made him irritated. He noticed the skin on his neck starting to vibrate in a familiar way, though it hadn’t started to rain yet.

The blood, he realized. The transformation was coming, slowly, from where the blood the human had drawn was leaking onto his skin. It was a weak vibration – but it was an option. Focusing his mind, he leaned into it, giving himself over to the change and signaling Tiphaine with a wink.

“So, what is more important to you?” he asked the human, buying time for the transformation to surge through his body. “Killing me, or saving everyone in that camp? Because the men of the lake are coming. I know exactly how it’s going to happen.”

“I have no problem killing every last one of you monsters,” the knight responded menacingly. “Well? Where are the drowned going to attack from tonight? How many are coming? Hm? What is – don’t move!”

The change happened in no more than an instant, as he forced the magic to wash over him. The human jumped back for a split second, thinking it was a form of attack, before leaping forward again and bringing his sword down towards him. He was too late.

The same moment the magic tied itself around her tongue, before she lost her balance and flopped onto the ground, Emony laced her voice with magic:

“Stop.”

The man became stiff in an instant, ceasing his movements halfway, not stirring a muscle. The sword stopped an inch from Emony’s head.

Tiphaine caught Emony in her arms. “My turn?” she asked. “We don’t know how long that magic lasts.”

“No. They know your petrification can be reversed. You, human. Die.”

Hearing the last word, the knight’s eyes widened in sudden panic. Moments later, he began wheezing, struggling for breath, flailing around with his entire body and losing his footing.

“Help!” the human cried, losing his voice. “Men, aid me! The beasts! The beasts, stop them!”

“Urgh,” Emony said, grimacing. The magic hadn’t worked as quickly as she’d hoped. The man was making a racket. She should have told him to die quietly. Urgh, and that she nonsense was back, too.

“What do we do?” asked Tiphaine, panicking.

“Wipe the blood off my neck! I need legs!” Emony hissed.

Tiphaine did so quickly while the dying man screamed, and right after Emony’s twin limbs returned to him, he picked up the human’s sword and finished the deed more quickly.

But likely not quickly enough. Lightning was already flashing through the sky, accompanying the roaring thunder. It was only a matter of time before he lost his legs and mind again, just as he had lost his pants.

“We need to leave, now!”

Tiphaine didn’t need any encouragement. As quickly as she could, she nodded and grabbed his hand before speeding away through the undergrowth of the forest, leading the way through the darkness.

“Sir Meheyn!” they heard the shouting a minute later. “Sir Meheyn – he’s… He’s dead! There are enemies in the area!”

“Sound the alarm! The men of the lake must be here!”

“It’s not even raining yet! How?! The scouts haven’t reported anything! What if it’s the newcomers?!”

They ran. The dark shadows of the forest were now being constantly illuminated by lightning. Emony swore, hearing the shouts of the humans continue behind them, and the thudding of their metal boots running across the tree roots and stones on their trail. That was when the rain began to pour from the sky.

“Patrols, out! Be on your guard!”

Shouting was coming from all around them. It seemed there were even more human soldiers guarding the forest than he had thought.

“I’m starting to transform, Tiphaine,” he hissed while he ran, vibrations spreading from every spot the rain touched his skin. “I can’t hold it off for long!”

“Let me know when it happens! I’ve got you!” she shouted back to him.

Emony saw shadows moving in front of them as a flash of lightning illuminated the forest. But the humans are behind us!

His confusion didn’t last longer than a moment. Through the rain, he heard an inhuman gurgling. A second streak of white in the sky revealed the monsters that were suddenly racing towards them. And they really were monsters. Just as the knight commander had described them, they were corpses in varying stages of decay, racing through the undergrowth on whatever limbs they had left, wielding rusted, bloodied swords with their broken fingers.

“Duck!” he shouted to Tiphaine. She swerved at the last moment, dodging a blackened blade belonging to one of the monsters. Furious, he slashed forward with his own, with the sword he’d just stolen from the human, and cut into the thing’s ribcage before slamming it upwards and slicing open the rotting flesh from stomach to forehead.

The undead monster only stared at him with empty eye sockets. Then it raised its sword again.

“Emony!” shrieked Tiphaine, just ahead of him.

Well, she’s worried, he thought in that moment, smiling despite it all while watching the blade come down. Then he dodged it with a lithe sidestep and threw his sword spinning toward the corpse’s neck, slamming the monster into a nearby tree and decapitating it.

Then, seeing more of the things approaching, he quickly darted over to Tiphaine, grabbed her hand and yanked her after him.

“This way! Don’t stop!” he shouted to make sure she heard him over the thunder. Discretion was pointless now. “Men of the lake! We come in peace, to speak to Verena! We are not your enemies!”

“What was that?! The men of the lake are coming! Here, men! They’re here! I can see them! We need reinforcements!” a human voice shouted behind them.

He could hear others’ panicked voices too, throwing around orders even while the dead were hurtling towards him and Tiphaine in a deranged charge. The sound of the thudding of hooves quickly enveloped the dark forest.

“They’re here! To battle! For Evaria! For the king!”

Unable to avoid both the humans and the undead, he led Tiphaine and bolted between the trees and undergrowth along the line of the living, avoiding the men charging forward on horses, ducking low and trying to escape the place where the two armies would collide at any moment.

The vibrating of his entire body was becoming unbearable, the rain was already soaking through what remained of his clothes and dripping off his skin, demanding a change he couldn’t refuse.

“Tiphaine, I—”

It came suddenly. His legs were forced together against his will for the third time that day, and he fell over himself during the mad dash away from the coming battle.

Tiphaine, still clinging to his hand as he collapsed, caught him quickly enough to betray that she was expecting it. Just as quickly, she let go of his hand as he fell and coiled the end of her tail around his shrunken waist. Then, she dragged him/her, immobile, through the hundreds of thorned bushes that lined the ground.

“Don’t look at me,” she hissed, “I’m taking my veil off! It might work!”

Even if it was unlikely to, it was worth a chance. And if Emony was to be a weight to be dragged around, she would have to make use of her own power, too.

“Whoever can hear us, protect us!” she shrieked as loud as she could, magic surging off her tongue. “Protect the lamia and the mermaid!”

They suddenly changed direction, Tiphaine doing her best to avoid the jaws of death. Emony’s head hit a tree, stunning her momentarily and turning her around so that she saw what they were leaving as opposed to where they were going.

Behind them, the two armies were explosively clashing, the horsemen reaching the undead and cutting through their ranks before being stopped and stranded within the army of corpses. Their pained cries were honestly horrible to listen to, even for her.

They slithered away from them as quickly as they could.

Many minutes later, Tiphaine began to slow down, breathing hard. She couldn’t carry her much further, Emony knew it.

“You were right, the Eyes don’t work on corpses,” she panted.

“Damn. I was just making things up back at the knight commander’s. I was hoping I’d be wrong – but I don’t think my voice works, either.”

The battle in the forest behind them raged on in the dark rain, thunder and lightning crackling overhead, drowning out only most of the screams.

“We have to get further away,” Tiphaine muttered, exhausted, convincing herself to move forward.

“Keep us safe, humans!” Emony shouted again with magic dripping off her voice, not knowing if she would be heard or obeyed. “Keep them away from us!”

The screams and the neighing of horses seemed to grow louder and louder, even as their distance from the battle slowly increased. Emony then decided to be quiet, opting instead for stealth again as Tiphaine carried her away.

The rain kept falling from the dark sky.

 

4

 

“Fine, I’ll admit it, I’m an idiot. I should’ve trusted the humans. We never should have left the camp,” Enomy said, still thoroughly aware of and annoyed by the magic poisoning her… her – his – no, her, no… urgh… whatever… mind.

“Did you see how many there were?” asked Tiphaine, unaware of her mental battle, still slowly dragging Emony limply behind her with the back of her tail. “That was no small skirmish! I hope the humans win – those dead people really are crazed monsters!”

“Makes you question who you make friends with, I hope. By the divines, what has that Verena gotten involved with? Also, are you sure we are going in the right direction? We’ve been going downwards for a while now.”

She/no, definitely he – no, wait… she?... Which one was it? She should have definitely been feeling emasculated by then, she thought, after being carried around by Tiphaine for so long, but, disturbingly, she didn’t.

“You still don’t trust me?” Tiphaine inquired. “I think I’ve proved myself both smarter and more capable than you tonight. Urgh, I’m sorry, I have to stop for a moment. I’m going to throw up. I’m exhausted… you’re heavy.”

“Rude. You should never say that to a woman.”

“Haha, have you accepted that you are one right now, then?” Tiphaine laughed before spitting a couple of times on the ground. “Lenah did say it would affect your mind, too. Feeling girly?”

“That’s not happening,” Emony lied. “It’s just hard to deny it, what with me being forced to watch my very own tits bounce around on the ground. Hey, Tiphaine. Mine are bigger than yours.”

“No, they’re not. Pervert. We’ll have to find you a bra after this.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just ask the knight commander to give me one, that’s a conversation I’ll look forward to. I’ll need a new tunic too, actually. This one’s ripped in so many places it’s a miracle it’s still on. Won’t be for long, though, since you were so rough with me. And I need pants again. I blame Lenah for all of this. Say, what’s that over there? Something looks shiny. I think we’re reaching the end of the forest.”

“Thank the divines,” Tiphaine said.

A moment later, however, they realized their mistake.

Emony simply smiled. “You’re an idiot, Tiphaine,” she laughed, feeling a perverse resignation cloud her mind, momentarily filling her with glee even as she noticed again how cute she sounded. “You brought us straight to the lake.” She looked into the jeweled eye sockets of her mask. “Ha! And you’re too tired to carry me any further! We’re dead!”

Still breathing hard, Tiphaine reached under her mask and wiped off the rain and sweat from her forehead while Emony laughed.

“No, we’re not. Not yet. I was lying, you’re actually really light. I can easily keep going, I won’t leave you. But look – the rain is starting to stop. Maybe you can grow legs again if we dry you off quickly.”

“I’d have to be completely dry, Tiphaine. That’s not going to happen. Oh, and… The human said the undead return to the lake when it stops raining. We’re screwed.”

“No... Verena might be able to help us! If only we could find her…”

Emony quickly glanced over at her surroundings. The only mermaid she could see was herself.

“Hey, do you think the men of the lake are better swimmers than a mermaid? Maybe I could carry you now.”

Tiphaine slithered nervously back and forth, looking in the direction of the lake. “Even if you’re a fish now, you don’t have much experience swimming, doggy.”

“Stop calling me that. Well then… we really are down to screaming for help. I can hear them coming.”

It was true, the quiet rustling of the forest’s undergrowth was slowly getting louder behind them. The dead were returning to the lake, and the two of them were in their way.

“Verena!” Tiphaine shouted at the top of her lungs. “Verena, we’re here to see you! Are you there?!”

“Mermaid, king of the lake! We come in peace! We are friends!” Emony joined in.

The army of the undead had reached the edge of the woods and was already stepping onto the pebble beach the two of them were stranded on. A hundred rotting faces stared at them with lifeless eyes, a hundred swords clutched in what remained of their bony hands. They walked towards them in unison, as though a single entity.

“Stop moving!” Emony hissed, lacing her voice with magic. It worked – but on Tiphaine. Not on the men of the lake. “Don’t get any closer!”

As the undead moved unrelentingly closer, a trickle of water sounded right behind her. Turning around quickly, she saw something resembling a human walking out of the lake.

He was a gaunt, tall and pale man, with majestic clothing that had been ripped apart by age and murky water, and long grey-white hair tied in knots over his middle-aged face. There was a long, broad sword on his back, and he wore an expression of undiluted contempt. He stalked out of the water towards them, completely unimpeded by it, and looked down at them from the wet ground.

Emony noticed out of the corner of her eyes that the undead had stopped moving towards them.

“King of the lake,” she proclaimed quickly, unable to show much respect as she was already laid low on the ground without her legs, “We come in peace.”

“You can move again,” Emony whispered to Tiphaine, noticing her companion’s affliction.

I should have made her leave me while I had the chance! she realized in horror, though by then it was too late.

Tiphaine quickly bowed. The snakes on her head were dead quiet. Even those things were afraid.

The king glared at the two of them, as if disgusted. Emony looked down from her face towards the ground, signaling submission. She noticed his chest was moving, so he must have been breathing. He was alive – if only sort of. Tiphaine was struggling for breath. He must have been the source of all the black magic in the air. Even Emony could feel it.

“Who are you?” the king asked calmly, seemingly putting away his anger for a moment.

“I am Emony, and this is Tiphaine,” she said. “We’ve come here because we were told our friend lives in this lake. Her name is Verena.”

“You know the lady Verena?”

The lady? Are you friends? If not, we’re dead.

“Tiphaine used to be close to the lady Verena. We don’t mean to interfere with anything happening here. We only want to speak to her, but if you wish it, we will leave immediately,” Emony said, daring for merely a moment to look up from the ground.

The king’s murderous stare was pointed straight at her eyes. He left it there for many moments before turning it to her golden tail and studying it for a few long, quiet seconds.

“Men!” he suddenly boomed. Emony flinched. “Return to your stations.”

Upon hearing the command, the entire army of corpses surrounding them started walking towards the lake and disappearing, one after the other, under its surface. Emony saw, from the corner of her field of vision, that some were carrying soldiers that he’d seen in the camp that very day.

More fodder for the army, she thought. The volume of black magic this king must possess… There is too much.

Even the one she’d decapitated earlier was walking into the water, apparently unimpeded, holding its severed head in its hands.

Only once the entire army, a thousand men at least, had left, did the king speak again.

“I believe I may have heard of you, snake, from the lady Verena. You two will find her in the depths. Should you be friends, I will refrain from making you join the ranks of the dead. If you are not, you will become tools, like the rest.”

“Understood,” Emony and Tiphaine said in unison.

“Come, then. I take it the water will welcome you, snake?”

Tiphaine glanced over at Emony in fear, shaking her head. “I… I can’t breathe underwater.”

The king, despite his showing a smile, seemed ever more ready to grasp his sword. “Is that so? You claim to have been close with Verena, yet she hasn’t given you the gift? That is strange. Well, perhaps your friend can give it to you, then.”

“I don’t know how. I’ve never done it before,” said Emony, who knew next to nothing about the powers of mermaids. She wasn’t a real one, anyway.

“You don’t know… how?”

“It’s a long story.”

The king seemed to contemplate something, his suspicious demeanor abating for a moment. “Are you from the seas of Aeliah? Your accents betray you. Verena told me of those ignorant few that never left the waters there, that taught her of magic… They were opposed to my love… Alas, it matters not if it is merely your family that is wretched. We are at an impasse. You need to kiss.”

“K-kiss?” Tiphaine stuttered.

“As I said. A mermaid’s kiss allows a being of the land a life underwater.”

Emony glanced over at Tiphaine nervously. “Maybe... if you don’t want to, you could stay out here. I could talk to Verena alone.”

“No. You will both go – and enough delays. I will not be made to wait,” growled the king. “Are you friends or foes?”

“It’s okay,” said Tiphaine fearfully, shakily taking off her mask, her eyes closed.

It’d be impossible to miss the blush on Emony’s face. But under these circumstances… she’d have to accept that their first would be with her in this form. “Then… come closer,” she said, lacing magic into her voice.

Both Tiphaine and the king did so immediately, startling all three of them. A moment later, the confusion that’d spread across the king’s face turned to rage. The air swirled, tendrils of black magic becoming visible and spreading all around them. With unbridled fury, the king brought his wicked sword down within an inch of Emony’s eyes.

“Do not enchant your words to me! Nobody will sing to me but my queen!” he bellowed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Emony cried, her voice reaching a fever pitch.

The tendrils of black magic spread angrily through the air.

“No more delays,” the king snarled.

Emony hastily nodded.

“Tiphaine, I can’t reach you. Lean in,” she said quietly. This time, the magic worked only on her.

As soon as her companion got close enough, Emony raised herself off the ground on thin arms and reached for her lips.

Tiphaine’s expression tightened when they touched, her face becoming a crimson shade of red. But then her expression abruptly changed.

All of a sudden, she lurched away from Emony, convulsing on the pebbly ground, clutching her stomach with an expression of pure agony written all over her.

She was writhing right in front of her. Forgetting everything else, Emony grabbed Tiphaine’s shoulders, quickly trying to find a way to help. She didn’t know where to start.

“Tiphaine!” she squeaked. The king only looked on with indifference. “Tiphaine, don’t feel pain! It doesn’t hurt!” she shouted, over and over again. It didn’t work. “You’re okay!”

A minute later, after Emony had failed to help her in any way, Tiphaine stopped shaking and opened her eyes. Emony quickly avoided them.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, and put her golden mask back on, her hands trembling, before gently leaning on Emony’s shoulder.

The king gave them a moment to compose themselves before he spoke again: “Come. I have no more time to waste on your nonsense. Follow me and meet your fates. If you spoke the truth regarding your relationship with the lady Verena, I will apologize for causing you this pain. If you lied, you will die horrible deaths.”

The king turned towards the lake, giving them no more of his attention, and walked into the water.

Emony and Tiphaine glanced at each other for a moment, unsure, then nodded. Tiphaine wrapped her tail around Emony and dragged her across the pebbles to the edge of the water. There, she saw steps leading down into the lake. Real, stone steps, carved into the ground, without a trace of dirt or seaweed on them.

Emony likely couldn’t use them, though the king was somehow doing so just ahead of them. In any case, she hoped swimming would come naturally to her – along with breathing underwater. She’d never tried either.

Still nervous, she and Tiphaine shared one last look before they each took a deep breath and held it for as long as they could while they pulled themselves under the surface.