Female Fantasy
“So, as you can see, dear comrades,” Ryke says, “with the combination of my enhanced strength and Merriah’s considerable power, we might actually be able to stage a successful coup against the sirens.
We will have to be methodical, of course.
There is no room for error. But for the first time in ages, there may be hope. ”
He is speaking to a room full of mer rebels, who are eyeing me with raised brows and upturned noses, barely able to mask their doubt and disdain.
We are gathered at Fort Caspian, no longer afraid the sirens will discover us after the exposure of our forces at the ball.
The entrance to the castle is heavily guarded, although Ryke is certain the sirens will not strike again so soon.
He claims that I caught them off guard with the trident.
The queen will need time to recover and plan her next move.
“Commander Kai will come up with our battle plan,” Ryke continues.
“We shall make our move in a fortnight.” He nods to Kai, who is seated to our left, along with Mira.
Dylan and Guinn are perched on our right, watching the crowd carefully.
Together, we appear powerful, the last stand against tyranny.
Nobody knows that my bowels have turned to liquid and not even the trident has the power to stop them.
“Forgive me, Your Highness,” a white-haired mer with a long beard and frown lines interrupts.
He points one long crooked finger at me.
My stomach churns in response. “But are you suggesting that we put all our faith in a mere human? She is not our kind. Most of us have never once spoken to or even seen a human woman before. She can barely swim. How can someone so ordinary be our salvation?”
My hands start to shake.
I have similar reservations myself.
“That ordinary woman you speak of,” Ryke snaps, “is the descendant of the goddess Amphitrite. All the potency of the ocean runs through her veins. She saved me from death, anointed me with her power. And you all heard the warning call of the ancient conch, felt the wave of sovereignty that rippled through our waters when she wielded the golden trident. She alone can command the trove of the gods.”
I feel my face flush as the warmth of confidence explodes in my chest.
Ryke believes in me.
He trusts me.
He may even love—
“And she can command the trove at will?” the white-haired mer asks, smirking in my direction, one eyebrow cocked.
Ryke’s eyes narrow. “No, Enochlo,” he says. “Not exactly.”
I swallow.
Earlier today, Ryke and I tried to test the extent of my power over the trove.
I caressed the golden spear, closed my eyes, and tried to focus on my gifts.
But nothing happened. I bit my tongue with concentration until it bled.
Ryke insisted that I had not disappointed him, but I knew better. I saw the flicker of worry in his eyes.
“It appears that Merriah can only command the trident when her emotions are…heightened,” he says. “Luckily, war tends to activate even the most passive sensibilities.”
My stomach twists.
Heightened emotions.
The fear of losing my beloved to the murderous sirens.
The passion of being consumed entirely by the rightful ruler of Atlantia.
I think of the way my insides contracted around him and squeeze my thighs together.
“And what of the trove’s other items?” the mer—Enochlo, some sort of noble—continues. “Have you confirmed that they answer to her and only her?”
Ryke clenches his fists. I can tell that he is only seconds away from losing his patience.
“Not yet,” he grits out. “But we will. Soon.”
I nibble on my lip. Perhaps Enochlo is right.
But perhaps not.
The other two items in the treasure trove, a dorsal fin carved with mysterious symbols and a golden whip, have thus far proved ineffective.
When I held them, I felt no obvious pull, like I did when I somehow knew to lift the conch to my lips.
Power surged through my body the moment I set eyes upon the trident.
Ryke insists that when the time is right, I will know what to do with each item.
I am not so sure.
“Pathetic human,” Enochlo practically spits. “Can she even shift?”
My heart sinks. If only this mer knew how badly I wish I could do just that. But alas, the ability to grow a tail has thus far eluded me. My bloodline must be too diluted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ryke open his mouth, prepared to take down Enochlo once and for all with his clever tongue.
But it is Mira who stands before he can speak.
Who looks the older mer directly in the eyes and says, “I would think twice before further insulting a deity of Atlantia.” Her voice is ice cold, merciless. “Some might see it as sacrilege.”
With that, Enochlo is silenced.
Ryke speaks again. “I have seen the strength of the almighty Merriah firsthand. Even without knowing the truth about our kind, she was summoned by the conch. Heard its ancient melody and felt possessed to blow it. The night of the Ball of Sinking Stars, when I was ambushed, Merriah single-handedly gutted the intruding sirens by boiling the very water inside their bodies. Her tidal waves and whirlpools outmatched those of the false queen Talassa. Where our fake sovereign draws her power from bloodshed and carnage, our goddess pulls from her birthright and her destiny. The sirens develop their abilities by killing humans. But Merriah wants only to save our race. She healed me with her energy, the natural potency of her life force, and kept me from dying, even when I brought her to the very edge of the afterlife. But those are not the main reasons you should put your faith in her.”
I can barely breathe, can barely see. “Are they not?” I whisper.
He shakes his head, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“No, my minnow. The people of Atlantia should rally behind you because you showed them kindness before they did anything to earn it.” He turns back to face the crowd.
“She was prepared to join our cause before she had any knowledge of her connection to Amphitrite. After surviving so much darkness in the human world, her spirit remains light and hopeful. She is every bit as much a queen as I am a prince. And only she can stand by my side as we liberate our people.”
Then the crown prince of Atlantia sinks down on one knee and bows his head to me.
Dylan follows suit.
Then Guinn.
Kai and Mira.
Even Enochlo.
Before I know it, the entire room is bowing to me. A human woman.
I want to shout at them to rise. Urge them not to place their faith in me.
The pressure crushes my shoulders, my back, my mind.
What if I lead thousands of people to the slaughter?
I am no demigod.
I am just Merriah.
When I try to catch Ryke’s gaze and silently communicate my panic to him, I find him already staring up at me.
Only he is not trying to look me in the eye.
He is studying my wrist. Seeking out the marks left by his teeth as he sucked the life force from me. As he claimed my energy when we became one.
Fantasizing about my taste.
Suddenly, I feel as if I might be sick. Ryke looks at me with concern, and I know my face must have turned pale. But the truth settles over me like a strong current.
Ryke does not love me as I love him.
He is simply addicted to my power.
And I know then, looking out at the people I am meant to save, those who have pledged their allegiance to me, that I have to run.