Faster.

Faster…

FASTER!!!

His lungs felt like they were on fire, his gills raw from the speed of the water rushing over them, but he couldn’t stop…not now. He tried to ignore the burning in his muscles as he beat hard against the current, his tail twisting and twirling through each bend and curve in the undersea caverns. The water rushing past his ear fins and over each scale told him he was getting closer to the exit. It was cooling down, even if his entire body was overheating from the exertion of his escape.

“Ikae! Ikae, Co-Bieasah dhal!”

Coby wanted to snort his disdain. Stop? Are you fucking kidding me right now? 

If anything, he pushed himself forward, swerving through another rocky arch, the bundle at his side knocking hard against the wound on his hip. He hissed through sharp, serrated teeth, clutching at the gash, praying to every sea god he could think of that the blood wouldn’t attract any more attention that he really didn’t need.

“Impte gha che, Co-Bieasah!” one of the pursuers taunted, laughing derisively. “Hacha!”

I won’t give up! I will escape!

The first streams of light breaking the surface greeted Coby like a sign from the heavens, and he allowed himself a tiny, relieved grin. 

Praise the High Divine and the mighty Sea God, Poseidon!

“Ah!” he yelped, a blinding flash of light hitting him on his right side. He spun out of control, slamming his back against the hard rock, shaking loose some dead coral and pebbles. It rained down on him, sticking to his blue hair. He shook it out, running a hand over the back of his head. No blood, thank goodness. He was losing enough as it was.

“Jah beheena-ma, Co-Bieasah!” 

Coby jerked his head just in time to see four of his fellow tribesmen closing in, Da-Hana in the lead, his bright blue eyes blazing with intense excitement. The spear in his hand glowed with white light, another shot prepared to fire.

Coby gasped and turned, shoving off the wall with all the strength he had left. He had to get to the surface before Da-Hana and his men claimed their victory over him. The pain in his chest from their betrayal still weighed him down, still made him question why it had to happen. Poseidon already protected them! What use could they have for the protection of humans?

Coby blasted out of the entrance of the cavern with lightning speed, his long, beautiful blue tail and translucent fins shining in the light that poured down through the depths of the sea. His scales sparkled, his blue eyes shone, his treasured two braids flew out from the right side of his head near his temple, but no one could see it. His beauty was lost in the blur that was the fleeing merman.

“Co-Bieasah!” 

Coby glanced back in time to see another flash of the spear come flying at him. He juked out of the way, inches from being shot through the right side of his tail.

Da-Hana laughed, a malicious, evil sound that deepened Coby’s fear and panic. His muscles tensed and he gripped the bundle tightly in his fist. He knew the hunter wouldn’t kill him; he was needed alive for the trade to be successful. That didn’t mean he couldn’t maim him.

“Ghenta!” Coby shouted with desperation, the fear making the plea in his voice tremble. “Ghenta ikae!”

Da-Hana and his men just laughed at him, firing off another round of blasts. Coby dodged and dived around each one, spiraling out of the way as he clawed at the water, trying to reach the surface and away from his former friends and tribesmen.

The surface! I must get to the surface! Once there, I can run to the temple to the south and notify the king! He can—

“Ack!” Another shot tore through his back and out his stomach, spinning him end over end. He twisted into a ball, clutching his middle, only to have another shot tear through the side of his tail, blasting away a chunk of blue meat, turning it into bloody atoms in the water. He screamed, twitching violently as the water turned red around him.

“Konta-ma,” Da-Hana snarled, his sharp teeth glistening in the underwater light.

No… Coby thought, his gaze turning back to the safety of the rippling water above him. You don’t…not yet. I won’t let you have me or the sacred item!

He righted himself and, with the last reserves of his energy driven into his mutilated tail making it glow, he made one final push to freedom. The energy gave him the speed he needed, numbed the pain that lanced through his body, and bolstered his confidence in his success.

A dark shadow fell over him, bringing him to a sudden halt with a petrified gasp. He winced as a white-hot fire shot from his wounds. 

Da-Hana laughed with malice more vile than those that came before.

<There’s nowhere to hide, acolyte!> The hunter snarled. <They’ve come for you!>

Coby swallowed hard, just as something fell into the water, directly over him. With a yell, he dodged out of the way, narrowly avoiding the net. He doubled over, gripping his side as a cloud of blood surrounded him, his face twisted in pain. There was no way he was going to be able to avoid another attack at this rate, especially if he wanted to get to the surface before he bled to death.

With effort, he righted himself, his eye on the menacing shadow as he forced himself away and toward the surface. His vision blurred and his head swam, Da-Hana’s taunts ringing in his ears, promising he wouldn’t make it.

I have to…I have to… 

A sudden terror gripped Coby as he felt the water pressure change, pulling him back with a yank. He screamed in pain, his tail spasming from the force. One of his braids flew into his vision, the gold and red beads sewn into it glinting in the sunlight.

“You are a servant of the great Sea God Poseidon,” his mentor had told him upon his initiation into the sect. “You are his defender, his warrior. You have taken on the duty of protecting his power, the same power that protects our people and makes us strong. The skills you have learned for this position must never be utilized for selfish means, only for the protection of the God, and the gift that he has bestowed upon us.”

Coby took in a deep ragged breath as the words and the promise that he made filled his mind. He was an acolyte, a servant of Poseidon, a mighty warrior taught to fight and defend his people at all costs against all threats.

Including those from within their own tribe.

Coby gritted his teeth and, sending as much energy as he could throughout his body, he broke free of the water net, to Da-Hana’s great annoyance.

<Ah! You pest! Why won’t you sit still like a good little dog!> Da-Hana bellowed, making another attempt to capture the acolyte.

Coby juked out of the way and, with trembling hands, grabbed for the dagger on his belt, his other hand pressed firmly against his wound. 

“I won’t let you win,” he growled through clenched teeth.

Da-Hana sneered at him, his eyes blazing with hate for Coby’s use of the human language. The sound was heretical, blasphemous even to the Sarathian ear. This little fish would pay for his insolence and disrespect if it was the last thing he would do.

<Indignant wretch,> he snarled, charging his spear once more with blazing, swirling energy. <I promised to hand you over alive, but you are making it quite difficult.>

Coby clutched desperately at the dagger, loading his own shaky energy into it. “You will not take me at all, Da-Hana. Not you, or those men.”

Right as he said that, another net fell over him, this one with weighted spikes around the edges. He glanced up and pushed backward just as one of the spikes speared through his tailfin. With another yelp of pain, he lifted his hand, palm forward, and let go a small blast of energy, severing the spike from the net. 

He was strong, he was powerful, but he was also severely injured and losing too much blood. He could either stay and fight, knowing he would die and lose the item, or he could flee to the surface, change and fight on land where all of them would be on the same level playing field when it came to strength. He’d even have the opportunity to heal. There, if he managed to defeat his attackers, he could heal quickly and get to the temple. Either way, he was making a gamble with his own life, one he had to risk.

With a quick glance at the surface and then back at Da-Hana and his men, he pointed the dagger at the hunter. “Catch me if you are able, traitor.” With that, he spun around and shot for the surface, the spike in his fin a weight he couldn’t rid himself of. No matter, it would detach once he shifted. 

He clawed at the water, a burst of energy shooting at his left side, narrowly missing him. He turned his head and pointed the dagger at the men, the power he’d imbued it with seconds before shooting out and hitting one of the hunters square in the forehead. He was dead instantly. Coby did not have time to say the proper words necessary, even though he was the cause of the man’s death; his escape, his survival, was priority. He’d pray for his spirit later. He’d pray for all of them later.

He could feel the surface approaching, felt the warmth of the sun on his iridescent blue scales, smelled the fresh air even before he broke free like a rocket, the spray at his back like a gift from the High Divine Himself. He took in a large gulp of air, feeling the muscles and damaged organs begin to restitch themselves immediately as the change overtook him as he leapt high into the air as he possibly could, his tail separating in a soft glow. He dove for the rocks, grabbing on to the largest and propelling himself forward, launching off another with his bare feet, his thigh burning with pain. 

Jumping from one exposed boulder from another, he nearly slipped on one, grabbing at it with desperate, blood coated fingers, landing hard on his stomach. The lack of scale armor nearly knocked the wind out of him, but he still crumpled, gasping for air. Three shadows blocked the sun, and his eyes went wide with fear. He spun just in time to block a ferocious slash at his throat with his dagger, shoving back with all the strength he could summon, the merman staggering back into the shallow water with a dull splash, grunt, and a curse. 

Coby clammored over the boulder, the blood running freely down his side and leg. 

Fuck…I have to get away…I won’t survive if I don’t!

He took an awkward leap toward the next exposed rock and slipped, falling into the water. His tail began to reform, the chunk of missing flesh not nearly so grotesque, but still bleeding profusely. He pulled himself along the sandy water before turning, chuckling with strained gratitude as he reached the dry shore, his tail disappearing once again.

He fought for breath, his body shaking from pain and loss of blood. As happy as he was to finally be on land, he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He clammored to his feet to see the two remaining mermen, Da-Hana the main pursuer, and two humans coming after him. 

With faltering feet, he stumbled around and made a run for it. The problem lay in the fact that he was still bleeding, his thigh was still blown open, and there was still a massive hole in his stomach. As hard as he tried, he wasn’t going to get very far before he was overtaken. He had to fight, he had to get these traitors off him if he had any success getting to the temple.

“Master, I don’t want to fight!” 

Coby flinched at his own words.

Master had stared coldly at him. “Then you will die.”

Coby staggered forward before finally falling to his knees, his free hand digging desperately into the hot, coarse sand, blood dripping from his open wound through his fingers.

I can’t die… he thought with desperation. The item…the city…if I don’t get to the temple… He glanced up, his eyes searching in the direction he knew the temple would be. It was miles away, several, painful miles away. If he didn’t dispatch the traitors, he’d never make it, and the city would fall…the item would be taken…as would he…

His fingers dug in deeper, the item pulsing rhythmically against his side. He could draw on it, he knew he could. His vibrant blue eyes fell on the whale skin pouch hung close to his damaged skin and he swallowed hard, his entire body shaking.

My Lord High Divine and Great Sea God Posiedon…what should I do?

He bit his lower lip, his body screaming with adrenaline and unmatched agony. He didn’t want to kill anyone, but if he didn’t, he would die and the item would fall into the hands of those undeserving to carry it.

He glanced behind him, his head swimming, causing him to sway slightly. Da-Hana, his man, and two humans approached with hungry, feral eyes and grins. Da-Hana’s spear glittered in the bright sun, the traffickers’ nets and binds gripped tightly in their greedy hands. 

He had no choice…he had to fight…he had to kill…It may be in the name of his gods, but that didn’t mean he felt good about it. 

With a deep breath, he reached for his dagger, stumbled to his feet in an awkward fighting stance…and the world went black.

**