Garrick sneered. “You’ll fight me?”
“Aye,” snapped Nucello. “I’ll fight you, you feline slayer of sea fowl and I’ll take everyone of your lives.” He spun his weapons in his hands before slamming them into the wooden side of the vessel to climb. “I’d hurry up and get your weapon ready fool, lest I finish you off before you’ve had a chance to stand up.”
Cidaris dove onto Nucello’s tail fin and tried to pull him off the side of the ship. “Nucello, let go. Stop this madness.”
“Madness? You think I’ve succumbed to madness?” He scoffed and slapped his fin into the side of the ship, slamming Cidaris’ fingers beneath it.
As Cidaris head splashed below the surface, he watched in horror as Nucello flipped over the edge and yelled. “Baetica,” he hollered as he darted for the surface, “we need to stop them. Come on.” Pulling out his tusks, he scampered up the side of the ship with Baetica beside him. Launching himself over the edge he saw Garrick and Nucello sparring with each other. “Stop Garrick! Stop Nucello!” As Baetica crawled towards Nucello, Cidaris pushed himself towards Garrick and tried to toss him towards the rest of his crew.
Garrick squirmed underneath Cidaris’ hold and reached out with his lance. As Baetica pulled the other merman away Cidaris heard him scream as the blade connected. Tossing Garrick towards the other humans, Cidaris scrambled back to the edge of the vessel and dove into the sea with Baetica and Nucello.
Nucello moaned and clutched his chest. Dark blood spread out between his fingers. “He got me,” he snarled. “What about him? Did either of you hurt him? Because I didn’t.” He moaned again. “I should go and see the healers.”
Baetica glanced at Nucello’s wound and winced. “Aye, perhaps it’ll be best if they meet us halfway.” Releasing Nucello with one arm, he lifted a small shell to his lips and blew through it to alert the healers that he was coming and that they would need immediate help.
“It can’t be that bad,” murmured Cidaris.
As Baetica carried Nucello away, Nucello looked over his shoulder and shook his head at Cidaris. “Why did you have to get in between us? I’m going to die and it’s your fault. If you hadn’t of been in the way I would have seen the blow and blocked it. But now… now the sharks will feed well on my fins tonight.”
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“I… I thought it was for the best to stop you,” said Cidaris. Shock froze him to the spot. “Please stop being so dramatic Nucello. You’re not going to die.”
Nucello snorted and bubbles streamed from his nostrils. “You’ll have to drag me Baetica, or I will faint. I can not swim that far. You’ve made shark bait out of me, I swear. I hope you both dine with a hagfish for this.” He coughed and waved weakly for Baetica to hurry.
A dark stream of blood billowed behind them as Baetica dove. Cidaris watched and listened in horror as Baetica blew the horn again before the pool of blood blocked them both from view. “No,” whispered Cidaris as he hovered in the water just beneath the surface. “Nucello can’t die. He’s my friend.” He glanced above him to where the boat still drifted, and shook his head in heartbreak. “And by Garrick. The man I’ve been related to for a quarter turn of the sun.” His fists bunched beside him as he glared at the vessel above him. “Oh Raine, your beauty has bewitched me. You’ve made me forget that I’m a warrior. I’ve been raised to fight.”
A sound echoed through the gloom and Cidaris turned away from the ship to see Baetica rising through the plume to join him. His cousin sighed as he leveled with him and put his hands on Cidaris’ shoulders. “Nucello is dead.”
Cidaris felt his blood boil as he swam for the surface. “How dare he stand there on the safety of his deck, while Nucello drifts to the bottom of the sea to swim no more. I tried to be kind, to say that we could leave each other in peace, but if it wasn’t for Nucello’s memory, I would believe that still.” With all of his might Cidaris launched himself onto the side the ship and climbed up.
Garrick laughed. “Back for more?”
“You killed him,” Cidaris screamed.
“Garrick laughed even harder as he drew his blade again. “Well then, in that case, I can help you join him.”
Cidaris roared and lunged at Garrick, swiping his legs out from beneath him with his tail. As Garrick scrambled to right himself and stab Cidaris through the tail, Cidaris grabbed him and rolled to the edge of the ship before diving over. Garrick screamed for the moment they were in the air and spears rained down around them as his crew tried to save their leader. But Cidaris cared not for the scrapes the near misses caused as he dove deeper and deeper. Garrick flailed and scrambled as the pressure rose around him.
Baetica touched Cidaris arms. “Let him go, Cidaris. I hear the sound of the prince’s horn. We’ve been forbidden to battle. You need to flee. If he finds you here, the prince will condemn you to death. Go! Go now!”
Eyes wide, Cidaris shoved Garrick away from him. The drowning man clawed for the surface, but as Cidaris disappeared into the ocean depths he knew Nucello’s murderer would never wake to walk under the sun again.