The sky grew the color of pitch, and the men drew their swords. Their oars released, they slowed to a stop and listened for incoming danger. It was a strange feeling to believe danger was so near, yet not have an idea of what form it might take. Everything was quiet.
From the black water, lights began to circle the boat. They were beautiful yet haunting. "Come with me to the sea…" the song began.
"Cover your ears!" Nurlan shouted. Both men plugged the sound as the tune went on. The merfolk surfaced, and upon seeing that their song was unappreciated, abruptly went silent. The men lowered their arms and gripped their swords tightly.
A slim mermaid, with her shining tail and mesmerizing gold-rimmed eyes, peeked over the side of the boat. "You do not like our song?" she pouted.
Nurlan held up his sword for protection. "I have heard the tales of when sailors listen to the sirens' songs. They end up marooned or drowned…"
The mermaid laughed musically and all the others in the water echoed her. "Sirens are just myth!" She giggled. "The merfolk, however, are very real." Thinking that the gruff soldier was too tough a target, the mermaid turned to the younger man. "I am Darya. Did you dislike my song as well?" Junayd's eyes reflected the mermaid's. His face went blank.
The soldier stood, lowered his sword, and took and awkward step toward the mermaid. "What are you doing?" Nurlan yanked his comrade back onto the rowing bench. The impact knocked Junayd momentarily free of Darya's spell. "You are not supposed to use magic on humans!" Nurlan said, repeating what Phoca had told him. They had had a large exchange of information while walking to the boatman that morning. Now that he knew the rules, he hoped that he could use them to his advantage.
Darya's eyes twinkled as she smiled mischievously. "Unlike other magical creatures who detest your strong emotions, we merfolk feed on them. I have opened up the portal to all that your friend feels. Now we can all feast." She motioned to the many lights in the water. "Do you know what emotion we like to feed on the most, human? We love fear!" A wordless tune rose up from the merfolk as they agreed. They were all connected, so Darya's feast would feed them all. Darya flashed her eyes at Nurlan, but he hid his face before her spell could take hold.
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"You picked the wrong emotion." Junayd said with courage. "We are not afraid of you."
Darya nodded thoughtfully. Her blue lips formed a thin line and her brow furrowed. "You may not be afraid of me, but you are afraid. I can feel it." She breathed deeply as if the sensation thrilled her. "Are you at all related to the humans that passed through yesterday?"
The men stiffened, but did not respond. That was all the confirmation Darya needed. She shivered in delight, and her purple skin brightened. "Ah," she said. "There is your fear. You are afraid that you will not find them."
Junayd fought his emotions. Darya was right. Deep down he was terrified that they would not find the Emperor and Empress. Or worse, that he would find them after it was too late, and their deaths would be on his head. It had torn him apart to leave the Empress even if it had been necessary. He needed to find her right now before the gnomes did. Junayd would never forgive himself if he didn't make it in time… The needling of the mermaid brought forth the tide of feelings that the soldier had been holding in.
"You have every right to be afraid," she said sympathetically. Tears welled up in Junayd's eyes. Darya smiled. "You could give up. Join me in the water. I will take you out to sea." She held out her hand, and Junayd considered her offer. Death seemed better than the panic that had overtaken him. He reached out, but Nurlan pushed his hand away from her.
"Do not give in to this deceiver, Junayd! She is in your head, but you have a choice. We will find the others and complete our mission. We will find the Fates. Ha, I believe in the Fates now, you know. We will just take this problem one step at a time. We can do this together." Nurlan's words were comforting, and the devastating panic that gripped Junayd began to subside.
"Moving words!" Darya said as she clapped, mocking him. "But they are in vain. We will make sure that you never see your friends again."
A merman rose out of the water, his shining purple skin causing the men to shield their eyes. The merman began to chant something in an ancient tongue. The men could not understand. "What are you doing?" Nurlan demanded to know.
Darya tilted her head innocently. "We are helping you across the lake." Then her expression darkened. "And sending you very far from where your friends landed." She looked at each man's face and her eyes flashed. "Sleep…slowly," she commanded. Giggling, the mermaid added, "Your boat will take you safely to shore, and you will slowly drift off to dreamland knowing there is nothing you can do about where it lands."
Darya blew a kiss just as the merman finished his chant. The boat lurched and began to move on its own. Nurlan tried to lunge for Darya, but found that his body was almost completely paralyzed. He slowly lowered himself to the bottom of the row boat. Junayd lay down beside him, helpless and once again terrified by the mermaid's spell.
"Sweet dreams… or not so sweet," Darya's voice hung in the air. The dark sky cleared as the merfolk left, but the damage had been done. Despite all of their efforts, the men drifted off to a nightmarish sleep.
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Nurlan awoke with a vicious headache. His dreams had been terrible, but the throbbing pain in his skull was arguably worse. He groped around and felt wood against his hands. All the events of earlier came back into his head. He was still in the boat, but it was no longer rocking. It must have found land. He could hear Junayd's breathing next to him. It seemed that he had not awoken yet.
It was so bright. Nurlan struggled to open his eyes. He groaned. Squinting, he could make out the ice barrier towering above him. That was a good sign. But then he felt a shadow pass over him and sharp, cold metal touch his neck. "Don't move, human!" The voice said firmly.