“We can’t give you immortality, Talbot!” Eva yelled. Technically they could in a way but he didn’t need to know that.

“Fuck immortality, just fix this,” he growled and tore the eyepatch off his face. Barnacles filled the socket, growing and spreading over the left side of his face. Leeching the moisture and nutrients from his body as they multiplied and grew.

“Jesus,” Eva recoiled at the horrifying sight of red irritated flesh being eaten away by barnacles.

“Fucking fix this and I’ll let you go!”

Eva was still trying to process what exactly she was seeing as Talbot threw off his jacket. His rolled-up sleeves revealed even more growths on his left arm. The skin had turned a strange grey-purple and was hardening. It was like he was turning to stone except it was barnacles.

She glanced at Viola who just looked… sad as she looked at Talbot.

Viola shook her head, “You cannot be… fixed. A blessing… taken by force becomes a curse. Mother was old… your fate is sealed.”

“No, no, no, no,” Talbot growled, “I will not end up like my father! You can either fix me or I’ll mount you on my wall like I did to your mother.”

Eva just blinked at Viola, somewhat shocked by that piece of information. Viola wasn't helping though, they needed to convince Talbot to let them live. Not simply provoke him. Still, she had no idea what to do and with all of Talbot’s goon around she wasn't keen to try anything.

“A cruel thing to do,” Viola spat. Eva had never seen such malice in her eyes before. Viola was usually a bit of a gentle giant, excusing the occasional murder, but this was true hatred.

“T-that was not me, that was my father,” Talbot replied, either correcting himself or changing the story.

“Viola,” Eva whispered. “We need to get home,” she reminded. She loathed Talbot as much as Viola but they had a whole future ahead of them, that had to be priority over anything else.

More gunshots rang out in the distance as Talbot’s men continued their slaughter. They certainly were not mercenaries. You couldn't simply pay people to do shit like this. This meant Talbot held strings she wasn't aware of and judging by the others in robes it seemed somewhat cultish.

Viola’s hostile energy still did not falter.

“Viola, please.”

“How about this,” Talbot began motioning to his men. “Viola, you seem to be the only one who knows anything, fix me or I’ll put a bullet in your little friend. Who doesn't love shooting fish in a barrel?”

Eva’s stomach dropped before she literally dropped. Keeping only her eyes above the surface. Really what she wanted to do was dive to the bottom of this place but they would simply wait her out.

However, his threat got a twitch out of Viola. “I… can help. But I have my… own demands.”

“You think you’re in a position to make demands,” Talbot laughed. “You’re powerless and trapped.”

“Yet only I… can give you what you want.”

Talbot growled, literally growled. Like a feral animal. Muttering under his breath as he glared at them.

“My mother… you will return her to the sea,” Viola demanded.

Eva held her tongue, her suggestion would have been to get them out of there. Or something inherently beneficial to their situation. Still, she couldn't fault Viola for wanting that.

“Once she is free… we can bargain evenly.”

“Fine,” Talbot spat. “If you want my fucking trophy flung into the sea it can be done.” He pulled out his phone and after a brief but very angry conversation hung up. “Happy?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“When she is at peace,” Viola replied.

“You'll have to give us proof,” Eva chimed up finally. She wasn't going to risk him scamming them.

Viola squeezed her hand and closed her eyes. “I felt it, it has been done. She has returned to the water,” she said a minute later.

“What?” Eva asked with confusion.

Viola smiled at her, “I will teach you one day.”

Eva nodded, not really in a position to ask a million questions at this moment. Apparently there was a lot more to blackfish that she wasn't aware of yet.

“Glad you’re satisfied… Now fix me!” Talbot huffed.

“I do not trust you would keep your word,” she replied.

“What you can trust is that I’ll kill Ms. Diaz if you don’t.”

“You know the… fate that awaits you. If you harm us you will suffer it,” Viola growled.

Eva really didn't like this standoff, especially since she was the one being threatened. But Viola seemed somewhat in control, unlike Talbot who seemed very… unstable. Why anyone listened to him she had no idea.

One of the robed figures stepped to Talbot’s side and whispered in his ear. Talbot nodded, pulled out his gun and shot the man in the head. They crumbled to the ground as quickly as the sound reached Eva’s ears. Everyone flinched, no one had expected Talbot to do that.

“Fine,” Viola spat. “Open the… gate and bring me a bowl. I will hold you to your words, human.”

Talbot grinned, “Fine by me. Open the door.”

Talbot’s men jumped at the sudden command. Having been stunned by Talbot’s recklessness. One of the soldiers quickly spoke into his radio and the gate to the last lock opened allowing Eva and Viola to swim through.

Eva very much wanted to protest but there was no way for them to discuss this, they had no privacy. They had been entirely caught off guard despite their plan to be prepared. They couldn't reach Talbot let alone drown him. He had numbers and weapons.

Someone tossed a bowl down as the doors closed behind them, the water level beginning to lower. Viola picked the bowl up.

“You can't give him what he wants,” Eva protested weakly.

“We… we have no choice, Eva. We want to go home,” Viola replied. Taking the bowl and kneading her chest to fill it with milk. Eva was too scared to be embarrassed, really what else had she expected? Though she wasn't uh… lactating, yet another blackfish thing that Viola would have to explain more thoroughly if they survived this.

Viola raised the bowl and one of the robed figures kneeled down to take it. They then carefully walked back to Talbot on the walkway and handed it to him. Talbot looked like a kid on Christmas morning as he eagerly took the bowl and raised it to his lips.

Eva glanced at Viola who wore a carefully neutral expression as she slunk lower in the water. Viola clicked low and slow, a frequency that Eva was pretty sure she hadn't been able to hear before. Violaw was clearly trying to tell her something.

“Salud!” Talbot said in a mock toast. All focus turned to Talbot as he began to drink, gulp after eager gulp. Gripped by the same frenzy Eva had except this did not seem to end. He licked at the bowl desperate to get every drop. Eva wasn't sure what to expect.

Talbot began to twitch, the bowl falling into the water below. His eyes glazed over as lines spiderwebbed across his skin. Was this what her transformation had looked like?

Except Talbot didn't seem to be changing, instead the webs kept growing. Barnacles erupted from his skin in a wave, encasing him as a living statue. He didn't get to scream, he did not get any last words. He simply stopped as his body was suddenly entirely consumed by these things. Viola had accelerated the curse.

She glanced towards Viola to find her… not there. People cried out as Viola grabbed two of the robed figures, rolling off the side of the canal and dragging them back in. The remaining robed figure was attending to Talbot in a panic while the soldiers didn't seem to know what to do. Neither did Eva.

Still, Eva forced herself to act, kicking hard to propel herself up. Grabbing the last robed figure and Talbot’s arm as she dragged them into the water. Bubbles spun around her as the robed man thrashed. Legs kicking against her tail, hands clawing at her grip. Having no idea how to handle something that was fighting back she did the only thing she could. Whacked him with Talbot’s now severed petrified arm, because rather than falling in it had simply torn free.

Blood pooled in the water and Eva bashed the man again to be sure before dragging the motionless man to the bottom of the lock and swimming over to Viola who was having a far more graceful time dealing with her… victims. Really playthings was probably a better word as she dragged them down with a gleeful expression. Viola really could be scary when she wanted, it was kind of hot.

Eva realized the soldiers were in fact not shooting at them. Either due to worry of friendly fire or simply a lack of reason to she wasn't sure. Instead, she whistled for Viola, they needed to get out of there. Thankfully the water level hadn't fallen too much and since it was the last gate the jump wasn't as impossible.

Viola seemed to read her mind and whistled for her to go. Eva didn't hesitate to shoot towards the surface. The weeks of preparation as a blackfish gave her far more agility in the water than ever before. Breaching the surface she flew out of the water, her fluke smacking painfully into the railing as she cleared it. But she made it. Only to fall several meters into the water below.

Adrenaline surged through her. She had just killed a man, she wasn't in any condition to process that right now. Gunshots gun through the air finally as Viola dove after her. A trail of bubbles in their wake as they swam deeper and deeper and further and further. The water was brackish and clearing up. They had made it. They had done it. Despite the fucking massacre that had been surprisingly simple. They couldn't talk, they just had to keep going but Eva’s mind was reeling. Of course, she put it together.

A blessing taken by force becomes a curse. Viola herself had said they didn't have a choice. It was genius. Poisoning Talbot with exactly what he wanted most. Still even with him out of the picture Eva didn't feel entirely safe. There was still that monster out there somewhere. Talbot’s organization still existed, they could still come after them. Whatever method Talbot had used to track them still existed presumably. They could just hope that whoever took over after him wouldn't focus on them. Then again, with the weird cult-like aspects they had been introduced to, maybe without Talbot, it would all fall.

The river soon opened up to the sea. Dozens of boats floating in the open ocean in the distance. They had made it. After everything they had made it. She took Viola’s hand, tugging at her to slow their pace and to bring them together as she pressed their lips together. They had fucking done it!

All this work had finally paid off. Being Viola’s warden, being kidnapped by Talbot, forced into the depths of the abyss as a prisoner, giving up her humanity, and navigating totally new waters. It had all finally paid off.

Viola whistled excitedly and wrapped her arms around Eva. Her own delight was as clear as the water around them. The salt felt so much better against her skin. She really was a blackfish, she had a whole future ahead in the Pacific with Viola. Eva kissed her again as Viola brought them to the surface despite the risk.

“We did it,” Viola grinned toothily.

“Y-yeah, yeah we did,” Eva laughed.

“Now we go home, Eva. We have a pod to find.”

Eva nuzzled against her and sighed contentedly. “I cannot wait. I just hope your family likes me.”

“I love you, they will too,” Viola replied simply.

That was more than enough for Eva.