Drawn to the Sea

Chapter 1: Captured

⬆️Photo of what I imagine Douglass to look like⬆️

Douglass

As I swam, I let my satchel float in the water. I'd been gone from my cave for three days now in search of the rare root that only grew in the coral reefs along the cove of the island. It unnerved me to be this close to the human population, but I needed this root for the potion.

I'd been asked to make a potion to heal an elder in the pod of dolphin shifters— a sub-species of mermaid that could shift into dolphins. The elder was the only one in the pod currently, and the others were gone for a ceremony far out to sea. Without the elder, the pod would die. Elders keep the pods safe with their magic. The entire pod was counting on me. They'd sent a dolphin all the way into the depths for me, I wasn't going to let them down, no matter how much I hated contact with other merfolk.

As I rounded a corner of the reef, I spotted a fishing rig headed out to sea. Deciding to not risk being caught, I dove down lower, almost cutting my fin on a rigid, dead coral in the process.

Damn humans and their pollution devices.

That's when I spotted it. The fiery red leaves of the root I needed. I made a dash for it, knowing that some of the local fish would eat it if I didn't get it fast. Snatching it up and pulling, I managed to yank it free in a cloud of sand. I waved the sand away from my face and stuffed the root in my bag, then clasped it shut for good measure.

I started my hour journey back to my cave. Even though it was so deep that oceanic volcanoes guarded the entrance, I made it before the sun had even set. The cave was in an alcove below one of the many cliffs in the less populated area of the island. There wasn't a beach, only a hundred-foot drop to the raging ocean and sea stacks, and the volcanoes scared off any wildlife, so I didn't need to worry about any humans finding it.

I weaved my way through the scalding shots of water that spouted out of smaller fissions in the sea bed and moved the dead roots that swayed over the entrance to my home. Swimming up, my head broke the surface of the water and my eyes settled on my stairs leading up to my cave home.

Since the witch half of me could shift into a human, I had all of my belongings on the dry landing of the pocket of air. I shifted and walked up the narrow stairwell.

I'd carved selves into the rough rock walls at some point in my long life, so my potion bottles, books, ingredients, and nicknacks were all neatly placed onto the crowded selves. I'd also carved big steps to sit on in a circle. Cloths and colorful curtains decorated my little room. Desks and tables made of driftwood from old ships were piled with my many things. My bed sat against the wall near the back, and I had a fireplace. I'd enchanted it to dispel any smoke from my hearths, so the smoke wouldn't overcome my home. I'd learned that lesson the hard way. My cauldron was old but worked as well as the day I'd bought it. It sat beside my fireplace. I also had a little rack of human clothes settled in a spot out of sight. Just because I was alone didn't mean I like to be nude while walking around my house.

I set my bag down then pulled on some jeans. My human form looked like any other human would, but I did still have small patches of scales on my upper arms and back. I had black hair, dark eyes, and a slim figure. Pretty much my merman form without the tail and fewer scales.

I pulled out the root. I shuffled over to my potion-making station. All my ingredients sat neatly on multiple selves and my table was right next to my cauldron. I got to work cutting, measuring, and mixing until the potion was complete. I scooped some into a vial and tied it to a potions belt.

Walking down the narrow steps, I took my pants off and set the belt by the edge of the water. I shift mid-jump into the water. I clasped the belt onto me and headed out for the pod of dolphins.

When I arrived, a young man was waiting for me and led me to the elder. Her frail body was a sickly green, making me feel as though I should've made it faster. She looked liked she could drop dead at any moment. I held the vail to her lips, and she drank until it was empty.

"That should do it," I said, replacing the vail to my belt.

"Thank you, Thank you," the elder's daughter praised. "I don't know how to repay you."

I shook my head. "No payment necessary." Not like I needed money or anything else from these merfolk.  "The potion will have worked by tomorrow morning, but she may feel a bit nauseous for a while afterward."

The elder clasped my hand in her own. "Payment is indeed needed, boy. We shall simply owe you a debt." She waved her hand, and a conch shell appeared in his palm. It was tiny and had a leather strip wrapped around it. "This will help you in a time of need. Blow it and we shall come anywhere in the sea."

I bowed gracefully as she put the necklace around my neck, not quite wanted to accept. "Your gift is greatly appreciated, elder. But I must return home now. The seas are expecting a storm tonight."

The elder waved and bowed her head. "Travel well, my friend. And come to visit soon."

I almost cringed. I did not want to have more contact than necessary. "Farewell."

I zipped off, bubbles trailing me as I swam. The water started getting tougher to move in, until I was being pushed around by the currents. I grunted in frustration when a stray piece of wood slammed into my hip, tearing my belt right off me.

I started to go after it, but movement on the surface caught my attention. I looked up, finding a turtle caught in a net. I gasped and looked frantically for something sharp to cut the rope. My eyes landed on a shard of rock, and I dove for it. It pricked my hand, but I didn't care. I sped toward the struggling turtle.

"Shhh," I stroked its head. "I'm going to help you, but you need to be still."

The turtle stopped struggling and I used the shard to cut the rope, freeing the turtle. I nipped happily at my ear, then swam dipper into the depths. I sighed and tried to swim away as well, but I couldn't move.

I looked at my tail, finding the ropes wrapped around it. I tried to move my hand with the shard to cut myself loose, but I found it caught as well. The net jolted up, making me lose my grip on the sharp rock. I started to panic. My magic wouldn't work without my wand. I'd forgotten to bring it.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. This is what you get for helping. Did you learn nothing from your twenties?

I struggled, yanking at the ropes with my free hand. Soon enough, my other hand was caught as well. I could hear the shouts of the men on board the ship I hadn't noticed was even there before.

Panic turned to terror.

No, no, no, this can NOT be happening to me!

I started trying to use my nails, only succeeding in making two ropes tighter around my tail. As the net broke through the water, I hung from it. It bound my arms and tail painfully.

The men aboard, four in total shouted at the sight of me. "What the hell?"

One shouted for someone to come up from below deck. "Briggs! Come look at this!"

The door opened and a taller, buffer man strode out into the rain. He studied me, then grinned. "Oh, this is going to be a scientific breakthrough!"

I hissed at him as he approached the edge of the boat. "Let me go, human."

He chuckled. "Not a chance, fish. You're my new science project."