The Mermaid That's Sweetest

22] A Ruined Seven

22] A Ruined Seven

This Ruin below Ezili Castle becomes my sanctuary. I explore deeper into the cavern and there are hollowed out rooms that are set up as shrines. Seven rooms in total, which matched the seven Coral Mermaids carved into the ceiling. The first room held bones of sharks which lay in the alcoves, one for their teeth, one for ribs, one for their fins. Another room held remnants of petrified lighting. The middle room was my favourite. There was a shiny black alter, curved round, at the height of my hips. Within the concave platform were robust sharp teeth... bigger and longer than a shark... and half were threaded through a broken necklace. Orca teeth. They are the biggest dolphins, the kindest and smartest. They were known to be as deadly as they were friendly. Orca was a fancy word hiding their infamous nicknames; assassin whales or killer whales. I had already decided this was my room; I felt a connection to it unlike any other place I had been.

The last four rooms held water, scriptures etched into the walls, old broken glass jars full of strange trinkets, and a room full of... well... it sung of death, pain and power. It was empty, aside from the last wall showing seven swords, fossilised into the black stone.

So, I knew all these ruins represented a place of power... strange sacred power... not for the Clans on Belle Island... not for Erebos... but I felt home here. I wanted to know who else felt the same way. I wanted to know why it was under the Ezili castle? Why no one had spoken of it? Why even Eros didn't know anything about it...? He called it ruins. He wasn't interested in it. Unless he was lying. I wouldn't doubt it for a second.

After all; the most powerful fact remained. He had not returned.

I had half expected Eros to face me with his small team of Erebos. The last ones. For attempted revenge because I killed Irsa. However, they had done no such thing.

I sit on top of the meeting table carved from stone, repairing the Orca tooth necklace.

The night was thick with a dense fog when I finish tying the ends together.

As I lace it around my neck and pull my darkest green hair through the middle, inner peace vibrates through me. A feeling of... definitely home.

But then I feel the cavern shake.

I look up. The water is moving violently. I see glinting needles of polished spears flying through the air, while the water is rising and falling – some people are already screaming above the water line.

The bloody battle Eros had spoken about.

It was here.

I watch as the waters thrash about under Eros' command and the echo of the violence is loud enough of a distraction for my mind to put some seemingly pointless pieces of thoughts together.

There were some girls that wouldn't be in that battle; namely the Darvs from the orphanage.

The very girls – Halina, Roanne and Zandy were three of them – who were caught up in the hospital because they tried to kill an Erebos... my mate.

I look at the rock pool.

Erebos scales.

Dried, crushed... the antidote to Erebos venom. I had saved Halina's life.

I don't know why everything is matching, but I need to swim to the Darvs; now.

While the battle is brewing and the violence is distracting – I needed to go back to the orphanage.

I needed to bring those Darvs here. I needed to show them this place.

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