“I swear to the gods I’m three seconds from jumping into that water,” I yelled as I once again put up the oars and went for the plug.
The lake’s surface lapped at the outside of the boat, only inches from the top now, and I had nothing to bail out the water-laden salt. They would sink the boat if they continued to push out the plug.
Something clunked behind me, and I turned just in time to see one of my oars disappear over the edge. Whichever bottom feeder had it, she tossed it away from the boat. It landed with a splash just out of reach.
I swore and lifted the other oar out of its holder. I knew they wanted me to lean over and try to grab for the floating one, but I wasn’t stupid. I’d already witnessed what they would do in that scenario. Instead, I used the oar I had to maneuver myself closer to the oar.
The boat rocked precariously beneath me, and I widened my stance so the mermaids couldn’t knock me over.
“The movies got it all wrong,” I said. “Beautiful, kind creatures who long to be human, my ass. More like overgrown piranhas with the mentality of a goldfish.”
A hand rose out of the water, gave me the finger, then closed over the oar. I watched the floating wood move away rapidly and bared my teeth in frustration. The boat jolted under me, almost offsetting my balance.
“Do it,” I called. “See what happens when you knock me in.”
They laughed again, and I continued to use my single oar in an effort to propel myself in the direction of the stolen one. The boat’s movement in the water was slow and jerky. What little progress I made vanished each time the bitch with the oar swam further.
“Are your arms getting tired yet?” a singsong voice called.
“Hop in the boat and find out for yourself.”
Silence greeted me and my hair whipped in my face as I stared at the surface. With all the rowing and anger, I hadn’t noticed the wind until that moment. What I’d thought was churning water because of the mermaids was actually stronger waves. Tearing my gaze from the threat-filled lake, I looked up at the clear sky. Clouds hugged the horizon to the north, but the sun hadn’t yet reached its zenith. Good. These mermaids were doing everything they could to slow me down, but I still had time.
The boat jerked under me. My eyes flew to the plug, but it was still in place. The boat jerked again then started forward so suddenly that I lost my balance and fell. My back hit the edge of the seat. I winced and rolled to my side to get to my knees.
The wind battered my face and made my eyes burn. Staying on my knees, I reached for my phone to figure out which direction they were taking me.
To my surprise, the mermaids weren’t speeding me toward the shore. Just the opposite. As I watched, the dot on my GPS tracker crept closer to the middle of the lake. They were taking me right where I wanted to go. I grinned.
The boat stopped so suddenly that I flew forward and hit my head on the other seat. I swore and lifted my face to feel for splinters. I didn’t find any, but my fingers did come away with blood. Heat pooled in my stomach and boiled over into my veins.
“That’s the second time, Merbitch,” I said under my breath.
I stood slowly, watching the water around the boat, looking for their laughing faces. I couldn’t see any, though. However, in the distance, I saw something jutting out of the water. My heart gave a jump, and I wanted to shout with laughter. The island.
Something made a sound near my feet. I looked down at the water rushing in. They’d popped out the plug. Lake water closed over my shoes. I looked up at the island again then grabbed my phone, glancing at the dot through the baggy.
Lake water rushed over the back end of the boat. Weeds and bits of who knew what floated in with it. I had no choice now; I was going into the lake.
I dove over the side, smoothly entering the water. It hissed and sputtered the moment it hit my skin. I could feel how terrifyingly cold it was for only that split second. Then, my heat took over.
Surfacing, I wiped a piece of lake debris from my face.
“I smell like fish!” I yelled, truly pissed.
The water steamed around me and nothing swam nearby. Further away, a few heads surfaced, just enough to see their eyes.
“You wanted me in the water. Now, come get me.” None of them moved. I started swimming toward one, which happened to be in the direction of the island.
“Here, fishy, fishy, fishy,” I called.
There was no laughing this time. The mermaid dove under the surface and did not reappear. I put the phone baggy in my mouth and started swimming toward the island. Within seconds, I knew holding the phone like that was a mistake. The taste of melted plastic clung to my lips as I emptied water out of the bag and tried to power on my phone. It didn’t work. Giving up, I stuck the device in my pocket and set out once more.
Numerous times, I had to stop to make sure I was still on course. It wasn’t easy. Without the phone, I had to tread water and bob in the waves, waiting to catch a glimpse of the island.
My anger didn’t cool with the freezing lake water surrounding me. However, the amount of steam drifting around me did begin to decrease.
The closer I drew to the island, the bolder the mermaids became. They circled me, once again throwing out insults and taunts.
“Does she actually think that’s swimming?”
“Mmm…can you taste her blood in the water? It’s delicious.”
“That’s right, sinker. One arm in front of the other. Get yourself nice and tired for us.”
“Do you feel that? The water’s cooling.”
They were right. As the island grew closer, I could feel the strain. I had never pushed myself this far before. Any activity I’d done, I’d only continued to do until I felt my anger ease. Even though my anger wasn’t easing this time, my energy was flagging. Why?
It took a moment to realize the talking around me had stopped. When I paused to get my bearings again, I noticed the mermaids a distance behind me.
“You’re almost there,” Merbitch said. “Do you think you’ll make it?”
Ignoring her, I turned and continued on. The sight of the rocky, barren island sent a shiver of disquiet through me. It was far larger than I’d anticipated, and its jutting rock formations created a towering skyline that didn’t look so different from my dream. The island wasn’t glass, though, or covered with blood. Maybe my apprehension was from all the dead fish skeletons I’d need to wade through to get to the shore. Could the place get any more disgusting?
My feet hit bottom, and I sagged with relief. Plodding through the waist high water, I purposely ignored all the floating fish corpses. Exhausted, I stumbled onto the rocky shore and sat heavily. I’d exerted myself more than I’d realized because as I sat there I shivered. I needed to get out of the wind, dry off, and maybe even powernap before starting my search for the oracle.
In the distance, a single head rose above the water. Merbitch watched me with a malicious smile. She was probably thinking the same thing I was. I’d safely made it to the island, but how was I going to get back?
The smile on her face fled, and she dove underwater, leaving me completely alone.
I thought of Eliana and sighed. She was going to be so worried.
“Well,” a feminine voice said from nearby, “this is a surprise.”
Eighteen
Startled, I looked over my shoulder. A woman dressed in a white, flowing gown stood near a pile of boulders. She was beautiful with windswept golden hair and brilliant silver-blue eyes. A warm, welcoming smile spread over her features as I stared.
Another shiver ripped through me.
“Such a nice surprise,” she said. “It’s not every day I get such a lovely visitor. My name is Lucia. Can I offer you a drier place to sit and, perhaps, something to drink?”
I carefully stood and wiped off the seat of my pants. Sand and delicate fish bones fell away from my cold fingers.
“My name is Megan, and somewhere warm and dry sounds great.”
“Warm,” she said with a smile. “Yes. Warm is good.”