ELEMENTS: Acquiesce by Kathryn Andrews (snow like ashes series .TXT) 📕

The tavern was the busiest it had been in recent months and the punters were high as kites. Breck almost stumbled over a man lying on the floor.

“Jerry,” he said, bending down to help.

“Ah, leave him be,” said Mr Kelly. “He’s at peace with the floor.”

Mr Kelly beckoned Breck closer. “Have you seen any of these before?” He opened his hand to reveal the gemstones.

“No Sir,” said Breck.

“Seems we might be sitting on a treasure chest with that peat bog of yours. I’m sending Connal and William to help dig tomorrow. See what treasures they can dig up.”

While Mr Kelly served a punter, Breck slipped out the back door.

“You’d better not be disappearing to see that sea monster,” hissed Keeva.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“See her again and I’ll tell father all your secrets.”

TEN

NIXIE’S WARNING

Needing time by herself, Cordelia decided to walk back to the lighthouse alone. She watched as her friends left in the rowing boat. The air was so tense she could have cut it with a knife. Cordelia wasn’t sure if her friendship with the mermaids would ever recover. She feared she may be banished the very next day, the same day Triton and Mazu were due to return. Feeling insecure, Cordelia walked back down onto the rocks. She didn’t want to return to the lighthouse, not yet. Right now, the reef was the only place she felt safe. She stepped down onto a ledge at the second pool and nestled into the rocks which sheltered her from the wind. She felt comforted, despite the bleak appearance of her surroundings. Cordelia watched the ripples race across the water, all the while wondering how it was that life can change so dramatically in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t fair.

Cordelia sat by the pool until dusk when the tide turned. Water cascaded over the rocks into the pool but as she stood up to leave, the running water froze in time and the ripples became smooth as glass. Cordelia saw the reflection of a large sea bird in the water. She looked up but it was gone. Cordelia scanned the sky, confused by how quickly it had disappeared. She looked back at the pool and the bird’s reflection was still there staring back at her. Cordelia leaned forward to get a closer look but the bird spread its wings and flew away. Cordelia looked all around her but there were no birds in the sky, not as far as the eye could see. The deathly still waters sent shivers surging through Cordelia’s strong frame. White sea mist crept over the rocks, caressing every crevice as it had done before. Mist turned to fog and it rose up high around her until all she could see was the pool in front of her. The water looked grey at first, then silver. She wasn’t scared, she knew what was coming. Cordelia stood fearlessly at the edge of the pool with baited breath, her sapphire eyes vibrant against the eerie grey backdrop. She willed the image of Flynn to appear. Within seconds a vision of Flynn appeared on the water’s surface. He looked pained, much thinner than before. Cordelia wasn’t worried about that. All that mattered was that he was alive, and now she believed he was. All she had to do was find him.

“Flynn, where are you?” she asked softly.

The silence was deafening.

“Flynn!” she shouted.

There was no response. Not wanting to waste a moment longer, Cordelia turned to go in search of the man who’d raised her but the thick fog lingered. She looked back at the water, the vision was gone. The sea began pouring uncontrollably into the pool but the fog remained. From the corner of her eye, Cordelia noticed a black figure dart by. She turned quickly and saw a raven fly past, then another and another. Keeping calm, Cordelia closed her eyes and dispersed the fog with one fell swoop of her hand. The ravens kept coming and the daylight was fading fast.

“What do you want?!” she cried.

Cordelia had to think fast. She flung herself into the waves but the ravens plunged in after her, one by one like bullets searing through the water. Cordelia remained focused on getting away. Never once looking back, she swam straight out to sea with no idea what may be on the horizon.

A strange tingling sensation stole through her veins and Cordelia began to swim like a fish, swimming faster than ever before. In the evening twilight, Cordelia had transformed into a fully fledged mermaid, a remarkable moment that none of her friends were privileged to witness. She’d left the ravens far behind and now the newborn mermaid was alone in the sea, with only a few curious fish and the elements for company. Below the water’s surface, Cordelia looked down at her fishtail in awe. She wiggled her tail back and forth and splashed as hard as she could. Cordelia swam for hours in the endless ocean, chasing the moonlight, beneath which her tail glistened silver against an ink filled sea. As she swam, she could feel her senses growing stronger, she could see the seabed clearly and she could hear the crabs scuttling along the bottom. Everything about her was stronger. Cordelia swam to a rocky outcrop where she perched on a ledge and bathed her tail in the moonlit sea. She began to sing a lullaby that Flynn used to sing to her when she was young. She had the voice of an angel. A pod of dolphins swam towards her, jumping elegantly out of the water as they travelled. They beckoned her to join them and she playfully swam with the dolphins through the night until sunrise when she returned to the lighthouse.

All was quiet as Cordelia walked along the tunnels. She locked herself away in her chamber and lay on her bed soaking wet, thinking about the night’s events. Hugging her pillow, she closed her eyes tightly to stop