Pretty Fin- Raging Seas Read online

  Pretty

  Fin

  Raging Seas

  The Heart of a Mermaid Book 2

  For Part I of this epic trilogy

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  A

  Smokey Moment

  Novel

  This book is fiction based on the imagination of the writer. Names, characters, places and incidents are creations of the writer for entertainment purposes and any resemblance to actual people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

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  ©US Copyright 2020 by Smokey Moment. All rights reserved. Any duplication, in parts or a whole, is strictly forbidden. For use please contact at [email protected]

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  Acknowledgments

  Dedicated to all the readers who love a good book that keeps you guessing, laughing, cursing, crying and all caught up in your emotions. A good book is powerful. You get to escape and use your own imagination to fill in the blanks. You get to travel all around the globe. Sometimes even to another planet. Possibly discover a new species. A good love story will have you daydreaming and fantasizing about what is and what could be. Or it could have you shaking your head in disbelief while you watch the train wreck of a life unfold. And then you hope that fate intervenes and saves your potentially awesome love story. Whatever type of books you like, the one common theme amongst all book lovers is we want to enjoy them. I hope you enjoy this story. It was written with you in mind!

  Table of Contents

  Ripples

  Waves

  Undercurrent

  The Visitor

  Life Interrupted

  A Return Home

  Cause for Concern

  No Peace

  Signals of Distress

  Sea Foam

  Flesh & Blood

  Raging Waters

  Still Waters

  Ripples

  L

  ark hid in the trees watching, as Prince Andreus’ men surrounded the castle. What was once Finora’s home, was now headquarters to an army of drunken and belligerent soldiers. Lark sat under a veil of darkness. It was a gut-wrenching sight. He was despondent at the plight of what was once his city. Fin had left him as ruler over Mojarro. A decision that was welcomed by the Mojarro citizens. And all was well in the beginning.

  Now the dynasty was crumbling. He was desperate and despondent. His power stripped from him, as the men took over. He felt like a coward. The citizens expected more. The situation seemed hopeless. The opposing force was many men strong. It would take a miracle to destroy them. He was unable to take back his beloved city from a man he thought he had destroyed.

  Prince Andreus was not destroyed. He had survived the onslaught of tetra. It was as if he had risen from the dead. And he had returned with vengeance. It was shocking for Lark and his men. The last time he’d seen Andreus, he was being attacked by two tetra. An attack that appeared impossible to survive. But Andreus was found on the shores of Eulachon. His face in the sand. He was barely moving. A man looking for mussels on the shoreline happened upon him and immediately recognized the king. He carried Andreus, and the small wrapped bundle that was securely attached to his side, back to the castle. The man was rewarded with jewels. Andreus was grateful for his help, but wanted the fact that he was alive, kept from Mojarro.

  “What’s in the bundle, Your Majesty?” the man asked, curious of the package Andreus held onto so tightly even as he was unable to move. He wondered if it was more jewels. If it was, then they were jewels from Mojarro and he wanted more. “That is not your concern,” Andreus growled. He warned the man and threatened him to secrecy. “You have not seen me. This moment did not happen. Go now! Take the jewels as payment of your silence. Forget what you have seen here. Go!” Andreus ordered. The man bowed. He clutched the jewels firmly in his hand and walked away from the castle. Andreus did not recognize him. His mind raced. He shouted for one of his guards.

  “Esham!” the king shouted. Esham was summoned by guards who heard the king call out. He ran down the long hall into the kings meeting quarters. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said. “The man that just left…That man that saved me…kill him!” he commanded. The soldier turned around and signaled two of his comrades. The men ran out of the castle. “Where did the stranger go?” Esham asked the guard at the door. “He went that way,” the guard pointed. Esham and his men ran outside the compound. They saw the man in the distance. “There he is,” Esham whispered, as he and the other soldiers ran to catch him. The man walked slowly. He was on cloud nine, His luck had him in the right spot at the right time. The jewels would feed his family for a long time. The man could hear footsteps. He put the jewels in his pockets. It was dark. Scarce bushels of moss barely lit the way. The man sped up. It seemed someone was in a hurry to get home. The man thought nothing of the sound of footsteps as he made his journey home. Suddenly, the sound of metal against metal clinked. The man turned around. It was too late to react to the approach of Esham’s blade as it swung in the air and made its way to his neck. The man was decapitated with one swift swing. Esham sneered. He enjoyed the killing. So did many of Andreus’ guards. They had become brutal. The taste of blood from the first war had them pumped and filled with a false sense of power. They believed they owned the world. They feared nothing but Andreus. His power was unmatched. His presence was intimidating. And he would soon have an entire world under his control.

  The men reported back to the castle to let Andreus know his orders had been carried out. Andreus was pleased. The man had done a great deed and now he had made the ultimate sacrifice. “Great! Better him than I. I could not risk it. You did well. He had jewels on him. If you took them, keep them. Yours for a job well done,” he said. Esham bowed and turned to leave out. He would need to retrieve the jewels and tote the body out to sea.

  Andreus sat down and relaxed. He was lucky to be alive. His life was nearly cut short. And he vowed to exact revenge on the man responsible. The man who tried to kill him. It seemed he and Lark were fated to get in each other’s way. And Andreus would not continue to be in his shadow. He was certain Lark was responsible for Fin turning him down. His memory of the day was remarkable. The arrival of King Zander and his men. They accompanied the princess for what was to be a grand engagement. He remembered the way Lark looked at him. His sharp and piercing gaze was confusing. But now he understood. It was the look of a jealous man. Andreus could still picture his face.

  “I want every home searched again. He is there. Find him,” he said. The soldier left the chambers to deliver the order. “When will you stop,” Guida said, as she stood in the doorway of his meeting room. Andreus turned t
o her. He was unaware she had listened in on his meeting. “Never! Now leave my chambers. This is not a woman’s business,” he said. Guida sneered. Her husband was obsessed.

  She knew more than she allowed him to see or hear. Guida had become skilled at listening in on private meetings on the king’s affairs. She had also heard him talk of his early days sneaking into Mojarro and their Trojian Sea. Talks that helped her realized the problems that plagued her marriage from the start. Conversations with Ithicus, Esham and others that showed his obsession with the princess of Mojarro. He had followed Fin for years.

  She heard him tell a tale of being in the Trojian Sea and seeing Fin for the first time. He watched, hidden behind seaweed and large rocks as she explored. He would swim behind her, keeping close and making sure to avoid detection. It hurt Guida when he said that the princess was the most beautiful maiden of all. She had never heard him speak of her in such a way. Even when asked by his guards. And it was then that Guida vowed to cease her affections. And over time, she began to hate him.

  Guida continued to listen in and she hated him more each time. His voice took on a slight sadness as he mentioned the moment he got the idea to marry her. And how he rushed home to tell his father King Orfe. The king mentioned it early hoping to sway Zander his way. It worked. Fin was betrothed to him. But then he was dealt the blow of her refusal. And in one swift moment, he lost her before he could show her how much he desired her.

  And so, as it stood, Andreus would never be over her. And he was sure she was in love with the fearless warrior who seemed to melt the hearts of women easily. It was a gift Andreus wished he possessed. Lark had picked up the art of charisma from his beloved leader, King Zander. And Andreus was envious. Even though he was attractive, his harsh manners and abrasive style left much to be desired by the opposite sex. He promised to hunt Lark until his last days. He needed to destroy him. Only then could he possibly possess what Lark did. Even his wife Guida was enamored.

  But Lark was proving impossible to catch. Andreus’ men had searched high and low. They were unaware that he was spending time inside the depths of the Trojian Sea by day and in the forest behind the castle at night. The soldiers had tried searching the Trojian Sea but its blue-green hue became darker the closer one got to the bottom. And with rumors of large sea creatures roaming the sea floor, the soldiers declined searching the vast sea. The men were used to the clearer waters of the Palimora. The Trojian became something to fear for the men from Eulachon. They were unfamiliar with it, since it was located between Mojarro and Panga and was not accessible from their city.

  Swimming in its tricky waters was something Lark had mastered. And now he was living there, forced to flee Mojarro, in order to avoid persecution. He was a wanted man. A bounty on his life had every soldier in the infantry looking for him. Andreus sent his men to Mojarro to retrieve the princess and to kill Lark. His plan was to imprison Fin as pay back for turning him down. His bruised ego and greed for her wealth had taken over what small decency he had left in him after his father died.

  It was a search and a takeover that Andreus could not be a part of. He was still healing from the brutal attack he suffered during the battle. He wanted to participate in her capture. He wanted to see her face as his men put chains on her arms. But the injuries from the tetra attack were severe. He was still healing. He couldn’t be a part of the coup he obsessed over. But Fin was still evading capture. And his men had no choice but to return to Eulachon empty handed. Andreus then ordered the takeover of Mojarro and Lark subsequently fled to ensure he lived to fight again. Lark’s men fought a valiant battle trying to save him, eventually escaping and going into hiding. The men were communicating through the women of Mojarro, sending messages to one another and keeping up with each other’s locale. Moving around under the constant watchful eyes of the soldiers was proving more difficult. And with Andreus back in Eulachon, the men had free reign to do as they pleased. Some of which would not have been allowed by their strict and authoritarian leader.

  “Your Highness,” a voice said in a whisper-low tone. Lark turned his head quickly. The voice startled him. He wasn’t expecting to be discovered. He had been cautious. Careful. Discreet in his movements. No one knew the backlands of the castle like he did. And no one knew how to move without detection as well as Lark. King Zander had taught him everything he knew. Teachings that bonded them like a father and son. But it seemed someone was just as skilled as he. Someone was on to him.

  “Who’s there?” Lark whispered. He peered through the vegetation. The surrounding glow of luminescent algae covered mountains gave off a low muted light. Lark couldn’t see the face. He feared the guards were on to him and took off running towards the sea. The guards were obviously trying to trick him and lure him out. Lark ran. He was too fast to catch on foot and too great a swimmer. He jumped over a small brightly lit shrub. He could hear someone running behind him.

  “Lark,” the voice shouted, the unknown nermein was keeping up. It seemed they were gaining. Lark looked back. The silhouette of the man intensified his efforts. Lark picked up speed as he made his way to the cliff off the Trojian Sea.

  “Lark!” the man said, as he tried to get closer. Lark stopped then looked back. He was now at the cliffs edge. He was faster in water and he was prepared to jump. But he paused. There was a familiarity in the voice. The frantic and nonthreatening tone was one he’d heard before. “It’s me. Arfusei,” he said, as he slowed, looking around for soldiers who normally patrolled the cliffs edge and the castle nearby.

  “Arfusei!” Lark shouted, as he ran to him. The men embraced. A new but welcomed way of greeting. Times called for it. The men hadn’t seen one another in months. Now that Eulachon had taken over Mojarro, the men had absconded to different corners of their world. Arfusei sought refuge in Panga where he was helping the soldiers protect their land from possible invasion. King Nephrus lived in fear now that Mojarro, the second largest land, was overthrown.

  “What are you doing here?” Lark asked. Arfusei shook his head in disbelief. He still had family he was checking on. Siblings and parents who lived deep within the city limits. He was there for two reasons. One was family. And the other was to look for Lark. He hoped there was a plan. They had to take back their home. Rise against Andreus and his army.

  “I came looking for you. Things are worse than I thought. The men have ravaged the town. I sneak in occasionally to see my family. They hide me from the ever-patrolling soldiers. Word is they still seek to kill you and anyone they view as a threat. Where is everyone? I haven’t seen Ziege or Casio…Please tell me they are not dead,” he asked. Lark looked down. He was despondent. The truth was he couldn’t answer the question. He hadn’t seen them either. It was devastating blow. These were men who fought to the very end. Brave men. Warriors.

  “I don’t know where they are. I lost contact with them. I have tried to stay away from the village. Anyone caught hiding me will die. They will kill the whole family. So, I live in the forest and at times, in the sea. That is my home now. Until I can think of a way to take back Mojarro, I must stay hidden,” he said, looking Arfusei deeply in his eyes. “You should too. They will kill you. You were a leader. You still are. They will kill you to prevent you rising against them,” Lark said. Arfusei agreed.

  “I know Your Highness. But I will stand with you. I am living in Panga. Why don’t you come there? King Nephrus will open his doors to you. You are a king. He respects you. He wants to see you back in power. He feels indebted to us. And Darr runs the army there. He will protect you like the king you are,” he said. Lark shook his head no. He didn’t want to risk another country. Panga was small. They weren’t on Andreus’ radar. But if he went there, it would only be a matter of time before word got out.

  “No! That’s not safe. I must stay on my own. Eulachon soldiers have no knowledge of our waters. They entered the Trojian searching for me. I hid in the seaweed and in the caves. They are afraid to enter. Afraid of the unknown. But soon they will n
ot fear it. Or the creatures that dwell within and they will make it like home,” Lark stated.

  Arfusei glanced at the water. The Trojian Sea was unique. The higher salt content and subsequently denser water, was home to creatures not found in the Palimora Sea. There were still Baika and Tetra, but there was also a bigger threat. A massive shark-like creature called concrum, that was considered the most dangerous of them all. The 16-meter shark usually dined on other fish and stayed far away from the shores. There had been no recent attacks of nermeins. Concrum were territorial. There were no attacks as long as the nermeins stayed closer to the surface and closer to the shore. They were bottom dwellers, avoiding the surface where the light was present and the water was thinner. The depths were uncharted waters. Uncharted by all, except Lark and one other nermein. Finora.

  “How can I find you?” Arfusei asked. “Go now! I know where you are. I will get word to you by Halacai. He is very familiar with all the lands. He will find you.”

  Arfusei jumped into the Trojian and swam away. Lark could see him as he swam among the glowing sea life. He felt an overwhelming sense of emotion at seeing his comrade. They had grown together and fought side by side to protect King Zander before his death. And they had kept that same watchful eye and fierce protective presence over his daughter Finora. Arfusei was the brother he never had. Soon thoughts of Sparrow took over. He missed his fallen friend. Sparrow was older than him and was the wise mentor who taught him combat and the meaning of loyalty. He was proud to have been under his tutelage. He was made a better man for it. The men were all like family. Lark vowed to continue looking for them. They were hiding among the citizens. He was sure of it.