A horn sounded within the gleaming city. Merpeople started to gather in the square, looking up at a raised platform. Two merpeople, a man and a woman, swam gracefully onto the platform. Both had soft brown hair floating in clouds. The woman had piercingly green eyes, where the man had ice-blue. They were vaguely familiar to me…
It hit me. I realised exactly who they were. My head span out of control, the world whirling around me, everything going fuzzy…
My eyelids felt heavy. I struggled to open them and saw Natalie, her gills fluttering, hair swirling around her face, looking concerned. I was sprawled on the sandy sea floor, the others floating around me. I tried to sit up, but dizziness clawed at me, dragging my shoulders back to the sand. Natalie slipped her arm behind me and pushed me upright. I put a hand to my forehead.
“Are you ok?” asked Natalie, as I flicked my tail and swam upwards.
“I’m fine… I just…” I tried to explain, but I couldn’t find the words. Suddenly, Ali growled and Prim squeaked in surprise. We were surrounded. Merpeople wearing armour and carrying shark-tooth spears were floating on all sides.
“Come with us,” ordered one of them, and they started to move, shepherding us along. We swam unwillingly, avoiding the sharp points aimed towards us.
We were directed into the city, still surrounded, straight towards the palace entrance. The doors swung smoothly open, and the merpeople herded us inside. I looked towards the end of the room and saw those two familiar merpeople sitting on intricate coral thrones. I ducked my head. Would they recognise me?