The shackles attached to Mira’s thin wrists echoed throughout the cell levels of the prison, instilling a wariness amongst the pirates and other low-born criminals who were brave enough to observe her. Mira could hear them whispering amongst each other in low tones, mumbling ancient sailing prayers as a means of keeping her from stealing their souls. Instead of feeling insulted, the air of fear gave her a boost of confidence that she used to keep her composure. Three guards shuffled her down a set of winding cement stairs that descended into the depths of the prison’s dungeon; it had been a year since she had stepped through its dirt-packed walls, once dressed in all costumes befitting of a queen as she orchestrated her plan against King Masson. In his pursuit to execute the worst pirates that had plagued the coasts of Stelene and shake them down for their hidden fortunes, Masson had imprisoned Captain Pascal Wax. Captain Wax was her dearest friend and one of the most wanted pirates amongst the noble class. Mira had vowed to free the captain by any means possible and conceal his family’s troves, but it had ultimately cost her the remainder of her freedom. Mira felt the exhaustion that she was denying throughout the last few days grip the weak muscles in her legs, causing her to stumble over the edges of her tattered dress as she tried to keep up with the guards. Unintentionally, she nearly knocked over the guard in front of her, barely able to whisper an apology when they spun around to face her.
“Don’t try to buy yourself some time,” One of the guards, an older woman, shoved her shoulder in warning. “You’ll be dead on the king’s orders soon.”
Mira couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as the guard turned back; her execution meant little to her in comparison to the fear she had struck in the king and the rest of his court with her actions. The dungeon floor was flooded up to their ankles with water that permeated a foul, rotting stench that reminded her of the polluted bays near the royal castle. A guard let out a curse in disgust as he hesitantly lit a metal sconce on the wall, illuminating the murky swirl of green water that steadily leaked through grates in the surrounding wall.
“Throw her in the cell now,” The older woman said, waving away the foul air from her face. “I’m not staying here another minute.”
One of the guards approached an iron cell door and unlocked it, peering his head inside to address someone else who was already locked behind it. Mira stiffened, her heart pounding in her chest with a mix of anxiety and anticipation as she braced herself.
“Heed the sardine,” The guard warned. “Wouldn’t want yourself getting cursed, would you?”
There was no response from the other prisoner as Mira was harshly shoved in, collapsing against the muddy water in a large splash. The last of her strength had finally given in and she couldn’t bother to save face anymore, allowing the tears to fall from her face as she turned to watch the guards lock her in. The guards let out bitter laughs at the sight of her; Mira bit back the need to use her siren voice, the one that all the prisoners throughout had dreaded succumbing to. She allowed the deep-seated anger within her faded back into weariness.
“What a pathetic queen our kingdom was cursed with,” One of the guards spat from afar. “Good riddance.”
The guards’ harsh remarks faded into ghostly echoes as they trudged back up the stairs and disappeared. Mira returned her attention to the remainder of the cell. The door had done little to prevent the putrid water from leaking in, making the once soil-covered floor thick with calcified mud and debris. On the left-hand side, she could see a large figure lying against a wood slab that served as a bench, motionless, their face obscured by darkness. With a dread seeping into the depths of her stomach, she wondered if they were asleep or already dead. Mira picked herself up by her knees, her waterlogged skirts and wrist chains weighing her down with every step as she approached them.
“Captain Wax?” Mira called out into the darkness, concerned. “It’s me, Mira.”
The figure lifted his head, groaning in pain, and then the realization of who she was struck him with an audible gasp. Mira kneeled beside him, trying to get a better look at his expression with little luck, and froze as she felt his shaking hand hold onto the chains that kept her hands together. A bright blue spark ran across the metal, the last sign that his abilities were still present but waning. It illuminated Captain Wax’s scarred face before the chains disintegrated apart and freed her sore wrists. Mira threw her arms around Captain Wax in an embrace, burying her face into the once rich and now tattered material of his jacket. In all of her thirty-five years of life, she had never felt as much relief and remorse. Captain Wax seemed surprised at first, and then returned the hug.
“What are you doing here?” Captain Wax began as he pulled away, his voice. hoarse “I thought that you were safe within the palace. Has Masson betrayed you?”
“The king is executing me for treason,” Mira replied, her tone calm. “I destroyed all of the maps that could have led to your family’s treasure troves across Stelene.”
“You should have escaped when you had the chance,” Captain Wax replied, shaking his head sorrowfully. “No amount of treasure could have amounted to your safety. I’ll figure out some sort of escape plan for you before the guards come back.”
Mira held back the emotion that was bubbling up in her throat. She missed hearing his voice and held contempt that the majority of his magic had been shuttered for more than a year. All the same, she felt bittersweet that her time within the walls of the castle had served another purpose beyond instilling hopelessness within her, and that was the ability to make difficult choices. She felt for a secret seam at the hem of her dirtied dress until her fingers touched a cool, cylindrical object. Pulling it from the pocket, she opened the container and shook out a sliver of seal skin that was encased within. She pressed it into Captain Wax’s shaking hand.
“My imprisonment was not a loss,” Mira replied. “I might have burned the maps, but I managed secured a remnant of your family’s relic from the royal treasure reserve.”
Captain Wax fell silent as he tentatively accepted the seal skin heirloom. It had once been lost to time amidst one of many ransacking attempts of the selkie treasure troves. Masson was unaware of how important it was to Wax or the rest of his family, simply tossing it aside as some stray piece of debris that had washed in with the relics of precious pearl and gold. Mira understood that her choice to save the object had its own consequences; Captain had never fully explained it to her, but she understood that this artifact of power, no matter how small, reflected the abundance of magical abilities that he and his family had withheld from the prying eyes of nobles.
“I cannot accept this,” Captain Wax replied, his voice barely a whisper. “I swore I wouldn’t use my abilities even at the cost of my own suffering. I am willing to stay behind and help you escape if it’s at the cost of my life, but not in this way.”
“The circumstances are dire,” Mira replied, anxiously rolling the cylinder between her palms. “Wax, trust that I did my best to find a solution ofr us both. I spent a year searching the court for those maps so that you and the remainder of your family could live in peace. Do not let my efforts go in vain.”
“I am indebted to you in every way but this,” Captain Wax replied, his tone emotional. “Mira, should I do this, I will only expose you and many others to dangers beyond your comprehension. A child of the sea, as you’re aware, heeds no warning in their natural elements.”
Mira recalled the moments when Captain Wax could have chosen to use his abilities to the fullest extent against his enemies, but each time, he either won or failed by his own merit. It was futile, but Mira couldn’t allow him to succumb to the pitiful fate of execution at the hands of Masson and his greedy, spiteful court of nobles. As a child of the sea herself, letting another fall victim to mortal cruelty was too much to bear on her consciousness.
“Take the risk,” Mira insisted, shaking his shoulders. “You have hidden your abilities for so long in fear of being hunted, but you are not a weakling. For once, be a little selfish, as I am also risking my life to offer you this opportunity. Let us escape together.”
Captain Wax remained silent; Mira knew he was stubborn, but in the depths of her heart, she understood that he wanted nothing more than to live in peace. It was typical of him to carry every burden to its end, but even in such a position as this one she desperately needed him to see that there were no other options left.
“I often wonder if my father felt this sense of wretched grief,” Captain Wax said, distant. “He preached that selkies should be peaceful folk and so many believed him, I believed him, and now I remain one of few who have witnessed our herds disappear.”
Mira recalled the fading memories from her own time amongst the selkies; they had chosen the routes towards self-preservation and had hidden themselves well. Even the merfolk, as human-like as they seemed, hadn’t withstood the obstacles the humans had created for them and had led their clans to enact revenge upon those who dared traverse their seas.
“He was right,” Mira declared. “no one has ever succeeded making peace through bloodshed, but you can at least make these mortals wary enough to tread caution. You can still honor him.”
Taking a deep breath, Captain Wax held the seal skin close to his chest. Mira held onto his arm tightly for a moment, then found herself grasping open air. The dark, decrepit walls of the dungeon fell apart around them as a light flooded in, enveloping everything in a shimmering cascade of light that felt warm to the touch. Mira shrouded herself against the light and debris with one arm, and once it had faded, she found herself sitting before an unsteady cliffside. The scent of saltwater hit Mira like a hypnotizing swing of ale, invigorating her suppressed thirst for the comfort of the cold sea.
Looking below, she observed the sea waves crashing into the boulders on the shore with all their might, as if they were equally enraged to be intruded upon. Mira barely caught sight of the large, sleek maroon tail submerging with ease through the chaos when a commotion of shocked voices clamored behind her. “Lady Mila,” A deep voice called out to her. “There is nowhere to run.” Mila turned to face King Masson and his royal guards. If he had any form of sympathy left for her, it was masked and well-hidden with a horrified expression. Mila hoped that the image of her, bare-foot and splattered in mud, stuck with him as she ran toward the cliff’s edge. King Masson’s eyes widened, jogging forward to grab her, but it was too late. Mila raised her arms and faced the sun before falling forward. The terror ripped at her for a moment, rippling into a screech of fear and rage as she fell through the air until she was embracing the sea once more.
