#mpsa

“Finn?”

Even in the dim light, Ambriel could see that Finn’s shoulders were hunched, the muscles in his back tight and quivering. He didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge the sound of her voice.

“Finn!” She tried gain, more insistent this time.

Slowly he turned. His eyes glowed with a yellow light and his lips pulled down into an uncharacteristic frown.

“Finn are you alright?” she asked.

With a sudden swish of his tail he lunged toward her, his sharp teeth barred and his hands stretched toward her neck. She evaded just before he could make contact with the protective barrier of her magic, but a hot pain seared her arm and she sucked in a breath before turning around. Tide swam behind her, another dart ready in her hand, aimed at Ambriel.

She didn’t have time to question what was happening. A wave flipped her upside down, forcing her to turn her full attention toward keeping her barrier intact.

“Finn, please, what’s happening?”

She could feel it in the back of her mind. Something wasn’t right. Finn’s emotions usually felt like laughter, but that space had gone cold and quiet. Just an empty void where her friend had once been.

A shadowy figure appeared in the haze of dust caused by Finn’s wave. As it neared, Ambriel recognized the elderly matron Finn had pointed out to her before. The same soft yellow light glowed in her eyes, but while Finn’s eyes felt empty, her’s burned with hot malice.

She’s controlling them, Ambriel realized. She wasn’t sure how she knew but she was sure of it.

The matron hissed and waved her hands, baring her teeth at Ambriel. Before Finn could dash forward again, Ambriel flicked her tail of light, propelling herself upwards. Her head start wouldn’t gain her much. Finn was faster than her. She’d never be able to outswim him.

She caught sight of the rocky cavern and swam as hard as she could. She had to buy herself time. She had to find a way to free Finn from this mind control.

She shot into the dark, her chest heaving. She was suddenly aware how stale the air tasted inside her barrier. She needed to get to the surface soon. She needed fresh air. Her head buzzed and spots danced in front of her eyes in the darkness.

She closed them and forced herself to let out a long, slow exhale. She had to calm down.

Once her breathing slowed, she concentrated, reaching out her feelings, searching for Finn. It felt like walking into a cold, glass wall. Her head ached as she tried to push through the numbness she was sure was him.

There, like a heartbeat, she could feel him, his conscious fluttering against hers.

She didn’t feel the movement of the water until it was too late. Scaly hands grabbed her arms and her barrier burst like a bubble. Water rushed around her, cutting off the scream that escaped from her lips. She closed her eyes and held her breath, trying to keep anymore water from filling up her lungs. She knew it was futile. She was too far from the surface. She wouldn’t make it.

“Finn, please,” she thought as Rip and a merman she didn’t know pulled her from the cavern. She tried to reform her barrier around her face, but it flickered pitifully as her panic rose. She had to concentrate. Hard to do when she couldn’t breathe. “Finn!”

She felt him. Soft as a whisper in her head. Finn.

He loomed in front of her, his tail swishing in agitation, his eyes still glowing yellow but not as empty as before.

“Finn, please, you have to fight her.” She could feel her consciousness slipping as her chest burned with the lack of air. Her eyes fluttered as she saw Tide pass a small bone knife to Finn. He gripped it tight in his fist, the light in his eyes flashing. Hatred thrummed in Ambriel’s already pounding head, pulsing to the same beat as the light in Finn’s eyes.

The pain all started to blend together, the pounding in her head, the burning in her lungs, the knife slicing into her skin. Her eyes closed and she sank into the cold darkness, letting the pressure of the ocean swallow her up, the water rushing over her, burying her.

“I’m here.”

With the thought came the chill of air dancing over her skin. She coughed and gasped as air filled her lungs.