Member-only story
She’s a 10, But She’s a Cannibalistic Mermaid
There are some things you can never know unless you live them first.
The Elders told me not to go into the Room of Pools — the place where they kept the deadly mermaids who had once brought sailors to their dooms eons ago.
I did not listen.
It was midnight, and I couldn’t sleep. My head pounded with all the pent-up energy I had. The Elders said I should take potions to clear my mind before sleep, but I couldn’t imagine relying on external remedies for such things. I wanted nothing more than to fall into a dreamless sleep from which there would be no waking.
Perhaps I was a tad suicidal. Dealing in deadly magic day in and day out will do that to a person, I suppose.
The Rooms of the Institute were filled with all manner of spectacle. Ever since I’d been brought here a year ago, I’d learned a lot — about the world, about what had been hidden from me, about what lurked in the shadows deep beyond the veil of understanding. I knew more than I once did. That was a grace — wasn’t it?
I paced outside the Room of Pools before I ran my hand along the interlocking rows of runes barring me from entrance. The spell easily unwound itself underneath my fingertips. I smirked. Child’s play. Then I pushed open…
