Free World of Aluvia 2 by Amy Bearce

Phoebe called Tristan and Mina in her mind.
Come to me! I need you!
She sensed no response. Feeling foolish, she just focused on reaching the beach.
    Branches tugged in her hair as she ran. She lacked the grace and strength of her sister or Nell. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t help. Anger surged through her, adding speed to her steps. Her mind churned through all the possibilities for her future.
    During their battle with Bentwood’s people, her sister used her link with the fairies to guide them to her. She bonded so deeply to Queenie, they had shared magic and saved each other’s lives. If Phoebe could use her magic the same way, maybe she could actually protect the merfolk from a creature like the wraith, either giving them warning or sending them her magic and strength when they needed it.
    And if that happened, maybe Sierra would finally offer Phoebe true respect along with her love.
    Phoebe ducked through the field where the old fairy hatch had been. She could smell the briny purity of the sea.
Close
. Her mind kept returning to one odd thing the voice said, though, that bit about the sea claiming her. That sounded rather alarming. She wasn’t sure what it would mean to accept the gift from the sea, but having the sea claim her didn’t sound like things would end well.
    Her breath shuddered in her lungs, and her lips were numb from fear. But she wouldn’t give up. Sierra had been willing to die for her fairy queen. Phoebe felt the same about the merfolk. She didn’t understand why no one else cared, but she was determined to help them now.
    The woods ended and opened all at once, like a split water bag, pouring Phoebe out into the rocky sand. She hoped they had heard her call through whatever magic she supposedly possessed. She couldn’t get far on her journey without a merfolk to help her, and there was no time to waste. She berated herself for not describing the wraith in better detail to Tristan, even for not being more observant during the attack.
    The moon glowed high overhead. The smooth reflection in the water barely shivered as the wind blew. The cove was beautiful but empty. No merfolk popped up to greet her. No birds cried out. The silvery moonlight picked out every crevice, every rock, but nothing stirred the water. She stumbled over to her favorite rock. It seemed long ago she had last sat here, singing, trying to forget her past. Was that just yesterday?
    She slapped her hands into the water and called for her mer-friends as loudly as she dared, uneasy at the way her voice amplified over the water. Surely Donovan had given up, though, and left hours ago.
    “Tristan! Mina! Come on, I need you!” She hoped perhaps her supposed magical draw would pull them forth, out of love for her. She even tried calling under the water to them but felt certain the gurgles she made traveled no further than the jetty.
    No one appeared. She lowered her head onto her legs, wet hair sticking to her cheeks. What if the water wraith got to the merfolk before she did? What if Tristan or Mina died because Phoebe had run home? She should have gone with Tristan to see the elders and told them what she’d seen. They might have known what it was and taken precautions.
    She stared miserably at the sea, scanning the horizon. Her vision blurred. No one else made her giddy and all coiled up inside like Tristan did. No one else made her so happy. She should have told him how she cared for him, more than just hints. And Mina was a best friend, too, and Phoebe might never see her again. Her shoulders wracked with sobs.
    Her hand brushed against an odd shape on the rock beside her. It had been sitting there, but at first she thought it was just a clump of seaweed. As she blinked tears out of her eyes, she realized it was seaweed, but it was wrapped around something, like a package. It was one of Tristan’s gifts!
    She snatched up the small object, which nestled easily into her palm, and tugged on the sea fronds looped around