She wanted to stay, to see this creature that had created such a terrible sickness, but Proteus had her out of the room before she could.
Once more at the Palace, Araxie was blocked from the meeting between her father, Proteus, and Mar. It didn't seem to matter that it was her life they were arguing over, and she didn't need the darkness inside her to feel angry. Everything was going wrong. First her relationship, then this curse. And now Triton was being his normal overprotective self and decreeing what she could and couldn't do.
Aaralyn, the quietest of her sisters, sat on the white couch in her sitting room. She patiently read her book, spelled to repel water, while Araxie swam the length of the room repeatedly.
“The humans call that pacing,” Aaralyn said as she turned the page. “I find stomping with my legs makes it more satisfying.”
“Well I don't have legs at the moment.” Araxie flicked her tail hard, creating a small swift surge that slammed into Aaralyn's book.
Pages went flying through the water, and Araxie felt a twinge of satisfaction at the destruction. The darkness in her hummed happily as she watched the pages soak up water as they slowly sank to the ground. She smiled.
Aaralyn frowned as she picked the green and gold book up, “You destroyed half the book. This book explains the science behind curses.”
The words halted Araxie's pacing. “It explains curses? Does it also explain how to undo curses?”
“Why do you think I was reading it?” Her sister huffed. “So far it's only explained how the strongest curse magic binds to a mermaid's soul. It'll take me forever to sort out these pages now.”
Araxie helped pick up one of the soaked pages. Ink spread across the page in an illegible blotted mess. “Can it be fixed?”
Her sister took the offered page, and then sat down. “No. It's utterly ruined. That spell only protected the pages while they were attached to the binding.”
“Maybe there's another copy?” Araxie hoped.
The white hair on Aaralyn's head shimmered as she shook her head no. “This is an old book from Mother's private collection. I've never seen this book in any of the libraries or stores I've visited.”
Her hope burst like a bubble. Aaralyn had been to every bookstore and library in many cities across the land and sea. If she hadn't seen another copy there wasn't one.
The outer door to Araxie’s sitting room opened, and Theia swam inside. “I've got bad news.”
Araxie sat on the couch near Aaralyn while Theia sat in one of the chairs.
Theia bit her lip, then spit out the words. “Riva's body hasn't been found and now rumors are circulating that she's alive and escaped. Father’s going to put you on house arrest.”
“He's given up on me then.” Araxie wanted to choke on the words.
She supposed that she shouldn’t have been surprised by the news. If he could banish one daughter, what was it to him if he locked up another? He still had Theia to ascend to the throne when it was time. Even one of the triplets could take it if something happened to Theia. With so many daughters he didn’t need the cursed one.
“No,” Theia said quickly. “There's always hope. Aaralyn's been studying books.”
They both looked at their younger sister who shrugged helplessly at the ruined pages.
Undeterred, Theia said, “We’ll find the author then.”
“He's probably dead,” Araxie muttered.
“Then we'll find his notes or someone who worked with him.” Theia picked up what remained of the bound book. The back flopped open where the pages had been ripped from the binding.
“Hold on.” Aaralyn took the book back and studied the inside of the back cover. “There's something here, inside the binding.”
“Don't get it wet!” Araxie shouted. “Take it to my closet.”
Her sisters stared at her blankly.
“My vanity has an air rune for nails. We can open it there.”
They hurried to the white counter space. Setting the book carefully into the bubble created by the rune. Using one of the sea urchin spines, they gently cut into the binding and removed a folded page.
“What is it?” Theia asked.
Aaralyn smiled. “It's a note, My Queen, if you ever need to find me follow the directions below. Duxor.”
Theia quickly put a rune on the paper to protect it from the water. “I have an idea.”
Ten minutes later, Araxie and all of her sisters were in Aquata's closet.
Araxie sat on a bright pink stool in front of the fashion focused triplet. Nervous excitement bubbled inside her over their plan.
Aquata smiled as she lifted the shiny silver scissors in her hand. “Time for a haircut.”
Chapter 6
Eyes closed, Araxie tried not to cringe each time she heard the snip of the scissors. Each snip, made her head feel lighter, and a part of her worried about how much hair Aquata was cutting off.
For as long as Araxie could remember she'd had long hair like her mother's. It was the one thing that she'd been able to do better than her sisters. They'd all tried long hair at one time or another, but never kept it that way because of the effort to keep it tangle free. Even Aaralyn, who could sit quietly and observe people or read books for hours without shifting, didn't have the patience to comb long hair.
The plan was crazy, but Araxie was feeling a little bit crazy.
All around her, her other sisters were talking about fabric and scale dust and what would look better with Araxie's complexion. Their playful witty barbs passed back and forth in a familiar repertoire. Araxie wanted to remember and enjoy this moment. She hadn't been in a place to enjoy being with them before her graduation. But she'd missed this, missed them, and it made the hole left by Trite's absence all the more painful. Trite should be here too.
If she couldn't find a cure for the curse, Araxie vowed in that moment to find Trite before the sickness overtook her.
Theia's voice came from nearby. “I'm putting protective runes on you.”
Aquata spoke over the snip of the scissors. “Theia if you make her twitch I promise I'll shave all your hair off.”
Araxie laughed and the jab of an urchin spine to her hip came a moment later.
Theia spoke to Aquata. “You're just being picky about her hair, it's perfect for being a knight and you know it. Now move so I can put the runes on.”
Aquata muttered, but Araxie could hear her mutters getting softer as she moved further away and deeper into the closet.
A hand brushed Araxie's hair over a shoulder. Then Theia began the task of setting the runes in earnest.
Speaking softly, Theia drew the first line with the ink at the base of Araxie's neck. “For strength when you are weak, courage when afraid, and luck in the darkness.”
She drew one rune after another down Araxie's spine. From the first stroke of the ink to the last, Araxie felt the cold tingle of Theia's magic across her skin.
“You can open your eyes,” Aquata said.
Araxie blinked twice before staring at the full-length mirror in front of her.
Instead of being the stark black it had always been, silver strands were woven in here and there.