Chapter 3 - The Ocean's Call
Panic seized Aiden's chest. He looked at Pearl, whose tiny brow instantly furrowed back into a fierce scowl, her ears flaring defensively.
"Shh, Pearl, be quiet," Aiden whispered frantically, his voice shaking. "We have to hide you. Now."
He scooped her out of the basin. Pearl wriggled, letting out an angry hiss, but Aiden wrapped her tightly in a damp wool blanket. He ran to his bed and shoved her inside a hollowed-out wooden chest where he kept his father's old navigation logs. "Stay absolutely still. Please."
He walked to the door, taking a deep, steadying breath, and slid the iron bolt open.
Marcus stood on the threshold, flanked by three burly fishermen holding iron gaffs and heavy lanterns. But it wasn't the fishermen who worried Aiden. Standing in the shadows behind them was a tall man wearing a sleek, high-tech waterproof trench coat. He had sharp, clinical eyes and a silver emblem on his lapel: Vanguard Industries.
"What do you want, Marcus? It's midnight," Aiden said, blocking the doorway.
"We're searching the place," Marcus sneered, pushing his way past Aiden's shoulder. "The coast guard reported strange energy spikes coming from this cliff. And this gentleman here is Dr. Vance from the Oceanic Research Institute. He thinks you've poached something that belongs to his company."
Dr. Vance stepped into the warm cabin, his eyes scanning the room with terrifying precision. He stopped by the empty copper basin, dipping a gloved finger into the saltwater. He brought it to his nose, sniffing it.
"Highly concentrated salinity. Traces of deep-ocean bioluminescent microbes," Vance said, his voice cold and analytical. "You're keeping something here, Mr. Thorne. Something rare. Marine life trafficking is a federal offense. Where is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Aiden lied, clenching his fists behind his back. "I use the basin to clean my fishing nets and soak salt-cured bait. If you don't have a warrant, get the hell out of my house."
"We don't need a warrant when we're dealing with stolen corporate property, Thorne," Vance said smoothly. He walked toward the bed. "Search the room, boys."
"Hey! Don't touch that!" Aiden lunged forward, grabbing Marcus’s arm, but the other two fishermen grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back.
"Let go of me! Marcus, you're trespassing!" Aiden thrashed, but the grip on him was tight.
Suddenly, a muffled, highly irritated squeak came from beneath the bed. It was followed by a furious scratching sound.
Dr. Vance smirked. "Under the bed. Open the chest."
Marcus kicked the wooden chest out from under the bed frame. He flipped the latch and threw open the lid.
Pearl did not cower. The moment the light hit her, she sat straight up, shedding the blanket. She was utterly furious at being trapped in a dark box. She let out a piercing, vibrating shriek that made the glass chimneys of the oil lamps rattle. Her tiny webbed ears flared wildly, her scowl so fierce it was almost comical—except for the sudden, blinding flash of blue light that erupted from her body.
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"What in God's name?!" Marcus screamed, dropping his lantern and stumbling backward into the table, sending plates crashing to the ground.
The blue light hit the lanterns, shattering the glass bulbs and plunging the cabin into darkness, save for the intense, glowing blue aura radiating from the tiny, angry baby mermaid.
