A mermaid and a corsair. Natalie Yacobson

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      Desmond thought that if Merediana were to leave him now, he would not return to land. Better to die in the water where she lived than to live on the surface of the water without her.

      Cassandra would explain such a condition by saying that the pirate was bewitched by mermaid magic. Therefore, Desmond would not ask Cassandra’s opinion.

      Beyond the golden gate stretched the underwater gardens. All the trees and bushes here were blue, blue, and rarely white. Pyramids of shells and pearls moved suspiciously, as if whole hordes of monsters lurked inside.

      Paths of pearls twisted around a cluster of underwater flowers. Desmond wondered what the paths were for if the underwater creatures did not walk, but swam.

      The water flowers turned out to be alive and predatory. They greedily caught the passing fry. One large flower the size of a hut tried to catch Desmond’s foot.

      “Don’t dare!” Merediana hissed at him, and the petals of the predatory flower immediately froze.

      “I am the mistress of this sea, and everything and everyone here is subject to me, so no one has the right to trespass on my prey,” Merediana explained to the captive.

      “So I am your prey?” Desmond was flattered. “I’ve never been preyed upon by a pretty girl before.”

      “But the Coast Guard must have hunted you in regiments.”

      “That’s right.”

      How did Merediana know so much about life up there? Did she often swim dangerously close to people? It doesn’t look like it! A miracle like her would only be caught for her jewelry. Desmond’s heart squeezed when he imagined that someone might try to catch the sea queen with a net just to pick the jewels out of her skin.

      He was probably worrying for nothing. Merediana would probably tear the net and use destructive sea magic against the hunters.

      But she couldn’t break the chest, and she didn’t break the cube either. She needed a helper. Probably, fate itself sent her a corsair, who fell in love with the mermaid at first sight.

      The intimacy with the queen of the sea drove Desmond crazy. That’s who he would be willing to do any feat for. He had once agreed to use her himself as a precious cargo. Now if a mermaid sent him to kill the King of Opal himself, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it.

      “I don’t like leaving ghost ships on the surface,” Merediana hummed, “but a ship that dares to take a sleeping mermaid aboard will meet a dire fate.”

      “Don’t tell me I’ll be without a ship. I’m already without one. If you remember, you dragged me to the bottom.”

      “And you, if you remember, you stole me out of the sea.”

      “It wasn’t me.”

      “It was Udo! That’s what I thought! A simple man couldn’t have been so clever.”

      Is it an insult that the Princess of the Sea called him a simple man? He’s not a simple man. He’s a brave pirate captain. Even as a corsair, it wasn’t easy to become a captain. If the mermaid knew how much effort he had put in. The respect of the pirates had to be earned too. However, now that the pirate captain has been kidnapped by a mermaid, it is unlikely that any of the crew will wait for his return or look for him at the bottom. Most likely, he will be put into the drowning and a new captain will be chosen. The enviable spot won’t stay empty for long. The crew might even fight over the rank of captain.

      “So you don’t know how to draw sea runes?” Merediana concluded.

      “You guessed right.”

      “Then you’re perfect for me.”

      “Suited for what?”

      “It is to annoy my father and sisters.”

      “I thought you needed a personal bodyguard.”

      “I already have bodyguards – sea dragons.”

      Merediana whistled musically, and immediately the huge silhouettes of blue water dragons rose from behind the pearly pyramids.

      “These are the Morags – sea dragons,” she introduced. “They are the authorized bodyguards of the Sea King’s daughters.”

      The Morags squinted suspiciously at Desmond.

      “Where were they when Udo kidnapped you?”

      The morgen who held a grudge against Merediana was probably named Udo, though he didn’t introduce himself to Desmond.

      The mermaid was suddenly angry.

      “It is none of your business, corsair!” She hissed, squeezing Desmond’s shoulder painfully. Her claws dug into the flesh to the bone.

      Desmond felt the pain. The dragons sniffed at the smell of blood, but did not dare to attack. Merediana’s presence made them behave.

      “I see, we can’t ask you about your business. You have secrets from the sea king and the bodyguards of the queens.”

      “You talk so much! I should tear out your tongue!”

      Merediana’s eyes glittered in a way that could have frightened him.

      “Don’t you need a companion?”

      “If I do, I’ll talk to the singing shells or the magic psaltery.”

      “But they can’t tell you about the land, but I can. I’m the only earthling here.”

      “How self-assured you are!” Merediana snorted. “I’d like to drown you, but you don’t.”

      The mermaid glanced at his amulet.

      “Is it a gift from your beloved?” She asked.

      Is she jealous? Desmond’s heart thumped with joy.

      “No, it’s not from my lover. A fortune-teller made it for me. It’s a good luck charm. Well, I’ve had good luck. I’ve met the Princess of the Sea.”

      Not long ago he would have called Cassandra a girlfriend, but now, under Merediana’s iridescent gaze, that was impossible.

      “So you want me to tell you about the land? Your shells can’t do that.”

      “I’ve swam to land before, there’s nothing particularly interesting there.”

      “That’s because you’ve only been to the shores. Everything interesting is inside the continents.”

      “I’ve been inside, too.”

      “Can you conjure up legs instead of fins?”

      “No, I can’t. You are a stupid corsair!”

      “Why am I stupid?”

      “Don’t you СКАЧАТЬ