The Mermaids Madness

You said you were strong enough, damn you!”
    “Check to see if she has any other injuries,” Danielle yelled.
    Blood trickled along the step from the back of Snow’s head. “Don’t do this to me,” Talia pleaded. “You’re going to be fine. Just wake up!”
    “Yelling at her isn’t going to help.” Danielle reached into the water, grabbing the knife Lirea had dropped. “We have to get her out of here.”
    “Her skull could be cracked,” Talia said. “Her brain might be bleeding. Snow’s the healer, not me. If we try to move her, she could die.”
    “If we stay here, she will.We all will.” Danielle climbed the steps and slapped the knife into Talia’s hand. “I’ve got no way to carry it.”
    Talia slid Lirea’s knife into one of her sheaths without taking her eyes off of Snow. “I can’t lose her, too.” She was babbling, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Not Snow. Danielle, I—”
    Danielle punched her in the cheek. It wasn’t a strong blow, but it was enough to get Talia’s attention, as much from shock as from pain. Danielle swung a second time, and Talia automatically snapped her forearm up to block.
    Danielle winced and rubbed her wrist where Talia had struck. “Help me carry her.”
    Talia wondered if she had learned that tone from the queen, or if it was just a mother thing. It was a voice that held no room for argument. Talia took Snow’s arms while Danielle scooped her legs. Together they carried her up the stairs, moving carefully to keep from falling. The air spirits could have knocked them all down with ease, but the air had gone still when Lirea fled.
    “She’s probably alerted the other undine by now,” Danielle said.
    “We could retreat over land. They won’t be able to follow.”
    Danielle shook her head. “Carry Snow across barren rock with no food or water? Where would we go? You’d mock me for weeks if I suggested something like that.”
    She was right. Talia might be able to reach the mountains on her own, but she wasn’t sure about Danielle. Carrying Snow, they would all end up dead of exposure. “We can’t fight our way past all the undine.”
    “Don’t worry about fighting,” Danielle said. “Just worry about carrying Snow up to the window. That’s a command, Princess.”
    Talia felt like a marionette, dragged along by the strings of Danielle’s voice. She continued up the steps, her breath hissing through clenched teeth at every bump or misstep. When they reached the third story, Danielle set Snow down and circled the room, inspecting the windows. Talia pulled Snow close, cradling her like a child. “If you’d let me kill Lirea when I had the chance—”
    “You think her air spirits would have let your knife reach her?” Danielle interrupted. “If you want to be angry, fine. But we have to get out of here right now. I don’t see Lirea anywhere.”
    “Snow’s still bleeding.”
    The rising sun painted Danielle’s face orange. “Talia, please. I know how you feel about her, but I need your help. Snow needs your help. Can you carry her and climb down at the same time?”
    Talia scooped Snow into her arms and brought her to the window. Even if she had a way to secure Snow to herself, it would be a slow descent, leaving them vulnerable to the merfolk. She tightened her grip on Snow and steeled herself. “We have to jump.”
    “We have to what ?”
    “If we push off together, we should clear those rocks.” Talia was already turning around, sitting on the sill with her back exposed to the morning air. She scooted to one side to make room. “Sit beside me.”
    Danielle looked past Talia, then nodded. “Will this hurt her?”
    “Maybe.” Talia bowed her head. “Probably. How much depends on how serious her injuries are.”
    “I’m sorry,” Danielle whispered, squeezing onto the sill beside her.
    Talia bent to kiss Snow’s forehead. “So am I.”
    Each of them wrapped an arm around Snow’s body, holding her close. With her other hand, Talia grabbed the back of Danielle’s belt. Danielle did the same with Talia.
    “We’ll hit the water hard,” Talia said, trying not to think about what they could be doing to Snow. “Keep her close so our bodies cushion her, especially the head. We go on the count of four.”
    Talia counted fast, leaving no time for fear, and then they were kicking out from the window. Snow started to slide free, but Talia dug her fingers into Snow’s skin, holding her tight.
    The impact slammed the air