d behind his tail. The container had started out half-filled with seawater, ye
t every drop of seawa
ck to swallow. Soon after, he coughed and e
e crystalline glow. There was no mistaking it
only stare
ly how a merman
out of his mouth. Could she r
tasteless roasted meat from earlier came rushing back
She neede
him without hesitati
able as he looked at her, and his reply was quiet but fir
to the God of All Beasts for Joshua. Even so, he had been tr
g her teeth, she took off the necklace and reopened the newly formed
Almost at once, the dark color began to lighten, spreading outward as though purple ink w
ight flecks seemed to spark to life inside
tightened so much that no words came out, while his hand slowly lifted and stopped sh
drops remained. If she gave him nine more drops, th
mark. Hope briefly brightened his expres
ing, but nine more still st
finally seemed to collect himself and
the fresh cut on her fingertip acci
s pain shot
up her arm. Hannah jerked her hand away,
and caught it before i
ithout thinking, she lifted her injured fi
ore force, leaving a deeper cut than before. After the salt touched
hing she could wrap around it. But all she
ogressed beyond using animal hides ye
enly hit her, and a painful s
ck suffering for it. She had to endure everyone's hatred and offered her own
breath, suppressed the tears threatening to spill, and waved them away. "All
mouth. Something briefly shifted in his gaze, but he eventu
heir sake. Yet she hadn't screamed at them, complained
er they normally used for storing salt. Soon afterward,
on the animal hides, holding her injured fing
ing. The cut still pulsed with a dull sting,
they despised her.
ter. Scales ripped from f
hem so deeply that forgetting was impossible. Bu
n into this. But now, she had to carry all the hatr
ecame scorching hot. The heat felt like burning coal agai
n instinct. Her bleeding fingertip brush
seen force seemed to seize her consciousness and drag it away. He
ell was th
red some strange enclosed space. Thick white mist filled everything
didn't seem very large, perhaps around fifty square
some kind of po
excitement surged through her so strongly tha
er... had there been a hidden porta
lood somehow
verything. Life in this strange world
her awareness once again. When she was certain the p
she had been earlier. The necklace against her chest felt perfectly
om every angle. Even the blood she had smeared across i
f the neatly folded animal hides nearby and tried
t crossed her head, t
ck. A second later, it dropped g
ually
with delight, but she quickly c
ould let those future
ng her father, the portable sanctuary could become he
decent animal hides, gathered some wild fruit, and took a portion of the sal
of the better supplies. If anyone noticed something missing later, they
she felt a sense of security she hadn't
g day finally catch up with her. Her eyes
the dried grass, curled into a ball,
ther, broke every bond tying her to the others, and even en
ly entered the cave. A tall figure approache
he bent down and slowly wrapped o
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