Secret Orders

The courtyard was filled with the sounds of music and laughter. Lost in the euphoria that accompanied the night, Icarus for some minutes had forgotten he was keeping a close watch on someone. And the very moment he looked up to check if she was still on the dance floor, Rachael was gone.

A feeling of dread settled at the pit of his stomach as he stood up from the table and walked to the exact position where he saw her and Felix dancing a few minutes ago. He stopped and took a deep breath, using his eyes to scan over the large room for any sign of her.

"Where is she?" he thought. A feeling crossed his mind that she might be in danger, and each time he wasted would put her in a more perilous situation. Icarus took some minutes to search well around the room in case she might be discussing with another of his kind. But after a few more frantic searches, she was nowhere to be found.

She was missing. Rachael was probably in trouble.

His countenance changed immediately. Icarus could feel the weight of his own fear and desperation dragging him down, threatening to consume him entirely. He had never felt such a sense of dread for anyone before let alone a human.

Icarus walked out of the courtyard where there was much crowd. His eyes scanned every different hallway and door before him. Following his instincts, he briskly walked into one. He walked and searched every room and hallway he came across for any sign of Rachael. His heart sank as he realized that there was no trace of her.

His mind raced with thoughts of all the terrible things that could have happened to her. He never felt so powerless and so helpless before. He had always been the strongest of his kind, but in that moment; he felt completely vulnerable.

Amid this confusion, he perceived a peculiar fragrance; his nose twitched in recognition as the smell invaded his nostrils - It was the scent of her blood. He looked down at the floor only to find the droplets of her blood leaving a trail on its part. He followed the trail carefully hoping to find her soon.

His heart raced with fear as he followed the trail. As he sauntered into a room, he saw a sight that filled him with horror.

There, at the feet of another merman, was Rachael's battered figure. She was bleeding, and her body was bruised. His heart broke at the sight as he could feel a rage building inside him. Within a twitch of metamorphosis, Icarus' fingers elongated into long, sharp claws, and some of his scales were made visible on his skin. And without a second thought, he charged toward the other merman.

The merman turned, his eyes narrowing as he saw the enraged Icarus charging toward him. He sneered, his lips curling in contempt as he raised his trident. The two mermen circled each other, their eyes locked in a deadly stare.

The other merman lunged, his trident flashing in the dim light as he aimed for Icarus' throat. Icarus dodged the attack, his body twisting gracefully as he walked around his opponent. Icarus countered with a swift punch, but the other merman blocked it easily, his muscles rippling with power.

The two mermen lunged at each other again, their eyes locked in a deadly stare. The other merman could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his muscles tense as he awaited Icarus' next move.

With the thought it was an advantage, the other merman lunged his trident toward Icarus, but Icarus was too fast. He moved with the speed of lighting, sidestepping the attack and delivering a swift blow into the merman's chest with a sickening crunch. The merman staggered back, his trident slipping from his grip as he clutched at his broken ribs.

Not giving him enough chance to recover the damage, Icarus saw his state of weakness as an opportunity, and he slammed his fist into the merman's face with all the strength he got. The merman grunted, blood spurting from his nose as he stumbled backward.

Delivering one final blow at his jaw with all the rage and determination bottled up inside him, Icarus sent the merman crashing to the floor.

Picking up his trident, Icarus walked towards the merman-recoiled figure and examined his face. After a few seconds of observation, Icarus plunged the trident into the merman's chest, piercing his heart. A few drops of blood splashed on his face after his last action.

The trident made a mild noise as Icarus dropped the weapon on the floor. With the fight over, Icarus turned towards Rachael, who was lying motionless on the cold floor. He rushed over to her, fear and concern etched on his face. But to his immense relief, he saw that Rachael was still breathing, albeit shallowly.

Lifting her off the floor, he held her in his arms as he exited the room.

—-************* —-

Taking her to his chambers, Icarus laid Rachael gently on his bed and examined her wound. First, he stopped her bleeding and cleaned her wound. Using his knowledge of underwater medicine, he carefully treated the cuts and bruises on her skin by applying some herbs and medicinal seaweed to it.

If only Rachael took heed to his warning, she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess. He shrove the intrusive thought of what might have happened to her if he had arrived late. But thankfully, he was there on time, preventing any further danger.

While in the midst of tending her wounds, a knock startled him from what he was doing.

"Come in," Icarus said. The door was pushed open and Malachi stepped into the room with shock written over his face.

"I'm relieved that she's safe. The moment I noticed her absence, I started searching for her with the help of our guards. What happened, how did you find her?" Malachi asked as he walked closer to the foot of the bed, with concern laced in his voice.

Cleaning her arm with a cloth, Icarus lifted his gaze and spoke, "Thankfully, the trail of her blood led me to her where she was at the mercy of one of our kind."

"Any idea who that person might be?" Malachi asked with sudden suspicion.

Icarus' face twitched in anger as he stood up and turned towards Malachi,

"NO. But I'm sure that the person who gave the merman such orders was dangerously close around there. And that is what I'm about to find out."