Hey peeps! I'm back! And here's the update. But before you read it, just a couple of things
-thank you so so soooo much for your wonderful, kind and fabulous reviews. All you readers are cool and nice and I'm always going to update no matter what to show how awesome you all are.
-heywassuphelloo, this chapter is for you cause you motivate me to write faster. ;D
-I forgot to agree with xEmmx on something a while back. Chanda Hahn really has a thing for metallic sirens, cause her main protaganists are a silver siren and a gold siren. It's funny, when ya think about it. Well spotted, lol!
-I don't know if I said how much I enjoyed A Twisted Forever in my reviews, but I really did, so here I am saying it in case I forgot, Evx!
-And without further ado, here you are!
XXX TheArtist
FINN'S POV
"Finally." I look down at Mina. She's lying on the floor of my castle, in the lab. Yes, the lab.
I have so many plans for this little hybrid. This Grimm-siren-human-without-magic. They must go into effect immediately for my plan to work, otherwise people will get bored and start to lose trust. Then again, their loss. If they dare to oppose me they will die.
I open my jacket and search for the golden locket that contains Mina's magic. Annoyingly, I have to give it back to her for this to work.
The clasp slides off easily and shimmering, golden dust swirls around inside, like an ethereal, iridescent gem.
Mina stirs as I push it into her, and a smile spreads across her face. She opens her eyes and says "Oh, Teague. I had the most horrible nightmare…" She rolls over and catches sight of me.
"Oh my gosh." She scrambles to her feet, looking for somewhere to run. Failing this, she takes a fighting stance, but I knock her to the floor and conjure up a rag for her mouth, silencing her. I preferred when she couldn't speak. I shackle her to the wall and take a seat.
"I guess you're wondering what's happening." She glares at me and tugs on the shackles. Uselessly, I might add.
Lesson number three in evil villain school: don't tell them the big plan.
"I'm not going to tell you. But let's just say I am going to use you, little siren. There has never been anyone like you before so I am going to find out what I can make you do."
First, I get out another locket and crouch down beside her. Opening it, I show her the contents. They are black because the previous owner had passed on.
"See this? This was your grandmother's." Her eyes fill with angry tears. I lean close to her face and add, "I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it. Her magic." She bashes her head into my nose and there is a sharp cracking sound.
I yank her up by the hair. "You don't want to listen? Then let's get started." I blow the substance on to her that gives her the magic of one of the most powerful sirens ever, combining with her own. Her body jerks uncontrollably, unable to control it.
Imagine a giant aquarium, plainly filled with grey pebbles and nothing else. I have one of these prepared in advance, cause I'm clever like that. I hoist her up into it and hold her under, for ten seconds. Twenty. A minute. How long can this girl hold her breath for, even if she is a siren?
But finally, after five minutes, twenty-eight seconds, a change takes over. Her legs are covered with a blinding glow, and after covering my eyes and slowly blinking open, a golden tail takes the place of where they were. Gills split open on her neck, and she opens her eyes.
They narrow in anger and glow and I see what is going to happen before it does. But I am prepared. I pull the magic out of her again and she crouches up in pain. But her body doesn't change back. Excellent. I smile. It is all going along smoothly.
I wait until she has gained proper consciousness and then kindly explain the situation to her.
"You still don't have your voice. Or your magic. But you are stuck in this form unless you get them back. And you should feel proud, because you are an ideal hostage. You can't, and therefore won't, escape."
I walk out of the room. It's all going to plan.
I love my life.
EVER'S POV
Teague and Charlie are eating now, like a pair of wild boars. Nix joins them and I roll my eyes. Boys. Honestly. Food at a time like this? I can't eat a thing.
I wander listlessly around, waiting for something to come to me. Anything at all that can help save my best friend. And then it hits me. I would do anything for her. Right? And that's why I became her godmother. And what did I get that made official my godmother status?
I dig around in random drawers, searching for the ring. We agreed to charm it so that if she were ever in distress, it would light up. Then I droop, remembering that it won't work because she doesn't have magic anymore.
I find it anyway and stare at it for minutes, anyway. Could I use it to help me find her? In any way at all?
It flashes and I jump. It doesn't do anything else for a while, so I probably just imagined it. But it lights up again, and I rub on the top, praying it will show where she is. An image comes of a tank, and the mysterious tanned stranger's face. I shiver. There's no time to get the others, so I have to do this myself. And quickly, for I have no idea as to how she is getting magic and when it will stop.
I chant the incantation but in the middle of it Teague – that idiot - walks into the room and sees me. He quickly figures out what's going on and jumps beside me just as we spin away.
"You idiot!" I screech when we are inside the vortex. "This spell is only meant for one! We are both going to be considerably weakened and it is YOUR fault!"
He glares right back at me. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so selfish and had tried to go off by yourself!"
"There was no time to do anything else if I wanted to get Mina-" I am caught in the middle of my sentence as we land on a smooth, cold tiled floor with a thud. Tiles? On the Fae plane?
I catch sight of the tanned stranger walking away, blood streaming down his face. Hopefully thanks to Mina. But when I crawl into the room and see a large tank, my stomach overturns.
"Mina?"
Something is floating around in there listlessly. And it turns out to be Mina. Oh my gosh. She has a tail, and gills, and I don't know what's happened but it can't be good. If she has gills how are we supposed to rescue her?
Teague has beaten me to the tank and I see him, hands pressed against it, face-to-face with Mina, both faces tearing up. And I realize that there is more than just Finn going on here. They have stuff to work out but they can't do it here and now.
The evil prince – Teague was the dark prince, but that's too good a title for this guy – runs back into the room and his handsome face twists into a scowl.
"You." He growls. And then laughs.
Psycho-maniac much?
"You think you can rescue her?" And then laughs again. "Impossible. She has to stay here. She is bound to my will. And to me. She can't breathe outside the water. And I have her magic."
This really cannot get any worse.
"Oh Ever." I stiffen. How does he know my name?
"You can join me. You don't have to stay with this idiot. I am going to win this. The gnomes will be victorious. And everyone who joins them. Including the pixies."
He sees my look of disbeliedf and laughs.
"I forgot to introduce myself. Prince Finn, at your service. Prince Finn of the gnomes."
He's a gnome?
He takes my hand and kisses it and my brain only processes this until Teague knees him in the back and drags him to the floor. They roll around in a tangled, bleeding, swearing mess, and I catch Mina looking out of the tank watching with a look of total terror.
They separate and Finn grins, wiping a cut with his sleeve.
"I don't care whether you can beat me in combat. I can do stuff that you cannot prevent." He rubs a locket around his neck and all of a sudden, Mina opens her mouth wide, bubbles escaping, her face twisted up in agony. She falls to the floor of the aquarium, hands wrapped around her head, shaking. Teague pauses.
"Stop." Then louder, "MAKE IT STOP!" Finn shrugs and stops fondling his locket.
"Whatever you say."
Mina relaxes, the relief visible in her face. But then anger crosses it and she swims to the edge of the tank. I bet she wishes she could have five minutes alone with Finn, so she could make him pay. Well she can get in line right after her husband and me.
"Teague, Teague, Teague. We don't have to be unreasonable."
Teague looks on suspiciously and Finn laughs.
"Actually, we do." He says. "Just kidding!"
Then his expression darkens. "I am declaring war on the Fates and anybody who joins them. I am going to finish this war Annalora started. And I am going to make all of you sorry. Very sorry."
Everything always comes back to Annalora, that stupid cow. And now what?
I see Finn's eyes glow before Teague spots it, and I tug his sleeve.
"Teague. It's time to go."
He doesn't move a muscle and I sigh. A ball of energy starts to glow in Finn's hand and I start the incantation for two, this time, but it takes a little extra effort because Teague insisted on joining me.
We head down the purple vortex at the same time Finn throws the ball. He screams with rage, cursing at us but unable to stop us.
We bonk down on the carpet of my living room and Charlie and Nix stare at us.
"Okay." Nix breaks the silence. "Someone has got to explain to me what's going on."
