Brightly (Flicker #2) by Kaye Thornbrugh

eyes toward Filo, and their singing trailed off.
    “It means I can’t talk to them yet. I told you, I need to study their language.”
    A handful of merfolk were drifting closer to the dock, chattering and staring at Filo.
    “Uh, Filo—” Lee started.
    “How long will that take?” Clementine interrupted.
    “There’s no way to tell,” Filo said.
    “Then what good are you?”
    Alice glared. “Don’t talk to him like that. He’s trying to help you.”
    Beside Lee, Jason had also noticed the approaching merfolk. “Guys, you might want to step away from the edge,” he said, reaching for Filo’s shoulder.
    “What? Why?” Filo asked, glancing back at Jason.
    Lee pointed. The merfolk floated in a semicircle around the end of the dock.
    Before Filo could move away, one mermaid leaped up onto the dock, seizing Filo’s leg in her bony hand. Filo tried to jerk from her grasp, but she didn’t budge. One of the mermen near the dock pulled her back into the water by her tail—and she dragged Filo in with her.
* * *
     
    Most of the houses along the beach were not occupied, and those that were didn’t open their doors to Davis and Nasser. For the most part, Davis simply banged on the front door, asking how things were going, and someone called back to him from the depths of the house to tell him that the knots were holding, or the faerie-struck person was locked in a room. Then Davis yelled that he’d be back in the morning and started toward the next house, Nasser behind him.
    Every affected house overflowed with curse magic. If he squinted, Nasser could almost see it: a dark, shifting mist, wisps of it curling out from underneath front doors. Occasionally, Davis entered a house to check on someone, but Nasser remained on the sand, never climbing onto the porches. Drawing that close to any of the houses made him feel too sick to see straight.
    With the magic-dissolving sea at his back and a row of houses he couldn’t bear to enter before him, he felt weak and useless.
    Davis emerged from another house, the screen door swinging shut behind him.
    “How are they?” Nasser asked as they started up the beach.
    “As well as can be expected,” Davis replied. “I gave Janice another sleeping potion for Len, enough to last a couple days.” He shook his head. “I can’t do anything for them but give them medicine to help them sleep. Maybe I’m making them more comfortable, but I’m not helping. Not really.”
    “I guess that’s what we’re here for,” Nasser said. “To help you help them.”
    “Yeah,” Davis said, his gaze fixed on his shoes. “I guess so.”
    Nasser took another step, and his body went numb. His legs went slack, and he crumpled onto the sand, but he barely felt the impact. He couldn’t breathe; he felt as if he were submerged in water, drowning.
    Davis knelt above him, calling his name, but Nasser could barely hear him over the sound of water and singing. He was aware of his body jerking and twitching, but he could do nothing to stop it. His muscles wouldn’t cooperate. His vision swam out of focus.
    Then he blacked out.
     
* * *
     
    Filo hit the water before he had time to draw a breath. The shock of cold nearly made him gasp, but he managed to clamp down on the instinct. Salt water stung his eyes as his vision tried to penetrate the murky water.
    Filo kicked his free leg as hard as he could. His foot connected with the mermaid’s head, and for a moment, her grip eased. Frantic, Filo swung his arms and kicked his legs as hard as he could, trying to propel himself upward.
    When he broke the surface, Filo sucked in a gasping breath. He floundered, feeling himself start to sink. He caught a glimpse of the dock before something seized the back of his shirt and pulled him back under.
    His eyes adjusted more quickly now, and when he turned his head, he could see the mermaid more clearly. Still struggling, Filo grabbed at the mermaid’s slender arm, but her grip was like iron. The mermaid