Chapter One
“The proof of the charge is there for all to see. Therefore, I find Maya guilty of the crime of which she has been accused.”
“What?” Crystal yelled.
The man behind the podium glared at her. She glared right back.
Maya grabbed her mother’s hand. The woman looked at her. “Mommy, please.”
Crystal huffed but didn’t do more than that.
Meren, Maya’s father, said with his head bowed, “Forgive my wife, magistrate. We are both upset by this pronouncement.” With his head bowed he probably didn’t see Crystal glaring at him.
Maya knew her mother would have some strong and loud words for her father once there wasn’t an audience.
On the other side of Maya, her younger brother Ree grumbled under his breath, “Because we all know it’s horse shit.”
“Hush,” Maya snapped in a low voice.
He met her gaze and said in a slightly louder voice, “Oh. So sorry. I meant seahorse shit. My bad.”
Crystal looked around Maya at Ree and drew her fingers over her mouth in a zip-it motion.
The magistrate cleared his throat, spreading his glare to the whole family. “The guilt of the child is the parents’ burden to bear.”
Meren said, “I understand, magistrate.”
“You will be in servitude to Laev for the length of eight months.”
Maya squeezed her mother’s hand before the woman could shout. Crystal folded her lips into her mouth and stared daggers at Laev, the young merman who was on the other side of the magistrate, across from Maya and her family.
The magistrate said, “The length of your punishment is double the norm only because your wife cannot serve her portion.”
Meren nodded. “I understand.”
“Let this be a lesson well-learned to you and your children, Meren.”
“Yes, magistrate.”
“Dismissed.”
Laev swam over to them, looking smug. “I’ll expect you tomorrow early, Meren.”
“I’ll be there,” Meren said through his teeth.
“Good.” Laev looked Maya up and down.
She glared back at him, wanting to flick him off but didn’t, knowing that might get her father into even more trouble. He swam away. The courtroom emptied out, leaving only Maya and her parents.
Meren grabbed Crystal’s hand and swam out of the room, leaving Ree and Maya. Her brother shrugged as he followed. Maya wanted to follow as well but her artificial tail made that difficult. She normally had no issue swimming with a tail. The false one the amulet created didn’t move like her normal tail. What’s more, she could still somewhat feel her legs.
Ree returned, took her hand, and towed her behind. “Pain in the ass.”
They joined their parents outside of the village. Meren faced her, finally letting the anger of the moment show. His face twisted into the darkest look she’d seen him wear since the day she had mistakenly told her human friends she was a mermaid. She had never thought she could make her father so angry and vowed not to do it again. And yet she had.
“Daddy --” she gasped as he snatched the necklace from her throat. Her mermaid tail faded into a pair of legs. If not for her tight miniskirt, she’d be naked from the waist down.
Meren shook the necklace in her face. The amulet the necklace supported almost hit her. “Why do you have this?” he yelled.
She couldn’t answer because Crystal yelled, “That isn’t the issue. Why the hell were you wearing it? You can form a tail on your own. You know half-breeds are forbidden from wearing transition amulets. What were you thinking?”
Maya looked at her parents in turn. Hearing their anger hurt her heart and confused her. She couldn’t think of what to say to make the pain and their anger stop. “It wasn’t my fault.”
Crystal grabbed Maya’s upper arm and pulled her in close. “Maya, you are twenty-one. That excuse stopped being acceptable when you were ten. You had better come up with a better answer than that.”
“Mommy, please.” Maya could feel tears stinging her eyes.
Meren
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