The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0519 With the drama mostly settled forthe moment, I thanked Nicholas for his help.

He smiled once more at me.

Then we split ways, and I made my way down to where the children were playing | to check on Elva. As I drew closer, I could see how tired she was.

It made sense, while the other children were swimming around using their strong tails, Elva had only her two weak legs. Of course she would be exhausted trying to keep up.

She was still smiling, still having fun, but she wasn’t moving with quite the vibrancy she’d earlier displayed.

When she saw me, she waved. I kicked my way over to her, opened my arms, and immediately she came closer to rest.

“Are you having fun, sweetheart?” |

asked her.

“So much fun,” she said with a yawn.

“Don’t make me go home, Mommy” “Not yet, dearest. But you better rest for a moment.” “Just a minute,” she said. Her eyes drooped, but she fought off sleep.

Watching her efforts made my heart ache.

Poor thing didn’t want to miss a minute of this adventure.

One of the merfolk children tugged at my arm. She was a bit older than Elva, maybe seven or eight, with her hair done up in elaborate pigtails. A row of pearls dotted across her forehead. A royal, then.

She pointed at the wall behind them, where I noticed some shelfs had been set up, each covered in some soft-looking cushions.

“When we get sleepy,” the little princess said, “that’s where we sleep.” She

twisted her tail so that she could twirl her fins around her fingers. “Elva would like it. It's what the mermaids do.” She giggled at the word.

I blanched slightly, unsure if the term was politically correct. I should have | made certain Elva knew to call everyone merfolk. The little princess didn’t seem to mind though. She looked at Elva with the kind of fondness a sister might have for another.

I remembered what Ambassador Zale said, that everyone treated the children as if they were they’re own. I wondered if that rubbed off on the older children as well, who saw the younger as their little siblings to protect.

“Thank you,” I told her. “Would you show me the best spot?” The little princess guided me to the shelfs and picked one near the top. “This is my favorite,” the princess said. “The noises aren’t so loud here.”

“Thank you,” I told her. And then eased Elva onto the shelf. She was already drifting. I roused her slightly so that she would know where she was and where | would be.

She was so tired, but she still gave an excited smile. “I get to sleep like a mermaid...” she said, and then immediately drifted off again.

As I backed away from the shelf where my angel slept, the little princess tugged on my arm again.

“Twill watch her,” the princess said. “I’ll make sure she sleeps undisturbed.” It was so sweet and valiant, I thanked her kindly.

Then she beamed like I had given her the greatest gift.

I backed away then, not wanting to interfere in the princess’s self-assigned duties. She seemed to take them

seriously, making sure to keep the other children away from where Elva slept.

"It was absolutely adorable, and warmed me through and through seeing such kindness. Elva has made a friend for life | here, I knew, even if they never saw each | other again.

God, I hoped they would get to see each other again.

I turned then, to find the others, only to find a mysterious older merfolk woman behind me. She watched me closely, then tilted her head.

She had a head of wild gray curls, topped with a towering crown, second only, that I'd seen, to Queen Sonal herself. Someone important then, and well-respected within the merfolk kingdom.

Her scales were a deep, rich purple that looked near black at times, depending on the light. Even her fins were different than the other merfolk. They seemed to

/ glow somewhat, as bright and mysterious as the float orbs at times, much dimmer at others.

I could tell just from looking at her that this was a matron of significant power.

Magical, most likely, though I knew so little of magic, I had no idea if merfolk were more or less prevalent than werewolves.

1 wished Veronica was here.

“Are the other children treating yours well?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said. I didn’t know her name, but felt she was worthy of some type of honorific. “Thank you, ma’am.” “Good,” the mysterious merfolk said.

“That poor child of yours is haunted by darkness. I had worried that the cause was linked to you, but I can see now that I was mistaken in that regard.” I blinked, surprised by the admission.

Then I was surprised a second time but the implication.

“You don’t need to share with meif you are unable,” the merfolk said. “Though I suspect you too know she is cursed.” ' So Iwas right. Only those with magical abilities would have been able to detect the curse, especially as it was currently inactive. Or, as inactive as it could be, with Jane’s distance and the talismans destroyed.

“It worries you,” the merfolk said. She studied my face like she could read my every expression, though to be fair, I did little to hide what I was thinking.

“My sister,” I whispered, and hoped that would be enough information for the mysterious merfolk to fill in the blanks.

She nodded grimly, likely putting the pieces together. “Broken familiar bonds shatter like glass. The shards remain with us, deterring the healing.”

I didn’t totally know what she was talking about, but if she meant Jane would | continue to hurt me even after she was gone, I could only agree.

“She won’t remove the curse,” I said.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

Maybe this was a secret worth keeping.

But, on the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel a growing shred of hope.

Even with Veronica’s research, we'd struggled to find any possible solutions to breaking the curse on Elva. And I knew, even if moving slowly, the curse would continue to eat away at Elva, eventually ending her life prematurely.

If this woman knew anything, a way to stop it, or slow it down, I would be worse than a fool not to pursue it. I would be a heartless mother.

And I had nothing but heart for my daughter.

“please,” I said. “If there's anything you can do... Anyway you know of that can save my little girl...” The merfolk looked at me with pity, but also with a kind of fondness, like a mother would feel for a child. I had not | experienced a look like that in so very long that it made me tremble. I wrapped my arms around myself.

“I can see you love your daughter,” the merfolk said. “Your heart is pure, Miss Piper. As is your little Elva’s.” “You know our names,” I said.

“All who enter here do,” the merfolk said, “Though I suspect I am somewhat of a mystery to you.” I nod.

“I'am a type of Oracle,” the merfolk said.

“A mystic of the sea. Your princes will know. Speak with them, clear your heart of fear, and I will speak with you again.”

She looked away from me, out across the room. I followed the length of her gaze to where Julian and Veronica were speaking.

When I looked back to the mystic, she was gone.