Read Online The Sea Witch (The Era of Villains Book 1) by S.J. Valfroy - Free Book Online
Authors: S.J. Valfroy
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the superior creatures of the ocean and
that they should be able to harvest natural resources—like
blubber, meat, and hides—from other, inferior creatures
despite, and I’m quoting her words here, ‘Despite the
fact that they can speak to us.’”
“ That’s
disgusting. Have you ever spoken to a seal, or a whale, or even a
clown fish? They are just as sentient as merpeople!” Serena
ignored Casius’ protest to keep quiet and went on. “What
exactly makes them inferior? The fact that they don’t look
like us? Poaching shouldn’t be just below murder, it should be murder.”
“ Serena,
you don’t have to convince me,” said Casius. “I’m
one of Bria’s so-called inferior creatures. I told you, I…”
He cut off as a merman swam towards them on the path. He spared them
a quick “Hello,” which they returned, before he swam
around a corner. Casius continued in a voice so low Serena had to
lean in to hear him. “I am not fond of Bria. Frankly, she
frightens me. But the good here far outweighs the bad.”
“ Really?
Because you keep talking about how there isn’t any judgement
here, but Bria sounds pretty judgmental to me with her ‘inferior
species’ idea. This place is full of criminals, just like my
mother. I can’t stay here. I’m leaving today.”
She
started to swim away, but Casius looped two tentacles around her
tail and held her back.
“ Serena,”
he said. “Serena, please, just listen to me for a moment. I
think I deserve that, at least, don’t you?”
Serena
blew bubbles out of her mouth in an exasperated sigh and turned to
face him.
“ Serena,
there are always exceptions to every rule. Bria is the exception
here. There are only a handful of other merpeople who share her
views, so she is always outvoted whenever she proposes something
unethical. She’s a Council member because she was an original
founder of Arcanus, along with her older brother and another friend,
and she’s very smart. She is the one who proposed we harvest
the Sea Sparkle for light.”
Serena
chewed her lip, disappointed that the Sea Sparkle idea had come from
Bria’s brain.
“ The
thing that makes Arcanus special is that the creatures who live here
have the right to decide how their community is run. One person or
one family does not decide everything or lord the power of a magical
object, handed down through generations, over the public as the
royals of Adamar do. Yes, there are a lot of criminals here.
However, a large number of them regret their crimes. There are also
people like Ronan here.
“ Ronan
was banished by King Poseidon for helping his friend escape a jail
cell. Ronan was only seventeen, and his friend was a very poor
fifteen-year-old merman who was sentenced to a year in prison for
stealing pain medicine to help his younger sister who suffered from
a long-term, genetic illness. Ronan’s friend was given such a
hard sentence at such a young age because he worked as a palace
servant, and he stole from the palace stores. The royal family took
it as a personal insult. Does that seem right to you?”
“ That
can’t be true,” said Serena. “Ronan’s making
it up.”
“ He’s
not. It can be found in the palace records. I’ve looked.
Ronan, a seventeen-year-old boy, was banished by a king who was not
much more than a boy himself—kicked out of Adamar with no
food, no companions, and no map to show him the way to any of the
other far off merfolk cities, basically sentenced to die out in Deep
Ocean—all because he helped his unjustly imprisoned friend
escape for a couple of hours and gave him some food and shelter.”
Serena’s
stomach twisted. It couldn’t possibly be true. The king and
queen were stern in their reign, but not cruel. But Amphitrite’s
cold, condescending sneer rippled in front of Serena’s eyes
all the same.
— — —
Victor,
Arcanus’ resident doctor, was a skilled but strange man. His
hair was the color of the iron that Moira sometimes harvested
that they should be able to harvest natural resources—like
blubber, meat, and hides—from other, inferior creatures
despite, and I’m quoting her words here, ‘Despite the
fact that they can speak to us.’”
“ That’s
disgusting. Have you ever spoken to a seal, or a whale, or even a
clown fish? They are just as sentient as merpeople!” Serena
ignored Casius’ protest to keep quiet and went on. “What
exactly makes them inferior? The fact that they don’t look
like us? Poaching shouldn’t be just below murder, it should be murder.”
“ Serena,
you don’t have to convince me,” said Casius. “I’m
one of Bria’s so-called inferior creatures. I told you, I…”
He cut off as a merman swam towards them on the path. He spared them
a quick “Hello,” which they returned, before he swam
around a corner. Casius continued in a voice so low Serena had to
lean in to hear him. “I am not fond of Bria. Frankly, she
frightens me. But the good here far outweighs the bad.”
“ Really?
Because you keep talking about how there isn’t any judgement
here, but Bria sounds pretty judgmental to me with her ‘inferior
species’ idea. This place is full of criminals, just like my
mother. I can’t stay here. I’m leaving today.”
She
started to swim away, but Casius looped two tentacles around her
tail and held her back.
“ Serena,”
he said. “Serena, please, just listen to me for a moment. I
think I deserve that, at least, don’t you?”
Serena
blew bubbles out of her mouth in an exasperated sigh and turned to
face him.
“ Serena,
there are always exceptions to every rule. Bria is the exception
here. There are only a handful of other merpeople who share her
views, so she is always outvoted whenever she proposes something
unethical. She’s a Council member because she was an original
founder of Arcanus, along with her older brother and another friend,
and she’s very smart. She is the one who proposed we harvest
the Sea Sparkle for light.”
Serena
chewed her lip, disappointed that the Sea Sparkle idea had come from
Bria’s brain.
“ The
thing that makes Arcanus special is that the creatures who live here
have the right to decide how their community is run. One person or
one family does not decide everything or lord the power of a magical
object, handed down through generations, over the public as the
royals of Adamar do. Yes, there are a lot of criminals here.
However, a large number of them regret their crimes. There are also
people like Ronan here.
“ Ronan
was banished by King Poseidon for helping his friend escape a jail
cell. Ronan was only seventeen, and his friend was a very poor
fifteen-year-old merman who was sentenced to a year in prison for
stealing pain medicine to help his younger sister who suffered from
a long-term, genetic illness. Ronan’s friend was given such a
hard sentence at such a young age because he worked as a palace
servant, and he stole from the palace stores. The royal family took
it as a personal insult. Does that seem right to you?”
“ That
can’t be true,” said Serena. “Ronan’s making
it up.”
“ He’s
not. It can be found in the palace records. I’ve looked.
Ronan, a seventeen-year-old boy, was banished by a king who was not
much more than a boy himself—kicked out of Adamar with no
food, no companions, and no map to show him the way to any of the
other far off merfolk cities, basically sentenced to die out in Deep
Ocean—all because he helped his unjustly imprisoned friend
escape for a couple of hours and gave him some food and shelter.”
Serena’s
stomach twisted. It couldn’t possibly be true. The king and
queen were stern in their reign, but not cruel. But Amphitrite’s
cold, condescending sneer rippled in front of Serena’s eyes
all the same.
— — —
Victor,
Arcanus’ resident doctor, was a skilled but strange man. His
hair was the color of the iron that Moira sometimes harvested
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