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Lost

"All my life, I've studied mermaids and other magical creatures," he smiled at Sibylle. "Of course it was difficult since I was blind and brail was and still is so expensive. That's why I've always had someone like my brother help me. I do apologize for his actions. I told him to return the jewel to your friend, and give her access to my library at anytime. You should get your jewel back soon."

Sibylle shook her head, knowing full well her could not see it, and said, "No. I won't. I know how Zephyrine is with those things."

He blushed, "I'm very sorry."

"It's no problem... but why did you want to speak with me?"

"I was curious about a mermaid like you. My brother said you weren't a "normal" freshwater mermaid. I told him that was impossible, but it's obviously not." Shifted his position on the edge of the lake so he was sitting cross legged. "If it's not too bold of me, might I ask how that is possible?"

"Well... I'm a hybrid with recessive traits. Some of these traits were passed down in my royal blood line, and somehow were triggered when my parents came together and had me. At least that's what the people I lived with told me." She shrugged. It was a little uncomfortable to talk about this, but he was a nice and mostly harmless man. It was obvious that he had strong magical powers, but they could easily be combated with Sib's plasma.

"Amazing... I didn't know that was possible. With the way my little brother was describing you, I could have sworn you were a pure bread water phoenix." Karen rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Mr. Karen I was wondering if you could answer a few of my questions," Sybille leaned forward as she spoke, "I was wondering why all the fish have disappeared from this lake. Since I started coming her a few years back, I've noticed the fish in this lake have disappeared, and yet this is the cleanest lake I've ever swam in."

Karen's eyes remained closed for a while before he spoke. "It's said this lake is haunted by an unhappy spirit. It may have been a human who drown, an angry water spirit. No one has really seen whatever it is, but strange things happen at night here." He shrugged, "I can't exactly tell you if it's true or not, because I usually don't come here at night."

Sibylle raised an eyebrow, "Would it be safe to live here?"

Karen shrugged again. "It would be a risk."

This place was nice enough to take a risk. There were plenty of plants that were edible, she would just have to ask Zephyrine to help her try and repopulate the lake by transferring fish and the like. "I think, I'm willing to take a leap of faith, would you be will to help me Mr. Karen?"

The night sky was filled with tiny pinpoints as Sibylle looked up from the bottom of the clear blue lake. She was amazed at how clear it was, it was almost supernatural. Sibylle shook her head, that was silly. The only thing supernatural in this lake was her.

She sighed as she moved a few of the rocks out of a cave she had decided to spend the night in. It was huge, and had taken her most of the day to remove all of the rocks. She had a feeling it was spectacular and her feeling was confirmed when she enter the cave.

It was filled with shining jewels, and various assorted items. It was as if someone had lived here and never left, but that was silly. It must have been Sibylle's imagination. With a flick of her tail she went deeper into the cave.

It was stunning. Apparently, someone had lived there, but it must have been a long time ago, because the chambers of the cave were decaying and in disarray. It was like a lost kingdom, in its own right. Sib took in a deep breathe of the air in the water, it was stale, which was unusually for a lake.

Without warning she received a chill that traveled from the tip of her tail to the top her head. It felt as if something or someone wished ill will on the world. Then again, who did not wish ill of the corrupt world today.

A second chill traveled up Sibylle's spine as she came near something that was akin to a bedroom. It was nothing all that special. A simple chamber with a moss covered rock and various glowing seaplants to act as lights. It was close to something she had dealt with when she was a child. Curious she entered the room, and received quite a shock.

Bones were laid out on the bed. They were practically crumbling from age and deterioration in the water, but a person could still tell what it had been. A freshwater merperson.

Sibylle slowly backed away. What exactly had killed him or her? Could she have been exposed to whatever it was? Was this the spirit that everyone had been talking about? She held back a scream as she swam out of the cave as if lightning had struck her.

For tonight. She would sleep outside. Maybe tomorrow she would venture back.

"What the hell was in this lake before me?" Sibylle bluntly asked Zephyrine and Karen.

They both looked at each other and hesitated. Karen was the first to speak, "Well... I guess that means you found the remains of the merman."

"Yeah and I nearly had a heart attack for the lack of warning! Thanks a lot guys!" Sibylle's tail thrashed as she spoke and splattered water all over the two companions.

Zephyrine, now fully soaked, began to explain the situation, "A long while ago, there was a merman who decided to make this place his home. He was kind to all of the villagers, and at one time he had saved a little Karen from drowning."

"But that all changed one day," Karen continued in hushed tones, "One day my little brother and I came down to see the mermaid. I was about seven at the time, and my brother was five. We had recently lost our parents in the war against the sea, and we were worried about Seke's (the merman's) condition." Karen began to choke at this point. Sibylle raised an eyebrow as Zephyrine patted him gently.

"I heard this second hand, but I'll continue. They came to the lake to find it red with blood, someone or something had attacked Seke. He was badly injured and refused to be treated by anyone in the village. He was our guardian of sorts... everyone hand loved his company. I suppose the boys were the one's who came day after day to see if he had recovered. One day they came and the whole lake was silent. All the animals had left, and the neighboring forest was barren as well."

"Shortly after that my little brother fell ill, he was the first to die in the unexplainable plague." Karen was whipping tears off his face.

Zephyrine blinked. Sibylle squeaked, "If your brother's dead who was that little boy you called brother?"

"An orphan who came to live with me. Both of us were alone after the plague, so I practically raised him, with one other person's help." He shrugged and sniffed a bit. "We had no idea what had happen to the merman, we just knew that he had died."

Sibylle slipped into the water slowly so it came up to her chin. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Zephyrine tapped Karen, who nodded in response. "Well, ever since you started coming to visit me here three years ago, Sibylle," Zephy paused before continuing, "the lake has been normal, and nothing strange has happened."

Karen nodded sagely, "We had tried everything to return the lake to its normal state. We even tried to get priests to perform exorcisms, but nothing worked until you came along."

The mermaid was skeptical. The likely hood that her presence could change anything was so minute it made her chuckle to herself. What, did Seke decide to stop haunting the people because of her outdated royal blood?

The merpeople were practically lost to the world. There was nothing her friends or she could do.

Oh really?

Karen froze, Zephyrine's hair stood on end, and Sibylle's pupils shrunk to pin points. Warily she looked to the two others and asked, "Did anyone else hear that?"

They both nodded.

Honestly. It's like you've never heard a man's voice before.