Bastian's vision blurred. He wondered how much he would be able to cry before there just weren't any tears left. Zareb lifted his fist and banged it against the glass dome that sheltered Atlantis from the open ocean. A solid thud rang out. 

"Tch. Thicker than it looks." 

"Well, we need to break through it, and quick. The Atlanteans are coming out to play." Lachlan's smooth voice was filled with concern, though he didn't seem to be panicked. Yet. 

Bastian wiped at his eyes to clear them. Below his friends, there were hundreds of mercreatures swarming outside of the main building. Several of them seemed oblivious to the fact that Bastian was above them, but some were pointing right at him. He didn't think it would be long before they were swimming up to attack. 

He shuddered when he remembered the body of Asisya crumpled and bloody on the ground. If she had stayed where she had fallen, then there would be no denying who had killed her. The people would be mad, and rightfully so. Even if she had been insane, Asisya had been their protector. 

Panic was a heavy weight in his chest. Bastian struggled to breath, his gills flapping wildly in the water. Zareb turned to face Bastian. The warrior's normally fierce eyes were filled with sadness. 

"Hey," Zareb spoke softly, "Look at me, Bast." The dark-skinned merman placed his hands on either side of Bastian's face. His hands radiated warmth. "Focus on my words. Remember our training? Let's breathe together." 

The soft hum of Zareb's voice, along with the solid presence of his touch, pulled Bastian back from his dark thoughts and into the present. Bastian matched Zareb's deep breaths; first he breathed in, held for five seconds, he breathed out, held for five seconds. Slowly, Bastian's breathing evened out. He gave Zareb a weak smile. 

Zareb patted his cheeks and then ruffled his hair. "I know it's been a rough week, Bast. None of us have really had a chance to process...all this." He gestured vaguely around them. "And we don't have time to do it now. It's stressful. But you still have us. We're here to be your support and your shield. Please, brother mine, trust enough to ask whatever you need of us. I promise, we won't let you down."

Bastian felt like crying again. He'd abandoned his throne, swam halfway across the Western sea, gotten captured by a crazy mermaid, and now her entire city wanted their blood... but Zareb and Lachlan were still by his side. His Trident and his Jewel, forever bound to him out of loyalty and something more that couldn't be described with words. 

Bastian wiped at his eyes again, and then nodded. He took another deep breath. "Yeah, okay." He ran a hand through his hair. "We need to get out of here. And we need Varya and Varick to come with us, or we'll never get to their tribe in time." 

Lachlan grinned mischievously. Bastian smiled. "You have a plan, don't you Lach?"

The green-tailed merman winked. "For you? Always. I know how to get their attention, but if they come up from the building, they'll be chased for sure. So, we need something big to hold back the Atlanteans."

Bastian waited a beat. Lachlan did not disappoint. "Zareb, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to bleed."  

"What?"

"Just a little..." 

Zareb frowned. "How much is a little?"

"Look, Zareb, just close your eyes. I promise it won't kill you." 

Zareb muttered under his breath, but he did close his eyes. Lachlan slipped a pin from his unruly curls and took Zareb's hand. Without waiting, Lachlan jabbed the pin into Zareb's pinky finger until a drop of dark purple blood spilled out and dissipated in the water. Zareb hissed. Lachlan calmly replaced the pin into his hair. 

"Big hatchling," Lachlan muttered at him.

"If it's so fun, how come you didn't do it?" Zareb sucked on the tip of his finger. 

"Because," he said, "I am not the one whose been making kissy faces at Varick."

Bastian's eyes widened and he looked at Zareb. The dark blush over Zareb's face seemed to confirm Lachlan's statement. "What?! How long has that been happening? I thought you guys didn't like each other."

Zareb looked down to the ground. "I don't think now is the time for that. We have more pressing issues." His tail twitched with nerves. Bastian followed Zareb's gaze and found that the Selach siblings were racing from the building. 

Bastian had to admire the sleek movement of their tails, side to side instead of up and down. Their tails allowed them to swim much quicker than Bastian thought he could. When they were closer, he noted their eyes were still large and dark, and their fangs were still showing. It was a terrifying sight, them covered in blood, and Bastian shuddered. No wonder his people viewed the Selachs as such a dangerous enemy. 

When they drew closer, the siblings circled the three Naiads. Varya managed to speak, though it came out more growl than words. "They are coming."

Bastian nodded. "We need to break the dome and get out of here."

Lachlan cracked his knuckles. "You guys make us an opening. I'll hold off the Atlantans."

The Triton knew better than to argue with Lachlan about this, but he laid a restraining hand on Lachlan's arm. "Careful, Militum is still down there." 

"Don't worry, my Triton. I won't hurt him." Lachlan pulled away from Bastian and swam a little ways down. He held out his arms, as though her were waiting to be embraced by the entire city. Then, he sang.

Lachlan was a small merman, his figure slim and his tail more Selkie shaped than Naiad. His Song was anything but small. While he sang a slow, rhythmic melody, the water began to sprout small green lights. 

Each light was only a finger tall and two fingers wide, translucent but shimmering with magical energy. Lachlan sang until there were hundreds of them dotted through the water around them. Bastian watched in awe. He had never seen Lachlan summon anything solid with his music before, but he had brought a small army of sea angels into existence.

The Atlanteans had come closer while Lachlan sang, now the closest of them were only a few dozen hands away. In the lead was a grotesque creature, with the tail of a hermit crab and the jaws of a lantern fish. Despite the weird combination of fins and arms, the Atlantean swam quickly, and as it reached out for Lachlan, it let out an awful screech that grated on Bastian's ears.

Lachlan responded by bringing his arms in front of his body, palms out. His summoned magic moved with him. Every little spark of emerald light descended on the Atlantans, each one flapping their small wings. They didn't swerve; the lights moved directly toward their targets.

And sliced right through them.

Blood filled the water. The Atlanteans screamed and retreated, scrambling backwards to avoid the green  magic. Lachlan continued to sing his sweet Song, untouched and serene. 

Above him, Varick and Zareb launched themselves at the dome. A large crack appeared in the thick glass, and they continued to hit it until it started to spread. Bastian started to believe they could make it out of the city.

Varya snarled. A second, familiar voice joined Lachlan's in the water. Bastian whirled to look down at Atlantis. Crystals were forming over Lachlan's sea angels, slowing them down and rendering them harmless. 

The magical army parted down the middle, and Ambrosia became visible. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she sang. In her hand, she held a lock of red hair. 

Bastian's heart broke. He knew exactly how she felt. Bastian reached out to her and willed the ocean to move her down, where she could be safe from the fight. His chest ached and he gasped. 

The ocean didn't listen to him anymore.

She launched herself up, straight toward them. Lachlan stopped singing. He reached up into his copper curls and pulled something out of them. Then he turned and threw it at Bastian. Just as Bastian caught it, the dome above him shattered.

Shards of glass floated down, sharp enough to cut a merman in half. Zareb grabbed Bastian and dragged him toward the opening, batting aside giant shards with his arm. Bastian did his best to help Zareb until they were clear of the dome and the open ocean flowed around them.

Bastian looked down, and saw that Lachlan had not followed. Instead, the green-tailed merman was swiping his claws at Ambrosia in close combat. 

"What is he doing?" Panic made Bastian's voice sound higher than usual. 

Zareb grunted. "I don't know, but I'm sure he has a plan."

Varya and Varick both grunted their agreement. They looked slightly more normal now, their eyes slowly becoming lighter in color. 

"But he's alone!" Bastian shouted. 

Zareb held him back. "No, he's not. Did you forget who else is down there?"

A loud boom rippled through the ocean floor. Golden light shone from the building they had been held captive in. Bastian's heart grew lighter. 

Militum.