PART 2

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Nothing. No pain. No sight. No sound. Just nothing. I knew I was on my back, the wood was pressed against my shirt, soaked in places. My eyes were open, ocean water splashed against my face and it stung. In a blink of an eye everything came crashing down around me. The sound came back, it was loud and I could hear my gaps for breath as I tried to suck in air. The pain was immense, radiation in sharp flashes along my right shoulder. My entire back was tight and I was worried I might've reopened my wounds. Quick and in heavy waves, the pain radiated across my body and I winced as I forced myself to sit up.

A guttural cry pried from my lips and black spots floated across my vision. Away from me I can hear breaking wood and boots running towards me...?

I looked up in time to see Arthur running at me. His hand pulling me from the soaked wood to my feet quickly and I stumbled on my feet. He's pulling me behind him and I'm struggling to keep up. My arm is screaming at the stretch and I tell him to slow down, but he keeps pulling me down the pier.

Behind us I can feel water hitting my back hard and I spare a glance wiping sea water from my eyes.

"Oh, my god!"

Mera was fighting with Bre. I could see her bright red hair among the masses of water surrounding them. And make out Bre by her dark green armor and how lethargic her movements were. The water around us had been shot into the air and it was almost acting as a weapon, pulling and colliding at both women.

"Arthur, why aren't you fighting?"

He didn't say anything and pulled me to the end of the pier. I was shivering and he pulled me into his arms. He smelt of pine trees and ocean water and for a moment, just a moment, I had forgotten where we were. All I knew was that I was safe in his arms. His hands rested on my shoulders and I winced intaking a quick gasp, it was enough for him to pull back and inspect my shoulder.

"What am I going to do with you?" He murmured, his golden eyes locked on mine behind spotted glasses lenses. His hand was warm against my cheek and I leaned into it.

"Nothing. You need to go help."

"I needed you safe."

We kept our strong gaze. Our eyes never wavered until there was a cry and one that was unfamiliar. Quickly, he pushed me behind him, arm stretched like a barrier and I saw what he was snarling at; Bre had Mera on the soaked wood writhing beneath her heeled boot that was pressed against her throat. A sudden queasiness wafted over me and for the first time I was worried for Mera.

In a sudden moment Bre was running towards Arthur her spear in hand and Arthur had pushed me back, hard. I had tried to reach for him, hands reaching out hastily as I stumbled backwards, barely grazing his shirt. And for the second time today I had fallen off a ledge.

The water was frigid and angry and battered me from all sides and I kicked furiously to the surface. Great. I kept my head above water and swam to a nearby pillar, it's texture was slick from the ocean water and seaweed that collected upon its surface. It was slimy underneath my palms. Above me I could hear fighting, grunts and heavy metallic blows. Arthur was landing hits.

"Need some help?"

I snapped my head to the right to see Mera smiling at me.

"He pushed me."

"Yeah, it was apart of the plan. He doesn't want you to see him fight her." She told me grabbing me by my arm, she waded skillfully through the rough waters. I stared at her long red hair flowing behind her, confused on why he would do such a thing.

"Why?"

"Because he has to kill her."

"Does-."

She looked at me as we neared the shore, "It's the only way to stop this."

I shut my mouth and followed her onto the shore, I turned to look at the pier hoping to get a glimpse of anything. Mera's stern voice broke my concentration.

"Let me heal this." She was already laying a hand on my torn and bloody t shirt, but I actually hadn't felt the pain of my injury for a bit now and I assumed it was the cold.

Mera had pulled back the torn shirt and she sucked in a breath, "Ingrid."

"Hmm?" I turned to her.

"What happened up there in the Lighthouse?"

My gaze held hers and for a moment I wondered if I should be completely truthful.

"She chanted some spell at me and then struck me with her spear." I kept it very to the point and didn't tell her how she tried to turn me against her.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked after she hadn't spoken, her gaze was still on my shoulder.

"Mera, what is it?"

"Your wound, it's half healed. I can't do anything for it."

"Half healed? What the hell are you talking about...?"

My fingers shoved hers away to push the torn fabric from my skin and below was a wound that should have been gaping, but instead it looked as if I've had the injury for weeks and it was half closed.

"What did she chant?"

"I-uh, I don't know. I can't tell you."

"What else happened."

"Nothing, I swear. I just-," I stopped to think because in just the twenty minutes since Bre attacked me my memory of the encounter was hazy, dull and I couldn't even recall half the conversation.

"I hit my head on the pier. I can't remember."

Mera only looked at me with narrowed eyes and a tight jaw. Her nostrils flared and she grabbed me by the arm pulling me down the beach towards an opening in the fence that was behind a few empty and run down houses.

"Go home. Do not look back. Do not come here. He will come find you." She shoved me through the opening and I whirled around.

"Mera! You can't just leave me in the dark. I deserve to be here. He needs me."

"You'll only be a distraction. He can't kill her and worry about keeping you alive at the same time."

"Mera, I won't stand for-!"

Her voice shattered mine with a deep anger and I stilled at her words.

"He told me to keep you safe. Let me honor his word and do that. You have to leave. I need to get back to him. Go home, Ingrid."

We held each other's gaze and something passed between us, an understanding or something along the lines of friendship, but she had walked away leaving me to walk the other way, through old worn down houses and to my own house. She hadn't waited for me to leave or watched me walk away, she just trusted that I would like I trusted her to get him back to me.

• • •

I want to save all the action for JL and Aquaman. (I'm also really bad at writing my own action scenes and didn't want to do injustice to the scene and my readers by writing something extremely amateur). I want Ingrid to see him in action like we had, for the first time in those movies. I know that'll probably be a disappointment to some, but that's how I've always planned it. I want it to stay vague and getting Ingrid away from the fight makes more sense then having her be in the middle of it and have Arthur and Mera worry about her (she is only human).

There is one more chapter left and that'll be a long one. It's going conclude this story and have a few months to eighteen month time jump.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has voted, liked, and enjoyed my book. I really appreciate you all.

P.S. I just finished this at 0430 so if there are any mistakes, I apologize.