The Glimmer Compass: The Mermaid Kingdom Series, #2

By Amanda Lyn Creek

This is the second installment of The Mermaid Kingdom Series.

 

Discovering her identity was only the beginning. Now she needs to find her way home.

 

Being a mer princess is the worst. Not only does the magic in Ava's blood make her the target of a power-hungry enemy pod, she just found out her best friend is one of them. He tells her of a magical compass she could use to find her birth parents—but how can she trust a thing he says when his parents are the ones chasing her?

 

When her scheming aunt reveals she's had the compass all along, Ava no longer knows whom to trust. But she has to lead her enemies away from her injured foster parents and boyfriend before worse befalls them, and that means returning to the sea. After so much betrayal, can Ava embrace her true identity to protect those she loves from the dangers of her past?

 

The Glimmer Compass is the second exciting episode in the Mermaid Kingdom series. If you like fast-paced action, character-driven plots, and mermaids, this contemporary young adult fantasy is for you.

 

Dive back into the adventure today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amanda Lyn Creek
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201143855

Amanda Lyn Creek

Amanda Creek is a creative entrepreneur, photographer, and web designer who holds a BA in Studio Art, a BS in Graphic Design and an MFA in Creative Writing. While Amanda has spent most of her adult life working in visual arts, her heart has always driven her toward writing. When she’s not playing board games with her husband or cuddling with her two dogs, Amanda writes Contemporary Fantasy fiction for young adults. Her passion is to help others, and that has brought her around the globe on mission trips with her church.

Book preview

The Glimmer Compass

EPISODE TWO OF THE MERMAID KINGDOM SERIES

Amanda Lyn Creek

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Violette Ink Press

The Glimmer Compass

Copyright © 2022

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For information contact :

http://amandalyncreek.com

Character Illustration by Bonnie Lecat

Background and Graphics by Ingrid Nordli

Copy Edits by Jessica Renwick

First Edition: March 2022

Contents

. Chapter

1. Chapter One

2. Chapter Two

3. Chapter Three

4. Chapter Four

5. Chapter Five

6. Chapter Six

7. Chapter Seven

8. Chapter Eight

9. Chapter Nine

10. Chapter Ten

11. Chapter Eleven

12. Chapter Twelve

13. Chapter Thirteen

14. Chapter Fourteen

15. Chapter Fifteen

16. Chapter Sixteen

17. Chapter Seventeen

18. Chapter Eighteen

19. Chapter Nineteen

20. Epilogue

Also By

About the Author

For my family. I was made from the best pieces of you, and I’m grateful to know and love you all.

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Ava

Chaos unfolds before me.

I grip the edge of my torn mattress. Nerissa hollers an unfamiliar spell, her voice gruff but firm. She thrusts her hands toward my former foster brother Evan and wind whooshes through the air, fanning her curly auburn hair around her face. Edie's eyes widen and she grabs Brendon's arm, pulling him with her to the side of the room, out of harm's way.

With a heavy thud, Evan’s body falls to the ground next to the broken door, the enchantment disabling him. He lies limp at Nerissa’s feet as if he passed out in a drunken stupor. Peering at his still frame, I search for the rise and fall of his chest and any sign of life. What did her magic do to him? If he’s dead . . .

I inch my way closer. Breaths come from his pale lips in soft shallow puffs. He’s not—he’s . . .

Alive.

Relief crashes through me and I exhale. Coming face-to-face with the body of my former best friend wasn’t on my agenda today. No matter what he may have done or how angry I am with him.

I give Nerissa a wary glance. He’ll be okay, won’t he?

She shrugs as if she uses incantations to strike people unconscious every day. He’ll survive.

I arch a brow, urging her to go on.

He’ll be fine, promise.

I’m unsure if her definition of fine matches mine.

She meets my gaze knowingly, making me wonder if she now possesses telepathic powers. The magic put him into a deep sleep, but there won’t be any permanent effects. He might have a few . . . bruises from the fall. But trust me, he’s getting off easy.

Like that should make me feel better about the situation.

She continues, We need him to inform us of what the Ceto are planning. He’s our best lead, but now that we know he’s one of them, we definitely can’t stick around here. You realize what they’re capable of after what they did to Hannah and Matthew? She emphasizes each syllable, gesturing at Evan. As if I could forget.

But I can’t. Of course the assault on my foster parents is fresh on my mind. We came here straight from the hospital, where they still lay in the ICU. That Evan stood by and did nothing as his family attacked them makes my blood bubble like pent-up molten lava.

Still, Nerissa’s actions seem . . . unnecessarily violent.

I rub my chin, chewing my lip while I think. It’s Evan. There must be a good reason why ‌he was here when the Ceto attacked my foster parents. And all those years of sibling-like bonding and trust, they mean something. I don’t want to throw away our friendship, do I?

Frustration mounts inside me. Despite what Evan did, I stand behind my initial gut reaction to Nerissa’s hasty magic. I give her a daggered look. He might have come with us willingly.

"Ava, we don’t know if the Ceto followed him here. This was the best course of action."

Nerissa steps over Evan’s slumbering form and into the hallway, then grabs his wrists. She pulls his arms from the sides of his thin frame, and a lock of his blond hair falls out of place, taunting me.

Look what you’ve done, what you’ve allowed to happen to him.

Still . . . I start, but she gives me a dark look. I snap my mouth closed.

She shakes her head, then recites another spell. This one I recognize. She’s recreating the protective barrier between us and anyone else who could be in the house. The original shield must have dissipated when she struck Evan down.

I press my fingers to my temple, trying to soothe my spinning thoughts. Edie and Brendon stand together quietly on the other side of the room. Edie’s petite features are tight with worry, her dark brow wrinkled with confusion. Brendon wipes his olive-colored hands on his shorts, his gaze darting between me and Nerissa.

None of us expected Evan to creep up the stairs. Once he came into the room and started to explain, I pictured my fingers around his throat. But his tone sounded sincere, easing my desire to throttle him.

Despite his obvious remorse, Nerissa acted so swiftly that if I would have blinked, I would have missed the entire thing. She didn’t consult us—just carried on, as usual, with her own plans. If she would have at least hinted at what she wanted to do before she acted, it might have resulted in less confusion.

And why should I trust her? She lied to me for years about being merely my social worker. If she could hide the fact that she was my aunt for so long, what else is she capable of lying about?

He better be fine.

I rub the back of my neck and close my eyes. When I flick them open, she’s staring at me, her green-eyed gaze piercing mine.

If his family followed him or knows we’re here, this entire situation could go south. We need to leave. Now.

I get it. But I don’t think we had to hurt him.

I study Evan’s wan face. His angular features have softened—the harsh lines disappearing with his consciousness. His stoic appearance reminds me of when he was young, before he thinned out. I resist the urge to smooth his one rogue lock, and my heart twinges.

This isn’t fair.

Not fair that it’s him. Not fair that he’s on the wrong side—the side of my enemy.

It was all I could think of, Ava, Nerissa snaps. When I flinch, her voice softens. I didn’t trust that he’d walk out that door without a struggle. You may believe he would have come with us willingly, but he’s Ceto, and that changes everything. You think you know him, but we can’t trust anything he says.

The objection forming on my lips takes me by surprise, but my faith in Evan must remain intact. If I can’t depend on him, I can’t depend on anyone. His betrayal hurts, but despite that, the embers of my outrage have snuffed out. I can’t keep the fire ablaze inside me, because my heart doesn’t want to look at the facts. It wants to deny that he lied to me. My entire support system can’t crumble in one night.

But my aunt’s right. Of course she is.

We need to go, she insists. The Ceto will expect us to come back here to the Castles’ house, especially with law enforcement now gone. We took a risk coming here, even before Evan showed up. He could have tipped his family off or led them straight to us. I don’t think we should stick around to find out. Do you?

I exchange a look with Edie, who’s leaning toward Evan’s motionless body with a look of skepticism on her face. She doesn’t seem convinced that he’s merely unconscious either.

Brendon shuffles over to Evan’s feet, eyeing him as if he might wake up at any moment and attack. He kicks Evan’s boot with the toe of his sneaker, causing Evan’s foot to flop to the side, but the spell doesn’t break.

So how do we get him out of here?

We need to carry him to the car, Nerissa says. Ava, find Toby and let’s go. She jerks Evan’s wrists like she’s about to rip his arms out of their sockets, huffing with every tug, and drags him inch by inch over the threshold and into the hall.

I spin the defense charm on my wrist, and the braided friendship bracelet Evan gave me catches my eye. Unease slithers through me, twisting my guts and agitating my empty stomach. I place a hand over my belly. When Evan first showed up, I put on my toughest exterior to hide the fact that his confession undid me. Now, my mind won’t stop reeling, alternating between anger, grief, and suspicion. It’s paralyzing.

Don’t just stand there. Someone give me a hand. Nerissa shifts, curling her arms under Evan’s armpits, then lifts his torso and props it on her thigh.

Surely magic would be easier than dragging him like an old rug across the floor. I stifle a nervous giggle. This entire situation is absurd.

Brendon comes to Nerissa’s rescue, offering his hands. I’ll take his legs.

She nods, and together, they carry his limp body from the room, leaving me and Edie to search for Toby.

We look everywhere for the fluffy cat, including his favorite spots beneath the bed and dresser. All we find are my shredded belongings. I snatch my backpack off the bed, loop my arms through the straps, and leave to check the bathroom. Edie follows but stays in the hallway. I draw back the shower curtain and peek behind the clothes hamper. I call out Toby’s name. The poor thing must be so spooked.

I leave the bathroom and close the door behind me, then glance at Edie. He’s not in there. Let’s check the guest room.

We rush across the hallway. I caught Toby napping in there once, so maybe he ran to the familiar, cozy spot to feel safe. As soon as we step through the doorway, a faint mewing reaches my ears. The sound comes from the armchair near the window. When I check behind it, the Persian peers at me with wide, scared eyes. His gray fur is ruffled, like he pushed his way back there in a panic.

My heart pinches. I drag the chair aside before sweeping him into my arms, and I give him a gentle hug. Hey, bud. Were you here this whole time? I’m so glad you’re safe.

Edie waves at me from the doorway. We should get going. Nerissa will be waiting.

I nod in agreement. We head to the stairs with Edie lighting the path with her phone’s flashlight. Toby doesn’t struggle. On a normal day, he’d wiggle so much that I’d have to set him down in fear that he would fall. But not tonight. He clings to me like I’m saving him from plunging into a pool of scalding water. I croon comforting words in his ear, happy that he’s been declawed.

Brendon and Nerissa greet us in the entryway, still holding Evan between them with his arms over each of their shoulders. His head droops, and he doesn’t make a sound.

Toby mews, and Brendon’s face melts into a smile. You found Toby!

No time for chit-chat. Nerissa jerks her head toward the door.

Edie swings it open. Together, we all make our way to the car, shuffling along like the world’s weirdest parade. Hopefully none of the neighbors are peering out at us right now.

Edie’s car is still parked out front, and we make our way over to it. She climbs into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. Toby and I take shotgun. Nerissa and Brendon slide Evan into the back seat, handling him like he’s drunk off his rocker. Brendon gets in next to him, and Nerissa runs around to the other side and hops in, propping Evan so he’s sitting between them. His mouth is slack, and his body slumps onto Nerissa’s shoulder. She sighs and uses her elbow to push him upright again.

Edie puts the car into drive, and we’re off. She stops at the end of the road and glances in the rearview mirror at Nerissa, her face tinted red from the stoplight. Um, where should we go? My house?

Nerissa heaves Evan’s shoulder away, trying to hold him off her. I think that would be best. My place is out of the question. Evan must know where I live since he’s been following us around, and he may have tipped the Ceto off.

I stroke Toby’s fur. "I don’t know if Evan told them about me and Brendon’s, er,