Girls and boys, here is chapter six!

His chest was cold… He felt weak. Like when he would get sick, but worse. It had hurt. And now he was numb. He...couldn't feel his legs.

The scratches were unlike anything Technus had ever seen. They were long and thin, but instead of fevered, they were cold to the touch. While that shouldn't have been anything new to a Mer with a cold core, to Sam it was. And even then, they were far colder than he had ever felt before, reminding the healer of the far, far away kingdoms of the south.

As they were the frozen kingdoms, those lands were safe from invasion. Mers from warmer waters couldn't stand to be in the ice long. He similarly couldn't, and had yet to meet those willing to try.

When Jeremy brought in his daughter, Technus thought he had seen ice on the claw marks. The blood, Jeremy's panic, and his own doubt made him hesitate to say anything. Now he was positive on what he had seen, as the bleeding would have been far worse without it.

Ice… For a long time the healer thought ice might have been another core type - that it would be the main type of core in the southern seas. But he didn't have physical proof.

Cold was different from ice. Cold would be a water core. When they all lived under the sea, water wasn't seen as special. Ice would be a step beyond. Taking his theory, it would mean he was right!

A knock jarred him from his thoughts. He barely held back a sigh. Protective parents were a healer's bane. At least the adviser had a good reason to worry.

Technus reached under the table and flipped a switch, remotely unlocking the thin stone door across the room.

Jeremy peeked inside. After being scolded like a child for hovering over the healer, he had been kicked out of the room, but not before finding out how the master healer liked to threaten. He had a great room to do so in. Over seven different knives lay within arm's reach.

"Do you know how many kinds of poisons I have in my collection?" the creepy doctor had asked, while thumping a needle. It worked on getting the merman out for some time. But like all good things, it came to an end.

Jeremy had not known, and the way it was said scared him out of his mind.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked, cooly, upon being readmitted to the room. On the outside he was once again the King's right hand man, looking as though nothing could shake him. The calm exterior made it seem like he had been freshly cleaned - like he hadn't been up half the night. With a tail like that it wasn't easy. On the inside his composure shook like the eye of a storm. He reminded himself time and time again that he did everything he could have done. Sam would have hurt herself worse if he hadn't reacted.

Although Technus truthfully had to think for a moment, he also wanted to see the betta squirm a little. Jeremy had a reputation for being the calmest of the advisers, and rarely showed more emotion than the King, who was an expert at keeping his thoughts to himself. For once he wanted to feel power over someone higher on the chain before letting them off the hook.

"There was no damage to any major veins or arteries. Her nails were too dull to do any real damage, unless they had been combined with magic. But I am worried about this seemingly random spasm. Mers don't just try to dig out their cores. Nightmare or not.

"Tell me something. Has there been a big change in her life? Something stressful?"

A lump built in Jeremy's throat. Keeping eye contact was very important. Feeling his fins fan out, he struggled to not show aggression. His first instinct was to be defensive, because what his daughter did was a secret no one could know.

...Vlad would have to forgive him. Her life was more important than a secret. Jeremy blurted out the whole story. Every detail he could remember. He wanted to go retrieve the written account, but thought that might be too much. The lionfish King could only forgive so much.

When he got to the part about the stone, Nicolai's interest peaked. Summons were normal, and were often pursued.

"But after summoning the stone, she passed out-"

"Wait, she passed out? Why did I not hear of this before?"

"Um-" That was a good question. Jeremy quickly pieced together an excuse. "Because it was a small case of core exertion. Both her mentor and a healer from town looked her over." Technus frowned feeling like he should have been called for. The King was close to this family. It wouldn't have been odd if he examined the girl before. He might have even had her stay for the night, thinking observation would have been needed anyway.

He would have stopped her before she could cause so much self harm.

"You should have come to me," Technus said, looking sternly into Jeremy's eyes.

Jeremy was unable to hold the stare for long, knowing the master healer was right. He should have asked, no, demanded for a second opinion. He hadn't felt right in the first place, leaving it like that.

The moment the stone had been summoned a wave of incredible power pushed through the city. Many had swum away in terror, fearing a new attack on the castle. The power never dissipated. Many Mers were still in hiding, even after seeing there was no damage.

"You're right… But can you tell me how she is?"

Technus took a deep breath, shaking the fins at the bottom of his tail out of habit.

"From what I can see she is fine. The cuts have already scabbed over. However something has drained her core, again. She'll be weak for a while after this. But given time and rest she'll be back to her old self. I want her to say here for a week."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jeremy felt the world lift from his shoulders. He didn't know what he'd do without Sammy. He hoped he would never have to find out.

The song of the humpback whale was long and soulful, beautiful and lonely. Danny had heard it a handful of times in his life. Living near the beach, he always looked for one in the morning. It was the only time he had alone, before his mother or father would run into his room, excited to start the day.

He both loved and hated that. Thankfully, he was rarely woken up by their antics. Instead, it was usually the quiet steps of his sister starting her own morning routine that roused him.

Hearing the whale song now woke Danny up. It sounded closer than it ever had before. He wanted to see it.

But his bed was so comfortable - warm, small and his own.

It took a lot to crack open his eyes. And when he was able to to comprehend where he was, or more like where he was not, he startled fully awake.

The whale song resounded through the city. To the farms nearby the punctual sound was both a curse and blessing. Mers used it as a wake-up call, while some others like Desiree used it to make appointments: "Meet me at the whale song."

On a normal day, Sam would be swimming as fast as she could through the cloth door that separated the sleeping chamber from Desiree's cleaning room, singing 'sorry!' as she came in. That girl was always late. Desiree would laugh, remembering doing the same thing in her youth.

At some point she started thinking of Sam as her own family. Not a daughter, but maybe like a little sister. They would talk together as the mage finished cleaning up, brushing her pink and teal scales, loving the way they were tipped with the lightest bit of gold. Brushing her long black hair, while having Sam brush her back scales. Then she would do the same for Sam.

Deep within the mage's core, she feared for Sam. She feared many things, but the biggest fear was the decision of the council. Not that she would ever say it out loud - it would be admitting weakness. No, she could weather this.

And so Desiree waited.

Knowing Sam wouldn't be coming in was different from seeing the reality of it. Not having the girl rush in was odd. She... missed the girl. Her red eyes softened, before becoming hard. This wasn't the time to miss her. Sam's life was in danger now, or could be soon. Nothing was clear right now...

Gingerly Desiree started her cleaning routine at the bottom of her hair. She didn't like the feeling of having to skip her back.

He thrashed, his arms waving, tail spasming. Danny couldn't understand his new tail. Fear ran free. He tried to get away from it, finding it was indeed part of him as it followed.

Scales rose with his fear, his white glow becoming stronger. Soon it lit up the room as if the sun itself was there.

It wasn't until it happened that he noticed, he had swum straight through the wall!

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