Today, I have an excerpt from Marisa Noelle's new release to share with you!
(The Mermaid Chronicles, Book 2)
By Marisa Noelle
MERMAIDS ARE BEING HUNTED.
They are no longer safe in the human world.
When one of their closest mermaid friends is imprisoned in a science lab, Cordelia and Wade insist on taking up the quest to find the lost island of Atlantis, a sanctuary for all the water species. But the island is guarded by the dragon kings, an ancient and formidable race who are determined to keep it for themselves.
Cordelia and friends must travel to distant pockets of the earth to collect the magical jewels that open the portal to Atlantis. But no one remembers how the jewels work, instructions are non-existent, and tensions are rife as Wade’s ex-girlfriend appears on the scene.
Cordelia’s heart breaks as she watches the love of her life waver. If they can’t repair their broken relationship and defeat the dragon kings, the mermaids will be captured by the humans and face the threat of extinction.
Perfect for fans of the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Crush by Tracy Wolff, Mermaid’s Return by A.L. Knorr, and The House of Night series by P.C. Cast
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Wade and I pressed ourselves against the rocks, out of view, and waited for the ranger to leave. When the coast was clear, we skirted around the rock face, splashing through the gathering waves.
The hit of the water soothed me immediately, and I felt it’s pull beckoning me further out. But I didn’t have time to turn mermaid now. I resisted the urge to change, and followed Wade along the rocks as the waves buffeted us and dragged us in the wrong direction.
Soaked, we reached the entrance to the old pirate cave. Despite my chattering teeth and saturated clothing, a flare of excitement bloomed in my chest. We’d been waiting so long for this.
“Here.” I chucked the bundle of key rings in Wade’s direction. One sapphire, two opals. I knew the opals represented Dylan and I, as opal was the birthstone for October. But I’d never figured out what the small sapphire represented. Or maybe it had nothing to do with us at all. Just coincidence.
Wade caught the jewels and stood in the center of the cave. The water level rose, but we were protected from the currents and threatening rip tide. Wade turned in a slow circle, stumbling against the water, scanning the rocks with flashing black eyes.
“Can you remember where the slots are?” I asked.
“I think it’s this one.” He approached a rock that protruded from the jagged wall, then ran his fingers over it. “A-ha!”
He pulled the three jewels from their metal chains. First was one of the opals, no bigger than a child’s marble, and he slotted it into a small hole. Then the second. Then the elongated sapphire. As soon as he pushed the blue jewel into its hole, all three were simultaneously sucked into the rock, somewhere deep inside.
“Wade?” I questioned. We’d come too far for this to be a dead end.
“Give it a minute,” he cautioned.
As if his words were a magic spell, the rock vibrated. The top section of the rock slid away, as though attached by a well-oiled hinge, to reveal a hidden chamber within the rock.
Wade and I approached. Together, we peered into the dark crevice. Wade switched on his flashlight. Nestled inside was a rolled scroll tied with a piece of string. As Wade removed the ancient paper from its resting place, the string disintegrated and fell into the water.
“Careful,” I warned.
“I know,” Wade replied, handling the scroll as if it were a recently resuscitated selachii.
I peered over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“I think it’s a map, but I’m not going to risk opening it now.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” Wade lifted a leather pouch fastened with a drawstring from the hole. “This.” His hand went in a third time and he removed a circular object, another jewel.
“It’s a pearl,” he whispered. “A black one.”
He held the new jewel aloft. About the size of an egg, it was completely black. But on closer inspection I noted striations of color, just like the white pearl we’d used to call the High Council.
Suddenly a light shone through the corroded gridiron of the old metal jail. “It’s the beach patrol,” Wade said. Reflected light bounced off the cave walls. “We need to hide.”
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