Excerpt: Yellow Tail

Carlena swam as fast as she could, beating her tail furiously against the water. She was afraid one of the guards might see her and try to stop her before she got to the kelp forest. She must get Messina’s child to safety. If any of the guards found her the child would die.
She stopped to catch her breath behind the rock. Behind her was the city with its tall spiraling towers like the shells on the seabed floor. In front of her was the kelp forest; A place many regarded as haunted. Some said outlaws lived there. Carlena didn’t know what kind of merfolk outlaws would be, but she hoped those rumors were false.
After catching her flighty breath she checked on the child.
The babe was still asleep in it’s kelp blanket. She looked like any other child except the knot of dark hair on her head. Most merchildren were born without hair. They all looked so funny in their cribs, bald. Carlena heard a noise from the city and looked over the rock.
Someone had found Messina by now, no doubt, it was hard to disguise a dead body in the small city. Next they would be looking for Carlena.
Carlena pushed away from the rock and dashed madly for the kelp forest. The stalks brushed past her but she kept going. She had to get far enough in that she could not see the city. She looked back and caught a glimpse of the city before it was behind the stalks of hundreds of plants.