We found a cave near the ocean waters where we can hide for a little while. Gondro was still a bit weak so I let him rest some more before I bombard him with many questions later. I stayed by the opening of the cave and looked at the sea.

Gondro was right. I could see Labyrinth anchored near the shores but I could not see what happened to the rest of the crew.

"They won't be above ground, Miss Darling. They will turn them," Gondro said, which took my attention away.

"What do you mean 'they will turn them'?" I asked.

Gondro looked at me and gave me a faint smile. "Into merfolk. They need human men to breed. They keep female offspring and throw the males into the ocean."

"Why would they do that if they need mermen to breed?" I asked.

"Merfolk males that resulted from interbreeding are sterile," he answered.

I looked at him sadly. "Just like you?"

Gondro nodded. "Yes I am sterile but my case is different. My parents fell in love and they escaped the pod."

"Why do they need to escape?"

Gondro sighed, "After the breeding ritual, those that were turned are ordered to kill each other and since they cannot refuse the mermaid song, they comply. Some mermaids would turn them into stone, too."

I gasped. "Why don't they just breed with purebred mermen then?"

"First of all, purebreds are already extinct. Second, human genes give mermaids the ability to transform as humans in land or in water automatically," he explained.

I panicked. The mermaids are such formidable enemies. I don't think we can win against them. "What do we do? How do we rescue them?" I asked. My brain was beginning to be overwhelmed with too much information and frustration. "Are you sure this is not a dream? I do not want any of us to die!" I shrieked.

"We have to find their breeding pools," Gondro continued to explain.

"And then what?! How could we even fight them? We are obviously outmatched. Good for you, you can breathe underwater and fight them off but what about me? I am barely making improvements in my deep sea diving. How can I fight them underwater?"

Gondro smiled at me uncertainly. "Don't worry Miss Darling. Not all the mermaids are evil. Most of them are just playful and mischievous. They don't mean to harm, it's just their way to survive… it's their nature."

"What do we do then?" I asked.

"First we find a breeding pool and we take it from there. What do you think?" Gondro suggested.

I nodded. What else could we do? Both of us are not combat nor strategy experts. Oh how I wish Jacob was here. He definitely would know what to do.

We decided to explore the cave system we were in and hiked deeper. For some reason, as we kept exploring, instead of getting darker, the cave was becoming brighter and brighter. Gondro signalled me to stay low. I followed. We peaked at the opening that was near us and there we saw one mermaid resting her head by the side of the pool.

This was a different mermaid than from the one in Labyrinth. This one has black hair with some dark blue strands. She was facing our direction but her eyes were closed. Like the other mermaid, she is very enchanting.

She sighed and brushed off the strand of hair that was covering her face with her fingers. "I know someone's there," she said. "You can come in now, I won't bite," she added then opened her eyes. They were the same color of her hair-- black and blue.

Gondro and I looked at each other unsure of what to do. The mermaid giggled and continued speaking, "You won't be able to rescue them without my help. So I suggest you come in before I change my mind," she said.

"Can we trust you?" I asked, still not showing myself.

She giggled again. "You really don't have a choice, do you?"

She had a point. Gondro nodded and very slowly we showed ourselves to her. She put her left hand under her chin and was amused as we walked in. "Hm… a half bred and a woman… very interesting."

"You speak our language," I had to inquire because it surprised me.

She chuckled, "Mermaids are very intelligent creatures. We speak all languages. We are quick to adapt as well as the time demands."

"Are you going to kill them?" I asked again.

She rolled her eyes and frowned, "Oh please… not all of us practice those barbaric methods. I like to set mine free," she said. "After I take their memory of course."

"How long do you set them free after the breeding ritual?"

She laughed, "Breeding ritual? Not everyone participates in those. I won't let just anybody touch me! That's appalling!"

"Then why do you capture them?"

"I only hunt men when I'm bored. They amuse me," she replied.

"Will they hurt them then?" Gondro asked.

The mermaid turned to him. "Depends on their purpose. Coralyn is curious on the way they fight so she studies them. Tonishel loves to be pampered so they become her slaves. Both of them would set them free after they get bored. Laurena and Errah are the ones who use them to breed but then again they release them too sometimes for a price," she said and looked back at me.

I sighed in relief. I thought for sure we are going to meet our end.

"Oh… do not be relieved just yet. My twin sister Arella would be your problem. You see, she is the queen of the pod. She refuses to let go of what she possessed. They're her collections," she said.

I looked at her with eyes full of worries. She laughed and swam to her left. There I saw her tails and scales, they were blue and silver. "Do you have any more questions for me?" she said and leapt then dove deep again before resurfacing.

"How about the other mermaids?" Gondro asked.

"Oh they're not here at the moment. You see this is our food hunting season. So they would be back after a month. Lucky you," she said. "Most of them are barbaric when it comes to men." She chuckled after.

"We want our friends back. Are you going to help us or not?" I demanded.

She looked at me. "Tell me what happened."

Gondro and I narrated to her what we remembered while she nodded her head. "Hm… the one that was in your ship was Coralyn. Tonishel was the one who sang, she was most likely underwater when she did that. I knew they were bored," she said.

"What happened to our friends? What do we do to rescue them?" I asked again.

"I heard they divided them equally. So the four of them plus my sister should have three each. They were offering me some but after I heard there was a woman, I refused. It would be more entertaining for me when YOU are in my debt," she smiled at me sheepishly.

I furrowed my brows, "What do you mean by that?"

"In time my dear… In time…" she responded mysteriously. Then she continued giving us the information we needed. "Coralyn and Tonishel would be much easier to convince than Laurena and Errah. How good are your negotiating skills? As I have said, they won't give them up unless there is something in it for them."

She looked at me and smirked. Her eyes looked at me mischievously. "You won't survive without my help. Besides, I want to be amused," she said and ascended from the pool to the ground. As Gondro told me, her transformation was instant. I gasped as she changed into a woman with a white flowy dress on. The one painters depict goddesses wore.

She held her hand out at me. "I need three strands of your hair and your name as payment for my help. I am Qara."

I looked at her suspiciously. She chuckled, "If you do not pay me, I won't help you. You won't find where they are without me," she taunted.

"Why do you need my hair?" I asked.

"That is my business," she responded. "Will you take my offer or not? If I get bored, I will go back to my pool and I will NOT ascend again. Choose wisely, my dear."

I was still uncertain whether we could trust Qara or not. However, we did not have any other choice. She was the only one who knew where the other mermaids were. Gondro and I would probably just get lost wandering about the cave system without directions and without plans.

Thus, without taking my eyes off of her I yanked three strands of my hair and placed them on her hand. Qara studied and felt them more with her fingers and they vanished in tiny sparkles. She then turned back at me and asked, "Name?"

"They call me Darling," I responded.

Qara giggled. "You are quite an amusing woman!" she said and flipped her hair. "Follow me."