I dipped down to avoid them but was rewarded with a sharp stick to my back. I faltered, crying out in agony. I hadn’t realized how pointy the sticks were when someone was deliberately poking you with one. I tried to swim past them but my speed was greatly diminished. I took another jab, and then another. I knew I was injured at this point. I wasn’t sure how bad it was.
Keep swimming, Tri. Don’t stop. Don’t let them defeat you.
I felt them crowd me and braced myself for more pain. Just then, a strong current washed over me. I looked up to see Dane attacking Juno and his friends singlehandedly. The race went on below us. But above . . . it was the Trials all over again.
I floated gently, giving my tail a few kicks. I was in a daze, stupefied from the ferocity of the attack.
“Swim, Tri! Move!”
I shook myself as another blow landed across my shoulders. It had come from nowhere. Had Dane spoken? I looked around to see that Rip was now fighting off other Mers. Mers I hadn’t seen approach from below.
I kicked my fins feebly. And again. And again.
I was swimming. It was a sad semblance of my normal speed. I was probably the slowest Mer there. It didn’t help that I kept glancing back to see if Dane and Rip were okay.
They are, I thought ruefully as they extricated themselves and swam toward me. Rip gave me an alarmed look as he passed.
Dane didn’t even glance at me.
I swam around the track, barely keeping up with the rest of my classmates. Of course, I was safer if I stayed behind them. And technically, I was at least three or four laps closer to twenty laps. I had lost count, though. I thought I had swum seven or eight . . . which meant thirteen more laps to go.
I forced myself to pay attention, to ignore the pain that wracked my body with each flip of my tail. I had to finish. I had to be smart.
I wouldn’t make it through another attack.
Rip swam alongside for a moment as he passed, asking if I was all right. I lied and said yes and that he shouldn’t swim so slowly. He stared at me for a moment before taking off again.
Dane continued to ignore me, which barely registered. The pain was increasing by the moment. I wondered if they had actually ripped my scales, but I was afraid to look down at myself.
Twelve laps.
Eleven.
Ten.
I kept swimming, slowly losing speed. But I didn’t stop.
Normally, this length of race would have been easy for me. Now I was struggling to finish.
Nine laps to go.
Eight.
I got sideswiped by another Mer as they passed me. The herd was gaining on me, now only two laps behind. Thankfully, the rest of the Mers were starting to flag.
Seven laps.
Six.
Five.
Four.
As I got closer to the end, I started having trouble swimming in a straight line. My fins were definitely drooping. As a result, I accidentally bobbed into fighting sticks more than once. I was only on my next to last lap as the herd started to pass me.
Dane and Rip had finished long before and were watching from the sidelines. I caught their eyes as I swam around the bend to begin my last lap. I saw the look of worry on both their faces. They knew what I was just coming to realize.
There was a chance I could lose.
There was a chance I could be sent home.
I dug deep and put on a burst of speed. It only kept me from being passed. It wasn’t nearly enough to get me to the front of the pack. I was losing focus again when I saw Starla was swimming beside me. I heard her murmur, “You can do it, Tri. Don’t give up.”
So I didn’t.
There was no fanfare as I passed the General, ending the race. I had finished somewhere in the middle, which was more than I had hoped for as the race progressed. Mers dropped their sticks, groaning and clutching their arms.
I looked down and saw I still had a death grip on mine. I swam meanderingly toward the rack and dropped my stick into it. Then I slid slowly to the ground, just managing to get out of the way as other Mers did the same.
My eyes were closed as I tried to catch my equilibrium again. No such luck. A shadow passed over me.
I opened my eyes to see Dane hovering above me. He grabbed my arm and lifted me up and away from the packed sand floor.
“I’m taking you to the medic,” he growled.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“No. I just need to . . . lie down for a little while.” My eyes drifted shut again.
“No, you don’t,” he said. He was still mad at me. Apparently, even getting my fins handed to me isn’t enough to garner any sympathy, I grumbled to myself. He shook me slightly. “Wake up, Tri.”
I opened my eyes and gasped at the pink cloud around me. I was bleeding. Quite a bit, apparently.
“Okay. I guess I am bleeding.”
“You really are an idiot sometimes.”
I smiled at him stupidly. I hadn’t lost the race. That was all I cared about.
And I was inordinately happy that Dane was talking to me again.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Shut up.”
Starla swam closer and helped Dane guide me toward the entry.
“You will not leave until you are dismissed. That goes for you as well, Your Highness.”
The class as a whole stilled as we slowly turned. I wondered what Dane would do. I wondered what he should do.
“She needs a medic.”
“No exceptions. You will be dismissed when class is over, not before.”
Dane said nothing, but I could feel the rage coming off him. Rip swam closer to float beside us. I guess he was showing solidarity or something.
“Yes, General,” he offered, as if he was speaking for all of us.
Apparently, it was enough for the General.
He swam back and forth in front of us.
“That was pitiful. You won’t last a minute in the open water. We will perform this drill daily until you are capable of staying alive.”
He sneered at me.
“And uninjured.”
I resisted the urge to salute him. I felt drunk. And I was getting woozier by the minute.
“Felard. Swim forward.”
A young male Mer swam out of the ranks and waited.
“You finished last. You are dismissed.”
“Now, now, I don’t think that is necessary.”
We all turned to see Annaruth swim in, looking stunningly gorgeous in a ‘practical’ looking gown of green and gold. The train only dragged behind her for several feet instead of the usual eight or ten. The gown was practical for her, but she was still the most elegant Mer I’d ever seen in my life.
“Lady Annaruth, Priestess,” he said with a stiff bow.
“You can’t dismiss someone every day, General, darling. Or kill them off. We have special plans for Katriana Spark.”
The General cast a scowl in my direction, but he was almost purring when he turned back to Annaruth. He practically melted under her presence. I’d never seen anything like it.
“As you wish, Lady.”
She waved her hand.
“Dismiss them now.”
“You are dismissed, class.”
He watched her intently as she swam directly to me. There was something familiar about the look in his eyes. I gave her a lopsided grin as she clucked her tongue and waved her hand over me. My pain disappeared instantly but I still felt extremely weak.
“I’m going to have to give you a protection spell. I’m afraid you are already being targeted,” she said in a low voice. “And it’s only going to get worse.”
Dane made a sound of pure fury.
“This is happening because of me.”
“Not now, Prince Pollux. We will speak in my chambers after we see to her wounds. Bring Katriana Spark to the Care Chamber, please.”
I drifted along as Rip and Dane each took an arm, turning me toward the door. I
saw the General watching Annaruth with an expression of exasperation and complete devotion. That’s when I realized where I had seen that look before.
It was exactly the way Dane looked at me.
Chapter 5
“She lost a lot of blood.”
“Is that why she’s smiling like that?” Starla asked worriedly. I wiggled my fingers at her.
“It may be contributing. But the spell I invoked takes away all pain. Perhaps it took away all of her cares as well.”
“Oh . . . so it relieves stress too?”
“Can I have some?” Rip asked with a wry smile. But Dane was still frowning.
“She shouldn’t have been injured this badly by a couple of practice rods.”
“I agree, Your Highness,” Annaruth said with a dark look. “There is something odd about all of this.”
“I am so hungry,” I offered, trying to get a look at my own nose. I gave up and lay back again. “Beazil!” I shouted, sitting upright. “I forgot to bring him a snack!”
“I’ll do it,” Starla said. I smiled, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “He likes lobster best,” I whispered. “So do I.”
“We’ll get you some lobster. All you can eat.”
“Aww, Rip, you are so nice. Did I ever tell you how nice you are?”
“She’s drunk,” Dane said flatly, staring at me with a perturbed look on his face. I stuck out my tongue at him. No reaction. I grumbled about that and went back to trying to see my own nose.
“Well, not exactly ‘drunk’, but yes. She does seem to be experiencing an odd reaction to the spell.”
“Are my freckles still there? I can’t see them.”
Starla patted my hand.
“Yes, Tri. Don’t worry.”
“Worry? I want them gone. They are so . . . freckly!”
Dane turned away, but not before I saw him crack a tiny smile. It made me inordinately happy. I couldn’t have explained it, even if I had been thinking clearly, which I clearly wasn’t.
“The General loves you,” I whispered loudly to Annaruth. She just laughed and shook her head.
“Come, children, let’s let her sleep. You can bring her some food in a bit. I must speak to the three of you alone.”
“I’m not even sleepy,” I protested and then promptly fell asleep.
“You are the most wonderful person in the entire world,” I said to Dane, practically humming as I bit into the first of the lobsters he had brought me. I closed my eyes in pure ecstasy as the flavor hit my tongue. I was even hungrier than usual, which was saying something.
“You had a rough day.”
“Did I? I can barely remember it.”
Dane frowned and exchanged a look with Starla and Rip.
“You have to be more careful, Tri. This cannot happen again.”
“Hmm?” I had just shoved an overly large mouthful in and was too busy chewing to try and answer.
“Tri. This is serious.”
I frowned a little bit, finally taking in the three worried faces looking down at me.
“I don’t understand,” I said, swallowing the lobster that suddenly tasted like sand. Something was wrong. I could tell.
Dane looked behind him and cleared his throat.
“We think you are being targeted.”
“Targeted?”
“We think the attack on you may have been deliberate.”
“I’d say it was deliberate! Juno is vicious with a fighting stick!”
“No, we believe it was politically motivated.”
My jaw dropped.
“Political? But I’m no one.”
They exchanged a look, then Starla and Rip backed away, waving.
“That’s our cue,” Rip said with visible relief.
“I’ll go visit with Beazil. See you later, Tri!”
I stared after them, an odd feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.
“What are you all acting so weird about?”
“Tri,” Dane said in a dire voice. He looked miserable. He looked like he was about to deliver very, very bad news. “Annaruth thinks you were attacked because of me.”
My eyes got wide as I took in the Prince’s worried face. He didn’t seem angry at me anymore, but he was definitely upset about something.
Something major.
“How are you feeling?”
I smiled nervously and flipped my fins playfully at him.
“Better than ever.”
“Good,” he said distractedly.
“What’s going on?”
“We can’t really speak freely, Tri.”
“Okay . . .” I waited, afraid of what he was going to say.
“I know what my mother asked you.”
“Right. I told you.”
“No, Katriana. I know that she asked you to step down. As Spark.”
I swallowed, suddenly looking anywhere but at him.
“And I know why.”
“So? I’m sure it was just a whim. She probably forgot.”
“You don’t know my mother if you think she forgot her offer.”
I bit my lip and exhaled.
“Look. It was a very nice offer. It’s not you or anything—”
Dane laughed bitterly.
“It’s the whole giving up everything you’ve dreamed about to become a living doll?”
I stared at him.
“Tri. I get it. I could never put you in the kind of box my mother thinks you belong in. No matter . . .”
“No matter what?”
“No matter how much I would like to keep you by my side.”
I stared at him, not saying anything. I’d never expected that sort of declaration from Dane. From Prince Pollux, I corrected myself mentally.
“Well, maybe things can be different for you. Maybe we can get you out of your box. Then you can be by my side.”
I realized I was admitting I wanted him by my side. But it was only fair. He’d told me how he felt.
Dane stared at me for a tense moment.
“I mean, if you want to be.”
His handsome face broke into a wide grin.
“Nobody else sees the world like you do, Tri.”
“Thank you?”
He just shook his head, his smile lingering.
“The problem is, there are Mers who . . . have a vested interest in who becomes Princess. And who becomes Spark.”
“So they want me to fail out? That would sort of limit my options. Outcast or Princess. It would be a hard call.”
He laughed out loud at that, but he quickly sobered.
“The thought of a common-born Royal does not sit well with everyone. I think . . . we are afraid they may be trying to do more than disqualify you.”
I tilted my head to the side.
“Then what?”
“We think they are trying to kill you, Katriana.”
My jaw dropped open. Of course. How could I be so stupid?
“Just because we . . . like each other?”
He clenched his jaw and nodded.
“Understatement, but yes.”
“And because I am common?”
“You are anything but common, Tri.”
“Oh,” I said softly, suddenly feeling shy. I was pretty sure I was blushing, which in my case basically meant all my freckles turned pink. Our admitting that we liked each other had somehow changed everything. It had made everything real. “That is a nice thing to say.”
“It’s true.” He stared at me for moment. “And it’s one of a million reasons I refuse to let anything happen to you.”
“I don’t think you can protect me all the time, Dane.”
“I know. So Annaruth is putting protection spells on all of us.”
I opened my mouth to ask but he beat me to the punch.
“Even Beazil.”
“Isn’t that against the rules? I thought only the Royals were allowed that kind of magic.”
“Well, let’s just say my friends are honorary Royals.” He w
inked. “Especially that shark of yours.”
“He’s not mine,” I said with a yawn, suddenly tired. “We belong to each other. Equally.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Dane chucked my chin and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead.
“Get some rest.”
As he left, I noticed the doorway wavered as if he’d passed through a membrane, like where two oceans met, or breaking the surface of a water bubble in a cave. The room was spelled.
There were several guards outside, I realized. Royal guards.
I felt safe. I still grumbled to myself about all the fuss as I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 6
“Focus your energy,” Grendor said, her melodious voice belying the danger of the exercise we were attempting.
Calling forth magic was not easy, nor was it particularly safe for the inexperienced. And we were all pretty much inexperienced.
Even after hours and hours of this, I was getting nothing. Not even a sparkle. I was starting to worry that I was a dud.
I told them. I warned Annaruth I didn’t have magic!
None of us were chosen for our magical abilities, except perhaps Marcum, and he was blissfully excused from most of our training. He had his own challenges to meet. Fighting off foreign invaders or deep-diving humans was not one of them.
Though, from I could tell, no Mer had ever had to battle a two-legger. The few unlucky fishermen who had learned of our existence usually went mad or fell in love with the Mer they encountered and then went mad, trying in vain to reach the underwater world they could only dream of.
Apparently, something about our innate magic made us hard to resist. They didn’t call us ‘Sirens’ for nothing.
But magic did not come easily to all of us. We might all have some level of mystical abilities, but I, for one, was hard-pressed to call it forth. And certainly not on command, in the heat of battle!
Thankfully, we weren’t trying to kill each other yet. We were simply trying to conjure a ball of light. A ball of light that could later be used to obliterate another Mer. Or start a rockslide. Or topple an oil rig.
Basically, it was Magical Combat 101. The most basic move at a Mer’s disposal. You didn’t even have to serve the Royals to perform a basic spell.
Mermaid Academy Page 3