A bloodstain.
My stomach tightens. How would a selkie attack? I’m in the same class as a fair number of selkies to learn how to use weapons, but that’s for when we’re fighting on land. The class I’m in for underwater fighting is comprised of only merfolk.
My guess? Seals will use their teeth and bite and tear away skin. I didn’t see any teeth marks on Dad’s tail, but from the way chunks had been ripped out, that’s a reasonable guess. They might also use their bodies as battering rams. A few blows to the ribs will crack them.
“Rillia, what do you think you’re doing?”
I glance up. Over the ridge appears Talise. Just behind her is Edlyn, Baltic, Dover, and last of all, Adra. I’m surprised she came too, but I’m not shocked she got our friends to come.
“What happened to a small party going unnoticed?” I ask Adra as I swim over to the group.
“I told Baltic,” Adra starts.
“Dover was there,” Baltic says.
“No way was I not coming to,” Dover adds.
“I saw them,” Talise says.
“And I was with her, so we can along for the ride,” Edlyn finishes.
“So I meant it to be small, but like usual, nothing ever goes as I plan,” Adra huffs. Her blond hair flutters about as she puts her hands on the top of her silver tail.
I eye my friends in turn. “I’m here because I want to figure out why the selkies attacked us. Fin out, and let’s examine as much as we can. There has to be a reason why they came at us.”
“We might not find anything,” Adra points out.
I know that. It’s highly likely that we won’t. And if that’s the case, there’s somewhere else we can go to find out.
The selkies’ kingdom
Aquilina.
Chapter 5
The more we look, the more we don’t find, and the more we talk.
“Maybe they want to expand the reach of their kingdom,” Talise suggests. She’s twisted her black hair into a braid that hangs over her right shoulder.
“The falls are halfway between our kingdom and theirs,” Dover says. He flicks his teal tail as he zooms down the ridge to seek out the bottom portion of the falls.
“All kinds of fish and creatures, paranormal and not, come here,” I say. “Do they want war with us all? The sirens too?”
“Not the sea dragons, at least.” A disgusted look crosses Baltic’s face. “They know better than to venture so close to our kingdom.”
I swallow hard. “Why do we hate them so much?” I ask.
Adra purses her lips. “Come on, Rillia. Have you forgotten Underwater History 101 already?”
“I know about the war over the surf turf, yes, but is that it? The only reason why? That was over five hundred years ago! We’ve kept to our sand and they to theirs. There’s no reason for the lingering animosity,” I protest.
“So, you want peace with the sea dragons but not the selkies,” Adra says slowly.
“Well, the sea dragons haven’t attacked us recently,” I say bitterly.
“There’s always minor squabbles and fights between us,” Edlyn points out.”
“Yes,” I admit, “but none that have resulted in bloodshed.” I gesture violently toward some of the bloodstained rocks. “Just look at this!”
None of the others could argue.
In the end, none of us could discover anything that had been left behind. There aren’t any clues here as to why the selkies attacked.
Which means…
“You all can go back to Hydria,” I say calmly.
“Not without you!” Adra shouts.
I eye her. She should’ve known she would realize I had no intention of returning just yet.
“Where to next?” Dover asks eagerly.
“There’s only one other place to go.”
“You can’t be serious,” Adra groans.
Baltic rubs his hands together. “We’re in,” he says, looking at Dover, who nods emphatically.
“You don’t have to come,” I tell Adra.
“This isn’t smart!” she wails.
“What’s not smart is bolstering defenses and waiting for another attack,” I argue. “If the king and queen truly want peace, they would send a delegate to talk to the selkies. Have they done that?”
“You can’t just make assumptions,” Adra protests.
“You would know,” I insist. “Have they sent anyone?”
Adra falls silent.
“If they haven’t already, then they aren’t going to,” I point out.
She sighs and hangs her head. “You’re probably right.”
“Of course I am.”
Adra used to tattle on us if we would swim where we shouldn’t or that one time we fought a crab-shark. One of the reasons why she told is because she’s the niece of the queen. She’s always felt the need to behave and do what’s right, but honestly, I think that she likes to go on our adventures because so many times, she could’ve stayed behind, and she never does.
“This is gonna be sleek!” Edlyn says.
“Not really,” I warn. “They could very well attack us if we’re discovered.”
“We won’t be,” Dover says. “We’ll slip in and out in no time.”
Adra makes a face. “You’ll stick out from afar with your hair. Me too. We should…”
She gathers some seaweed and proceeds to wrap it around Dover’s red hair. Edlyn helps to cover Adra’s hair.
“Maybe you should cover your tail too,” I suggest, “since it’s so bright.”
Adra sighs, but she allows Edlyn and Talise to weave the seaweed around Adra’s tail as if to make a skirt covering for it.
“Now we just need… Where did Baltic go?” I ask.
I quickly do a lap around the falls, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
“We can’t leave without him. He’ll be very important if it does come to a fight.”
“I’m here,” Baltic says. He swims up to me and hands me a trident.
I marvel at the weapon. Where did you get this?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. His brown eyes are twinkling.
I narrow my eyes. “Have you been learning your father’s craft after all?”
“Maybe. Just on break so a little here and there. I didn’t make these. Dad did, but they have tiny imperfections on them, so he can’t sell them. I put them aside for when the next Great Hunt comes around.”
Every few years, when the crab-sharks come too close to our domain, the strongest and bravest of the merfolk go on a massive hunt. Killing one or two will get them to return to their waters and leave us in peace.
“I would love to go on the next hunt,” I gush.
“I’m sure you would.” Adra shakes her head and has to readjust a piece of seaweed. “I am sitting that out!”
We all laugh.
I wait until Baltic passes a trident to each of us. We’ve been trained on how to use them for two to three years now at the academy. Baltic and Dover trained even before then with Baltic’s dad. For the most part, I prefer a barbed spear, but I know how to use a trident well enough.
I glance around at everyone. They all seem ready to go, even Adra. There’s mostly eagerness from the guys, excited nervousness from Edlyn and Talise, and, of course, worry and anxiety from Adra.
“Now, when we get to Aquilina,” I whisper, “we aren’t going to be able to talk. Use your hands to gesture if you have to communicate anything. Chances are, they’ll have more guards around their perimeter too. They might think we’ll launch an attack back at them, so they could be prepared for us.”
A lot of fish and other marine life pass us by, and I do my best not to disrupt them. The last thing I want is to affect the currents. Any time anything as small as a school of fish being disrupted can affect the ripples and currents and water far away. The source of each disruption cannot be detected from afar, but it would be certain to make the selkies be on high alert.
I’ve never been inside of Aquil
ina before. It’ll be interesting to see how they constructed their buildings, if they have similar structures to our own. The houses and buildings themselves aren’t all that important to our mission, outside of our having to use them to hide between.
We reach the ridge before Aquilina and halt there.
“Should we all go?” Baltic mouths more than says.
I nod. The thought of splitting up strikes me as a terrible idea. If one of us should be left behind… Yes, the chances of being caught are much higher, considering there are six of us, but I will not risk some of us being able to flee and others being captured.
“All together,” I mouth.
“For the merfolk,” the others mouth.
I peek over the ridge. There are spiral columns formed out of sand mark the entrance to Aquilina, and I don’t see much coral at all. That’s a relief. Coral has lots of opening and ridges and holes that would make hiding behind much harder, but the sand is compact tightly. We’ll be able to hide entirely.
If we can get past the guards.
Dover holds up both hands.
Adra shakes her head and holds up her two pointer fingers. Eleven?
A quick count reveals ten guards. No. Wait, Adra’s right. There’s one lurking just past their sandy, arched entranceway.
I point to the left, and we circle around their kingdom. There are more all along the high-walled barrier to their kingdoms, and I grimace. There has to be a way for us to sneak inside.
Or maybe not. We’re about a quarter of the way around when I realize the trio of guards is talking. Even better, there’s a thick cluster of coral near them. What else would they be talking about but the attack?
I tap Dover’s shoulder and get everyone’s attention. With great exaggeration, I point to my chest and then to the coral and up to the guards. Then, I cup my hands behind my ears and point to myself again.
Adra grimaces, but the others nod, and I slip over to the coral as quickly as I can but also as smoothly as possible. I cut through the water seamlessly, not causing a single ripple, and I halt in position, sinking as low as I can, curling my tail tight to my chest to make myself as small as possible.
“Ula never even looks your way,” one of the guards is saying.
“She can’t stand you, and you know it,” says the darkest selkie.
“We shared a kiss once,” says the last guard. He has the most whiskers out of them all, and they wiggle as he wrinkles his nose.
“As a seal or a human?” the first asks.
“What does it matter?”
“Of course it matters,” the darkest selkie cuts in.
I groan. Seriously? They’re fighting over a selkie? Why?
The three of them begin to argue in earnest. Two of them have their backs to me, and I make my way back to the others. My grimace is answer enough to their unspoken question.
We move on. Unfortunately, everywhere else, there are a lot more guards, and while they’re talking, I can’t risk getting close again. There’s nothing I can use as cover.
Adra is the one who comes up with a great idea. She’s removing all of her seaweed, which freaks me out, but then she starts to wrap coral fragments in the seaweed. Swiftly, Talise and Edlyn help her by using even more seaweed to attach the coral to my arms and tail and even my head. Soon, I’m a swimming coral reef.
Now, I just might be able to get closer to any of the guards. Of course, if they pay attention to their surroundings at all, they’ll release there’s coral where there normally isn’t any, but I’ll just have to take that risk. Even more nerve-wracking that I have to give my trident over. Coral wouldn’t be armed, after all!
I swim around with the others to try to find a smaller group of guards. There’s another trio, but they aren’t talking. Unfortunately, the smallest group who is talking is six. One for each of us. The thought has me swallowing hard, but the angry expressions on their seal faces make me hopeful that they’re talking about the merfolk.
I glance at the others. One by one, they nod, Adra last of all.
My heart is pounding as I loosen my limbs, exhale, and allow the current to carry me along. I float as if I’m a broken piece of coral. My eyes are closed, my face turned down. Gradually, the voices wash over me on the waves.
“They were stronger than anticipated.”
“That doesn’t matter. We’ll be ready next time.”
Next time? They have to be talking about another attack!
“Maybe a few could slip inside—”
“It’s too late to try that route. They’re bolstering their defenses as we speak.”
They’re definitely talking about the merfolk. I still have no idea why they attacked, but maybe I can at least learn when they might launch another one.
“Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“It’s not up to us to think one way or the other.”
“We’re just guards. We do what we’re told.”
“Yes, we’re guards, but we have thoughts and brains, don’t we? We aren’t mindless, and I’m not sure—”
“You might want to watch your tongue. The new queen might not like your next words.”
Hmm. A new queen who seems to want the attacks? Maybe she just wants to show off her might, or maybe she does want war. Maybe all she wants is more land.
Well, she’s not going to get whatever it is that she wants. The merfolk aren’t cowards. We aren’t going to turn over onto our backs and rise to the surface stomach up. No, if they come at us again, I just know that the king and queen will see reason. We’ll take the fight to them.
It would mean war. It would mean more carnage and death. If land is truly what she wants, then I just don’t see how there can be a peaceful resolution because we are not going to give up our land for her. So much of the ocean hasn’t been claimed by anyone. Why go after us? It just doesn’t make any sense.
I shake my head and try to listen some more, only to realize the guards aren’t talking anymore.
There’s movement on the water. Heading for me.
I’ve been spotted. By the tide, this isn’t good.
Chapter 6
My muscles tighten up, which means I’m fighting the current, even if only slightly. I force myself to relax, to loosen up once more, and the current recaptures.
It is completely fine if the current captures me. The selkies on the other fin? No. Not a chance. Not fine at all.
That would be a total disaster.
It might even start a maritime war.
The ripples moving toward me stop, and I hold my breath. Maybe there’s a chance I can pull this off yet. Maybe we won’t have anything to worry about. I don’t know if it’s new knowledge for our king and queen that the selkies have a new queen, but it might be a start.
Then, the tip of my tail gets caught. Trapped in… I don’t know. Something. I can’t risk looking, and the desire to yank myself free is so tempting that I almost give in. The thought of being stuck, of being captured by a plant possibly being the means that I’m discovered and captured by the selkies, is so frightening that my flight response is nearly activated despite myself.
No. Fight. If I have to, I’ll fight.
With coral attached to my body.
And without a weapon.
There’s only so much I can do.
The hold on my tail lessens, the current slowly fighting my way to freedom, and I close my eyes, almost giving in and sighing with relief when something sharp clamps down on the tip of my tail.
Teeth.
It takes everything in me not to scream.
Something hard slams into my arm and ribs. I let out a breathy “oomph.” This is it. Either I react now and try to fight off a bunch of selkie guards with no weapons and while I’m hindered by a bunch of coral, or I let them beat me to a bloody pulp and possibly even kill me so my friends can get away.
There’s no chance I’ll win if I fight them, and if I do fight back, my friends will enter the battle, and they might be hurt or kille
d too.
So there’s really no choice. I’ll just accept the blows as punishment for my anger and my distrust of the king and queen. Ever since I first enrolled at Magical Hunters Academy and I learned that almost all merfolk are forced into the marine army after graduation, I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth whenever I think of the king and queen. They allow others to do the training and then reap the rewards. Everyone knows the point of going to Magical Hunters Academy is to go on and work for Hunters, Slayers, Executioners Unite. That’s still my goal.
A goal that will now never come to fruition.
A few more slams against my body, and there’s a cracking sound. Tails can’t exactly break, but something happened to it.
Another bite on my tail and I don’t know how much longer I can keep still and silent. It hurts so much, but my friends… I’ll do this for them.
Only there are ripples, so many ripples, and I can’t help looking up as Dover, red hair slightly visible through the seaweed falling in his wake, slices through the water and stabs one of the selkies.
My friends. My stupid, daring friends. I gave them the chance to escape, and they still choose to fight.
Baltic and Dover swim back to back, fighting off the selkies or at least keeping them at bay. Edlyn joins them, but Talise and Adra use their tridents to cut the coral away from me. I’m battered, bruised, and broken, but I am not beaten. I grab my trident back from Baltic and stab and stab and stab. Most of my blows miss, but I’m not trying to fight the guards. I’m just trying to inch backward, away from them and their kingdom. If they call for more guards, we’ll be overrun.
“We need to get out of here,” I tell Talise.
She grits her teeth and uses her trident to force a selkie back.
One selkie comes at me. His mouth is wide open. I do my best to shove the trident right into his maw, but he suddenly ducks down low and zooms forward, moving too quickly for my wounded body to react. His mouth is inches from my tail when a trident comes out of nowhere and pierces him. The selkie jerks a few times, and the other selkies swim over, biting the trident and trying to remove it from their friend.
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