Midnight Law

by Geanna Culbertson

  “Are you sure about this?” Girtha asked.

  I glanced at her condescendingly. “No, Girtha. I gave all that exposition and dug this taffy out without thinking things through. Oh, wait, that’s your style of doing things, isn’t it?”

  Girtha’s face fell.

  Good.

  I was still angry with her and Chance. It had been over a month since Crisa got stuck in Dreamland because Chance ruined the magic sand we needed to extract Mark’s Shadow and Girtha triggered the trap over the realm that kept Crisa locked in after she took Mark’s Shadow to free him. I’d tried to let my resentment toward them go, and maybe I could have if Crisa had come back . . . but she didn’t. Now the anger I’d been suppressing had started to boil anew.

  This wasn’t about Crisa being stuck in another dimension anymore. This was about my best friend being tortured by some psychopath because two new additions to our team had blown it when it mattered most. I didn’t make those kinds of mistakes. Jason, Daniel, and SJ didn’t make them either. We weren’t perfect, but we didn’t screw our friends over. This is what we got for changing our dynamic—letting people alter the way we do things. Change and chaos were close cousins.

  My eyes flicked to Jason. He looked at me disapprovingly. Nevertheless, I didn’t feel bad about what I’d said, and he’d better get used to my snarkiness where Chance and Girtha were concerned. Such comments were fair, and I needed some outlet if I was to be stuck with these two. I really shouldn’t have been on Chance’s questing team, but Jason was adamant about helping the prince, and I was adamant about making sure Jason had backup.

  I sighed and started tearing the saltwater taffy into chunks. “Trust me,” I said, handing it out to the others. “Once you swallow it the magic will activate, but you won’t see the effects until you’re actually underwater.”

  We all started chewing. I still had a sizeable wad of saltwater taffy left, so I put the candy in its container and returned it to my backpack. When we’d swallowed, Jason looked to Chance and gestured at the water. “You want me and Blue to go first? We’ve done this before.”

  Chance met my judgmental eyes. “No, that’s okay.” He walked to the edge of the sandbar, took a final breath, then strode into the dark, swaying waters. The prince was up to his waist when all of a sudden his head completely disappeared below the surface.

  “Chance?” Girtha called.

  A second later, he popped up. “Jason was right. There’s a faint green trail of light under here. I guess we follow it to find the Midnight Law flame.”

  The three of us joined Chance in the freezing water. Luckily, the temperature affected me less and less as the taffy’s magic took hold. Once fully submerged, I felt a tingling-itching in my throat like caterpillars crawling around my windpipe. Then it felt like someone pinched both sides of my neck. I touched where the sensation had occurred. I’d grown gills. Part one of the magic transformation was complete.

  I glanced down at my trembling hands as part two kicked in. The skin between my fingers extended and turned sparkling turquoise. It was a kind of webbing that helped us move through the water with great ease.

  My body settled into the taffy’s magic completely after that. In addition to the ability to breathe and talk underwater, the enchanted candy counteracted our natural buoyancy—we could sink or float as we wanted. I bobbed easily beneath the waves and looked around at my transformed team. In the otherwise dark waters, we were eerily illuminated by the streak of hazy green light that descended into the depths.

  Each of us now had a set of shimmering turquoise gills on our necks that matched the webbing between our fingers. The whites of our eyes were washed out in pale blue, while our pupils were rimmed with glowing rings of rose gold. This effect was tied to the magic allowing us to see decently underwater, regardless of how far we went below sea level.

  “Testing, one, two, three,” Girtha said.

  “Impressive,” Chance commented, marveling at his hands. He nodded toward the light. “Shall we?” The prince swam down and we followed, propelled forward by our arms and legs. The deeper we went, the more distance we covered with each stroke as we got accustomed to our transformation. Focused on the task at hand, we didn’t speak until the shimmering city came into view.

  “Holy cow, is that Mer?” Jason exclaimed.

  I knew we were on an epically dangerous quest to save a dear friend from a terrible fate, but I forgot about that for a second when we saw the underwater megalopolis.

  Mer was the legendary magical kingdom under the sea. Most people knew it as the watery realm that Book’s famous Little Mermaid protagonist came from. I had never seen it before, but as there was only one undersea kingdom in Book, I knew it when I saw it. This was a place that no human—to my knowledge—had ever journeyed to. Being here was an absolute gift to a fairytale history nerd like me!

  “It’s beautiful,” Girtha said.

  I nodded in awe and agreement. Every building from the smallest dwelling to the tallest underwater skyscraper was made from colored, glowing coral. The whole city gave off so much light that it was hard to imagine it was past midnight.

  We swam into the city, following the green light between buildings. My brain nearly burst from so much wonder. Algae, kelp, and other underwater foliage grew around the structures. Starfish made whimsical designs against walls. Carriages crafted from giant seashells were pulled by surprisingly big seahorses, hammerhead sharks, and even the occasional sea turtle. I spotted an octopus wearing a hat directing traffic and a herd of baby manatees playing in an undersea park. And there were Mer people everywhere—beautiful mermaids and hot mermen with brightly colored tails of glistening scales.

  As we swam, I was surprised no one stopped and asked us what we were doing here. Mer people and humans weren’t supposed to interact, but they all seemed pretty chill. Could it be our magical taffy changes disguised us enough for them not to notice we didn’t belong?

  “Jason? Bree?”

  We stopped at the voice and I was startled to come face to face with the only mermaid I knew personally.

  “Lonna Langard?” I almost couldn’t believe it. It’d been nearly a year since I met this blonde, spunky mermaid off the coast of Adelaide.

  “You know each other?” Chance asked.

  “We met during our quest to find the Author,” Jason explained. “And we ran into each other in Neverland a few months ago. Lonna is one of the princesses of Mer, she has cool powers that can control currents, and she’s cool in general.”

  “Guilty,” Lonna said, holding out her hand to shake Chance’s and then Girtha’s as they introduced themselves. Her eyes were bigger than a human’s—like ping-pong-ball sized—and the irises were purple like her bathing suit top. She had a streak of black in her hair that hadn’t been there before. Rebellious phase?

  “When did you get back to Book?” Jason asked. “When Daniel, Crisa, and I ran into you in Neverland, you’d been exploring the Wonderlands for a while.”

  Lonna shrugged. “I got homesick. It happens to adventurous people too. I’ve been back in Mer for five weeks, though it feels like an eternity. My family gave me an earful about the way I left. Evidently my note was not ‘adequate notice.’ Anyway, what brings you guys here?”

  I sighed, bummed to have to explain the sad reason we’d journeyed to such an amazing place. “We’re following that.” I gestured to the green trail of light that weaved through the city. “Crisa’s been kidnapped by antagonists and we’re using a magic spell called Midnight Law to find her. That trail of light should lead us to a green flame we’re supposed to collect and a challenge that goes along with it.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Lonna looked genuinely upset. She’d met Crisa before she’d met any of us and I guess I would call them friends.

  “I’ll escort you through the city faster with my powers. It’ll keep anyone from noticing your flaws like I did.”

  “Our flaws?” Girtha said.

  “I assume
you’re using the same taffy as last time.” She looked to Jason and he nodded. “That stuff has an illusion effect you probably didn’t even know about. From faraway it looks like you have mermaid tails, but when I recognized Bree’s cloak and got closer, at about ten feet the illusion became blurry and then I could see through it. We can’t have anyone else realizing you’re human; they’d flip out. But with my help you’ll move too fast for them to see.”

  “Thank you,” Chance said.

  Lonna swam over to him. “No problem. I’m happy to do favors for nice people, and super cute people. It’s a privilege to assist someone who checks both boxes.” She winked.

  Then her eyes glowed blue and a matching aura consumed her body. Currents of water wrapped us in three separate groups—me and Lonna, Jason on his own, and Chance and Girtha. I was pleasantly amazed how natural it felt as the currents pulled us up and through the city. The powerful rushes of water moved our bodies along speedily, but I barely sensed a thing. It was like being guided by gently flowing funnels. I didn’t even need to kick or paddle, which allowed me to fully take in the wonderous scenes and sea creatures we zoomed by. Schools of fish, illuminated sand patterns, a mermaid waving to me from an apartment building—

  “Hey, Bree—girl to girl—is that Chance guy single? Lonna like.”

  I tore my attention from the amazing undersea scenery. “It’s Blue actually.”

  “What is?”

  “My name. And as for Chance, I would say probably not.” I glanced back. My other three quest mates were cruising along in their currents behind us, their eyes fixated on the glorious world. “They can’t hear us, right?”

  “No. These currents are like contained pockets of space. You shouldn’t be able to hear much outside of your own. That’s why I put the two of us together. We could be traveling in our own individual currents, but I felt like some girl-talk, and I don’t know Girtha like I know you.”

  Lonna flipped onto her back, folded her hands behind her head, and flapped her purple mermaid tail. I worried she was going to crash into something, but our currents flowed effortlessly around the undersea buildings and any other obstacles that came our way.

  “So, Chance is taken?”

  “He’s really into Crisa actually,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure how nuts she is about him. They’ve become good friends, and I think they’d make a cute couple. But I don’t know. I’m not good at reading feelings that way.”

  “Bummer,” Lonna said, pursing her lips. “I have the hardest time meeting cute guys in Mer.”

  “I find that hard to believe.” I glanced at the Mer people below. Some stared for a second as we whizzed past. I stared back, mainly because most mermen didn’t wear shirts and I’d never seen so many hot guys in one setting. “A girl could hurt herself around here. The abs I’ve seen in the last couple of minutes could cut glass.”

  “True,” Lonna admitted. “But when you’re a princess, and the daughter of a super strict and intimidating king, guys stay away because they don’t want any of that drama. Too complicated. Plus, if I’m being frank, I’m kind of a lot to handle and have a reputation for being a wildcard.”

  “No wonder you and Crisa get along. Her middle name may as well be wildcard. It’s partially what got her into this situation . . .” I swallowed, trying to push away the memory, but Lonna pressed for more.

  “What happened to her?” she asked seriously. Our currents flowed over a massive traffic circle where at least thirty different types of seashell carriages were congested in traffic.

  “She did what wildcards do,” I responded. “She made a risky choice to protect everyone else. Chance and Girtha messed up after that, and the consequences snowballed. We now have twenty-four Book hours to save her or the magic spell that’s helping Chance and Daniel find her will turn them both to stone. That’s where Daniel and SJ are right now—on their own quest like us to try and get to Crisa by a different route.”

  “Sounds like a lot,” Lonna said. We zoomed over a nightclub built into the ruins of a sunken ship. Bright, flashing lights poured out of the windows, glowing barnacles decorated the outside, and Mer couples danced on the main deck. “Why didn’t you try to save her?”

  My attention snapped back. “What?”

  “From what I remember, you’re strong and smart,” Lonna said. “If you were there when all this stuff with Crisa, Chance, and Girtha went down, couldn’t you have done something?”

  “Are you implying that I didn’t?” My eyes narrowed.

  “No. I’m just—”

  “Lonna.” I held up a hand. “I really don’t want to talk about it. Change the subject please.”

  Lonna studied me, but I didn’t blink. I wasn’t trying to be rude or mean. At least not to her. I was actually trying to be strong and smart, the kind of person Lonna just asserted I was. A strong person needed to hold it together when the pressure was on and stakes were high. A smart person needed to not relive dark, distracting moments of the past when the future was still so changeable and fragile. If I was going to be strong and smart, I needed to avoid thinking about what happened with Crisa . . . and the role I had played.

  “Fine,” Lonna said after a moment. “I suppose it is safe to assume that Jason is not on the market either?”

  “The market?”

  “I’m shopping for potential land-based boyfriends, Blue. If the Little Mermaid did it, why not this princess? I don’t mind long-distance relationships.”

  I glanced back. Jason’s eyes were glazed over from staring in astonishment at the world around us, but in that moment he noticed me looking and gave a slight wave. I darted my eyes away.

  “Jason is off the market.”

  Lonna nodded. “You two finally got together?”

  I made a face, which made Lonna laugh. “You look like you ate a bad piece of seaweed. What’s the matter? You don’t think he’s cute?”

  “No, he is.”

  “Then you don’t like spending one-on-one time with him?”

  “No, I do.”

  “Then what’s the problem, Blue?”

  “It’s a character thing,” I huffed.

  I wanted to dodge this subject too, but Lonna and I were literally trapped together in a contained pocket of space, and I’d already given her too much information for her to simply let the matter die. I sighed. Maybe there were worse things than expressing your fears to someone you may never see again and who lived very very far away.

  I hadn’t talked to anybody about my relationship issues with Jason. My two closest girl friends were Crisa and SJ, and both had been unavailable lately—the former being a prisoner and all, and the latter always crazy busy with potions and peace talks. Lonna was kind and quirky, and I liked her frankness. Why the heck not go out on a limb? Jason hadn’t understood where I was coming from when I expressed my feelings on the matter. Maybe Lonna would. She was a girl and a princess, and half fish; that brought an interesting perspective to romance, I’m sure.

  “I don’t know how it is in Mer, Lonna, but in Book, once a girl main character finds a love interest, it’s all anybody cares about. I’ve worked my whole life to be defined by my strength, cleverness, and individual journey. If I got wrapped up in a relationship with Jason, I feel like that’s what people would care about and what my story would be most remembered for. I don’t want that. My older sister’s story is already defined by her weakness and the handsome man who saved her from the bowels of a wolf. I can’t live my life playing second fiddle to a boy, being a sidekick or a damsel. I want to stand on my own . . . even if that means being alone.”

  We began to move past the city limits. Soon we’d flowed deep enough into the open ocean again that our only sources of light were the green trail, our glowing aquatic appendages, and Lonna’s radiant blue aura. Sea life decreased rapidly. Only the occasional miscellaneous fish, burst of aquatic vegetation, or coral structure hung around. I looked back reflexively to ensure we hadn’t lost the others.

  “
I respect your thinking, Blue,” Lonna said thoughtfully. My attention returned forward. “I may ogle a lot of guys and have a weakness for dimples and buff arms, but if I had to choose between getting wrapped up in that and forging my own legend, I would pick the latter too.”

  Relief flooded through me. “You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. Jason’s been surprisingly cool about it since I shot down his attempts at romance, but I know I cut him deep when I did. The hurt in his eyes still haunts me. It’s good to hear another girl agreeing with my viewpoint. It makes me feel like I’m not crazy.”

  “I mean, you are,” Lonna said bluntly.

  “Come again?”

  “Like I said. If I had to choose, I would pick girl power over the handsome hero every time. But I don’t believe we have to choose. We’re girls. We’re some of the most complex creatures in existence. We don’t have to pick feminism over romance like we can only check a single category. Sure, it’s a lot harder to make it on our own and be recognized for it in a merman’s world, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do that and live a good life with a guy you love. Having it all is possible. It’s not easy; if it were, everyone would do it. But anything worth having requires hard work, right?”

  I stared at her. Was this the same girl I was talking to about abs a minute ago? Lonna had layers. Lonna also had a good point. The stubborn side of me didn’t like acknowledging that, but I couldn’t deny it. So instead . . . I spoke into existence something I was ashamed of, but was the only truth I could offer in response to Lonna’s position.

  “I don’t know if I’m brave enough to take that risk,” I admitted.

  We traveled in silence for a while. The ocean got darker, making Lonna and the green trail grow brighter by comparison. Sea life vanished altogether; we only saw sand and more sand until we arrived at the edge of a huge undersea cliff. The ocean floor dropped into an abyss. Fluorescent blue barnacles attached to the rock provided enough glow to highlight the innards of the plunge. It was deep, seemingly without end. Our green trail dove into it without apology.