Vast and Brutal Sea

by Zoraida Cordova

  “For as long as I’ve been a merman, I’ve had other people tell me that ‘the sea people are responsible for their own demise.’ They aren’t wrong. Not from where I’ve been standing. It’s time that we take that back. And the only way to move forward is with a king who truly knows you.”

  I turn to Kurt, and he takes a step back. “What are you doing?”

  I hold the trident out for him to take. “My grandfather was right. I was meant to change things. To make you see that humans aren’t so bad, that the landlocked can be forgiven. You don’t have to be afraid of the unknown. But the kingship? That was meant for you.”

  “Tristan—”

  “I’m only going to offer the one time,” I say, the power of the trident pulling me. It’s tempting, it is. I saw how power was a living force that fed Nieve. I never want to be like that.

  Kurt takes the trident from me. He stares at it for a long time, and I know in my bones I’ve done the right thing.

  “King Kurtomathetis,” I say.

  He laughs, taking my arm. “Just call me Kurt.”

  For days, I stay on the island.

  Along with the Alliance and the landlocked—not so landlocked now—we help rebuild Toliss as much as we can.

  Most of it is on Kurt, whose formal awkwardness as my guardian has translated into being a king. Sometimes he forgets that he can smite people if he felt like it, and he bows at the end of conversations.

  “Can’t you just whip up a giant statue of me?” I say to him. “I think I’m pretty statue-worthy.”

  He’s using the trident to rebuild the wall the Sleeping Giants crushed. Instead of a huge structure that needed to be climbed, it’s now a line of pillars that give a view of the thick forest. Beyond the forest is the white beach.

  “I wouldn’t want to scare anyone away,” he says.

  “Funny.”

  It goes on like that for a few days in preparation for the official coronation. Part of me is all jitters, thinking about the visions I’ve seen—me dying, Kurt and I mortal enemies. Even if I’ve avoided that version of the future, who’s to say something equally violent isn’t going to happen?

  Slender hands wrap around me. “Worrying again?”

  I sling an arm around Layla’s shoulder. “Me? Never.”

  She tilts her head up for a kiss and I take it eagerly.

  “Thalia says she needs you in the nursery,” she says.

  This is when my heart tightens. I walk into the Toliss chambers where one room hasn’t changed. During the aftermath, I told Kurt about Nieve’s nursery. We decided it was best to raise the baby merrows.

  “This has never been done,” he said.

  I picked up the one with skin the color of sunset. “The creatures we were fighting didn’t stand a chance. They were literally fed hatred and dark magic three times a day.”

  It didn’t go over well with some of the elder mermen, but those who didn’t want to be ruled by the throne had the option of leaving. Our numbers now are small, which I guess makes us an endangered species.

  Now in the nursery, Thalia feeds one of the children. “You wanted to see me.”

  She nods, her long, greenish hair loose around her body. She wears a tulle skirt. Her scales cover her breasts like a bra. I wonder if I can do that. So I close my eyes and try to make the scales rise, but they don’t. Must be a chick thing.

  “Thalia—” I know what she wants to ask me.

  “Why didn’t you change me?” she asks, trying to keep her voice down so as not to wake the kids. “You kept your word to everyone else. To the landlocked, to the river people. Everyone except for me.”

  “The reason I did that…” I say.

  “Is because I asked him to,” Kurt finishes for me. He walks into the chamber. His cheeks are sunburned from a week of pure, unadulterated sun. “I owe this to you.”

  Thalia puts the baby down and stands in front of her brother.

  He takes her chin and tilts her face so she can look at him. “I wish I hadn’t left you. I wish I’d been a better brother to you. But know that I love you, and if this is what makes you happy, this is what I will do.”

  He takes his trident and points it at Thalia. A pulsing blue light hits her chest. Her eyes and mouth open wide as if something inside her is breaking. Her gills disappear, leaving the faint pearly scar. It has to hurt. I know it does. My mom said it did when it happened to her. But when it’s done and Thalia wobbles to take her first step as a human girl, Kurt holds out his arms and catches her.

  •••

  The coronation is an all-day thing.

  With all the elders turned to surf and coral beneath the Glass Castle, Kai is the only one left to fill their shoes. She takes in every detail, from a specific leaf that has to be wreathed around Kurt’s hair to the direction he holds the trident to the sun. It’s like she’s posing a model for a photo shoot. She guides the new members of the Sea Guard, lead by Arion, to flank the new king.

  She nicks his finger and holds it over the great lake. Kurt repeats after her, “As blood of the sea, I swear to serve thee.”

  Then she pops a crown over his head, the same one my grandfather wore the day I met him.

  “Jealous?” Shelly asks beside me.

  “Like the new ’do,” I tell her.

  She touches her hair self-consciously. It’s long and black, no longer a handful of thin wisps. Now that she’s one of the two remaining oracles, she’s been trying to “get out there” so her line doesn’t die with her.

  Shelly struts to the throne where Kurt takes her hand and kisses the back of it. Her fairy handmaidens flit about her, fixing strays from her hair and wrinkles from her dress.

  Kai calls my name and the lake gets quiet.

  I look around as if there is another Tristan Hart.

  Layla gives me a push and I walk to them. When I try to bow, Kurt stops me. Shelly holds a golden box and opens it for me. Nestled on a lining of red velvet is a strange weapon. Seventeen inches or so of glistening platinum with HART etched in a fine cursive, and a sharp piercing white crystal at the end.

  “For defeating the sea witch,” Kurt says, “and never forgetting where you come from. Tristan Hart, I declare you Protector of Land and Sea.”

  “I forged it myself,” Shelly says with a wink.

  I take it and feel the instant connection to the core of the crystal. I turn to the cheering crowd and hold up my weapon to the sky.

  I stand at the Coney Island pier. In the distance, a storm moves toward the horizon and I know that’s where Toliss is moving on to its next destination.

  The boardwalk is reopened, and with a little help from the Sea King, the beach is patched from the holes we put in it. The sky directly above me is silky dark blue without a single threat of a cloud. The Wonder Wheel and other rides are up and the beach is open for the public once again. Frederik lies on the beach, a line that could pass for a smile brightening his face. He’s surrounded by giddy vampire girls and demigods. They look up at the moon and soak up its light—moonbathing.

  Marty and Layla run up on either side of me. We lean on the new wooden railing. The old one was blasted to bits. I grab for Layla without thinking twice, taking her hand in mine and trying not to think that this is the same pier she got taken from.

  “Your parents are wondering where you are,” Layla says. “Everyone is celebrating.”

  “I know,” I say. “I’m just taking it all in.”

  “Marty misses Dylan already,” she snorts. “Now that Dylan is the King’s advisor guy.”

  Marty pulls down the beak of his cap. He’s got a new one, though he’s still pissed at me for throwing the other one out.

  “Not my first heartbreak, ladybird,” the shapeshifter says. “There are plenty of fish in the sea. Isn’t that right, T?”

  I shake my head, bring
ing Layla closer to me and biting down on her neck just to feel her shiver. Then she pulls away and says, “I’m not a chew toy.”

  “More for me,” Marty says.

  “I don’t know, guys,” I say. “I know it’s been a hell of a couple of weeks, but I’m feeling kind of antsy, you know?”

  Marty picks up a newspaper that blows against his legs. The Brooklyn Star. The headline reads: Local Swim Team Captain Saves the Day. There’s a picture of Angelo saving a homeless guy from a fuzzy shot of a merrow. Then a smaller article that reads: Kraken Attacks Local Celebrities. Well, it’s not wrong. Marty crumples the paper and dunks it in the garbage.

  “You’re just saying that because you have a new toy,” Marty reminds me. “You’re like Aquaman. No wait, that’s taken. Mighty Merman? How about—”

  “How about, you all shut your clams and come with me for a bit of fun.” Brendan is standing on the pier.

  “How the hell did you get up here?” Layla says, hugging him.

  Brendan smirks, and we follow his eyes to where a ship bobs in the distance. On the deck I can make out Amada and Arion talking. I wonder what it’s like being free after so long. I could go on board and ask them.

  “I happen to recall,” Brendan says, “our grandfather telling me not to forget about my family. You helped me remember that. So I’m going to repay the favor.”

  “Where are you going?” I ask, edging closer to where he balances on the railing.

  “Nowhere.” He stretches his arms to the clear sky. His red hair is like a flame in the wind. “Everywhere. But I can guarantee it will be dangerous.”

  Perhaps I share in Brendan’s desire to discover new worlds. Adventure is like adrenaline in my blood. So much for sleeping until school starts again.

  I look back at my home. Take in the brilliant lights of Luna Park, the sweet smell of corn dogs and cotton candy. A little storm wasn’t enough to stop Coney Island from bouncing back.

  I look at Layla, biting her lip playfully. Marty gets up on the ledge beside Brendan.

  “What about the whole ‘protecting the land and sea’ stuff?” I yell at them.

  “Believe me, ain’t nobody messing with this Coney Island shore any time soon,” Marty says.

  “Although Arion has told me of some displaced landlocked in Australia,” Brendan says. Then he looks at Layla. “Or Galapagos, if Lady Layla prefers. The seas are vast and they’re ours.”

  I smile. I smile for every person we’ve lost on the way here. For my grandfather, for Kai’s dad. Blue and Vi. For Ryan.

  I look at the white of the moon, for Gwen.

  No matter what, I’ll always come back here.

  Brendan and Marty backflip onto the sand. Layla and I hop over after them.

  “Last one on the ship swabs the deck,” Brendan yells as he sprints into the water.

  Marty pulls up his sagging shorts and shouts, “Cheat!”

  I take one last look at Layla. She leans up to kiss me. We run, her hand still in mine. And as we dive into the welcoming wave, I don’t let go.

  As always, thank you to my Ecuadorian and Sicilian tribe. I’m incredibly lucky to have a family that supports and shares my books with others.

  A gigantic thanks to everyone in my Sourcebooks family. Jillian Bergsma, thank you for your great notes that made this book better. A huge thanks to the stellar production team for putting up with me. Derry Wilkens for all that you do for me. Aubrey Poole for truly getting Tristan and his friends from the beginning. We made a trilogy!

  Tony Sahara for another kickass cover.

  My Goodies—Adrienne, Nat, and Higgs—because all of our adventures keep me sane.

  Lauren McCall, thank you for reading the first draft of this book and lending your notes. T.S. Ferguson for helping brainstorm the killer title.

  To my writing groups—the Apocalypsies and #write-o-rama—for being there along this journey.

  Kelly Skillen, for letting me use your house as writing den.

  I am truly the luckiest mergirl in the world.

  THE VICIOUS DEEP SERIES

  Zoraida Córdova

  The Vicious Deep

  Tristan Hart was gone for three days. Sucked out to sea in a tidal wave and spit back ashore at Coney Island with no memory of what happened. Now his dreams are haunted by a terrifying silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth.

  His best friend, Layla, is convinced something is wrong. But how can he explain he can sense emotion like never before? How can he explain he’s heir to a kingdom he never knew existed? That he’s suddenly a pawn in a battle as ancient as the gods.

  The Savage Blue

  In the quest for the Sea Court throne, Tristan has already watched one good friend die. Now he must lead the rest on a dangerous voyage in search of the trident that will make him king.

  While Tristan chases his destiny, the dark forces raging against him are getting stronger, and the sea witch of his nightmares is getting closer. But his allies each have their secrets, and a betrayal will force Tristan to choose between loyalty and ambition, friendship and love. In the race for a throne, all’s fair in the savage blue.

  THE EMBRACE SERIES

  Jessica Shirvington

  Embrace

  It starts with a whisper.

  “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

  Strange dreams leave her with very real injuries and there’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms. The guy she thought she could fall in love with just told her he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her. And she keeps hearing a distant fluttering of wings.

  Violet Eden is having a very bad seventeenth birthday.

  But if angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

  Entice

  The war between exiles and angels is on—and Violet Eden is wanted by both sides.

  Suddenly everyone she knows has something to hide, including the one person she’s always trusted—her partner, Lincoln. No matter how bad things get, though, Violet doesn’t run and she doesn’t quit. Even if it means asking her enemy for help…

  Emblaze

  Her choices are harder. Her enemies are stronger. And no one can know how much she’s hurting…

  Both sides—angels vs. exiles—are racing to decipher an ancient scripture that would allow anyone banished to the Underworld to return. And at the very center: Violet. She only has one chance to make the right choice…

  Endless

  In the war between angels and exiles, Violet is about to take on her most dangerous adversary yet.

  When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angel self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing that Violet will face. For her, the question “Can love conquer all?” will finally be answered.

  Empower

  It is time to make the final surrender.But who will Violet surrender to?

  It has all come down to this, the final battle. Violet is the rainbow, a bridge, and now there are those who would use her to travel in the wrong direction. She will learn who she really is and what she is capable of. The angels created a weapon in her that is now being turned on them and Violet is all that stands in the way of the end of the universe as we know it.

  THE SCORCHED SERIES

  Mari Mancusi

  Scorched

  Sixteen-year-old Trinity Foxx is used to her grandfather’s crazy stories, so she doesn’t believe that the latest treasure he brought home is a real dragon’s egg. Not until their home is invaded by soldiers trying to steal it and a strange boy telling her the world as she knows it will be wiped out in a fiery dragon war—unless they work together to stop it.

  Meanwhile, there’s a different voice whispering to Trinity, calling to her, telling her what to do...because the dr
agon in her egg is not ready to give up without a fight.

  Shattered

  Trinity, Connor, and Caleb are trying to stay under the radar, holed up in an abandoned West Texas farmhouse. Their only problem is Emmy: a baby dragon that’s growing like crazy. When Emmy is caught on tape and the video goes viral, they find themselves on the run again. Their only hope comes from an old map leading to a man who has come from the future to help them.

  But with the government hot on their heels and Caleb’s growing addiction to spending time in the Nether world, will they be able to reach him in time? And will keeping Emmy safe end up being too high a price for Trinity to pay?

  Zoraida Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she learned to speak English by watching Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on repeat. Her favorite things are sparkly—like merdudes, Christmas, and New York City at night. Visit her at www.zoraidacordova.com.