by Wendi Wilson
“Uh, did I tell you Bryce’s parents bought your old house?” I ask, feeling nervous. I don’t want him to be disappointed.
“No, but your mom did. Don’t worry, honey. We’ll figure it out. It doesn’t matter where we live, as long as we’re together.”
“That’s right.”
We both whip around at the sound of my mother’s voice. She’s hovering in the doorway, eyes rimmed with red. Dad zips toward her, wrapping his strong arms around her and whispering in her ear.
My emotions almost overwhelm me. Embarrassment at their affectionate display, happiness that they’re back together, jealousy that Bryce isn’t here to do the same for me. Worry.
Bryce? Can you hear me? Please answer. Please.
Silence.
We’re coming, Bryce. Wherever you are, just hold on. We’re escaping tonight, and I’ll be back in your arms before you know it.
Chapter Fifteen
“Where is he?”
“Kai, that’s the twelfth time you’ve asked that question. Relax. He said he’d be here, so he’ll be here,” Mom says, rubbing her hand up and down my back in a soothing manner.
It’s been hours since Adrian left with our empty dinner tray. He said he’d be back after his battalion goes out on patrol for the night, and the bioluminescent light that brightens the rooms dimmed a while ago to signal nighttime. The waiting is pure torture.
“What if he changed his mind? What if he doesn’t come and we’re stuck here? Will Grandad actually execute me tomorrow?”
She opens her mouth to respond, but a soft knock on the door has her snapping it shut. With a classic mom ‘I told you so’ look on her face, she glides to the door and raps gently on it three times. This was the signal that we agreed to, to let Adrian know we are alone in here before he opens the door and shows himself. Overkill, if you ask me.
The lock clicks open and Adrian swims through, quickly closing the door behind him. He looks nervous. Like…more than usual.
“What is it? What happened? Why are you late?” I fire the questions off without giving him time to answer.
“Kai, please, give him a second,” my mom admonishes.
“Sorry,” I say to Adrian. “Are you okay?” I ask, forcing my voice to be gentle.
“I am fine, thank you,” he says. “I am late because after my patrol split up for duty, Ora followed me to discuss the execution.”
“Ora?” I ask, fear racing down my spine. “Did she see you come here?”
“Who’s Ora?” my dad asks.
“One of my father’s personal guard,” my mom supplies. “Probably the most vicious.”
“You know her?” I ask.
She nods. “I knew her when we were children. She was a cold, hateful child. She was jealous of me, being the king’s daughter. She found me after I returned to the sea, brought me in. She made sure I understood how much she hates me and how stupid she thinks I am for giving up the one thing she’s always wanted- to be the princess and heir to the throne.”
“Was she… violent with you?” I ask, afraid I already knew the answer. After all, she wanted to hurt me before Adrian intervened.
“I’m fine,” Mom says, not really answering the question. “I’m made of tougher stuff than you think.” She pauses for a moment, then continues, “I think Ora expected Daddy to kill me on the spot for my crimes. The fact that he didn’t probably enraged her to near-madness. How did she seem to you, Adrian?”
“She appeared to be her normal, composed self. However, there was something a little off. A hint of gloating, like she knows something I do not. It made me nervous, so when our conversation concluded, I headed out to sea for my patrol. I made sure I could no longer sense her before heading back here, just to be safe.”
“Good thinking,” my mom says, shooting me a meaningful look.
“Yeah,” I agree, “good thinking, Adrian. Do you think we’re clear to leave now?”
“Yes, I believe so. We must be careful, though. Everyone must be on guard at all times, in tune with your senses in case another Mer approaches. The sea has darkened, so it will be difficult to see someone before it is too late.”
“Got it,” I say, heading for the door. “Let’s go.”
My parents look at each other before glancing around the room. I stop swimming to watch them. I can be so selfish, thinking only of myself. This is my grandmother’s suite. My mom never knew her, but surely feels close to her here. This is where my parents were reunited after fourteen years apart. Where Mom and Grandad reconnected after nearly two decades. Now she may never see this room, or him, again.
Glancing back at each other, they both smile and clasp each other’s hand. Floating forward, they turn those smiles on me, but I sense the sadness there. Especially in Mom’s.
“Okay, we’re ready,” she says, blinking her eyes.
I look at Dad and he nods, so I turn to Adrian and motion for him to lead the way. He remains motionless and I can see the play by play of his emotions running across his face. Uncertainty, fear, desperation, and finally, resolve. His silver stare burns into me for a moment before he turns and pulls open the door. This is it, the moment of truth. Do or die. Literally.
I expect him to peek his head out and look both directions, like I would do, but he swims through the door with no hesitation at all. I can’t stop myself from flinching, expecting someone to sound the alarm and have this entire plan be flushed right down the toilet. Are there toilets here? Why haven’t I had to go to the bathroom? It’s been two days. Argh, focus, Kai.
As I swim through the opening, I can’t stop myself from looking up and down the corridor. My parents swim up behind me and Mom gives me a little nudge in Adrian’s direction. He’s already several yards down the hall.
“We’d sense anyone near, remember?” my mom whispers.
“Then why are you whispering?” I whisper back, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
She arches a brow at my impertinence, and since we don’t have time for a lecture, I give her an apologetic look and dash after Adrian. He stops and holds up a hand. I freeze and hold up my own hand to warn my parents, who are still several feet behind us. Adrian cocks his head to the side, as if listening for something, then shakes it off.
“I thought I sensed someone,” he says, “but I feel nothing now. Let us proceed.”
I flinch a little at the volume of his voice. “Shouldn’t you keep it down, a little?”
“Kai,” he says in that voice, the one adults use when explaining something simple to children, “if any Mer were close enough to hear my voice, it would be too late anyway. They would sense our presence long before they heard my words.”
“Right.”
I’ll just keep my mouth shut and trust him from here on out. It’s all I can do. We swim down the corridor to the very end, where it spills into a terrace. The dark ocean spreads out in front of me, it’s vastness threatening to swallow me whole. I know I should feel elated, or at least excited, but seeing it now, I feel nothing but a strange sense of foreboding. I look back at my parents. My mom smiles and Dad nods his head, encouraging me to go ahead. Shaking off the ill feeling, I push forward, following Adrian into the abyss.
As we race toward some unseen finish line, time and distance have no meaning for me. I keep Adrian in my sights and hope that he knows where he’s going. After what could have been twenty minutes or two hours, he slows his movements until he comes to a full stop. He turns to me, his wide smile somehow lighting up the space between us.
“We made it,” he says.
“How do you know?” I ask. “It all looks the same to me.”
He chuckles. “I know, Kai. We are outside the kingdom’s perimeter.”
“If you say so,” I say, returning his smile.
“You did it, Adrian,” Mom says, swimming forward to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug.
It’s hard to tell in the darkness, but I swear he’s blushing. He gently extricates himself from her embrac
e and clears his throat.
“Yes, well, that was the easy part. Finding Bryce without being caught by the others on patrol will be most difficult.”
“Are we close to where we left him?” I ask.
Adrian’s mouth turns down. “Unfortunately, we are not. We entered the city on the opposite side of where we are now. It is just bad luck that my patrol was in this direction tonight.”
“That’s okay,” Dad says, throwing an arm over my shoulder and pulling me in close. “We’ll just swim around the outside of the perimeter until we find him.”
“Yes,” Adrian says. “We shall swim around.”
The look on his face does not reassure me. Not at all. My gaze bores into him, questioning, and he meets my stare for several seconds before letting his eyes drop. Not reassuring at all, but we don’t have time to debate the safety of our plan. We are just going to have to take our chances.
“Okay,” I say, holding out my arm to Adrian. “After you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Bryce, can you hear me?
We’ve been swimming for so long. I can see much better now, and I can’t tell if it’s because the sun is rising over this part of the ocean or my eyes have just adjusted. I’ve been projecting my thoughts to Bryce the entire time, concentrating on making them as loud as possible, and my head is pounding. But I have to keep trying. Everyone agrees it’s too dangerous to call for him vocally.
Bryce! Please answer me!
The silence is deafening. I pull myself to a halt and the others follow suit. Their faces all reflect varying levels of the same emotion. Pity.
“He’s out here,” I say, keeping my voice low. “I know he is. I would know it if anything bad happened to him. I just need to take a break for a minute. My head is killing me.”
“Of course, honey,” Mom says. “Adrian, do you have any sea snail venom?”
“Any what?” My own voice grates against the pain in my temple.
“Sea snail venom,” she repeats. “The ocean’s natural pain reliever.”
“Sounds delicious,” I say, deadpan.
“It tastes like battery acid,” she says, “but it’s a quick fix, which is exactly what we need right now. Adrian?”
“I am sorry, Merryn. I do not have any in my possession at the moment.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. I just need… a minute.”
Kai.
“Kai, maybe you should-”
“Shh,” I say, cutting my father off while waving my hand in front of his face. “I think I heard Bryce.”
Bryce? Bryce! I heard you! Where are you?
I whip my tail, spinning myself around like a cyclone. Nothing but silent emptiness surrounds me. I strain my mind, forgetting the splitting headache, focusing in each direction, willing Bryce to say my name again.
“Kailani,” Mom says.
“No, Mom.” My harsh voice causes her to flinch, but I don’t care right now. “I heard him. He tried to reach me, but it’s like something’s… I don’t know… blocking him. Don’t give me that look.”
I glance from her to the others and back again. “All of you, stop it. I’m not imagining things and I’m not crazy. I heard Bryce and he’s close. I can feel him. Here.”
I punctuate the last word by slapping my hand against my chest, right over my heart. The moment I do, the locket under my shirt comes to life, a searing pain against my skin. A startled yelp bursts from my lips as I yank the chain, pulling the locket out and away from my body.
“What? What is it?” Mom says, zipping forward. Dad and Adrian close ranks until I’m squished between the three of them.
“My locket,” I whisper, still holding it away from my skin. “Someone nearby means me harm.”
Adrian’s head jerks back as my parents look at him. “I do not. I swear, upon my honor, I would never harm her.”
“Of course, he wouldn’t,” rings out an icy voice behind me. “He’s nothing but a human-loving traitor. You would fear more from a guppy.”
I turn slowly, knowing the owner of the voice, but hoping beyond hope I’m wrong. I’m not.
“Ora,” my mother says, the disbelief evident in her voice.
“Hello again, Merryn” Ora says, her amber eyes flashing.
“But… how?” Adrian chokes out.
“How, what?” Ora taunts, mimicking his confusion. “How did I know you were out here? How did I find you?” She pauses and narrows her eyes. Her voice drops an octave. “Or how did I approach you without you sensing me?”
“Just leave us alone, Ora,” my mom says, her voice ringing with a note of superiority. “It’s three against one and you’re not taking us back to Delmare.”
Ora laughs. I mean, she really laughs. Hard. Like there’s an inside joke only she knows and somehow, we’re the butt of it.
“What’s so funny?” I demand. This bitch is pissing me off.
“Dear child,” she says in a patronizing voice that only serves to make me angrier, “I have no intention of returning you to Delmare and its soft-shelled, spineless wimp of a king.”
Adrian gasps, bubbles flying from his mouth and nose. “How dare you speak of King Merric-”
“Oh, shut up, Adrian,” Ora says, cutting him off. “You will all come with me, or the boy you search for dies.”
“Bryce,” I mouth, no sound coming out.
“Yes,” Ora says, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Bryce Howell, the little fish who got himself snagged by the big, bad shark.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Mom demands, finding her voice again.
“You shall see,” Ora says cryptically. “Let us go, now. An old friend is waiting to say hello.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Where are you taking us, Ora?”
Adrian asks the question after several tense, silent minutes. I doubt Ora will answer him, at least not truthfully. She seems to be enjoying this. Having power over us, my mother in particular, has her positively glowing with pride. It’s disgusting. She proves me right by ignoring him, so I try to draw her out.
“Ora?” Her eyes meet mine briefly, so I know she heard me. “How did you manage to sneak up on us like that? We should have sensed you way before you reached us… at least, that’s what I’ve been told.”
“That is correct. You should have sensed me. Maybe you are just stupid.”
“Ora,” Adrian says in a warning tone.
“You are in no position to threaten me any longer, traitor,” she snaps before looking back at me. “I had a little help cloaking myself.”
“Help? From who?” I ask.
A slow smile tugs her lips away from her teeth, looking absolutely predatory. “You are about to find out, mongrel.”
She jerks her head in a forward motion, drawing my attention to a large outcropping of rocks in the distance. The jagged edges reach upward like dark, thorny, interlaced fingers trying to reach the surface. A foreboding feeling clenches in my gut.
This is where Bryce is being held? It’s like something out of a dark fairy tale. The dragon’s lair that the white knight must fight his way into to save his princess. Only, I’m the knight in this scenario and that scares me worse than the terrifying formation we’re swimming toward. What if I’m not strong enough to defeat the dragon? What if I fail? What if we all die?
I glance back at my parents, swimming side by side, holding hands with identical looks of determination on their faces. Seeing them like that lights a fire in my belly and incinerates the doubt trying to take root there. That is what I’m fighting for. That connection. Bryce and I have it, and it’s amazing and fulfilling and it’s… everything. And everything is worth fighting for. I choose to fight.
My focus shifts back to Ora, her head thrown back and her dark mass of hair billowing behind her. She’s still smiling, no doubt imagining all the ways she’s going to torture us before we die at her hands. That is so not happening. Not if I can help it.
As we near the rock formation, I see a dark opening n
ear the base with a faint glow coming from somewhere deep inside. My nerves ratchet back up, diminishing some of my earlier bravado. I push them back down and stiffen my spine. Throwing my shoulders back and swimming as regally as I can muster, I follow Ora into the dark unknown.
The interior is more like a tunnel than a cave and, as we swim forward, the light at the end grows brighter. Strange weeds grow from the floor, seeming to reach for me as I glide above them. I can almost imagine them a warning, begging me to turn back as they snag at my arms and tailfin.
Shaking off the weeds and the fanciful notions, I dart forward to catch up to Ora. Her arm snakes out and she snatches up my wrist, yanking me forward into the cavern ahead of her. The pain of her iron grip flees my mind as I take a look at my surroundings.
The first thing I notice is the light. It’s bright. Really bright. I rub my eyes with my free hand and look at the walls and ceiling, trying to find the source. There’s nothing. The light seems to be coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. It’s unnatural. A chill runs down my spine.
My eyes adjust to the light and I look around. There’s not much in the cave. Rocks. A tall, gilded mirror. More rocks.
A cauldron… Wait, what? Why would there be a cauldron here? It’s not like whoever lives here can start a fire to cook something, or else why have I been eating raw fish for the last two days? Focus, Kai.
I try to probe the dark corners where the light doesn’t quite reach, but I can only make out a few dark shadows. A shuffling noise brings my attention to my left. My heart jumps up into my throat and I try to jerk out of Ora’s grip without success.
“Bryce! Are you okay? Bryce, it’s me!”
I realize I’m screaming and my arm is now twisted up behind my back in a painful manner. I quit my struggling and let my gaze soak him up. He appears to be okay physically, despite being chained to the wall by some ancient looking manacles. The muscles in his bare chest and arms are bulging out as he strains forward, jerking his head to his left.