Renata then turned and pulled two camicetts off a nearby peg, handing the smaller of the two to Arianna. Arianna turned it over in her hands. It was sealskin. At least her torso would be warm in the Deeps.
“I also know those who found you convinced you to do this.” Renata paused after pulling her camicett on, and she laid a hand on Arianna’s shoulder. “But you don’t have to. Just let me go uncontested, and you can have all you ever wanted.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Just like I promised.”
“Can you, really?” Arianna asked. “Without hurting anyone?”
“Ari, you know I would never hurt you! Or anyone we love. I’m doing this for us, and our people. Why would I hurt them?”
For one short moment, Arianna believed her. Or desperately wanted to, at least. This was the woman who had raised her, after all. “So,” she asked hopefully, “you won’t be spreading the Sorthileige?”
Renata’s smile froze on her face. “What?”
“You won’t be infecting our family and people with the Sorthileige?” Perhaps Arianna hadn’t heard everything in that conch. Perhaps it had been taken out of context.
“Where did you hear that?”
“From the conch you recorded for General Orsini.” Arianna’s voice was suddenly very faint.
“I told you,” Renata’s voice was tight as she leaned in close to Arianna. “I am doing everything for the good of our people, and I am willing to make sacrifices your grandfather was not. When you’re here for longer than five minutes, you’ll realize just how much help our people need. Your people. The people that your prince’s grandfather sent hundreds of ships after all over the world for five years. And only when you’re willing to see the truth, only then will you be able to understand why I’m willing to go where I must to get that help.”
“Even if you do win,” Arianna tried to look taller, “I won’t go along with it. I’ll . . . I’ll tell the others!”
“Go ahead. Who will believe you? If you’ve heard the contents of that conch, then the message is gone, and no one worthy of the court’s consideration will be able to vouch for its song.” She gave Arianna a fierce smile. “You’ve such a strong will, and I’ve always loved that about you. But as follows, you’ve always had to learn everything the hard way, too.”
They didn’t speak again until there was a knock at the door. I’m completely at your mercy, Arianna prayed to the Maker. I don’t know what I’m doing or why you have me here. Please make something about this situation make sense! And fast!
Just as Renata reached the door, she turned to Arianna, a slightly softer expression on her face. “Before we go out, you should know. The reason our bloodline is the only one allowed to pursue the triton is because we are the only ones who can feel Sorthileige before it comes out of its vents in the Deeps. When you feel the heat, you need to move. Getting caught directly in one of those vents would kill an average mermaid of your size.”
“What about you?” Arianna held her aunt’s gaze.
Renata stared at her for a long minute. “Good luck, Arianna. I really do want you to survive.”
By the time the Protectors escorted them to the stage, the arena was so full that merpeople were floating above its outer edges to watch. Not just the rich, either, like those who had been in the throne room, but merpeople of every class. This made locating her family difficult, but Arianna finally spotted her parents and her sister’s family in the front row by the stage. Michael was nowhere to be seen, but perhaps that was for the better. The last thing Arianna needed was another distraction.
As soon as they appeared at the edge of the arena, a roar went up from the crowd, very different from the quiet, reserved group that had been seated in the domed throne room. Many chanted Renata’s name, and wherever it was chanted, Renata would turn and graciously incline her head with a smile.
Arianna tried to smile, too, but it grew more difficult by the second as she realized many were glaring at her. And those who were brave enough made jeering sounds at her from the sides. So she decided that it was best to simply keep her eyes focused on the stage and to look at no one else until her mother was in plain sight.
Her mother’s expression, however, was far from encouraging. Giana’s face was pinched and pale, and her father’s face was little better. Lalia looked terrified.
So much for their confidence, Arianna sighed to herself.
“Silence!” a large merman bellowed at the crowd. Still, the crowd was not quiet until he had sent a few more pointed glares in different directions. Only then did Arianna recognize her father’s old bodyguard. “I am General Lorenzo, and today I will be Keeper of the Games.” He thumped the bright blue sash where it lay across his broad chest.
“This contest,” he continued, “has been handed down through generations as the Maker’s way of choosing a new Sea Crown, lord over all merpersons in the northern, western, southern, and eastern seas, and even the seas beyond. The Sea Crown is responsible for wielding the triton.” He held up the grand weapon for the crowd to see, and even Arianna had to gasp.
She’d never seen the weapon up close before. She vaguely recalled it being in the throne room, but she’d been too frightened to look anywhere but at the officials. Now, to see the source of power behind the legends that her mother and aunt had told her was surreal.
The triton’s power had few limits in the sea, but, according to legend, its strength was so great that it took much exertion from the Sea Crown to control it, and thus could only be used in the direst of occasions. “To prevent the Sea Crown from using it for trifling matters,” her mother had once explained, “such as making a finer bed to sleep in or more jewels for one’s gown or sash.”
And now Arianna was competing to hold that power.
A wave of dizziness washed through her as she realized the magnitude of the position she was trying to grasp. No matter how hard she imagined herself fighting, there was no scenario in which Arianna could see herself winning. And yet, if she did . . . she would be the most powerful merperson in all the seas.
I’m not ready.
“Both of these contestants have been verified as direct descendants of our last Sea Crown,” General Lorenzo was saying as Arianna fought to stay conscious. “Their task is to penetrate the Deeps and find the triton, avoiding contact with the Sorthileige at all costs.” General Lorenzo’s voice grew stern. “As the Sea Crown is the only one with the power to touch the Deeps and escort others over them with his protection, the future Sea Crown must be able to make it through on his own.” He turned and eyed Arianna and Renata with a furrowed brow. “If you make contact with the Sorthileige, you must return immediately and await the return of the new Sea Crown. Perhaps she will be able to save you if the triton comes to her quickly enough.”
He turned back to the audience, which was now silent. “There are only four rules for this contest, and I will repeat them once more before we send our contestants off.” He held up one finger. “First, you must venture into the Deeps.” He held up another finger. “Second, you are not allowed to physically injure one another. Third, you must sing all four basic koroses before using your soulsong. And finally, you must avoid the Sorthileige at all costs.” With that, he turned and swam off the stage.
Arianna was surprised to see her father coming up to take the general’s place. He turned and looked at Renata and Arianna in turn, his gaze lingering on Arianna for a second longer than it had his sister. “May the Maker be with you both,” he said in a dead voice. Then, taking the triton from General Lorenzo, he pulled it back above his shoulder. After a second’s hesitation, he launched it into the distant dark abyss.
Arianna was so impressed by her father’s strong arm that she was late in taking off after the triton. She pushed herself hard to make up for lost time, and in less than a minute had overtaken her aunt. As she passed Renata, however, Arianna couldn’t help wondering how much her speed would really help. Her fins might have grown stronger, but she still had no soulsong, and fro
m what she could guess, Renata had already been to the Deeps more than once.
If nothing else, I will at least make this difficult for her, Arianna promised herself. And with that, she burst headlong into the massive wall of gray water.
As soon as she was through, Arianna looked around, trying to get her bearings. It was only when she looked around, however, that she realized the murky water above and around was only a hint at the true Deeps. The real Deeps were down.
Below her was a gaping chasm cut into the seafloor with thick columns of black smoke rising up and sticking to the foam on the surface and giving the water above its shade of gray. Arms of rock stuck up out of the canyon like withered hands beckoning her to come, and a sweet, sickly smell filled the water. Her entire body tingled. There was no place in the world Arianna would rather be less.
As she floated above the canyon, waffling, Renata charged in behind her and was down in the chasm in a flash. Arianna’s trepidation dissipated as she was reminded of her goal. Taking off after her aunt, Arianna fought to use her first koros. But what would it be?
Her question was answered as the water grew darker around her, and Arianna remembered that the Growing koros could be used to draw light from glow fish near the bottom of the sea. At first her voice was weak, and she had to slow down for fear of slamming into one of the huge rock columns. But as she continued to swim, and she could hear her aunt using her own song, Arianna’s confidence grew, and with it, her song’s strength. It didn’t take long for the smaller fish around her, fish that would have otherwise remained hidden in the shadows, to begin lighting her way. And with the light, she could hear the nearly inaudible call of the triton.
As soon as she could see, Arianna turned and began moving further north toward the triton’s sound. Just as she was beginning to feel comfortable in swimming, Renata’s distant song changed, and a school of sardines encircled Arianna. Arianna’s song was cut off as they pushed her up against one of the canyon walls.
To Arianna’s vast relief, the fish were not the kind to have been touched by the Sorthileige so she was able to dart down and out of their school without any following her. Renata’s trick had slowed her down, however, and she knew she needed to find a distraction for her aunt as well if she stood any chance at even seeing the triton.
Still using her song to provide light, Arianna tried to recall what Mae had said about focusing on the sea’s elements around her and finding a song to fit them.
There. She could barely make out Renata’s form approaching a kelp bed. Moving her song into a slightly softer call, Arianna used her second koros. Her Nurturing koros moved the kelp just enough to entangle her aunt as she tried to dart through them, and Arianna was just fast enough to pass her up and continue after the triton herself.
Feeling a bit buoyed by her success, Arianna tried to focus on her third koros. But as she began to use her Growing koros to slow Renata down again, it was cut short when a hollow call to her left startled her. Too late it dawned on Arianna that Renata was using call and echo to locate the triton, rather than her eyes.
Arianna felt dafter than ever. She relied too much on her human senses. Arianna paused just long enough to remember her own call and echo song, one of the Protection koroses she had learned, but too late did she realize Renata had already changed course. Arianna got a face full of squid ink just in time to realize she had fallen for her aunt’s trap.
Her eyes, nose, and throat burned, and what little she had been able to see of the sun overhead disappeared as she tumbled around, crashing into rocks and coral. It wasn’t until she hit the sandy bottom of the seafloor that Arianna had gotten enough of the ink from her eyes that she could see again. Focus! she could hear Mae shouting in her head. So Arianna shook her head and began to swim again, using her echolocation song one more time. She still had one koros to use, but she could feel the triton’s power drawing closer. If only there were a way to—
The baby coral heads that were just peeking out from the sand below Arianna shot up all around her, and before Arianna could escape, she was trapped in a prison of coral. She wanted to scream as she saw the tip of Renata’s tail slip into the darkness. Renata only had her Healing koros left to use before using her soulsong to finish the contest.
Arianna pushed and punched the coral bars around her, but it was of no use. The walls were too strong. Only when she stopped fighting and allowed herself to fall back into the sand, however, did she feel the rhythmic pulse of power she’d been chasing.
The triton was near. Their echolocation songs had been sending them too far! The canyons must have been playing tricks with their songs. Sure enough, with some help from nearby glow fish, Arianna spotted the barest hint of blue gold sticking out from the sand.
As her Healing koros was her only remaining required koros, Arianna decided to squeeze herself between the bars and then heal herself of whatever damage the escape caused, after taking the triton. She was nearly breathless as she imagined herself maybe actually winning. Renata was still elsewhere. Could she do this, even without a soulsong?
Pain wrenched her arm as she twisted it to pull it through the bars. Just as she was close to freeing herself, however, Arianna was overwhelmed by a warm, sickly, tingling sensation behind her. She shot back into the cage, yanking her tail out of the way as a column of black smoke and bubbles shot up from a vent behind her. Arianna curled up at the far edge of her prison as the burning mixture of sulfur and black bubbles moved through the coral bars that met at the top of her cage above her.
A large white shark happened to swim above her just then. She tried to cry out and warn it, but her cry was too late. The shark was enveloped by the dark mixture as she watched. The creature writhed and wriggled as the boiling water surrounded it. When the vent finally stopped producing its poisonous gas, however, the shark was white no more.
Its gills were enlarged, and its back was lined with spikes. Eyes that had been nearly invisible because of their gray were now black. And the hideous creature was looking right at Arianna.
Without thinking about what she was doing, Arianna found herself singing her final koros to the shark. And though the Healing koros had been slightly easier for her during practice than the other koroses, the shark showed no sign of improvement. It was as though she hadn’t sung at all.
The shark rammed Arianna’s coral cage so hard that it broke. Arianna threw herself in the direction of the triton, just barely grasping it in time to point it right at the shark. The triton was heavier than she had expected, but the thrill of holding it boosted her confidence enough not to falter.
Thank you! she cried out to the Maker as she and the shark stared one another down. But when she tried to access the power of the triton, nothing happened. Frowning, Arianna pointed it at the shark again. She could hear Renata’s song approaching.
Let it work! she begged the Maker. I’ve come so far! Just please let it work!
The shark charged, but before it could reach Arianna, another vent between them burst forth another column of boiling gas. The shark did not make it through the vent, but Arianna knew the moment the vent stopped, she would be attacked.
She needed to focus! She was a child of the Sea. She needed to let her true form rule, for that was where she would find her strength. Closing her eyes, Arianna pictured herself as a part of the merpeople. She could see each layer of the ocean and its life and its beauty. From each grain of sand below to each golden grain under the warm sun—
Just as the triton was beginning to heat up a bit beneath her hands, the image of the sun flashed in her mind, and with it, the face of a young man. The song she had begun to sing was cut short. The triton flew out of her hands, its end catching on the current of another column of smoke and bubbles that burst up beside her. Up into the water above her it swirled, where Renata floated directly in the middle of the column of smoke. And as the blackness billowed around her, Renata smiled and retrieved the triton with what could only have been her soulsong.
; Haunting and beckoning, it was Arianna’s lullaby.
43
A Feast of Defeat
The older princess . . . Princess Renata, Michael had been told, although for some reason, he was sure her name had been different at some point . . . stood at the head of the table and looked down at everyone around her. The other guests at the long table grew quiet and regarded her expectantly, as did those floating lazily about the large hall.
Michael gawked. But really, what living male wouldn’t? She was a vision with her dark hair pulled up and pinned with jewels into large swoops all over her head. Her large brown eyes were full of compassion for those around her, and as she turned her head from side to side to look at the many occupants of her table, her long neck arched gracefully. She was wearing the flowing white gown again. Michael was surprised that she could wear such a long gown without getting her fins caught in the bottom, but that only added to her mystique. He was also sure she had looked a bit different at one time, but that didn’t matter. She was only more beautiful now. She was also saying something, but it was a moment before Michael could tear his eyes away from her figure long enough to focus on her words.
“ . . . as we usher in a new era for merpeople everywhere. For I am humbled and honored to find myself at the head of this table before you all now. My grandfather carried the weight of the most tumultuous reign yet known to our people. As I have promised you before, it will be my utmost goal to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect between humanity and merpeople, and at the same time ensure the safety of our people from all that might injure them, from our most respected elders to our youngest and most vulnerable.” She paused to smile at the baby a woman held a few seats down.
Silent Mermaid: A Retelling of The Little Mermaid (The Classical Kingdoms Collection Book 5) Page 26