Breakwater

by Catherine Jones Payne

He nodded and swam back into his chamber. I cautiously drifted to the first level of the house.

  “Mother?”

  The front door stood open to allow the free flow of water through the house. Only the privacy screen blocked the view into the canal. No sign remained of my former in-laws.

  Mother turned toward me. “They woke you?”

  “Will everything be alright?”

  “They can’t follow through on their threats. I have the ear of the king.”

  “Desperate people are dangerous.” I bit my thumbnail.

  “Our position is secure.”

  I wished I had her confidence. The king respected her opinion, but Tor was beloved by the city, and Yvonna carried influence among the nobles. Maybe Mother was just trying to soothe me the way I soothed Benjamin.

  Mother glanced at the tide glass. “It’s nearly high tide. Pippa should’ve been here by now with my wrap that needed mending.”

  I couldn’t focus on anything so banal. “So, Tor has been arrested?”

  Mother nodded. “They found the naiad’s body, and you are a witness. The crown accuses him.”

  “And the engagement is officially broken?”

  “I am pleased to say that it is.”

  I fiddled with my empty ring finger. “I’m going to go for a swim with Kiki.”

  Mother’s forehead wrinkled. “Don’t go out alone until all this settles down.”

  “I can’t just float here all day doing nothing. It’ll drive me mad.”

  “I’ll send for Rhea and Kora. I’m sure they can spare the day to keep you company. I must discuss the situation with the king today, of course.”

  I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by a vision of the red-haired naiad. When I opened them again, Mother was looking at me with a frown.

  A familiar, dark-haired merman swam through the door. “Lady Cleo, Miss Jade.”

  “George!” I said, the tension in my shoulders releasing. He’d been our butler since before I was born. “You’ve heard.”

  He approached me and took hold of my hands. “I hope you’re alright, Miss Jade.”

  I looked down at the floor with a shrug. “Not really, but I’m unharmed. Physically, anyway.”

  “If I may be so bold . . . ” He looked from me to my mother.

  “You know you may always speak your mind to us,” Mother said.

  “Were you aware of the identity of the young lady who died?”

  I shook my head. “No, do you know?”

  “I’m afraid it was Pippa’s sister, Anna. Pippa sent word to ask for a few extra days to complete your mending, Lady Cleo.”

  I envisioned the naiad and Tor again. That must’ve been why she looked so familiar.

  Mother’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, the poor thing. She can have as long as she needs. I can make do with my other wraps.”

  “I told her the same thing, milady.”

  “And we’ll send her a little money to help,” she added. “I’m sure she’ll lose some business over this if word of the connection gets out. Can you see that she receives an extra month’s wages?”

  “Of course.”

  “And invite Lady Rhea and Lady Kora to come see Jade today.”

  He bowed.

  “As soon as you’ve returned,” Mother continued, “I’ll go speak to the king. I don’t want Jade alone today. This news may provoke unrest in the city.”

  “Benjamin’s here,” I said.

  “I’d like myself or George or your Aunt Junia to be here, too,” she replied. “Peace is fragile, and my children are precious to me.” She turned toward George. “That’s all. Go in peace.”

  “Peace be upon you.” He pressed his right fist against his heart, turned, and swam out of the house and into the busy canal.

  Mother looked at me. “Go get dressed so you can entertain your guests.” Glancing at the privacy curtain separating us from the canal, she said, “Close and lock the door on the way up.”

  She reached for a stone tablet and a scrib and began to jot down notes. I didn’t ask what she was writing.

  I shut the door and fastened the lock, then turned to float up the vertical corridor and down the hall to my room. With a heavy sigh, I sank into the chair in front of my mirror to await my friends’ arrival.

  A few minutes later, I heard the gentle swish of my curtain.

  “Jade?” a soft voice called.

  I turned to see a young mermaid with long, turquoise hair and soft brown eyes. “Oh, Kora. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Kora pulled me into an embrace. “I’m so, so sorry about everything that’s happened. I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.”

  “It’s more shocking than anything, really. I didn’t know Tor all that well. It wasn’t like we got engaged out of irrepressible love or any of that nonsense.”

  “No,” she said with a chuckle, “but you cared about him.”

  I ran my thumb over my ring finger. “Well, none of that matters now,” I said, willing my voice to stay steady.

  She hesitated. “The gossip floating around the city says that you turned him in.”

  “It’s true.” I turned to stare out the window at the nearly empty canal.

  “Wow. I’m surprised, I guess.”

  “I saw it. The aftermath.”

  She squeezed my hand. “I’m so sorry, dear.”

  “Jaaaaade!” Rhea wailed from the first floor of the house. A moment later, she darted through the curtain. “Are you alright? Has Tor really been arrested? Is that why you left so early? What’s going on?”

  Her dark hair ballooned around her face as she threw back her head and came to an abrupt halt. She grabbed my arm.

  I tried to smile at her, but I’m pretty sure it looked like a grimace. “Tor killed a naiad. He’s been arrested, and the crown accuses him. The engagement is over.” My awful suspicion about the missing naiads floated through my mind, but I kept it to myself.

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “I can’t believe it.”

  Kora shifted and sank down to sit on the floor, one hand on the ground and the other wrapped around her amber tail. “This is going to be a pretty big scandal, isn’t it?”

  I sighed. “There isn’t any way around it. Mother is concerned that the courts won’t convict and the naiads will riot. Yvonna has pledged to destroy us if I don’t recant the story.”

  “If you don’t recant the story?” Rhea asked, her lips quirked.

  Kora shot her a sharp look. “Don’t,” she mouthed.

  “It’s okay,” I said, turning to Rhea. “I stumbled on it right after it happened. I reported it to the inspectors.”

  Rhea shrieked and began babbling incoherently. Maybe I could have understood her if I’d tried, but I felt too tired to heed her emotional breakdown. I was too close to one of my own.

  “Why don’t we get some open water?” I asked. “Let’s all go for a swim with Kiki.”

  Rhea fell silent, but her eyes stayed wide open.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” said Kora.

  Rhea nodded, so I ran a comb through my hair and drifted through my curtain and down the corridor to the front door. Kora and Rhea followed close behind.

  As we hastened down the canal, my skin prickled. Is it just my imagination, or are people staring at me?

  “Jade?” Kora whispered. “Let’s hurry.”

  So it’s not my imagination.

  We swam faster, only relaxing when we zipped through the entrance to the city, past the guards, and out onto the reef. I didn’t dare meet the gazes of Tor’s compatriots.

  “Kiki?” I called as we made our way to the section of reef where she often lingered, past vermillion anemone and the long, waving black tendrils of a field of seagrass.

  I heard clicking and knew she was nearby. A moment later, a streak of gray sailed toward us from above, skimming the surface where the ocean kissed the air.

  “Kiki!” I rubbed her belly as she dove down and greeted me. “Let’s go,” I called t
o Rhea and Kora.

  We swam alongside Kiki and surged toward the open water on the other side of the drop-off like we’d done so many times as kids. For a moment, I wished I’d come alone so I could ride Kiki—even a dolphin couldn’t tow three fully grown mermaids at once. But when I saw the gleeful grin on Kora’s face, I was glad I’d brought my friends out. It had been a while since I’d shared Kiki.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Kora asked.

  My gills flared. “I don’t know.” I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, I recounted the conversation I’d had with Tor.

  When I finished, Kora squeezed my hand. Rhea didn’t say anything, and I thanked the tides that she’d calmed down.

  As we soared through the open water, above the dark depths of the ocean that our parents had warned us never to flirt with, I gloried in the uninhibited freedom of life away from the city. Here, with only Kiki and my friends, no one cared that I was supposed to be proper and safe. Here, I could just be.

  I tried to quell my sense of longing. Dwelling on my desire for simplicity and solitude wouldn’t do me any good in the long term. Given my position, I had to be responsible. There was no way around it. Just like I couldn’t avoid turning Tor in.

  “I miss him already, but I’m glad the engagement is over,” I said to no one in particular.

  “Why are you glad?” Kora cocked her head, and her turquoise hair streamed out behind her.

  “Because now I know he can get violent if he feels threatened. I’m sorry about the girl that died, but if it had to happen, at least it let me see this side of him before I married him.”

  “I don’t know,” Rhea said. “You’ve lost out on a great opportunity, I think.”

  Kora and I gaped at each other but didn’t say anything.

  “I’m serious. He’s a good guy,” Rhea said. “On the whole.”

  “Seriously?” Kora interjected. “I know he’s rich and beautiful, but he killed someone.”

  “Jade said he was trying to protect his family. That counts for something.”

  “It doesn’t justify murder,” said Kora.

  “We don’t know it was murder. He claimed he wasn’t trying to kill the girl.”

  “He attacked her, and she died,” I said, my voice flat. “Sounds like murder to me.”

  Rhea shrugged. “Well, if I ever have a son, I hope he’s loyal to our family above everything.” Then she grabbed my hand, her fingernails digging into my skin.

  I scanned the water to see what had startled her and chuckled. A shark, no longer than my tail, swam alongside us.

  “Well, hello there, little one,” I said, reaching over to scratch its neck.

  Kora looked at me dubiously.

  “It’s tiny,” I said. “Besides, if it were going to get aggressive, it would have done so already.”

  Shaking her head, Kora said, “You always did have the strangest way with wild animals.”

  “Oh, I’m strange am I?” I grinned at her.

  “In a good way. I always thought it was kind of cool.”

  Rhea’s eyes bulged as the shark brushed against her. “I want to go home,” she said, her voice an octave higher than normal.

  I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. This is why I don’t share Kiki with them anymore.

  We turned to swim back toward the reef and Thessalonike. Rhea’s shoulders visibly relaxed when we crossed the breakwater back into the warm shallows.

  I glanced behind us, and the little shark was gone. A pang of disappointment pricked my stomach. I’d thought it was pretty cute.

  We drew close to the coral walls of Thessalonike, and Kiki took that as her cue to leave. She nudged my arm with her nose and darted away.

  Perhaps she sees a fish she wants to chase.

  I didn’t really know why I always made excuses. Kiki hated the city, and she always got nervous when she saw domesticated dolphins. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to live in Thessalonike as a dolphin.

  Sometimes I didn’t even want to live there as a mermaid.

  My friends and I swam to the entrance of the city, and this time I had no choice but to make eye contact with the guards.

  My heart plummeted. The commanding officer was Maximus, Tor’s best friend. His deep blue eyes met mine, and I couldn’t figure out what emotions swirled in them.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  He broke eye contact. “You may pass.”

  One of his underlings, a merman I didn’t recognize, sneered at me as we swam by. “I hope you’re satisfied, tramp. And your little harpy friends, too.”

  Chapter Four

  “Sergeant!” barked Maximus.

  The merman who had harassed us turned to look at his leader. “Aye, sir?”

  “Apologize to Lady Jade, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you insult Cleo’s daughter.”

  The sergeant’s jaw tightened. I didn’t look at him as he mumbled an apology.

  “Thanks,” I murmured. I grabbed Rhea’s arm and bolted into the city. Once out of earshot, I said, “I guess everyone’s heard.”

  We attracted more stares as we swam back toward my house. As we passed into the first circle of the city, I caught a glimpse of Adella, one of my mother’s friends. I waved at her, but she just glanced at me and turned away.

  Scandal travels fast.

  Kora and Rhea both noticed.

  “Don’t worry.” Kora looped her arm around my shoulder. “They did the same thing to Aphra last year when she got pregnant, but everything’s fine now that the baby’s here.”

  “But I didn’t do anything,” I hissed.

  “You know how it is,” said Kora. “Tainted by association. And some of them probably think you shouldn’t have gone to the inspectors over a naiad.”

  Rhea hadn’t said anything for several minutes, which was decidedly un-Rhea-like.

  We turned onto my canal and quickly swept inside my house to avoid the cold demeanor of the other nobles—and even a few of the merchants.

  “You made a mistake,” Rhea said once we reached the safety of my home. “Tor is popular, and his family’s powerful.”

  “What else was I supposed to do?” I demanded.

  Rhea shrugged, halting on the far side of the room. “Do you think for a moment that Yvonna hasn’t spent the whole day assassinating your character and spreading stories that you made the whole thing up because you were mad or jealous? She’s probably even saying you killed the naiad yourself or something.”

  My hands trembled, and I looked at Kora. She was staring at the floor.

  “They’d be crazy to believe that,” I said.

  “Jade?” Kora said, her voice small.

  I closed my eyes. “What is it?”

  “I—my family. We’re not like yours. My parents don’t wield the kind of power or influence with the king that your mother does. We haven’t ranked among the nobility for very long.”

  Tainted by association.

  “You know my position isn’t safe,” she continued. “To secure an elite career, I need to marry someone who—”

  “I get it,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

  “No—” Her face crumpled. “—it’s not like that. I still want to see you. I just . . . not out in public for now. And I can’t come here.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “So you’ll be my friend, you just won’t swim at my side or risk associating with me?”

  “You’re being unfair,” snapped Rhea. “For you and your family, this will wash away. Kora has no guarantees. If Yvonna set her mind to it—”

  “I get it!” I yelled.

  We floated in uncomfortable silence.

  “You can go now,” I said. “Both of you.”

  “Please come see me soon,” said Kora, grabbing my hand. “Just . . . I know it sounds awful, but if you could cloak yourself until you get inside my house . . . ”

  “I said you can go,” I whispered.

  I didn’t turn to watch as they swam out th
e door.

  “Are you alright?” George’s voice startled me from my miserable reverie.

  I looked up at him with a half-smile. “Yeah. Funny how everything can change at once, you know?”

  “You did the right thing,” he said. “Even if your friends can’t see it. Here, come sit down.”

  He led me to the table and helped me into the hammock, then he moved to the other side of the table and reached toward me, wrapping my hands in his.

  “Everything changed for Pippa yesterday, too, and she wouldn’t have ever known what happened if you hadn’t gone to the inspectors. None of this is your fault. In fact, you’re starting to set things right. As right as they can be, anyway.”

  Pippa. A twinge of guilt curled in my stomach. I’d hardly thought about how she must be feeling.

  That kind of grief had eviscerated me—waves of sorrow that couldn’t be assuaged but that, with no warning, gave way to debilitating numbness so profound it left me wondering if I, rather than Father, had really died that day. And then a sight or sound would trigger another swell of pain and plunge me back into the soul-tearing horror of it all.

  Yes. Pippa. I should talk to her.

  “Thanks, George,” I said.

  “And yes,” he said, “you should go see Pippa.”

  I stared at him. “How did you—”

  “I’ve known you since the day you were born. You can’t hide your thoughts from me.” He winked and ruffled my hair before pushing away from the table and gliding out of my room and down the first-level hall toward the parlor.

  I smiled. Dependable, perceptive George! It seemed like he always knew the right thing to say.

  But then, the worry hit me.

  The naiad quarter?

  I’d never been to that part of the city before. It was a dangerous place, and if I was honest with myself, I didn’t really know how to interact with naiads. Not in that way, anyway.

  I mean, yes, we’ve had naiad servants. But interacting with a servant is simple. You tell them what to do, they do it, and you thank them. I’d always prided myself on treating servants—mer or naiad—with respect. But to bring condolences to Pippa? Will I know what to say?

  I glanced at the tide glass and then out the window. If I meant to visit Pippa tonight, I’d need to go soon.