Breakwater

by Catherine Jones Payne

  I squeezed her hand. “Is there anything my family can do for you?”

  She shook her head, her lips tightening. “I’ll be alright, Lady Jade.”

  “The physicians reported the attack to the inspectors, as the law requires.” I rubbed my temples. “I’ve already described your attacker to them.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Pippa . . . ” I trailed off, unsure how to continue. “I suspect your home was destroyed because I visited. I think it’s possible—likely, even—that you would’ve been left alone if you hadn’t been associated with me. The mer who are angry with me can’t go after me directly. But when they saw me go to your house—”

  “They came after me because I’m not so protected?”

  I nodded.

  “Lady Jade—”

  “Jade will do. You’ve earned the right to drop my title.”

  “You don’t have any idea—” She winced. “—what goes on in the naiad quarter, do you?”

  I furrowed my eyebrows.

  “These sorts of attacks aren’t uncommon. They happen every week, it seems like.”

  I drew back. Every week?

  “And honestly,” she continued, “with everyone talking about Anna’s death, I was expecting it.”

  “What—no. My mother has devoted her whole career to improving conditions in the quarter. I would know if—”

  “Your mother does a lot of good for the naiads, but one bureaucrat, however well-intentioned, can’t fix what’s broken.”

  One bureaucrat, my fin. But I let it pass. “If we could just set the differences between our peoples aside, perhaps things could get better.”

  She bit her lip. “If you hadn’t seen Anna’s body with your own eyes, would you have believed that Tor killed her? Or would you have sided with him because the idea that he brutally attacked her seemed so preposterous?”

  “I . . . ”

  Her voice softened. “And even if you believed him guilty, if you hadn’t encountered firsthand the horror of his actions, would you be one of the voices in the canals murmuring that my sister had it coming to her? That surely she’d provoked him?”

  “Well, she may have provoked him. He said she was extorting his family.”

  She shook her head. “See? It’s not quite that simple, is it?”

  I didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry,” I finally managed.

  “It’s not your fault. None of it is,” she said. “These are just realities we have to deal with.”

  “Can you and I be friends?” I asked, straightening my back. “In spite of it all, can we try, anyway?”

  She smiled softly at me. “We both need a friend right now, I think.”

  That’s truer than you know. “I should go soon, or Mother will send out a search party for me. But I’ll come back and see you. Tomorrow if I can.”

  “Be careful on the canals. I’ll understand if it’s too dangerous for you to travel. I, of all people, know how uncertain everything is right now.”

  “When you’re well enough to catch up on your mending, why don’t you do it from our house during the day? That might be safer for you.”

  “I’ll think about it,” she said. “Thanks for your concern. Go in peace.”

  “And peace be upon you.” I turned to leave. I ignored the stares of the physicians as I left the house of healing.

  “Jade?” Mother called as I entered the house, her voice cracking with anxiety and anger.

  “I’m here,” I said. This is going to be a fun conversation.

  Aunt Junia darted into the entryway. “We’re so glad you’re home. Your mother’s been worried.”

  No point in trying to keep it from them. Even if they don’t know yet, they will soon. “I assume you heard that I was in the naiad quarter when Pippa’s house was attacked?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Aunt Junia’s tone suggested disapproval, but I detected a twinkle of pride in her eyes.

  Mother floated around the corner, her eyes narrowed on me. “Were you trying to get yourself killed, going there?”

  I decided that this wasn’t the moment to mention that George had suggested I go. “I’m sorry. I wanted to offer my condolences to Pippa in person.”

  Mother ran her hands through her hair. “You don’t help mer-naiad relations by putting yourself in that kind of danger. Not this week, especially. If you’d been killed, we’d be clashing in the canals.”

  “I’m sure the mer would love me a lot more if I were dead,” I mumbled.

  She shot me a sharp look. “As it is, some of the naiads have been restless. We’ve had a few situations.”

  “Situations?”

  “Most recently a riot. Small. Easily contained. But the king is unhappy.”

  “An eruption of violence could destroy everything the king and his advisors have been working for—trying to ease the naiads into full participation in society,” Aunt Junia said.

  “Is it true that gangs of mer have been attacking naiad homes for years?” I asked.

  Mother and Aunt Junia looked at each other.

  Aunt Junia fingered the frayed edge of her wrap. “It’s true. It’s always been true.”

  “Then why doesn’t anyone talk about it?”

  “It’s not conducive to promoting peace.” Aunt Junia’s gills flared.

  I swished my tail back and forth. “Neither are home invasions. Or blade attacks.”

  “Sometimes we have to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains,” said Aunt Junia.

  I raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t seem—”

  “Pippa’s attacker has already been found,” said Mother. “His compatriots turned him in to the inspectors for violating the prohibition against blades.”

  “As they should have.” Aunt Junia raised her eyebrows. “He could have brought a feeding frenzy of sharks on all of us with his actions.”

  “So he’s to be expelled?” I asked.

  Mother nodded. “The king has already declared the attack to be anathema. And Jade? Don’t go back to the naiad quarter until everything calms down.” Her voice hitched. “I can’t lose you. Especially not after your father.”

  I looked down at the floor.

  “Promise me, Jade.”

  I grunted at her and flitted up the corridor.

  “Jade.”

  “I can’t have this conversation right now. I’m sorry,” I called from the second level of the house. With a strangled sob, I burst through the kelp screen into my room. Floating in front of my window, I let my thoughts wander.

  What if I just left? I could pack a bag, leave the city, and swim off with Kiki. I’m of age. No one could stop me.

  I wondered what the canals of Marbella looked like and if I could blend into the crowd of commoners there.

  The Thessaloniken ambassador and his family would recognize me. But it’s a big city . . .

  “Jade?” Benjamin’s voice from the hallway pulled me back to reality. “Can I come in?”

  My gills flared. “I need to be alone.”

  “Please? Just for a second.”

  “Fine.”

  He peeked through the kelp and floated into my room. “I’m sorry she flipped out on you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Is Pippa gonna be okay?”

  “I’m surprised you heard about that.” I sank onto my hammock.

  “Psh. Don’t be silly. I hear everything.”

  I gave him a sad smile. “That you do, urchin.”

  “Anyway, today I heard something that I thought you needed to know about.”

  I tried to keep my face calm. “What is it?”

  He picked at his thumbnail. “You really need to be careful. Yvonna’s out for blood.”

  I scoffed. “Of course she is. She’s probably meeting with sleazy assassins in back canals.”

  “No, you don’t understand. Not like that. Mariana says she saw Yvonna meeting with Andronicus.”

  I stared at him, quirking my eyebrow. “Andronicus who?”
r />   He rolled his eyes. “You really need to get out more. Andronicus? Leader of the anti-monarchists?”

  “I didn’t realize the rabble had gotten so organized. What are they doing these days? Still trying to expel the naiads? Or . . . what was it? Protesting that tariff?”

  He sat beside me on the hammock. “I think they’re planning to overthrow the king.”

  Chapter Six

  “We hereby announce the dissolution of the engagement between Lady Jade Cleopola and Captain Tor Felicipolos,” the crier called from our canal on his morning round.

  I cringed.

  “As a result of criminal proceedings in which the crown accuses Captain Tor of the murder of the naiad Anna Brook, a servant in the employ of Captain Tor’s parents, Lady Yvonna Cassiapola and Lord Felix Andreapolos.”

  The crier’s words reached me where I sat inside my room. To honor Mother’s request—and, if I was being honest with myself, because the idea terrified me—I hadn’t returned to the naiad quarter or gone back to the house of physicians in the days since my disastrous visit.

  Two seahorses drifted through my window, and I smiled at them. “Hi, friends.”

  Friends.

  Every time I thought of the conversation I’d had with Rhea and Kora, heat rose in my cheeks. I still want to see you, Kora had said. Just . . . not out in public for now.

  I tried—and failed—to suppress the stab of pain that bloomed in my chest. It isn’t Kora’s fault. She’s doing what she has to do to protect herself and her family. I have no idea what I’d do in her place.

  I said it over and over to myself, but it didn’t comfort me. Still, holding a grudge against my oldest and best friends wouldn’t do anyone any good. I decided I’d visit Kora at her home.

  Surely Mother wouldn’t object to that. It’s not like she expects me to stay indoors like a prisoner. And even if she does, I’m not a child anymore.

  I searched out my most nondescript black wrap so I wouldn’t draw attention to myself in the canals.

  A timid knock sounded on the door below. “Lady Jade?” a soft voice called.

  Pippa.

  I heard the door open and George say, “Come in, my dear. Do you need anything to eat?”

  “No, but thank you. It’s kind of you to ask.”

  I swept down to the first level of the house and reached for Pippa’s hand. “I’m so glad you came. How do you feel?”

  “The wound still hurts, of course, but I can do most things as long as I don’t walk too quickly.” She glanced down. “Well, I can’t cast water yet. But I should be able to by next week.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that,” I said. “And how are you doing otherwise?”

  Her face remained impassive. “As well as can be expected. I don’t really want to talk about it if you don’t mind.”

  George excused himself to the kitchen.

  “Oh. Okay.” I glanced at the basket in her hand. “Taking me up on my offer to work here during the day?”

  “If it’s still on the table,” she said. “And I brought your cloak back. You left it when we fled. I hate to intrude, but it’ll be a week before the doorway to my home is repaired, and I don’t feel safe there.” She handed me the cloak, and I caressed the fabric as I draped it over my arm.

  “It’s no intrusion.” I wrinkled my nose. “Not for another week? Do you have somewhere to go at night?”

  “I’ve been staying with a friend.”

  “Good,” I said too quickly. We stared at each other for an awkward moment.

  Pippa set down her basket.

  “I was just on my way to visit my friend Kora,” I said. “You don’t mind being here with only George for company?”

  “It doesn’t bother me.” She hesitated. “Except that I’d hate to make you or your mother uncomfortable. I know that George will be busy, and many mer don’t think naiads are trustworthy, but I’d never—”

  “I think no such thing,” I said. At any rate, Pippa has always dealt honestly with us.

  She bowed. “Thank you. Go in peace. Have a good time with Kora.”

  I arched my neck forward. “And peace be upon you.”

  I clutched my cloak tightly around my head as I drifted outside. No one turned in my direction, and I was relieved to pass unnoticed through the canals.

  As I flipped my fin, propelling myself past the elegant coral homes that populated our neighborhood, I couldn’t help but think of the naiad quarter. I hoped Pippa would be able to pay the rent on her house. Maybe she could sell the necklace I’d brought her. If the mob hadn’t stolen it.

  The money Mother sent her should be enough to get her by for a little while. Kora’s house lay only two canals away, so I found myself knocking at her door just a minute later.

  A male naiad answered the door. “Can I help you?”

  “Is Lady Kora in?” I loosened my grip on my cloak so he could see my face clearly.

  He bowed. “Come in, Lady Jade.”

  I floated in after him and sank into a hammock in Kora’s ornate entryway. He marched into the depths of the house with rigid, precise steps. While I waited, I admired the black rock walls shot through with bursts of white and gold.

  “Jade?” Kora swept into the room with a flick of her amber fin. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve been worried.”

  We embraced, and she looked at me with wide eyes.

  “I really hope I didn’t ruin anything between us. I value you and your friendship, and I want to be at your side in all this. It’s just—”

  “I get it, dear,” I said. “You’re in a difficult position. It’s no one’s fault.”

  “It’s Tor’s,” she said savagely, her jaw tightening. “If that entitled skub hadn’t gone and sunk everything off the drop-off like that, none of this would have happened.”

  “Everything would be simpler,” I said, my voice quiet.

  “When do you think things will go back to normal?”

  I shrugged, hoping the careless gesture hid my fear. If Benjamin’s right that Yvonna wants to overthrow the monarchy, maybe never. “It’ll keep getting dredged up again and again until the trial. After he’s convicted or released, maybe a month until people stop caring. Unless his family follows through on their threats and tries to destroy me, which is entirely possible but not likely.”

  “Yvonna’s vindictive.”

  “But she’s also ambitious and practical.” It was the mantra I’d been reassuring myself with for days. “If he’s found guilty, it’s more of a scandal for their family than it is for mine. She’ll need to accept the judgment of the king and put this whole thing behind her as soon as possible.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I have to be.”

  We drifted to less serious conversation, and I struggled to pay attention while Kora talked about an upcoming party she was hoping to attend. Two or three boys had shown interest in her, she said, and she hoped that after a few more parties she’d figure out if any of them had serious designs on her.

  “They’re all of higher rank than I am, too,” she said with a gleeful grin. “Cyrus is my favorite, I think. He’s the sweetest man I’ve ever met. And his father is the chief historian. He could undoubtedly find me a good apprenticeship to start my career.”

  “Awww, you’re not going to wait until Benjamin’s old enough?” I smirked. “He has a terrible crush on you.”

  “Maybe I will,” she said with a glint in her eyes. “He’s only four years younger than me, and I’d be Cleo’s daughter-in-law. That’s even better than the chief historian’s.”

  I gasped in mock astonishment. “Mercenary little siren!”

  She stuck her tongue out at me. “You’re just hurt that I didn’t say I’d be your sister.”

  “Psh. Prey on men your own age.”

  “Believe me, I’m trying.” She sighed. “Damian’s handsome, too, isn’t he? But his father’s so important that I don’t think he’d ever look twice at me.”

  I knew
for a fact that at least two eager young mermen of lower rank than Kora had fallen all over themselves to impress her, but I supposed she didn’t even count them.

  Don’t judge, I reminded myself. I’ll be alright even if I never marry. Unless the anti-monarchists overthrow the king, that is.

  I managed a soft smile, but I longed to be at home in the quiet.

  How odd. Even though I hated crowds, I spent almost all my spare time with my friends or Kiki. I’ve never longed for the quiet like this.

  I managed a few more polite responses, then I floated upward and stretched. “I should go. I’m sorry my stay was so short. Mother will be upset if she gets home and doesn’t know where I’ve gone. She’ll think I went back to the naiad quarter or something.”

  Kora met my eyes, and I knew she was aware that my mother wouldn’t be home until evening. But she just said, “Of course. I’d hate to get you in trouble. I really can’t believe that you went to see Pippa. If I were your mother, I’d lock you in the house until the trial.”

  She grinned. I could see the hurt in her eyes, but I didn’t have the energy to address the blue whale in the room.

  Fighting the sinking feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach, I pulled my cloak around my face and swam toward the door.

  As I turned the corner to leave Kora’s canal, I paused. The sound of a merman shouting, his voice deep and lustrous, drew me in. I couldn’t make out his words, but from his rhythmic cadence, I suspected he was whipping up a crowd.

  The anti-monarchists? I’d never been to one of their rallies before, but after what Benjamin had overheard, I found myself curious.

  I glided toward the noise, in the opposite direction of my house. After several blocks, I found myself in a part of town that I’d swum through before but didn’t frequent. The homes were smaller here and built from duller coral.

  As I drew closer, I heard the buzz of a crowd humming beneath the staccato shouts of the speaker. I gripped my cloak tighter around my face. Around one more corner, I caught a glimpse of a tall, bronze-skinned merman with a bright red fin and light blond hair.

  “The naiads have been here robbing and raping and killing us for ten years,” he called. “We’re helpless against their water-casting. And the king tells us we just need patience. Does the king have your best interests at heart?”