Breakwater

by Catherine Jones Payne

  “I know you have,” Mother said, adjusting her necklace. “It’s why I was so glad to see you leave school.”

  “Mother!” I snapped.

  She held up her hands and cast me an innocent look. “What? I’m sure that didn’t come as a surprise to him.”

  Alexander continued looking at her. “Lady Cleo, I would give my life to make Jade happy.”

  “I said we’ll talk about this later,” said Mother. Then she cracked a smile. “But at least it’s a better match than the skub-whose-name-we-will-not-utter.”

  I glanced at Alexander and shrugged.

  “Now,” Mother said, “George is out on an errand, but he’ll return in a few minutes to get you settled, Alexander. You’ll stay here for a few days while everything settles down. I expect both of you to be responsible. There will be no eloping.” She shot a stern glance at each of us.

  I told her that I wouldn’t make that kind of promise, but I would at least go to the party.

  “Willful, headstrong child,” she muttered. “Now get out of my sight, both of you. I have enough to worry about today without you children arguing with me at every turn.”

  Grabbing Alexander’s hand, I led him down the hall to the sitting room at the back of the house.

  As we moved away, Aunt Junia said to Mother, “She’s a lot like you, you know.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Alexander and I looked at each other, and I tried to suppress a burst of laughter. Then all my pent-up emotions ambushed me, and I collapsed halfway down the hall, sobbing.

  “What’s wrong?” Alexander sat at my side and looped his arms around my shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “No,” I managed.

  He rubbed my back with his hand.

  “Everything’s fallen apart,” I whispered, “and I don’t know how to process any of it.”

  “We’ve had a long night. Why don’t you go up and try to get some sleep? I’ll be fine down here by myself.”

  “I can’t sleep,” I said.

  “Your eyes are bloodshot,” he whispered. “It’s a wonder your mother didn’t realize where you’d been. You won’t be able to get through that awful party tonight if you haven’t at least rested.”

  He had a point.

  “Alright,” I said. “As long as you promise me you’ll still be here when I wake up.”

  “Always.” He kissed my cheek.

  I squeezed his hand, floated upward, and made my way back past Mother and Aunt Junia and up the corridor to the second level of the house.

  I swept into my room with a heavy sigh. My hands felt cold as I swam toward my hammock bed and sank into it.

  “Are you okay?” Benjamin asked from my door.

  I whirled around and took in his serious expression. “You heard my conversation with Mother?”

  He nodded. “Of course I did. You’re really leaving?”

  My chin quivered. “I’m so sorry, urchin. If it weren’t—”

  He surged toward me and wrapped me in a hug. “Shh. I get it. You can’t stay. Too much has happened.”

  “I just wish I could take you with us.”

  “Then Mother would really throw a fit,” he said, moving back but keeping his hands on my shoulders.

  I laughed and placed my hand on his. “Yeah, she would. I want you to know that I’m really proud of you. I’ve known for a while that you’re growing up, but you’ve been so strong and supportive through everything that’s happened, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

  “You’re my sister,” he said. “It comes with the territory.”

  I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. “Go away. I’m exhausted, and I have to try to rest before the party.”

  “I’m so jealous,” he said with a smirk.

  “Just wait about three more years, and you’ll be stuck going to these things, too. They’re awful.”

  “I bet the food’s great.”

  “That is their one redeeming quality.” I ran my hand through my hair.

  He swam back to the door and stopped without turning back around. “Promise me one thing?”

  “Anything.”

  “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

  I wrung my hands together, glad he wasn’t looking at me. “I promise.”

  “And stay as long as you can?”

  “I’ll try,” I said with a catch in my voice.

  Mother approved of the clothes I’d put on for the party—a deep blue seaweed wrap that looked the part of elegance but didn’t draw undue attention to myself and a simple strand of pearls.

  When Alexander saw me, his ears tinted bright red. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” I glanced down at the floor. Tor had been profuse in his compliments, but I’d never felt quite so giddy around him. I suppose it’s because I know Alexander means every word he says. With Tor, I never knew what was just politics.

  An hour later, Mother and I arrived at the party and greeted the hostess, Lady Regina.

  “Cleo,” she said warmly, grasping Mother’s hands. “And Jade.” She nodded at me, her eyes tightening, then she rushed away to meet the next guest.

  My cheeks warmed, and I clenched my jaw. “Did you see that?” I whispered to Mother.

  “Ignore it,” she murmured. “Stay focused. Work the room.”

  I caught a glimpse of Rhea floating near the opposite wall. She glanced up from the lord she was flirting with—whom I knew to be married and guessed to be a full two decades her senior—and locked eyes with me for a brief moment.

  I looked away. I couldn’t bring myself to forgive her, and even if I eventually managed to let it go, I’d never trust her again. She’d broken too much between us. I turned and swam toward a group of girls I’d gone to school with.

  “Lena, Angelica,” I said. “It’s been a long time.”

  They looked at me for a moment with raised eyebrows and swung back to each other, continuing their conversation as if I weren’t there.

  I realized then what was going on, and I turned away from them, brimming with anxiety and humiliation.

  In a panic, I searched the room for Mother. I had to get out of there. I didn’t particularly enjoy parties on the best of days, and I couldn’t even imagine trying to mingle for an hour in a room full of people who hated me.

  Perhaps Alexander and I can leave for Marbella tonight. I wondered if the people in Marbella would be any easier to talk to than the stuck-up, noble skubs of Thessalonike.

  I saw Hera, one of my mother’s friends, and decided to visit with her, at least for a few minutes. Whatever she thought of me, she wouldn’t snub me in front of my mother.

  “Hera,” I said to her, “how are you?”

  She turned her striking green eyes to me. “Why Jade, lovely to see you. I hope you’ve been well?”

  “Very well, thank you. How are your children?” The stilted conversation agonized me, but at least I could pretend everything was normal.

  “They are very busy, as always,” she replied. “Oh, Vivienne just came in. If you’ll excuse me, I have something quite important I must discuss with her. I hope we’ll get another chance to visit later tonight.”

  “Yes, of course.” My courage faltered. Vivienne had already been at the party when I’d arrived.

  The buzz of conversation closed in around me. I would have to make my apologies to Lady Regina and claim I had a headache, regardless of what Mother said.

  It wasn’t like I really needed to reintegrate myself into polite society after the scandal. Alexander and I wouldn’t be staying.

  “Lady Jade,” said a voice behind me. “So good to see you.”

  I twisted around to see Felix sneering at me. I threaded my fingers together.

  “Lord Felix, what a delight.” I didn’t bother trying to sound sincere.

  “I’m glad I ran into you tonight. I have great news. I knew you’d want to hear it.”

  The room spun around me. “What’s that?” I asked w
ith a pasted-on smile.

  He pressed his hands together and grinned. “The king has agreed to expel the naiads.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “My hands shook. “Come again?”

  “Naturally, we can’t have the naiads getting rowdy on us like they have these past days, now, can we? We’ll be so much safer this way.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping he was bluffing. Surely the king wouldn’t deport the naiads, least of all without consulting Mother. But something in me doubted.

  “I’ve heard of no such plan,” I said. “But, then again, Mother and I were in a rush to get here on time. It must have slipped her mind.”

  “Oh, I don’t believe the king mentioned it to Cleo,” he said in a dramatic whisper. “He can’t very well tell a naiad-lover about it before it’s announced in the canals, and your mother does have a record of being on the wrong side. Even after the naiads killed your father, she still wanted to protect them.” He tsked. “Seems foolish, doesn’t it?”

  I looked over his shoulder and surveyed the room, locking eyes for a moment with a wide-eyed Yvonna. There was no one at the party I cared to have a conversation with and no point lingering to listen to Felix’s threats.

  “I must be going.” I dipped my head. “I’ve made an appointment that I’m already late for.”

  I left the party with deliberate strokes of my fin and without a word to Regina or a glance at my mother.

  “Lady Jade.” Yvonna moved toward me as I reached the door. “Wait.”

  “Get out of my sight,” I said under my breath. “And keep your dark, twisted family away from me.”

  “Alexander!” I rushed into his arms upon returning home. He held me close, and we spiraled in a circle. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you. It was a terrible, terrible party.”

  If I never see Felix and Yvonna again as long as I live . . . But I felt a little infusion of strength at the thought that I hadn’t let them smell my fear.

  Alexander held me close, and I caught a glimpse of George over his shoulder. George tried to slip away down the corridor, but I called out to him. “George, I’m glad you’re here.”

  George smiled at me. “I’m glad too, Miss Jade. I’m sorry you had such a foul evening.”

  “What happened?” Alexander asked in a low, soothing tone.

  I bit my lip. “So many things. Everyone was rude to me. And then Felix said that the king’s agreed to expel the naiads from the city.”

  George’s eyes widened.

  “I can’t imagine that’s true,” said Alexander, his lips pursed.

  “But what if it is?” My hysteria burgeoned. “I mean, maybe he was just trying to make me miserable, but what if it’s true and my actions have really resulted in the expulsion of the naiads?”

  “Hey, hey.” Alexander ran his hands up and down my arms. “No matter what the king decides, none of this is your fault, remember? You didn’t choose for Tor to kill Anna. You didn’t choose to be the one who stumbled on the aftermath. You just told the truth.”

  My gills rose and fell rapidly, and I jerked out of his embrace and swam back and forth across the room.

  “There’s nothing we can do about it,” he said.

  “I could plead with the king.”

  “And say what? Do you really think he’s going to change such a sweeping decision at the whim of a seventeen-year-old girl? No matter how much he respects your mother, if he’s agreed to such a plan, it’s irrevocable.”

  Nausea churned in my gut. “What if I agreed to marry Tor?”

  Alexander pulled back. “What?”

  “No,” I shook my head, “not really marry him. Just be engaged for a while.”

  “What the depths are you talking about?” His nails pressed into his palms.

  I pressed my lips together and shot an imploring glance at George.

  Rubbing my temples, I said, “I should’ve told you this already, and I’m sorry. Yesterday, before the Guard swept through the quarter, the king requested an audience with me, and he asked me to marry Tor to help calm the mer.”

  “And you’re considering it?” Alexander looked from me to George in disbelief. “What about us?”

  I slammed my hand against the table. “Don’t you think this is bigger than you and me?”

  “If I may interject,” George said.

  “Yes?” I turned toward him. “You’ve always given me excellent advice.”

  “First, it’s too late for an engagement to make any difference. The problem now isn’t that the mer are restless. The Guard took things too far. The king is trying to stave off a full-fledged revolt in the naiad quarter. Don’t imagine for a second that the anti-monarchists aren’t trying to figure out how to press this to their advantage.”

  “That makes sense,” I said in a thin voice. “What do you think will happen?”

  George sighed. “I wish I knew, Miss Jade. Probably nothing much that will affect you or me.” He pressed his fingers together. “Worst-case scenario, though, we could be looking at a revolution. That doesn’t strike me as the likeliest outcome, but it would be foolish to discount the possibility. It’s happened before.”

  “Not for centuries.” I risked a glance at Alexander. His eyes still blazed at me.

  “You kids are planning to leave, aren’t you?” George asked, a hint of sadness shadowing his deep gray eyes.

  “Yes.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “How did you know?”

  He smiled at me. “Because I planned to elope with someone once.”

  I reached out and grasped his hand.

  He squeezed my fingers. “And a little fish named Benjamin hinted at it.”

  “Oh, depths,” I said. “Is he here? I didn’t want him to hear all this.”

  “He’s at Niko’s. But don’t worry about him. He’s a strong young man. Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “As I was saying, you have friends among the naiads, Miss Jade. If you and Alexander need to leave Thessalonike to be together, travel with the naiads until they find safe waters. You don’t have to take this journey alone. And you may be able to help keep them safe along the way. Marbella might prove more welcoming to them if there are mer in their midst.”

  Peace spread through my core. “Thank you,” I whispered to George. “You always know the right thing to say. I—I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

  “I sure will miss you, Miss Jade,” he said, and his lower lip quivered. “You and Benjamin and your parents have been like family to me for many years now.”

  “There isn’t much that I worry about missing when I think about leaving the city. It’s just you and Mother and Benjamin and Aunt Junia.” My heart sank. “And Kiki.”

  “Kiki will come with you. Her whole heart belongs to you.”

  I knew he was right, and a weight lifted off my chest.

  “I’m so sorry I have to leave,” I said.

  “Ah, I understand, child. When the time comes, I expect you won’t have the chance to find me to say goodbye, so know that I’m very proud of you and wish you all the best. Your father would be proud of you, too. You’ve honored his memory in the way you’ve lived these past two months.”

  I smiled at him even as I thought my heart might break. “Thank you.”

  “Now,” he said, steadying his voice. “Are you children hungry? What can I make you to eat? I assume you left the party before the food came out, Jade?”

  I turned toward Alexander. “I’m sorry. I panicked. Forgive me?”

  “You weren’t . . . really considering marrying him, were you?” A frown still darkened his face.

  “No! No, never,” I said, reaching for his hand. “I just thought—for a moment—that we should think about postponing our marriage, for the good of the city. To help everyone calm down. I love you.”

  His jaw relaxed. “I love you, too.”

  George coughed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “Food would be lovely. Do we have crab poppers?”

  “Always,
” George said with a bow.

  Early the next morning, Alexander and I floated through the city, hand-in-hand, not caring who saw us in those few stolen moments. Only the workers were awake and moving about the city anyway.

  Well, and the Guard, who maintained a heavier-than-normal presence in the canals.

  We made small talk about sights on the canal for a few minutes, until I finally murmured, “I think George is right. We should leave with the naiads if the king expels them.”

  “Yes.” Alexander gripped my hand tighter. “My home has been with the naiads for years now. I have friends among them. They’ll welcome us.”

  “I’ll tell Mother and Aunt Junia and Benjamin before we leave. And maybe Kora. But I don’t think anyone else will miss me much.”

  He rubbed my wrist with his thumb. “Then they’re foolish. And I think you should say goodbye to Rhea.”

  I froze, hovering in one spot. “Why?” I asked in a strangled voice.

  “Because you might never see her again,” he said. “You ought to try to set things right.”

  “I have no interest in speaking to Rhea again as long as I live.” I pushed my father’s face from my mind. “Besides, she certainly won’t care. She made that perfectly clear. If anyone needs to set things right, it’s her.”

  “She did an awful thing.” He brushed his fingers across my cheek. “But I’d hate to see you leave the city without having at least tried to—”

  “I don’t want to.” A blue tang moseyed past my face, and I focused on it to avoid making eye contact with Alexander.

  He held up his hands. “Alright. You don’t have to.” He glanced in the direction we’d been swimming. “We’re almost to city center.”

  “I’d like to spend some time looking at the statues. That’s another thing I’ll miss about Thessalonike.” We started at the statue of King Poseidon, the first monarch of Thessalonike. His sage eyes looked down on me with equal measures compassion and reproach, like a loving father and a stern judge all in one. One by one, I moved down the line, saying goodbye to the city one piece at a time.