No Such Luck

by Jaclyn Weist

  “Oh, hey. Thanks for coming by. I’m just heading off to see how plans are coming along. See you later.”

  The head servant, Nessa, glared at me. “Not like that, you’re not. Come back inside and let me do your hair the right way.”

  I didn’t have much choice but to go back and sit down when I had the three pushing me inside. She pulled the bun out and braided it into a crown around my head, weaving it around one of the smaller tiaras. The gold of my hair blended with it to make it look seamless. She then added blush and lipstick, making my lips look fuller than usual.

  “There. Now you may go and see to the events. Please use caution out there. While you have won over the majority of the kingdom, there are a few who would love to see you dethroned so they can reign in your stead.”

  “I’ll do my best. Thank you.” I smiled at her before standing. “Oh, and thank you for doing my hair. It looks amazing.”

  She smiled and nodded with a bow before turning toward my bed to yell at the others for not making my bed correctly. I slipped out before she took her anger out on me.

  Jared stood out in the hall, dressed in clothes similar to mine. His eyebrows shot up when he saw me, and he broke into a grin. “Wow, your hair is beautiful like that. There’s no way I could have done it that way.”

  “Yeah, me neither. Nessa did it.” I glanced around. “No Beth or Adam?”

  He shook his head and took my hand. “No, they must be at the arena still. And Nessa scares me. You should have seen the look she gave me as I left your room.”

  I laughed. “Oh, I’m sure she shot a few daggers. So, I take it you found out where we’re supposed to go?”

  “Yep. And that’s not all I found.” He led me around the corner and stopped as we ran into a large group of soldiers. “Here’s our entourage. We’re not allowed to go anywhere without them. I know because I already tried.”

  “They left you alone when you waited for me.”

  “That’s because as king, I threatened bodily harm if anyone followed me to your bedroom. And I promised I would never do it again once Nessa got ahold of me.” He blushed again.

  I glanced behind me almost expecting her to be there. “Sounds like her. So, are they surrounding us the whole time we’re doing our events? Because it could seriously cramp my style if I have people in my way.”

  He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry—they’ll just be off to the side watching. I think you and I will only take part at the very end when it’s down to the last person in the event.”

  “Of course.” It made sense. I was the queen, whether I wanted to be or not, and they needed to protect me. I just didn’t like sitting on the sidelines.

  We made our way to the bleachers. Our thrones had a roof over them so we’d be protected from the weather. Two smaller thrones sat next to mine. They were probably Beth and Adam’s. Jared waited for me to sit before doing the same. The guards backed up and stood behind us, leaving a clear view of the field. Creatures of all different races stretched and practiced. I was sad to see that there were no leprechauns, but it didn’t surprise me. They weren’t in the running for my crown.

  A young man walked up to sit next to me, followed by an entourage of his own. While the guards had the same chiseled, handsome looks that Cam had, this boy looked more … human. His skin was dark, where the other Atlantians were fair skinned. He smiled brightly at me and stuck out his hand. “Hey, I’m Colin.”

  I stared at his hand before shaking it. “I’m Megan. So, you’re the captain?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I keep telling them not to call me that. It’s just Colin.”

  “I’m Jared.” He stuck out his hand for Colin to shake. “You guys sure know how to sneak up on someone.”

  Colin grinned. “It’s a shield we were taught to use. Pretty cool, huh? I’ve used it a few times to go visit my foster family.”

  “Foster family?”

  He nodded. “Up until last year, I was an orphan. Or, at least that’s what we thought. A family adopted me in Hawaii, but then I went down to Atlantis and found out my dad was Atlantian. Talk about a shock.”

  I laughed along with him. “That’s crazy. You were probably just as shocked as I was to find out all this stuff is real.”

  “No kidding.” He looked out at the arena and moved to bite his thumb before quickly moving his hand away from his mouth.

  Puck suddenly appeared on the other side of Colin and flopped down in a chair, throwing his leg over the armrest. He ignored the rest of us, which surprised me. Usually, he was annoying, but he almost seemed disappointed in something.

  Shortly after he appeared, a trumpet sounded. The group of competitors grabbed their various weapons and trudged to the sidelines. A few glanced toward me, but most turned to listen to the announcer. I looked up and realized it was Ethan who was speaking. I hadn’t seen him for a while.

  “Welcome to the tournament of champions. And a special welcome to our guests from Atlantis. We hope you enjoy your stay here.”

  Puck’s face clouded over, but he didn’t say anything. When Ethan caught his expression, his eyes widened, and he cleared his throat.

  “And, of course, a big thank you to Puck for helping us with our surveillance. His assistance has been much appreciated.”

  I bit my lip so I wouldn’t laugh at the way Puck puffed out his chest and grinned at everyone who clapped for him. He was sure full of himself. But Ethan was right. Puck had done a lot for us, and I was grateful for him. Even if he drove me crazy.

  Ethan went through the schedule of what was going to happen, and then the tournament was underway. I leaned back in my chair to watch as trolls, elves, fairies, and Beth lined up for archery. My stomach threatened to rebel as Beth waited in line for her turn to shoot the target. I’d seen her fight with her bow several times, but she was going up against creatures who were probably taught since they were tiny, and Beth only had a few months’ experience.

  “Is she your friend?” Colin asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “My best friend. Why aren’t there any Atlantians in this event?” I watched as an elf hit the center of the bullseye, followed by thunderous clapping. So far, he’d been the best in the group.

  Colin shrugged. “No one wanted to go up against the elves. And you can see why. Plus, we do other sports for fun. Archery is more for battle. Well, that’s what all my teachers tell me.”

  I watched as they went through another round. Adam stood next to Beth, talking quietly as they waited for her turn. I itched to get out there and compete as well, but since I’d never even tried with a bow, it was probably not a good idea. I could have trusted my luck, but this was Beth’s thing. I was pretty sure she wouldn’t have wanted me upstaging her.

  Jared leaned over close to my ear. “I know that look.”

  “Don’t worry—I’m behaving.” I leaned back and accepted a glass of grape juice from one of the fairies standing close to me. I paused and looked up at her. “This is safe for me to drink, right?”

  The fairy nodded. “Of course.”

  It looked okay. But then, so had the feast that had nearly killed my friends and had killed Jakob, the fairy king. With one more nod from the fairy, I took a drink. It was cool, and the taste was richer than the grape juice I was used to drinking at home. Jared accepted a cup as well and stared at it.

  “It’s fine.” I set the cup back on the tray and held Jared’s other hand.

  “I’m sure it is. Grape isn’t one of my favorites.” He took a sip, and his eyebrows shot up. “This is amazing.”

  I laughed. “I’ve never known you to be a picky eater before.”

  “That’s because I’m usually starving.” He set his cup down and leaned forward in his seat. “Oh, it’s Beth’s turn.”

  Beth aimed for the target, concentration etched on her face. Adam stood several feet back, his nerves clearly showing. He’d been the one to teach her most of what she knew, and I could tell it was killing him. He was more skilled with the
crossbow, but he loved archery as well. Beth loosed the arrow, and it flew straight at the target, making a thunking sound as it hit in the center of the bulls-eye.

  I wanted to stand and cheer and clap, but I had been warned by Louie and Ethan that I shouldn’t show any kind of favoritism toward anyone. I laughed, as Adam twirled Beth in circles. At least they could celebrate. I could cheer with Beth later that night.

  “Remind me never to go up against your friend,” Colin said. “I don’t get it, though. Did you guys have archery in school or something?”

  I shook my head. “No, Beth and Adam—that’s my brother over there—learned on their own. Well, Adam had classes, but Beth learned from him. We had to learn all this stuff in battle.”

  “Maybe I’ll have to have Adam teach me. I’m supposed to be the captain, but I never really fought until we had to fight to save Atlantis.”

  I watched Adam and Beth talking for a moment before answering. “He might be able to do that. As long as you don’t use it against us later.”

  He laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. We came here because we wanted to make sure the throne went to someone worthy. After what had happened . . . Anyway, now that things are calm down in Atlantis, we wanted to make sure it stays that way.”

  “Thank you.” I was dying to know what’d happened, but a scuffle broke out on the field as a dwarf dove at Beth. I pulled my sword out and was halfway to the steps before Jared managed to grab my hand.

  “Stay out of it. Look, Adam’s taking care of everything.” Jared led me back to the throne and kept his hand over mine.

  Ethan stood and glared down at the dwarf. “Because of unsportsmanlike conduct, the dwarves are out of this round. That leaves Beth Martin and Galan to compete for the final round. Competitors, take your places.”

  Three large security guards dragged a cursing dwarf off the field while the targets were moved back again. Beth stood next to a tall elf who had delicate features. His face was a mask of concentration, while Beth looked like she was going to throw up. Adam had his arm around her, whispering in her ear. She nodded and pulled away.

  She stood ready for the first shot. She shook out her hands and took a few deep breaths before she lifted her bow. Silence settled around the field as everyone waited for her to loose the arrow. It went straight and hit just outside the bullseye. Cheers went up, and while Beth clearly looked disappointed, she still smiled and waved at the crowd as she stepped back so Galan could take his turn.

  My stomach leaped into my chest as I watched Galan take his place. His stony expression remained as he aimed and fired. His arrow went just below and to the outside of where Beth’s had landed. This time, I couldn’t help myself as I squealed with excitement and clapped. Beth grinned as she bowed to Galan and then to the crowd before throwing her arms around Adam’s neck and kissing him. The crowd cheered even louder, and I could see Adam’s face go bright red.

  The contestants were led off the field as they prepared for the next event. Since none of us knew how to throw the javelin, we would sit out for this round. Beth and Adam showed up a few minutes later, and sat next to Jared. I looked around to make sure no one was watching and then jumped up to hug Beth.

  “That was awesome. I was so nervous.”

  “You were nervous? I just had to go up against an elf. I was worried I was going to make a fool of myself.” Beth slumped back in her chair. “Remind me not do that ever again, okay?”

  I glanced over at her. “What happened out there? Why did the dwarf attack you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Adam was reminding me of the battle at the castle last year, and the next thing I know, the dwarf attacked me. Maybe he had family there or something.”

  “Maybe. I’m just glad it didn’t faze you.” There had been dwarves at the battle, but the chances were slim that they were related to these ones … right?

  Colin stood and came over to us. “You did great. I’d love to learn, if you two could teach me sometime.”

  Adam and Beth looked between me and Colin without saying anything.

  “Oh, guys. This is Colin. He’s the captain for the Atlantis army.”

  “I know. I watched them come in.” Adam stuck out his hand. “You’re from Atlantis. I thought you would know how to fight. You’re advanced in just about everything, aren’t you?”

  Colin cleared his throat. “Well, the Atlantians might be, but I just got there recently. I’m from Hawaii, actually.”

  “I didn’t think humans could go down there. And if that’s the case, how did you become a captain for an army where you don’t even belong?”

  I rolled my eyes and turned to Colin. “Forgive Adam. He has a way of offending people without trying.”

  Colin laughed. “No worries. You should meet my brother. Anyway, I’m technically half-Atlantian, half-human, but I didn’t know about Atlantis until about a year ago. I met this mermaid girl and found out it’s real. When I went to help her family, we figured out my lineage. I refused to be king, so they decided to put me in this position since their other captain had been defeated.”

  “Whoa. And here we thought Megan’s luck was crazy.” Beth looked up at him in admiration. “I could teach you some things. If you promise to take me to Atlantis sometime.”

  “It’s a deal.” Colin went back to his seat, and I followed him so we could watch the next event.

  It was easier to watch the javelin throw since I didn’t have anyone in particular to cheer for. There were a few Atlantians in the mix, along with the elves and fairies. The dwarves had a harder time manipulating the long pole, but there were a couple of them practicing off to the side. I caught a couple of glares that they shot toward Beth, which made me nervous. In mythology, dwarves are generally seen as grumpy creatures, so I really hoped that’s all it was.

  Ethan stood, and the crowd quieted down. “It is now time for the javelin throw. Those who are not competing, please leave the area. We will begin with Cam from Atlantis and continue on from there.”

  I sat up straight. Cam was here? One man strode out into the center of the field while the other competitors stayed back. I recognized his features, but the full pads he wore had thrown me off.

  “I take it you know Cam.” Colin chuckled.

  My face reddened as I looked over at him. “We met in France a few weeks ago. A mermaid attacked me, and he had to come and take her back to Atlantis.”

  He looked at me in surprise. “That was you?”

  “Yes. It was crazy.” Not that it was the worst thing that had happened to me in the last year and a half, but it was one of the scariest. I’d nearly drowned when she attacked me under the water. Of course, there was also the revenant and the grey man … I shuddered.

  “You’re kind of a legend down in Atlantis. And not . . .” He cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. “Not in a good way. Maybe that’s really why they sent me here.”

  I watched as the next competitor threw the javelin. It came just short of Cam’s throw, and the competitor moved off the field. “I kinda got the feeling they didn’t like me when they showed up. But to be honest, they haven’t exactly given me a reason to like them, either.”

  Colin laughed. “I’m sure they haven’t, if they were attacking you. But you need to meet the others. There are some very good merpeople down there.”

  “Just like there are more good humans than bad. I just got to know the bad mermaids first.” I cringed when one of the elves had a javelin fall several yards short of the others. He stormed off, cursing. “Wow, there are some tempers here today.”

  Jared took my hand. “That’s the joy of sports, remember?”

  “I just didn’t expect it, I guess.” I squeezed his hand and went back to watching the competition. The top ten from the group stayed for the next round, while the rest of the group went to sit on the sidelines. Colin was joined by a few other kids about his age.

  He turned to me. “This is Alleya and Exander. They’re mermaids.”
r />   “Half-mermaid.” Alleya settled in next to Colin. “He always forgets that part.”

  Beth jumped out of her chair and hurried over to Alleya. “You two are mermaids?”

  I covered my face with my hand. Beth sounded like a total fangirl. When I looked up, I could see the look of amusement on Colin’s face as well.

  “Exander is. I’m part mermaid, part Atlantian.” Alleya was a pretty girl with curly red hair and green eyes. There’s no way I ever would have known she was a mermaid.

  “This is Megan, queen of the fairies.” Colin gestured toward me. “She’s also the girl who fought Ashera in France.”

  Alleya looked at me with wide eyes. “That was you? She was sentenced to life in prison because of that.”

  “Yes, well, she almost killed me, so I have a hard time feeling bad about that.” I watched Cam throw his next javelin, surpassing everyone else by several yards.

  “I’m Beth.” She held out her hand for Alleya to shake.

  Alleya and then Exander shook her hand, but stayed quiet. When they didn’t seem to want to talk, Beth finally walked back over and dropped into her seat. I hadn’t meant to snap, but I also didn’t want to have someone defend the person—or mermaid—trying to kill me. When the last fairy threw his javelin, matching evenly with Cam, that round ended, and they took the top five competitors.

  Jared stood and took my hand. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with Megan in private.”

  I followed him out of the arena and into the castle, where we made our way into the map room. Once we were inside, he locked the door and turned to me.

  “What’s going on out there?” His face was more serious than usual, but his eyes showed his concern.

  “I don’t know. I’m just frazzled. First I meet Atlantians, and then I meet mermaids, and even though Colin assured me they’re good people, they were defending the mermaid who tried to kill me.”

  Jared frowned. “I don’t think she was defending her. I think she was just stating a fact. But you started acting all flustered when that Atlantian guy showed up on the field. Who is he? And what is this really about?”