Oceanborn

by Amalie Howard

  15

  Friends and Frenemies

  I’m slowly drifting, the surfboard following the gentle swell of the ocean. Beyond the breakers, the sea is calm and glasslike, waves building in flat, glossy swells before entering the foamy white surf zone. Golden sunshine filtering down from a cloudless blue sky bathes my salt-crusted body with deliciously hot rays. A stone’s throw away, Lo beckons, a grin on his face. Shimmery navy scales flicker across his cheeks, making lights illuminate in instant response along my forearms. Even in human form, he is beautiful, majestic. Something warm pools responsively in my stomach, and winds its way up my neck and down my legs, until I’m breathless.

  Chasing the beginnings of a perfect wave, Lo signals to me again, and this time, I follow. We crest the wave in synchronic exhilaration, Lo descending across its face and me skimming across its top before gliding down to meet him. He twists back to look at something behind me, his dark eyes exultant. I follow his gaze, and the breath stops in my throat as the wave beneath me surges to an impossible height. But it’s not the wave that terrifies me—it’s Ehmora’s face stretching within it, her tentacled arms wide and reaching.

  War is coming, her fanged mouth screams before it swallows me whole.

  “Nerissa!” someone is yelling. “Wake up. You’re thrashing around like a fish out of water.” A bleary Speio swims into view as I drag myself out of the nightmare. “Bad dream?”

  “Sort of,” I mutter, my surroundings coming into sharp focus. An agonizing twinge rips through my shoulders. I stretch my cramped body. I fell asleep in a chair next to the pool—strange for me—and until I had the dream, it seems like I barely moved all night. A pinkish tinge is seeping across the blue-gray dawn sky. “What time is it?” I ask Speio.

  “About five.”

  Yawning and pulling myself from the chair, I crawl to the edge of the pool and sink into the water, letting it soothe the ache of my sore muscles. Speio hesitates, waiting for permission before I wave a weary arm for him to join me. My body shivers in delight at the sensation of the salt water on my skin. I should have just fallen asleep in the pool. It’s not like I would have drowned, and I’d be a damn sight less sore than I am now. I let my human body sink down to the bottom.

  “Echlios told me about what happened on Aldon’s yacht,” Speio says in our language, his blond hair floating around him like a silvery-white cloud. “I liked Aldon. He was a good guy.”

  “He was,” I murmur. “Arvus and Kemari, too.”

  “They had to be strong, whoever took them out. I mean, they were seasoned fighters, part of your father’s King’s Guard. You really think it’s the hybrids?”

  “Probably. No one else could attack so savagely.” I don’t bring up the blood we found. We discussed it enough after we returned home, and both Speio and Soren were there. I know he’s only trying to help, so I let him ramble on. I close my eyes and count backward in my head, trying to oust the tension still writhing beneath my skin.

  “So, Echlios said they kidnapped Lo, or that’s what they’re going with, anyway.” He shrugs as I open my eyes midcount. “Nova and Nell have other ideas.”

  I know exactly what kind of other ideas those two have. “Lo didn’t do it.”

  Speio spreads his palms wide, making the water ripple. “I’m not saying he did, but you should know that there’s dissent in the ranks.”

  I smile grimly, my shoulders drooping. “There’s been dissent in the ranks since the day I claimed my crown with a hybrid at my side,” I say. “They never accepted him then, and they don’t accept him now. They’ll only bend to me for so long. The last time I was in Waterfell, Castia tried to usurp Miral, who I left in charge. The discord will only spread unless I return to Waterfell. And if Lo is with this hybrid army, I won’t be able to protect him, not from the Ruby Court or any of the courts.”

  “But you don’t think he is.”

  “No.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” I say with a sigh. “Find Lo. Find Cano. Destroy the hybrids. Go back to Waterfell. Lay down the law. Live happily ever after.”

  “Sounds like a monster plan,” Speio says, grinning.

  I shoot him a glance, but he’s only trying to make light of a pretty crappy situation. I’m aware that my so-called plan is flimsy, but I don’t want to admit that I have absolutely nothing. A near-sleepless night following savage disputes on how we should respond to the attack on Aldon and our people left me with a pounding headache. Nova and Nell voted to swim back to Waterfell and amass the armies of all the courts to make a stand against the hybrids. It was overkill, I argued, considering that we didn’t know Lo’s position. In the end, they caved, albeit grudgingly, to my order. We find Lo first. If it turns out he’s with them and against us, we will convene the High Council.

  I let myself float to the center of the pool, surrounded on all sides by water. I stare at the sun, now rising in the distance, and sigh. In less than an hour we’ll both have to get ready for school, on the off chance that Lo is there. It’s so ridiculous that I even have to go there after everything that has happened. I argued hotly with Soren on the matter, but she was adamant that I keep up appearances while my guard tracked down the hybrids.

  “This is stupid,” I said. “I should be out there looking for Lo, not studying useless trivia that I already know.”

  “It’s the safest place for you,” Soren countered.

  “I’m going with Echlios.”

  “You are not.”

  “I am your queen, Soren.”

  Her mouth curved into a rigid line. “And I am still your Handler, who is not about to let you, queen or not, have a royal tantrum to get your way. It is my duty to protect you, and I will do everything in my power to do so.” Her lips tightened into a white-hot line of displeasure. “Even if it means restraining you.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me.”

  Obviously, I gave in. Queen or no queen, arguing with Soren always ended badly for me. I’ve only ever won once. Within the Aquarathi, trust and respect are both valued and prized. I lost Soren’s trust once when I went against her wishes our freshman year and drove to a rave in Los Angeles with Cara. The cops raided it, but luckily we got off with a warning as neither of us had been drinking. Two other kids who went with us got arrested and summarily expelled from Dover. It took me months to earn back Soren’s trust.

  I sigh. Soren means well, but I hate feeling imprisoned, like I can’t do anything to help. It’s frustrating! I kick my legs underwater in a fit of pique.

  “What’s wrong?” Speio asks.

  “One word,” I grumble. “Soren.”

  A laugh. “Tell me about it. Seriously, she’s only your Handler. Imagine her as your mother. What’d she make you do now?”

  “Nothing,” I snap. “That’s the point.”

  “Hey, I’m stuck here, too, you know. You don’t think I wanted to go follow leads and track down bad guys instead of having to learn about Victorian dandies and how to build a wooden clock?”

  I stare at him, my anger fizzling. “Can we talk about something else for five minutes? Besides your mom or the hybrids or Cano’s grand master plan to take over the world? Something normal. Something unrelated to an earth-shattering war between species.”

  “Like what?”

  “How about you? And Rian.”

  Speio’s expression is almost comical. His face turns the flaming red color of a sunset. “You want to talk about what?” he splutters.

  “Rian. Your new bestie.”

  “She’s not my bestie,” Speio says with a scowl.

  “You guys sure hang out a lot.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. I mean, I like her and she’s great. And we get along. That’s it. Can’t a guy have any friends? Or any privacy?
”

  “Yes to the first, no to the second,” I tease, grinning. “If I can’t have any privacy, then you can’t, either. So spill it. What’s she like? Where’s she from?”

  Speio concedes defeat, but his eyes light up a little. “She moved from New York, but she says her family is of mixed Indian and Spanish descent.”

  That would explain her silky dark hair and caramel complexion. “Sounds exotic,” I murmur. Speio shoots me an amused sidelong glance. “You know what I mean...for the humans.”

  “She’s really smart,” Speio continues. “She’s into sociocultural anthropology, as she calls it, especially with her ethnic background. She told me that she spent a lot of her childhood in an area of the world where racial segregation was the norm, so she’s interested in understanding the social complexities between people of different cultures.”

  “Sounds interesting.”

  “Yeah,” Speio says, more animated now. “She wants to study how different living situations impact people of the same race, and whether they develop entirely different cultures. So she’s planning to do an—” He breaks off, a frown on his face. “Sorry, I can’t remember the word. Oh, wait, ethnography. It’s a kind of research study that analyzes groups of people within a specific environment. Cool, right?” he asks, and I nod. “She’s applied for early admission to Stanford.”

  “Impressive,” I say, recognizing the prestigious name.

  “She’s driven,” Speio agrees.

  “What’s her family like? Have you met any of them?”

  “She’s an only child, but her extended family is huge. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins, all back in Queens.”

  “So why’d she come here?” I ask through a tired yawn, wishing I could sleep for six more hours. Speio is doing an awesome job of distracting me from my own arduous thoughts.

  “Turns out that very few high schools even have anthropology programs.” He glances at me. “That’s why we’re here, aren’t we? To learn about humans? Well, I guess that some humans want to learn about themselves, too. Anyway, Dover happens to have anthropology in the curriculum, as you know.”

  I frown. “I haven’t seen her in any of my classes.”

  “She’s doing independent study with Professor Birch.”

  My frown deepens. “I didn’t even know you could do independent study in high school. Seriously, have I been under a rock?”

  “Told you,” Speio says. “She’s gifted. Plus, you didn’t do it because you have to stay out of the limelight, remember?”

  “Oh, right.” I swim over to the side of the pool and heave myself out. “Sounds like she’s a great influence on you. You’re actually going to classes now. You’re a whole new you. So, what are you going to name your little hybrid babies?”

  “Eww, Riss. That’s just gross,” Speio says, blushing a furious shade of red. “Plus, we’re just having fun.”

  Despite my inner twitch at the poorly timed hybrid joke, I can’t help teasing him. “Thought you said you could never fall for a human?”

  Speio joins me at the side of the pool, lifting his body out lithely. His answer is soft. “Not one like her. She’s different. I can’t explain it. It’s like she sees people, you know. She wants to know about them, and she’s really interested. She doesn’t ask questions for the sake of asking them. She actually cares about what you’re going to say.”

  “What kind of questions?” I ask with a swift look.

  “Jeez, relax. She’s not going to dissect my alien insides or anything.” His blush intensifies. “More like feeling questions, okay?”

  “Feeling questions?” I snort.

  “Let’s just drop it,” he says, and jumps to his feet. “Come on, or we’re going to be late.”

  “How do you feel about that?” I ask, grinning. Instead of answering, Speio stabs a rude finger gesture in my direction before stalking inside. “Come on, Speio,” I shout after him just as the door swings shut, “use your words.”

  Still smiling at the exchange, I shower and get dressed, but it isn’t long before the lightheartedness disappears. That happens the minute I step into the living room, where Echlios is waiting with half of my royal guard. They’re muttering among themselves over a map of California that’s spread out over the dining room table. I catch the words Cano and army before the whispering abruptly stops, eyes centering in my direction. Echlios bows once, rolls up the papers and snaps a sharp command. I watch in irritated silence as they all melt from the room like shadows, following him without so much as another word.

  “Seriously,” I snap to no one in particular. “What are we, five? Is everything a secret? They can’t even talk in front of me now?”

  “We all know how that turned out earlier this year, don’t we?” Soren says in a cheerful voice, placing a plate of artfully arranged sushi in front of me. “Eat. You have ten minutes before you have to leave.”

  “What’s the point of being a queen if no one tells me anything?” I say through a mouthful of salmon. I know exactly what Soren’s referring to—the fact that I snuck out on my own to Cano’s house last year to try to track down my mother. Still, I’m not a china doll that they have to protect every infernal second. I’ve demonstrated that I can defend myself. I fought Ehmora on the sands of battle in Waterfell. Doesn’t that count for something?

  “Uh-oh,” Speio says, walking into the room fresh from his own shower, dressed in his Dover uniform. A smile breaks across his face at my thundercloud expression. “Watch out, Queen Brat is on the warpath.”

  “You want to start with me, Speio?” I say in a silky voice.

  His grin widens. “Only if you use your words nicely.”

  “Speio, don’t provoke her,” Soren chastises. “Now, off, you two. I don’t want to get any calls from the principal that you’re tardy again.” She turns to stop me just as Speio heads out the front door, laying a hand on my shoulder. “And, Nerissa, you must know that this is for your own good. Dover is the safest place for you.”

  I pull away from her. “How? I’m a sitting duck.”

  “Better a live duck than a dead one,” she remarks mildly. “They drew you out here, remember that. If you run headlong into their snare, it’s not going to help anyone. Lo, least of all.”

  The mention of Lo snaps the angry retort from my lips. At the compassionate expression in Soren’s eyes, I struggle to find the right words. “Soren, do you think he’s innocent? Lo? You don’t believe what all the others believe, do you?”

  “I don’t think the prince regent would ever intentionally hurt you,” she answers carefully. “However, I do think that the toxin is doing more damage than we expected, so he’s not exactly himself. The evidence suggesting that he has changed is...overwhelming.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “That you should be prepared for any outcome, no matter how painful. Now go. Scoot. Echlios will alert you the minute they find anything.”

  Despite the rock forming in the pit of my stomach at Soren’s words, I do as she says and climb into the Jeep with Speio. The smirk on his face fades as he studies me. “It’ll be fine, Riss. Just hang tight. My father will find Cano. And Lo.”

  I don’t answer him and we drive in silence, until Speio turns onto an unfamiliar road to a nearby housing development. I raise an eyebrow, half hoping that we’re going to do some reconnaissance on our own. But it’s an idle hope at best. Speio will never do anything to go against Echlios, not now. He’d learned his lesson last year when my very own mother made him betray everyone he loved, including me.

  “Where are we going?”

  He shrugs apologetically. “Told Rian I’d give her a ride, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure,” I say, slumping back into the passenger seat.

  Rian’s house is a pretty, ranch-style house on Via Valverde, surrounded by lush
green trees. She’s waiting on the front step, a smile on her face. I look away as she and Speio embrace through the window. Looks like things are a little more serious than he’d have me believe. Not that I’m complaining—I’m liking this easygoing, happy Speio a lot more than the sour-faced, perpetually angry version of himself from last semester. I’m betting that Rian has a lot to do with that, and I’m not going to begrudge him a smidgen of happiness in the midst of all this Aquarathi drama. At least one of us gets to be happy.

  “Hey, Nerissa,” Rian says, climbing up on the back wheel and hopping into the backseat.

  “Hey,” I say. “You know you can call me Riss, right? Everyone else does.”

  “Sure, I will,” she says, strapping on her seat belt. “You guys ready for the quiz?”

  “Um, quiz?” I ask.

  “Yeah, Donovan’s essay quiz today on different themes in the play?”

  I groan out loud. Of course I’m not ready. I haven’t studied at all. “Nope. Guess we’re going to have to wing it.”

  “What’s this ‘we’ stuff?” Speio jokes. “I’ll have you know I studied.”

  “What? When?”

  “Rian and I studied after the game yesterday.”

  I glare at him. “After the game? You were supposed to stay with Jenna, remember? Give her a ride home?” I amend quickly, with a glance to the backseat.

  “I did. She was fine.”

  “Speaking of the game, how are you feeling?” Rian asks. “Looked like you got whacked pretty bad. Guess you and Cara don’t get along, do you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She kind of went right for you. At the whistle? Speio and I saw the whole thing.” She pauses, frowning. “Speio mentioned that you two have history.”