Mermaid Academy

by Cameron Drake

  “How are you feeling?” Dane asked, perching on the edge of the ledge beside me.

  I had the craziest feeling he’d been arguing with my shark when I opened my eyes. I looked back and forth between them, my brow furrowed.

  Beazil looked remarkably shark-like in that moment. He was angry. And worried. I stared into one eye and then the other. His magical eye was whirring softly, full of dark blue and green.

  “Tri . . .”

  “I’m okay,” I said, swinging my tail over the edge of the ledge. It hurt, but not as much as it should have. I must have healed. At least somewhat. Lumi darted closer, brushing against my wounds, and the pain subsided a little bit more. “Thank you, Lumi. Is Starla okay? Rip? Are you?”

  I gave him a pointed look, still annoyed that he’d leapt into the arena without armor or a weapon.

  “Everyone is fine. I . . .” He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. “I tried to get to you faster, but there was a magical shield in front of the thrones. I had to evade the guards. I’m so sorry, Tri.”

  “You saved me. Even though you really shouldn’t have!” I glared at him. “You really, really shouldn’t have!”

  He gave me a funny look.

  “But I didn’t save you. Juno did.”

  “What?”

  I stared into the empty water in front of me. Lumi had settled on my shoulder and Beaz was sulking nearby. Jaynelle and Thalia had been working together to try and kill me. And then Juno . . .

  “He doesn’t want me dead. Even though the General does.”

  “No,” Dane said tightly. “Clearly, he doesn’t.”

  I sighed. That changed things. Now Juno was a target because of me, too.

  “We’re going to have to protect him, Dane. If he’s even remotely good . . . the General will have his fins for this.”

  “I know.” He cleared his throat. “But you have to go.”

  “No way in water am I leaving now.”

  I crossed my arms, glaring at him. Prince or no, he wasn’t telling me what to do!

  “You promised me, Tri,” he said. Then he shook his head. “The arena was spelled to prevent magical combat, not healing magic. But once . . . they . . . realized you could heal others and potentially yourself, I think they blocked that too. I think this whole exam was designed to eliminate you.”

  I stared at him.

  “Think about it, Tri. You had no armor. You’re the Spark candidate. You should have many sets of armor at your disposal. But somehow, it all went missing just when you needed it. And Annaruth was kept away.”

  He took my chin and forced me to look at him.

  “They won’t stop. You have to go the one place they will never look for you.”

  I shook my head vehemently.

  “I can’t leave you. Or the others,” I added lamely. But he wasn’t fooled. He smiled at me tenderly, leaning his forehead against mine.

  “Did it ever occur to you that I might be safer without you here?”

  Ouch.

  Triton, but that hit hard. And it was the same thing I’d said a dozen times. He’d always told me I was wrong, that it was the other way around, but it was true.

  And now there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we had a real bond. That he . . . loved me. Dane had made sure of that in the arena.

  The Prince of Oceana had risked his life for me. Flagrantly. In front of foreign dignitaries.

  We were both in more danger than ever before.

  “Starla and Rip will be safer without you, too. And Beazil,” Dane said, driving it all home. Guilt filled me, along with worry. If anyone dared to harm my shark, I would finish them!

  My shark growled and used his nose to shove Dane back.

  “Beaz!”

  “It’s okay,” Dane said, giving my shark a wary look. “He knows we are on the same side.”

  I closed my eyes and nodded. The decision had been made. I just hadn’t said it out loud yet.

  “All right. I’ll go.”

  I heard Dane’s exhaled breath. I knew he didn’t really want me to leave. But he’d just forced me to.

  I hated abandoning my friends. But he was right. They were safer without me.

  “Good. We have to wait for the sun to set. There is a road just above the cliffs and a path leading up them.” He gave me a wry smile. “I’m afraid your first time using two legs on land will start with quite a climb.”

  “Do I have a mission? Any information to go on?”

  “I’m sorry. There wasn’t time. But we do know there is legislation to remove protection for oil rigs in the Atlantic. That would be a good place to start. But mostly just . . .” He squeezed my hand. “Stay alive.”

  The Atlantic is what two-leggers called Oceana. The waters his family had ruled for centuries. Longer. Thousands of years.

  He handed me an oddly-shaped bag, and I opened it, looking inside.

  “Everything you need is in here. It’s called a backpack.”

  I lifted up a bag with two straps on the back. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

  “The straps go over your shoulders.”

  “Ingenious,” I said, impressed by two-legger ingenuity.

  “Open it,” Dane urged. I tugged on the ‘zipper’ with Dane’s guidance. Inside was a transparent shiny bag with clothes, money, and what I assumed were shoes. I noticed that the green dress that had belonged to my mother was also neatly folded inside. Annaruth’s magical fingers are all over this, I thought fondly.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s called plastic. It’s sealed to keep everything inside dry.”

  I touched the slippery surface of the bundle. I wanted to see everything. But now was not the time.

  “Leave your uniform in the cave at the base of the cliffs. It’s spelled to remain sealed to human eyes. If . . .” He cleared his throat. “When you return, that is where you will find your uniform waiting.”

  I set the backpack aside and stared at him.

  “How will I get in touch with you? How will I know that everything is all right? Or that it is safe to come home?”

  He shook his head.

  “You won’t.” He pursed his lips. “We have ways to communicate with the current Spark, but nothing has been put in place for you. I’ll work on something with Annaruth. There has to be a way.” He brushed the hair away from my face. “You’ll just have to be brave, Tri. Be strong.”

  I bit my lip and nodded, transfixed by the look in his heavy-lidded eyes. His thumb brushed my lips and my eyes dropped to his. They’re strangely pretty, for a male’s, I thought to myself. Soft and pink and inviting.

  And then he was kissing me. A kiss that started suddenly and seemed to go on forever. There was a sense of urgency in the way he held my face, the way he pressed his lips to mine one more time before pulling away.

  “I love you, Katriana.”

  I blinked at him and opened my mouth but no words came out. The discrete sound of a throat being cleared made me turn bright pink. Dane closed his eyes and smiled, though I could tell he was disappointed that I hadn’t said the words back.

  “I was hoping you might show up,” Dane said without turning to see who it was.

  “I was just waiting for the kissing to be over,” a voice said from the cave entrance.

  I looked up and everything clicked into place. This was happening. This was destined to happen.

  “Hello, Marcum,” I said with a half-smile as he swam forward and politely bowed to the Prince, something I hardly ever remembered to do. It was odd, but it almost seemed as if he were bowing to me as well. “Or should I be saying ‘goodbye’?”

  “Goodbye for now. We will both see you again. That much I promise you.”

  I nodded and bit my lip.

  “Is that why you came? To say goodbye?”

  He shook his head slowly and my pulse started to pound.

  “I had a vision. More than one. I had visions all night after you two left me.” He gave me a small
smile and tapped his head. “It feels like I was drinking wine all night!”

  I inhaled, feeling scared and sad and excited all at once. No matter what, I really, really wanted to hear what Marcum had to say.

  “Tell us, please,” I said, leaning forward.

  Marcum looked at Dane and then back at me.

  “Well, for starters, you are both Royal. Tri is a descendent of Leanna.”

  Chapter 27

  “What?” Dane gasped.

  “She’s real?” I asked, clasping my hands together. It was as if something inside of me rang out and told me it was true. Leanna herself was inside me.

  We exchanged a glance as I realized what Dane was thinking. Were we . . . cousins? That would make the fact that we just kissed for the better part of an hour kind of gross.

  “Don’t worry, you are not related. Not really.” He gave me a funny look. “Actually, Katriana’s claim to the throne is much stronger than yours.”

  “What?” Now it was my turn to gasp.

  “Not the throne of Oceana. That is your birthright, Prince Pollux. The throne of all the Seas. Leanna is the Queen of us all, and you are her granddaughter.”

  “Grand . . . me?”

  “Yes. In fact, you are nearly identical to her. It confused me at first when I saw her as a young woman. I wonder . . . did your mother look like you?”

  “I . . . barely remember her. I don’t even have a painting of her.”

  “Hmm,” Marcum said, not saying anything more.

  “My mother was Leandra’s daughter?”

  “Yes, her child with Allisander. And yes, they are both still alive, if you could call it that. All three of them are. Such unhappy souls.”

  I felt a spurt of pity, but I needed to know what he meant.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Leandra was pregnant when she was changed. The baby changed with her.”

  I gasped and stared at Marcum.

  “That would mean my mother was thousands of years old!”

  “Yes. You may very well live that long as well. I suspect you are closer to immortal than any of us. I don’t truly understand what killed her after so many years under the Sea. Perhaps you have vulnerabilities.”

  “Like swords,” Dane added sarcastically.

  “Yes, well, that would kill her most likely, but barring a direct attack, I suspect that Tri will outlive us all.”

  I stared at him, then closed my eyes.

  Triton, it can’t be true. Can it?

  “It’s true, Tri. Can’t you feel it? You were always more than . . . what other Mers thought you were.”

  My shoulders relaxed, relieved by the way Dane was looking at me. Like I was normal. Like I wasn’t a freak.

  He was looking at me like I was awesome.

  We sat there, the three of us, waiting for the sun to go down. Marcum didn’t have any more information on what to expect or who the cloaked traitors were. But he assured us again that all three of us would survive the immediate future and meet again.

  I held onto that. It was enough. It had to be.

  “Are you ready?” Dane asked, threading his fingers through mine. I nodded, not feeling ready at all. I kissed Beazil’s snout and rested my cheek against his rough but velvety skin for the longest time.

  “Look after each other for me. And Starla. And Lila. Tell Annaruth to get her out of my stepmother’s palace, okay?”

  “I will, I promise,” Dane swore.

  “And don’t let them stop looking for my father.”

  He nodded solemnly, and I took both of their hands, squeezing them one last time.

  It was time to go.

  I turned and swam alone out of the cave.

  I swam upward and to the south, where there was a rare stretch of sand in the craggy coastline. I didn’t stop to think about the enormity of what I was doing, the uncertainty of where I might sleep tonight, or all the wonders I might see.

  Or the dangers I might encounter.

  I didn’t think about how woefully unprepared I was.

  I just swam. As soon as I saw the golden hue of sand ahead, I transformed. I’d been practicing and had it down cold. Except, I had forgotten how bad human legs were at swimming.

  Or how often human lungs needed air.

  Chapter 28

  Sand. I felt sand under my palms and knees. I lifted my head, taking a huge gasp of air. I’d nearly drowned trying to rise to the surface.

  That’s what you get for transforming too early, Tri!

  I lay there for a while, breathing heavily. The water and air were so cold on my legs, without the insulation of my scales. Everything felt so strange, but as the colors of the sunset faded, I knew it was time.

  Best get a move on, Tri.

  I forced myself to get up, still feeling wobbly as I planted one foot in the sand, then the other. I stood in the shallows, looking in both directions before I started forward, heading toward the cave in the cliff’s walls.

  And promptly fell over.

  Okay. Walking on land is a lot harder than it was underwater.

  I’d practiced, of course, but in the Academy and not on the seabed. Not on sand. And dry sand was much more treacherous than hard-packed wet sand, I was rapidly discovering. I glared at the yellow granules in front of my face and slowly managed to stand up again. I took a few steps before I fell over again, this time catching myself on my hands and knees.

  A stick, Tri. Get a stick.

  I crawled toward a promising-looking piece of driftwood, only to have it crumble in my hand. I tried another, but it was just a stretch of drying seaweed. After crawling all over the place like a deranged sea witch, I finally found a good candidate.

  The only problem was, so had the crabs.

  “Ouch!”

  I refused to release the stick in my hand as the tiny pincers bit into my hand. Another was dangling off my forearm. I batted them away, hopping up and down and shouting at them.

  “This is an auspicious beginning,” I grumbled as I hobbled gracelessly toward the cave. Once inside, I heaved a sigh of relief. My Spark-in-training uniform felt heavy and wet. Wet clothes, I thought to myself with a frown. What a concept for a Mermaid.

  I plopped down on a carved stone bench and closed my eyes. It was odd how uncomfortable wet clothes were, considering I’d only ever worn wet clothes my entire life. But being up here in the cool night air made it a completely different story.

  When I opened my eyes again, I saw it. Hanging on a peg across from me. Another Spark uniform. I padded over on my strange feet and touched it. Further back, nearly hidden in the shadows, there was another. It looked like a bundle of rags. I touched it and it dissolved. Clearly, it belonged to someone who had not come back.

  Gulp.

  But Marcum had said I would be back. I would see my home again. I would see my friends. I believed him.

  “Triton, I am stepping into some very big shoes,” I whispered, proud of myself for using a two-legger phrase and ignoring the utter terror I was feeling at the thought of dying alone on dry land.

  “Well, better get to it,” I said decisively, pulling the outer layer of my uniform up and over my head. I hung it carefully on an empty peg and then removed my soggy tunic and undergarments. I touched my mother’s pendant and walked back toward the bench and my backpack, opening it and removing the plastic bag.

  I still could not get over how weird the plastic felt. I knew it was one of the worst pollutants two-leggers had dumped into the beautiful Sea, but it clearly had its uses. Everything inside was completely dry.

  Two-legger science. It’s kind of like magic.

  I stared at a pair of underpants before sliding them over my legs and standing up to put them into place. Okay. That’s nice and warm, I thought. Then I put on a camisole and socks.

  “Even better,” I sighed, wiggling my now-warm toes.

  I reached in again and found a pair of blue pants, also known as jeans. I sat down and pulled them over my legs. The fa
bric was soft but heavy and moved with me when I experimented with some fighting moves.

  Speaking of which, did they give me a weapon?

  I dug through the pack, which contained more than it looked like but no weapon to speak of. My mother’s dress, though, looked as if it had been shortened to fit my legs instead of the entire length of my tail and fins. A pair of shoes with laces that I struggled with but finally conquered. There were pull-on boots made of a soft leather that made me sigh in pleasure when I stroked them and a pair of fancier-looking shoes with a heel that made me giggle. I can barely walk on sand. How am I supposed to walk on stilts? I thought with a snort. There was a silk skirt that looked like it would hang around my ankles, a dress in a pretty red pattern, another pair of denim pants, several thin short-sleeved shirts, and one with long sleeves made out of a similar material to my jeans. And another, extremely soft long-sleeved shirt with a cross-woven pattern in dark blue and green.

  Plaid. This is plaid.

  I shrugged that on, grabbing a dark green vest and putting everything else back where it came from. Miraculously, it all fit. Not miraculously. Magically. Clearly, Annaruth had spelled the backpack to hold all of my belongings. “So Mer magic does work on land,” I whispered with a relieved nod. That meant I did have weapons, though hopefully, I would never need them. The Spark was supposed to work diplomatically, if at all possible, although physical force was definitely still on the table.

  I stared at the rolled paper money, then took a small amount and folded it into my pocket. I had a general idea of how money worked, but the value was still a fuzzy concept at best. We usually traded with other Mers, and those who could afford to simply purchase paid in gold, silver, jewels and most often, pearls.

  Hopefully, I’d be able to figure out how to negotiate two-legger style. I took a last look around the cave, ignoring the strong urge to simply spend the night here.

  But my rumbling belly had other ideas.

  I pulled on my pack, grabbed my stick, and headed out, looking for the path that led up through the cliffs.