The only things Serena was more proud of than her reputation as a loved and talented sea witch were her children. The first came a year after her marriage. Her name was Maren, and she stole her parents’ hearts immediately.
“She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” said Triton, floating above the baby’s crib and running a finger along her soft, pink cheek. Maren closed her eyes at his touch, but when he pulled away, she opened them again and studied her parents with eyes the color of the sea.
“She has your eyes,” said Serena.
“And your hair.”
“It’s a striking combination,” said Casius. He had his tentacles wrapped through the crib bars. In the coming nights, Serena found it impossible to remove him from this post, though she didn’t try all that hard. She liked the idea that her child had a guardian to watch over her at night.
“We should be able to tell if she has powers in the next few months,” said Moira, swimming into the nursery with Hazel at her fins.
“I just want her to be healthy,” said Serena, scooping the baby off her bed of ocean flowers and kissing her cheek.
“Can I hold her?” said Hazel, an uncertain, timid quiver in her voice.
Serena smiled and handed Maren to Hazel. Hazel held her out at first, hands under the baby’s arms, unsure of what to do and afraid the baby would begin to cry. Maren just gazed back at Hazel with curious eyes, and Hazel slowly brought her towards her chest. Maren snuggled her head into Hazel’s neck. Her dark tuft of brown hair was soft and fine. Hazel smiled and nuzzled Maren back.
Maren remained Hazel’s favorite niece. Serena guessed it had something to do with the fact that Maren had no magical powers, and Moira wrote her off quickly, paying no attention to her. Though three of Serena’s five children had no powers, Maren was the first, and Hazel spent many hours alone with her, babysitting while Serena fulfilled her royal duties.
Curiously, Serena’s children all came almost exactly one year apart, all born in April. All five were girls. After Maren came Celine. She inherited her father’s golden hair and her grandmother’s black tail. She displayed magical ability at only two months old. Maren, only a little over a year old, had jabbed at Celine with a curious finger and accidentally poked her in the eye. Celine had let out a terrible shrieking cry, and Maren had been sent zooming across the room, a trail of bubbles behind her, right into Serena, who had let out a soft “oof” from the force. Serena had had two crying babies on her hands at that point, but still, a smile lit up her face. Mother will be happy, she had thought.
Next came Fiona. She was the goofball of the group, and Triton nicknamed her “my little clown fish.” She had light brown hair and a dark blue tail, and she was always doing flips down the hallways, her giggles echoing off the stone. She had no magical power, and whenever Moira made a backhanded remark about it, Triton always said, “There was no room for magic when she was made. She’s all filled up with laughter,” which always won him a smile from both Fiona and Serena. Though Triton would never admit it, Fiona was his favorite. And Moira’s not-so-subtle comments about three of their children’s lack of magical ability, such as “I suppose she could marry a wealthy man” or “What a shame that she can’t relate to Celine and Ariana. She’ll always be a tail length behind them,” ensured that Triton never really warmed to his mother-in-law, much to Serena’s disappointment. Whenever Moira made such comments, Serena would scowl and say, “Mother,” in a dangerous undertone, and Moira would smile and act like she had no idea what she’d done wrong.
Ariana was the fourth. She had Moira’s ink-black hair, a long, gorgeous lavender tail, and Triton’s deep-blue eyes. Moira favored her the most, though she took both her and Celine under her wing.
“I worry about what she teaches them,” Triton often said once they each started magic lessons at age ten. “I’ve caught them whispering alone together and looking over at their sisters.”
“Don’t worry, darling,” Serena always said. “I’m always there when they have lessons. You know I told them and Mother that there will be no lessons without me present. I watch what she says to them.”
Their fifth child, Rona, looked just like her father, but she was a momma’s girl. She followed Serena around like a seal pup. As she grew, she took it upon herself to be her mother’s informer and enforcer, reminding her old sisters of things like, “Mommy says you should share,” and “Maren, if you don’t stop pinching Ariana, I’m telling.” Her sisters would respond with “Tattletale!” and “Who made you the boss, pipsqueak?” but they usually straightened up because Rona delivered on her threats.
Serena doted on them all, but she was also a strict disciplinarian. She was determined that her children should have manners, but she also wanted to ensure that they were kind, empathetic, and that they never felt ashamed of who they were or who they wanted to be. She encouraged all of their interests. She hired tutors to teach Maren art and Fiona music. She taught Celine and Ariana to harness their powers and to use them for the good of others, but she also encouraged Celine’s love of reading by buying her new books (written on kelp leaf scrolls or stone tablets) every week, and she read all of the stories Ariana wrote. Rona loved animals, and so Serena took her on swims through the reef and the kelp forest whenever she got the chance, so Rona could see and interact with the creatures there. She also read her books about animals—their names, where they lived, what they ate.
Triton fawned over them all as well. He loved to play with them no matter their age. He was always starting up games of hide-and-go-seek and pass the clam. Whenever he came home from helping the citizens or patrolling the area for a problem-causing shark or killer whale, he was knocked backwards by five little bodies slamming into his as they all scrambled to hug him first. They always went to him when they wanted extra dessert or wanted to go to a sleepover on a school night because he had a hard time saying no to their big, upturned eyes and pretty, pouting mouths.
The children loved both their parents fiercely in return for their dedication and affection. The merpeople adored the princesses, and the cheers were deafening whenever they waved from the outer balcony at events. There were always regular little spats, but mostly, Serena’s reign was a time of unrivaled peace, inside the palace and out.
Triton doted on his wife almost as much as his girls. Each time she bore him a girl, she worried he would be disappointed. Male heirs were preferable in royal families, and she seemed incapable of giving him one. But each time the nurse announced, “It’s a girl,” Triton bent down to touch his forehead to hers while she lay on the bed and whispered, “You did wonderful, angel fish.” Then he would wink and say, “You give the best gifts. And it’s not even my birthday.”
Every Saturday, he took Serena out on a swim around the reef. Sometimes, they met up with Triton’s favorite pod of dolphins, just as they had on the day he proposed. Other times, they simply spent their time discussing anything and everything—the girls, the citizens, each other’s hopes and fears—always hand in hand. Triton would not cancel these dates for anything. It did not matter if his advisors pleaded with him to stay and discuss a new decree, or if his friends wanted to come by to play his favorite game, Fifty Clams; on Saturday mornings, he was with Serena on a leisurely swim, free of duties and stress.
Between time spent helping citizens together, playing with their girls, and their Saturday morning outings, they were practically inseparable. She could tell when he was getting angry before he could himself. His breath would come in short huffs, and he would scratch at his beard. If it was his advisors who were causing him stress with their incessant pressing, she would send them all away and rub his shoulders. If something Moira said was replaying in his brain, she could tell, and she would take him by the hand to find their daughters, declaring it was time for a family picnic. Seeing his daughters laughing and playing together al
ways soothed his worries about Moira’s influence. The most common reason for his crankiness, though, was a lack of food. Serena couldn’t help but laugh every time she had to ask him, “When was the last time you ate, darling?” He would always wrinkle his brow and scratch his chin and say, “This morning, I suppose.” He was always getting wrapped up in something—a task he wished to complete, a meeting with friends that lasted far longer than planned—and forgetting to eat. Serena would make a tsk sound and make her way to the kitchen to ask the cook for something fresh. Triton always gave her a kiss when she brought it to him.
When he was feeling particularly happy, he would come up behind her and tickle her waist until she begged for mercy, gasping out the words through her laughter and slapping his shoulder. He had a habit of snatching her up in his arms, one hand around her waist and the other under her tail, and spinning her around before he kissed her. If the kids were present, they would usually hold out their arms to him and ask him to “Twirl me too, daddy,” at least until they reached the age when such things were uncool.
When Serena was sad about a spat with Hazel or a disagreement with Moira, Triton would take her chin in his hand and stroke her cheek with his thumb and say, “Never mind it, angel fish. You know I think you’re always right, even when you’re wrong. Now give me a smile so I can join in.”
So fifteen years passed. Maren turned fourteen. Triton and Serena shared an uncountable number of kisses, and yet, the locket always clasped around Serena’s neck remained unchanged. At first, Triton had questioned why she never took it off, and after numerous avoidances, she had finally said, “It’s the only gift my Mother’s ever given me. It’s…it’s very special. She gave it to me when I finally decided to embrace my magic, so I keep it on to remind me that I made the right decision, and to remind me of what I can do, that I’m unique.” Triton had still thought it odd that it absolutely never left her neck, but he never questioned it again. He came to love the little golden heart. It was a part of her.
Its magic thrummed against her collarbone, a familiar constant. For the first five years of her marriage, Serena had fretted over that warm electric thrum. Each time she had kissed her husband, she had hoped the sensation would vanish, and each time, she was disappointed. But how, after all that time and after all the love they had shared, could it still not be true love? She had wondered this over and over again. The thought kept her awake at night. Finally, on their fifth anniversary, she had decided enough was enough. She would fret over it no longer. Clearly, the sort of “true love” specified in the spell book did not actually exist. The thought put a bitter taste in her mouth, but it was better than the terrible pang of believing Triton still did not actually love her, that it was all the effect of the love potion. She vowed not to think about it or worry over it ever again. And yet, she never took the locket off just to see if anything would change, to see if he loved her without it. A fear she did not want to admit to herself held her back.
So for fifteen years, she wore it. For fifteen years, the power inside of it thrummed on. But that was about to change.
Chapter 7
Uninvited Houseguest
“And then, I concentrated really hard, and it felt all warm inside my tummy, and then blue, shiny stuff came out of my hands!” said Ariana, talking a mile a minute, hardly stopping to breathe.
Ariana had turned ten a few weeks ago and had started her magic lessons, and she was telling Triton all about her latest one as the entire family, including Moira, Hazel, and Casius, swam out to the reef for a picnic.
“Wow, you’re learning fast,” said Triton, running a large hand over Ariana’s head and down her ink-black hair.
“Uh-huh,” said Ariana with an enthusiastic nod.
“She’s a natural,” said Serena.
“She takes after me,” said Moira, adjusting her tiara with dignity. Shortly after Serena became queen, she had commissioned tiaras made out of cave crystal for Moira and Hazel. Hazel only wore hers while performing advisor duties or on special occasions, saying it pulled her hair, but Moira had placed hers on top of her head with a hungry look in her eyes, replacing the old, makeshift coral one, and hadn’t removed it since.
Triton cleared his throat loudly to cover up a scoff, and Serena hastily changed the subject. “Who’s up for a game of pass the clam after lunch, huh?”
All of the younger girls chimed in with “Me, me, me,” while Maren and Celine tried to stay cool and indifferent with “Alright” and “I guess so.”
“I hope you packed that mollusk dish I like,” said Casius, his red-orange skin vibrant, reflecting Serena’s own happiness. “I’m starving, and I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday.”
“It’s in here, don’t worry,” said Serena, tapping her woven seaweed basket.
When they reached the reef, fish of every shape and color popped out of their homes and swam around them in a rainbow flurry with chants of “The royals are here!” and “Aren’t the little princesses just darling? And so beautiful,” and “Good day to you, your Highnesses.” The fish were giving Casius a bit of a wide berth until he said, “Don’t worry, lunch is already packed,” and tapped the basket on Serena’s arm with a tentacle.
After the fish had settled down a bit, the family settled in for lunch. But no sooner had Serena unpacked and handed out everything in her basket, than a royal guardsman swam up at full speed saying, “King Triton! King Triton, you must come at once!”
Triton dropped his food and gripped the Trident. “What is it, soldier?”
The guard took a few deep, haggard breaths before saying, “There’s been a shark attack, sire. A young mermaid was attacked not far from the palace itself. I’ve never known a shark to come that far into the city. I don’t know how it got past the sentries—must have snuck in between patrols—but the thing is massive, a tiger shark.”
“Round up the guards as quickly as you can,” said Triton. “Have them gather outside the palace. We’ll go after it in teams.”
“Where is the mermaid who was attacked?” said Serena.
“Hospital, your Highness.”
“Sorry, girls,” said Serena, “picnic’s over. Mommy and Daddy have to go help, and you can’t stay out here with a rogue shark on the loose. Mother, Hazel, can you please take the girls to the palace? I have to swim to the hospital.”
“We’ve got them,” said Hazel, putting an arm around Maren, “go ahead.”
— — —
“Blood,” said Triton, frowning at the red liquid swirling in the salt water in front of him. “We must be getting close.”
The three soldiers whom Triton had selected to come with him in the search for the shark darted after him as he swam on at full speed. All of the search parties had started together at the place the mermaid had been attacked, and then they had branched out throughout the city. Since the attack had happened near the heart of the city, Triton was desperate to catch the shark before it struck again or made it back out into Deep Ocean where it would be lost forever, at least until it decided to come back for a snack.
Thankfully, the blood was well past most of the residential areas of the city, but it seemed to be headed for the edge and Deep Ocean. Triton swam at full speed over a bed of sea grass, rounding a hill that contained an underwater cave, and suddenly came to a full, abrupt stop. His men nearly collided with him. The source of the blood was not the shark after all. A dolphin, one of the pod that Triton and Serena were friends with, was caught in a thick fisherman’s net. A large, deep-sea-fishing hook was entangled in the net as well, and it had gashed the dolphin’s side. The trapped dolphin’s pod was surrounding him, nudging him gently. When the pod saw him, they called out, “Your Majesty.” Floating next to the dolphin, in the midst of the pod, her small, nimble fingers working at the knots of the net, was a mermaid. She looked around at the dolphins’ calls. Triton’
s heart gave a powerful BUMP-BUM, and his mouth fell open.
Serena was back in the cauldron room at the palace, her fingers flying over ingredient jars. She had managed to stop the injured mermaid’s bleeding with a spell, but she was rushing to try and make a scale regrowth potion to bring back to the hospital, even though she was worried the effort was futile. The mermaid had lost half her tail, and with the other half in the shark’s belly and with the time that had already passed, Serena wasn’t very hopeful. She had just picked up a jar full of fish eyes when the locket shuddered against her chest. Serena gasped and dropped the jar, which made its slow descent through the water towards the floor, and clutched the locket, terror chilling her blood. Something had happened. Something bad. Had Triton been hurt?
The mermaid looked at Triton with eyes as green and soft as sea grass, her fingers never stopping their work on the net. The knot came loose and the dolphin burst from the net, chirruping happily as his pod cheered. The mermaid tossed her hair over her shoulder. It was thick and lush and fell to the middle of her back, and it was a red so vibrant it almost hurt Triton’s eyes to look at it. She turned to him as the dolphins celebrated, and he drank her in. Her tail was pure white. Her shell top was pale pink. Her waist was so slender he imagined his fingertips would touch if he wrapped his hands around it. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head of such thoughts.
The Sea Witch (The Era of Villains Book 1) Page 13
