The Mermaid Trials

by Cameron Drake

  He nodded, and Starla gave me a thumbs-up. I exhaled sharply. They were okay. They were . . .

  “Hey, you are bleeding.”

  I looked down numbly. I was bleeding. Not a little bit either. I put my hand to my head, feeling woozy. I heard Dane curse as I slumped to the side, nearly falling off my seat. He caught me.

  His worried face was the last thing I saw.

  Chapter 11

  “She’s the victor of the first trial. Give her the best treatment you have!”

  “All the contestants are given the utmost care. Please, calm yourself or you will be removed.”

  “Fine, just tell me what you are doing to her.”

  “She has several wounds, but only this one is deep. Her fins were shredded by the net. Those will regrow in time, but we can speed it along with a spell.”

  “Good. Do that. What about the gash in her flank?”

  “That will need stitches. We already cleaned it out. We will use spelled thread so that it heals quickly.”

  “She’s to be treated to a banquet tonight. Will she be able to attend?”

  “I hope so, but it will be close. My work will go faster if you stop asking me questions.”

  I smiled dreamily at the colorful curse words that spilled from Dane’s lips. I cracked an eye, giving him an arch look. Starla was holding my hand while Dane paced back and forth at the foot of my bed.

  “She’s awake!”

  “That’s not a good thing, necessarily.”

  Dane stared at me, his scowl intensified.

  “It’s not?”

  The Medic shook his head.

  “That will make stitching her a bit more complicated. I can drug her, but then she will miss the banquet.”

  “No.”

  They both turned to look at me. My voice was raw but they had heard me. I jutted my chin out.

  “I can take the pain.”

  Dane opened his mouth to argue with me but I ignored him. Starla squeezed my hand. I stared at the Mer holding a needle with glowing thread.

  “Go ahead.”

  “You’re sure?”

  I nodded once and Dane cursed again. Something about Poseidon’s rear end, with some human curse words thrown in for good measure. He really did have a foul mouth. I gritted my teeth and looked away as the Medic leaned over my tail and pressed the needle into my skin.

  I let out a tiny whimper as I felt the needle go through my skin, then out through the other side. It hurt. It did more than just hurt.

  It felt wrong.

  The Medic pierced my skin again. And again. And again. Until I thought I would go mad. I was about to give in, beg for drugs, when I felt the big, strong hand close over mine.

  I looked up to see Dane, his face grim but somehow reassuring. He nodded at me and I squeezed his hand. I looked at Starla, and she smiled at me, doing her best to pretend she wasn’t crying, though the tiny bubbles of tears around her face were impossible to hide.

  For some reason, that made me laugh.

  Then I felt the needle pierce my flesh and I cursed instead.

  “Mother of Poseidon’s bastard!”

  Dane was laughing as I cursed a blue streak for the next ten minutes. It wasn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. And the pain started to ease the moment the Medic tied off the thread.

  I barely felt any pain at all, truth be told. Instead, all the magical salves they had worked into my battered flesh started to tingle.

  And itch.

  I sat up, eager to get out of there and find something to eat. Instead, I was pushed back down onto my back.

  “Hold still. You need a once-over.”

  I glared at the Medic and another healer who came to float beside him. This was an elegant woman with dark red hair and turquoise eyes, incredibly beautiful, the kind you couldn’t tell the age of. She wasn’t young, but she wasn’t old either.

  She smiled at me.

  “I’m Annaruth. I will prepare you for the banquet.”

  “Prepare me?”

  “Bath you, dress you—”

  “Burp me?”

  She shook her head, not the least offended at my disgruntled outburst.

  “If you like. But first . . .”

  She waved a hand over me and I felt it. Magic flowed over my flesh like a warm current on a cold day. I sighed as each part of me absorbed it. I felt wonderful.

  I knew wealthy women used magic to refine their beauty. It couldn’t make you lovely if you were not, but it did quite a bit to enhance a lucky Mer’s looks and general wellbeing.

  I suddenly felt as if I’d slept well, not just the night before but every night for a year. As if I’d never gone hungry or worked until my hands bled. It was as if I was a different version of myself, one that hadn’t lost both parents young and faced a harsh life on her own.

  As if I’d been coddled and loved, from the day of my birth until now.

  “Now you may sit up.”

  “Whoa.”

  Starla was staring at me, her eyes wide with awe.

  “What?”

  “You were already pretty, but now . . .”

  I shook my head at her.

  “Don’t be silly.”

  And then I saw the look on Dane’s face. He looked shocked. He looked . . . furious?

  He swam from the tent without a word.

  “What was that about?”

  Starla smiled.

  “You look too good, Tri. It’s almost not fair to him.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I’m the same person.” I turned to the beautiful Mer who was waiting patiently. “What did you do to me?”

  “I revealed the beauty that lay beneath.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Life can tarnish us. I simply removed that tarnish. You shine all on your own. There’s no artifice.”

  “You mean . . . this won’t go away? I’ve seen beauty spells—”

  “This wasn’t a glamor or a beauty spell.” Her dazzling periwinkle eyes sparkled at me. “Now, come. I have to dress you for tonight.”

  I swallowed and followed Annaruth from the tent.

  Chapter 12

  I followed the elegant Mer out of the Med tent to a smaller structure I hadn’t noticed before. There were guards outside who bowed to her as we entered. I briefly wondered if she was a Royal before discounting it. Maybe a lesser branch of the family. I knew there were dozens of them, if not more, but only the Queen and her son, the Prince, had any real power. It didn’t make sense though.

  Annaruth was way too warm and friendly to be of the ruling class.

  “Please sit and undress. You need a quick bath.”

  I sat on a low bench and slowly pulled my clothes off, too startled to do anything but stare. The tent was not like the others. Not inside. This was pure luxury, from the woven tapestries aligning the walls to the cushions and potted anemones that dotted the room at regular intervals.

  And then there were the clothes.

  Stunning, rich fabrics in every color imaginable. Thin metal bars held hangers, human-made hangers, from which hung gowns and tunics and capes that sparkled and shone like a living rainbow.

  These were garments fit for a Royal themselves, not a mere Messenger. Perhaps not even a Spark dressed this well. I’d never seen anything like it.

  “Come.”

  I followed her behind a screen and gasped. There was an enormous shell that was filled with unsalted water. You could tell from the clear color of it. A thin layer of oil kept the water separated from the seawater that we lived and breathed in. I stepped in, wondering at the warmth of it. It must be magically warmed, since human heating methods didn’t work underwater.

  “Impressed?”

  I nodded slowly as she handed me a covered goblet, complete with a straw.

  “Human wine. Drink it quickly or it will fill with sea water.”

  I wrapped my lips around the metal straw and pulled. My eyes widened in wonder. I’d never tasted anything like it. The gob
let must have been human-made and then altered magically, specifically for drinking underwater.

  It had been made for Mers.

  Anything a Mer drank was always half sea water or less. It was extremely rare to drink anything that was not mixed with sea water, unless you were a Royal or a Spark on dry land, of course. It was a rare treat, to say the least.

  “How . . .?”

  She caught the look on my face and held a finger to her lips. She shook her head and gave me a conspiratorial look.

  “Things will be revealed in time. If you win, of course.”

  Her eyes twinkled at me.

  “You do plan on winning, do you not?”

  I nodded without hesitation. I knew she was not just asking for idle conversation. She wanted to know for a reason. So I told her.

  “Yes, I do.”

  She nodded and went back to what she was doing. She handed me a bar of something slippery she called ‘soap,’ as well as a textured cloth square she told me to rub all over my body. I sighed and leaned back in the water when I was done. I felt incredibly clean and calm, healthier than I had felt in my life.

  Annaruth handed me a robe made of sea silk.

  “Wrap yourself in this and come out when you are ready.”

  I indulged in the bath for a few minutes more, then put on the robe. Annaruth was sifting through a rack of breathtakingly beautiful clothes. Every once in a while, she would pull something, hold it up to me, and cluck her tongue.

  “I think we should keep it in the blue and green family so it matches your armor.” She winked at me. “After all, you are already well-known.”

  “I am?”

  She nodded at me.

  “You are the first female to ever win the opening race. Didn’t you know that?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m not really . . . knowledgeable about Merstory.”

  I felt ashamed of that. I had been educated well as a child. But once my father died, that had stopped. I was smart and observant, but I hadn’t had a tutor at my beck and call daily like my stepsister had.

  I felt a sourness in my belly when I thought about all the advantages she had been given. And then I pushed it aside. I didn’t need to be jealous of her. I could still learn. Her advantages didn’t really have anything to do with my lack. She couldn’t become a less heinous Mer.

  After all, she had to be herself every morning when she woke up. Being mean and horrible probably cancelled out being spoiled and pretty.

  I told myself so anyway.

  Anyway, I had bigger fish to fry.

  Annaruth held up a gown, her face beaming. I gasped at the delicate layers of the dress, cascading nearly to the floor. It was extraordinary. Elegant yet youthful, the dress moved in a way that almost looked like water itself.

  “It’s . . .”

  “I know. It’s perfect.”

  I nodded dumbly, then floated uncomplaining while she took the robe from my shoulders. I sighed as the dress drifted over my head. It was not like getting dressed. It was like being enveloped in a cloud of magic.

  In fact, I wondered for a moment if it was magic.

  “You’re not a dressmaker.”

  Our eyes met as the dress settled onto my body. It wasn’t a question. She knew it and acknowledged my bravado with a nod.

  “When you walked into this tent, it provided what you needed. With my approval, of course.”

  “You are a Royal Magician.”

  “Not just any Magician, my dear,” she said with a wink.

  I stared at her, trying to decide whether I should bow.

  “You’re . . . the High Priestess?”

  “At your service, young Katriana.”

  She bowed to me, and I laughed, bowing back to her. Her eyes shone with approval. For some reason, the most powerful Mer in the Kingdom liked me.

  “Yes, I do like you. How could I not? I was told you tried to go back for your friends.”

  I nodded slowly.

  “I had to warn them. Starla . . . she’s too small to be in the Trials. She never would have made it around the net or survived the rocks. Never mind the Octopus.”

  I shivered at the memory.

  “Those tests were gauged to the competitor. She would not have faced the same challenges as you. But you knew that, didn’t you?”

  I stared at her. The thought had crossed my mind.

  “Are you a mind reader as well?”

  She gave me a saucy look.

  “I have my own secrets. Now tell me about the young man. You also wished to save him?”

  “Dane?”

  She arched an elegant brow.

  “Is that his name?”

  I nodded, holding still as she arranged my hair and then laid a heavy necklace against my throat.

  “And you are . . . friends? Or simply allies?”

  “Friends.” I said it firmly, without hesitation.

  “You’ve known him long?”

  “No. Only a few days.”

  “But you know his heart?”

  I blinked.

  “He’s a good person. I know that. I don’t know about his heart.”

  “Ah, I think you see more than you allow yourself to admit.”

  I looked away, not sure how to answer that.

  “I don’t have magic,” I finally muttered.

  “No? Not even a trace?”

  I shook my head. I’d come to terms with my lack of magical ability. It hurt because my mother had been magical. Only female Mers had High Magical abilities, and they were usually passed on to female children.

  “Perhaps it is simply hidden.”

  I shrugged, uncomfortable with this kind of talk. I was not magic. It was as simple as saying that I had red hair or that I was a fast swimmer.

  It was just . . . true.

  “All right. You are ready. Should we join the others?”

  “Where?”

  “Right where you are floating.”

  “The banquet will be in here?”

  “Simply step outside and come back in.”

  I just nodded my head, awed by her magic. This went well beyond heating water or magical goblets. I swam out of the tent in a daze, only to see two familiar faces waiting for me. Dane and Starla were outside, staring at me. Dane had a hooded cloak on, but I could see his eyes.

  I could see that he didn’t like the way I looked. I’d thought I looked beautiful, or as beautiful as a spotty, mop-haired Mer could look. Better than ever. But he didn’t like it at all.

  I realized I hadn’t seen myself yet. There hadn’t been a human-made mirror or another reflective surface in the tent. Maybe I should have insisted. But Annaruth was the High Priestess. Surely, she would not have led me astray?

  I swallowed, looking away from Dane. I saw that his hands were fisted and his tail was swishing, a clear sign of annoyance.

  I lifted my head proudly and turned, bumping right into another Mer. Bright blue eyes stared at me in shock. Thalia. Perfect timing.

  Triton help me.

  My stepsister’s mouth opened and shut like a gaping fish. I smirked, realizing she hadn’t expected to see me. And she certainly didn’t expect me to win the opening race.

  “Katriana, come.”

  Annaruth was signaling me from the open tent door. I gave Starla a little wave and left, not bothering to give Dane or Thalia another glance. I would not waste another thought on either of them, I decided!

  Tonight was a night to celebrate and observe. And eat as much as I possibly could! My empty stomach grumbled at the thought.

  I stepped inside the tent and gasped.

  Chapter 13

  The tent had been transformed. Larger, somehow, with a higher ceiling that rose to multiple peaks. The walls were shimmering with opalescent colors, not unlike the inside of a shell when struck by sunlight. Soft music played from unseen musicians. Servants moved throughout the room with trays of food and drink.

  I closed my open mouth before anyone saw me ga
wking.

  The room was already filled with guests, glittering, dazzling Mers wearing gowns and formal tunics that defied description. Even the servants wore uniforms that were nothing like the ones I’d worn in my stepmother’s household.

  These uniforms shone a dark blue, looking almost like they were woven out of gemstones. They were trimmed in what looked like braided gold. I blinked, realizing they were wearing the Royal colors. These were Royal Servants.

  Not nobility, but well-paid and tended to, especially in their old age.

  And every now and then, dispersed in the crowd, I saw something that made my heart stop.

  My father. I blinked. No, it wasn’t him. But there were Royal Messengers here, wearing the same uniform he had worn. It was a magical suit, designed to blend you into the background. But only when it was activated. The rest of the time, it was a similar dark blue to the servants’, also with a golden braid.

  But that is where the similarities ended.

  Where the servers’ uniforms were simply cut, the Messenger and other Royal Army uniforms were form-fitting and ornate. The gold braid was thicker, forming neat rows near the wrists and waistline, with curlicues and swirls elsewhere. The design reflected their position.

  And the Royals themselves . . . well, they were here too.

  I’d never seen a Royal, but once I saw them, there was little doubt of who and what they were. Their clothing also reflected the traditional dark blue and gold colors, but they were not limited to them. I stared in awe as Annaruth waved a hand over her own gown and it changed before my eyes to a patterned blue with actual gemstones woven into it. The heavy gold at the collar and sleeves gleamed. It must be real gold, I realized.

  “You’re a . . .”

  “The High Priestess is always chosen from the Royal family.”

  I nodded slowly.

  “But it is a very large family, as you know.”

  She handed me another covered goblet, pronouncing this one ‘shampayne.’ Then she guided me through the room, introducing me to people as we went. I was congratulated, but I felt that most of the people were looking down their noses at me, as if I was a curiosity rather than a possible future Spark.

  I felt like I would never be one of them. I felt like a crustacean trying to swim among swordfish. I was out of place, outnumbered, and outclassed.