The Mermaid Trials Page 9

  Today, though, I did not have to worry about fighting off a magical attack. Today was just about individual skills. I simply had to hold my own to not get thrown out of the running.

  I knew this was one event I could not win. I didn’t have a chance. I was pretty much just hoping to not embarrass myself. There were some sprints coming later in the day, as well as some others I might do well in.

  But this? This was an exercise of pure brute strength.

  I rubbed my shoulder and stretched before lifting the spear again. I was waiting behind ten or so Mers who were going to throw before me. I was just observing and trying to prepare. Dane and Starla had already thrown and gone off in search of food. Dane had excelled in the individual Trials so far. Especially the spear throw. No one had come close to beating him yet.

  “You look nervous.”

  I swing around, finding myself face to face with the thick-jawed Mer who had smiled at me during the opening ceremony and then spoken to me during the race.

  No, not spoken. Warned. I blinked as the realization hit me.

  He had warned me, hadn’t he? I hadn’t thought about it until then.

  “Watch it.”

  He gently grabbed the tip of my spear, which I had accidentally pointed at him when I turned around.

  “Sorry.”

  He grinned again, his pale green eyes twinkling.

  “No worries. I’m Reese, but you can call me Rip.”

  “Rip?”

  “Yeah.” He leaned in as if he was about to tell me a secret. “Short for Riptide.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. He was so outrageously flirtatious.

  “How did you know?”

  “How did I know what?”

  He was still smiling, thinking I was flirting back. I shook my head impatiently.

  “Yesterday. How did you know there was an obstacle up ahead?”

  “Oh, that. I knew we must be coming up on one soon. Once the crowd thins out. That’s what my dad told me.”

  “Your dad?”

  “Dante.” He puffed his chest out a bit. “He’s a Messenger.”

  I nodded. I saw the resemblance now.

  “Mine was a Messenger too.”

  “I heard that.”

  “You . . . heard about me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why would anyone talk about me?”

  He laughed as if I’d said something hilarious.

  “You’re holding that spear wrong. Here, let me show you.”

  Before I could protest, Rip was floating close behind me. His breath fanned my ear as he guided my arm back and forth in a throwing motion. It was hard to pay attention with him so close, but what he was showing me actually made a lot of sense. Plus, I refused to break out in goosebumps on principle.

  “Now rock forward with your whole body when you release.”

  I let my body relax and flow with my arm as the focal point. He abruptly moved away, and I glanced back at him in question. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking over my shoulder. I followed his gaze.

  Dane.

  I felt myself flush, feeling inexplicably as if I’d been caught doing something wrong. But I hadn’t. Had I?

  “Rip was just showing me how to throw a spear.”

  Dane didn’t say anything. But I could see the muscle in his jaw ticking. Uh-oh. He was mad at me again.

  “Of course, you could probably have done that, but you didn’t offer.”

  Once again, he didn’t reply. His glare got more intense. He tossed something to me.

  “Lunch. Starla said you missed breakfast.”

  I caught the rolled kelp and pulled back a flap to look inside. It was fresh crab meat. My stomach rumbled. There was a lot, and it was already out of the crab! Not a little crab either, but a big, juicy one!

  “Thank you.”

  My eyes felt suspiciously watery as I looked at him. He was looking out for me. And this was a meal fit for a Royal. I could hardly believe it.

  Nobody had ever prepared food for me, other than the bare-bones meals we were given at my stepmother’s palace. Not since I was a child. I swallowed and looked back at him, not sure what to say.

  But Dane was gone, already swimming away to the next event. Starla remained, looking sheepish.

  “You don’t have to wait.”

  She looked down and shrugged.

  “I don’t mind.”

  I smiled.

  “Suit yourself.” The line moved forward. Rip was still behind me but I ignored him. “Looks like I’ll be up soon.”

  I took a bite of my crab but I was too nervous to enjoy it.

  “Is that your boyfriend?”

  “Huh?”

  “The big Mer with the attitude.”

  “Oh. Um. I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “He’s a friend.”

  “Whatever you say, Katriana.”

  “I never told you my name.”

  He laughed.

  “Like I said, I heard about you.”

  I glowered at the smirk on Rip’s handsome face. He wasn’t a total jerk like I had first assumed, but there was something so smug about the guy. Sure, he was big and strong, and yes, he was good looking, even though I hated to admit it.

  But so was Dane, and he didn’t give off the kind of arrogant vibes that Rip did. Dane was even more handsome, if I was honest!

  Besides, it was the truth. I didn’t have a boyfriend. But if I did, I’d want him to be someone like Dane. I just hoped I hadn’t lost a friend because Rip was overly flirtatious and I was too polite to brush him off. If Dane did like me, I could see how that might annoy him. But I hadn’t encouraged the flirtatious Mer at all.

  Had I? Ugh.

  I’d thrown well, I decided as I swam to the next Trial with Starla. Nowhere near as far as Dane, but well above average. And now I was waiting for the start of the first of several short races. The first was simple speed, the second an obstacle course, and the third, something mysterious that no one who had already gone through would reveal.

  However, I had seen a few Mers looking extremely shaken. And I knew it wasn’t from the net unravelling contest. One I had excelled in, unsurprisingly.

  I’d salvaged hundreds of nets in my time, reusing them and trading them for other goods. I patted my handy net bag in appreciation.

  Yeah, I was pretty certain I’d squashed that. And this one was another Trial I was confident I could win.

  This was the speed Trial.

  I rolled my shoulders and took another bite of the crab. I chewed thoughtfully before wrapping it and stuffing it back into my bag. Yes, technically, something like that could slow me down, in terms of drag. But I was too attached to my belongings to set them down for a moment.

  It’s not like I could replace any of them. No, it was far better to keep the necessities on hand, so to speak.

  Without my weapons, I stood no chance at all in the rest of the Trials. And without my lunch, well, I would go hungry. Or perhaps not hungry, but I would miss out on this incredibly delicious crab meat.

  Not to mention, Dane had brought it for me. He’d even picked the meat out of the crab. Or maybe he’d simply paid for it. Either way, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me, other than Lila. I was too nervous to eat it all in one sitting, but just having a few bites between events was keeping me steady.

  Just enough to give me energy, but not enough to make me hurl.

  There was nothing more disgusting than throwing up underwater. I’d learned that the hard way. Thankfully, Mers weren’t prone to stomach upset. Now and then, you’d get a bad oyster, but usually, you could sniff them out. Once, though, I’d gotten a bad one. I’d spent hours draped over a rock, trying not to let the vomit wash back over my face.

  It had kind of worked. I’d still found some in my hair a few hours later. Gross.

  I swallowed, determined to keep my food down and my pride intact. I put my food away.
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  Hopefully, Dane would talk to me again.

  I sighed and leaned forward as we formed a line, my chest even with the other competitors. A horn sounded and we were off. All I saw was the finish line. It didn’t seem all that far away.

  I didn’t think, I just moved. It was over before I knew it.

  I looked around stupidly, making a full circle. There was no one here. I looked back to see several Mers approach the finish line.

  Whoa. I hadn’t just won. I’d obliterated them.

  A slow clap behind me made me turn.

  Rip and Juno were watching me, along with the girl with the spikes. Rip’s eyes were warm with admiration. But the other two . . . a shiver went down my spine and I could have sworn my scales stood on end.

  Starla finished in the middle of the pack during the next heat. I waited for her before heading to the next Trial. I hadn’t seen Dane in hours. I had to assume he was ahead of us, kicking tail, most likely.

  Next up was an obstacle course, with Mers swimming through woven tubes of kelp, over rock formations, and through caves. I wasn’t all that worried about that one, but I was still on my guard. The race I was really worried about, the mystery race, was still to come.

  The second race was a little longer, with more Mers in each heat. I was up against twenty Mers, including Rip and the girl with the spikes, whose name turned out to be Jaynelle. A pleasant, innocuous sounding name for someone so terrifying. She was just as unfriendly as she looked when Rip introduced us, not even deigning to shake my hand. I didn’t see Dane or Starla, but I assumed they were okay.

  No one had died yet, though a few Mers had been injured on the first day.

  I waited for the horn to sound and once again shot forward without a backward glance.

  The course was harder than it looked. I wondered briefly if this, too, was magically matched to our abilities. Then the path turned and I stopped thinking at all.

  I dove under a low archway, narrowly avoiding sharp rocks below. They seemed to reach up toward me, ready to snag a fin or cut into a soft belly. But I had no choice. The path ended abruptly with a sheer cliff just ahead. This time, I had to swim directly toward the surface, though that was far above. It was always harder to swim straight up because gravity was a factor, even under the sea.

  Next, I swam into a series of tubes. It was harder to negotiate, without much room to flip my fins. Almost immediately, I was fighting off a feeling of extreme claustrophobia.

  It was a maze with walls made of woven kelp. It twisted and turned and then divided into two paths leading in opposite directions. I made a choice instinctively, taking a sharp left. It felt like I was going forward, with the start of the maze behind me. I prayed I was right.

  I redoubled my prayers to Triton as I maneuvered under a large net that partially blocked the tube. I pitied the Mer who got caught in the tangled mess! It looked like it would be impossible to get out of. The tube narrowed even more. I squeezed through, wiggling my hips frantically. I heaved a sigh of relief as the maze widened and I was once again in open water.

  I was out.

  I saw the finish line up ahead. There were hoops made of different elements leading the way. Each one was at a different height, forcing the swimmer to zig and zag all over the place. They were also different sizes, with some looking sharp, or jagged, and there was one particularly wicked hoop that even looked as if it was made of lava, kept liquid and scorching hot with the help of magic.

  Magic. It was quickly becoming my least favorite word.

  I took a deep breath through my gills and dove in, using all of my abilities to keep from snagging a fin on a jagged metal hoop, and then a tiny hoop I barely fit through that looked incredibly sharp. My eyes widened as I passed through. It wasn’t just sharp! It was a sword that had been shaped into a circle. I went as quickly as possible until I came to the lava hoop.

  I stared in horror as a drop formed at the top of the hoop, dangling dangerously in the center. I waited for it to fall and then sped through, trying not to think about what was happening above me. I felt the heat against my skin and my scales, crying out as I felt one of my fins get singed.

  I was close to weeping as I crossed the finish line. I was first, but it did not feel like much of a victory. I was treated by a waiting Medic, who applied a salve to my burns, and then directed to the final race. I swam across the campgrounds toward a group of nervous looking Mer, including Dane and Starla.

  “Hey.”

  Dane nodded to me in greeting. Starla gave me a half-hearted smile. She was nervous about something. I was too exhausted to even think about what might be next, truth be told.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We’re waiting for our turn.”

  I looked around.

  “I don’t see the start line.”

  “That’s because it’s down there.”

  I followed Starla’s finger past the edge of camp to the shadowy line that indicated deep water ahead. Not just deep water. The deepest.

  I peered into the darkness, suddenly fearful. The final Trial of the day was someplace I’d spent most of my life avoiding.

  The last race was in the trench.

  Chapter 15

  I plunged down into the darkest water I’d ever swum in. I’d never seen darker, even very late at night. There wasn’t the faintest hint of light, other than the glowing orb behind me that marked the start of the race. Not even the waning rays of the sun could reach us down here.

  I was really in the trench. The one place I never wanted to see. I might long to see all the waters of the world, but not this bottomless place. Not ever.

  I could sense movement around me, other Mers thrashing and panicking as the oxygen got thinner. Yes, even a Mer could drown underwater if we went deep enough. If our gills did not get oxygen-rich water, we might as well be human.

  Well, except for our tails.

  I shuddered at the thought.

  “Katriana!”

  I froze, throwing my head to the left to listen. Someone had screamed out my name. Starla. I should have stayed closer to her. But once we dove into the dark water below the ledge, I’d had an overwhelming instinct to flee. Just go, and get out. That’s what every other Mer was doing. Or at least I had told myself that.

  Hearing her frightened voice changed everything in an instant.

  I changed direction, swimming toward the soft cries.

  I bumped into something, hard.

  I heard a low voice curse in the darkness as hands reached out to steady me. A familiar voice with a proclivity for colorful two-legger language.

  “Dane?”

  “Tri? Is that you?”

  I couldn’t see a damn thing, but I could sense him in the dark. And just like that, I didn’t feel so alone.

  “Yes. I heard Starla.”

  “Me too.”

  “Starla? Can you hear us?”

  “Here! I’m caught in something!”

  I reached out and touched something. It was a rough hemp rope. A net. Whether it was left here deliberately or not was unclear.

  Either way, we had to get her out of it.

  “Okay, try and hold still. I’ll get you out.”

  “We’ll get you out.”

  I sighed, rankled by the sour tone of Dane’s voice. Apparently, he was still mad at me. It wasn’t as if I had encouraged Rip! Or chosen my damn dress!

  I wanted to tell him that, but I didn’t. I also wanted to ask him why he was so angry with me. Like a little girl, I just wanted things to go back to normal.

  Instead, I started untangling the net. I forced myself to calm my heightened nerves.

  After a few moments, I replied quietly, “Right. We will get you out. Then we stick together until the finish line. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Dane nodded. At least, I think he did. Was it just my imagination, or was I starting to see? At least I could discern different levels of darkness.

  “Dane?”

  “Ye
s?”

  “I think I can see you. Can you see me?”

  This time, I did see Dane tilt his head to the side.

  “Hmm . . . maybe a little.”

  Starla whimpered and we renewed our efforts. I told her not to be scared. That we wouldn’t leave her, no matter what. Even if a submarine charged us, we wouldn’t leave. She quieted, and in a few minutes, she was free.

  We hovered, not even knowing if we were still within the bounds of the race. Dane’s deep voice rumbled from where I thought he was, a few feet to my right. So, I was definitely seeing a bit better. Though I wasn’t sure how that was going to help us.

  “It would be nice if they left markers.”

  “I don’t understand the point of this. How are we even supposed to know which way to go?”

  Dane sounded aggravated but not panic-stricken. Good. I cleared my throat.

  “I know. At least, I think I do.”

  “How?”

  “I have a really good sense of direction. My father did too. He called it an ‘inner compass’.”

  “Wow. That’s cool.”

  “It’s handy, but not one hundred percent accurate.”

  “Okay, Tri, which way? And how are we supposed to follow you if we can’t see you?”

  Dane’s voice had a biting edge, but even I had to admit he had a point there. I could barely see him, and only if I focused on it. And he was barely an arm’s length away. Once we started swimming, it was going to get even harder.

  “The rope! Do you still have it?” Starla exclaimed.

  “Yes.”

  “Wrap one end around your waist, Tri. We can hold on to it.”

  “You are one brilliant Mer. Are you sure you want to though? I mean, I think I know which way we should be going. But I could lead you farther into the trench.”

  I saw a flash of something in the darkness. It took a moment before I realized what it was. Dane’s perfect teeth. He was smiling.

  “Lead away.”

  “Starla?”

  “Yes, please get us out of here, Tri! I don’t like it here. I’m scared.”

  “Hopefully, they will use magic to find anyone who gets lost. They have to eventually, right?”

  Silence from my friends. Yeah, I wasn’t so sure either. I exhaled through pursed lips.