Page 15 of Surface Pressure

“You’ve done incredibly well today. You are much further along than I could have hoped.”

Soulara’s chest warmed at the praise. At least she could make one parent proud, even if only for a short time. Soulara kneeled at the edge of the body of water and her mother rested her arms on the soil beside her child.

“You have more troubling you.” Milan reached up and with the gentleness of a mother’s touch, tucked hair behind Soulara’s ear. “But you needn’t worry. You’re not alone in this, and with proof, we’ll have your kingdom to back us.”

Soulara nodded, the warmth instantly replaced with a knot of dread. The idea of spying on Autumn made Soulara sick to her stomach. And who knew the strength these humans possessed, perhaps magic itself. It would explain how drawn she’d been to Autumn.

But no, that hadn’t been magic. Autumn presented a freedom Soulara had never known. That had been all it was. All it could be. Anything else couldn’t happen. She’d discovered humans were responsible for stealing the water. There was no choice. She wouldn’t choose the enemy over her own people.

Beyond that, her mind picked once again at an old wound she’d never truly allowed to heal. While her mother’s support meant everything, Milan wouldn’t be the one who spoke to Autumn. She wouldn’t be the one to invade and steal the thoughts from her mind. And even more importantly, she wouldn’t come back to the kingdom and present the proof to Soulara’s father.

Three times in her life Soulara had begged her mother to return. She wouldn’t ask again.

“I have a gift for you.” Milan’s words were bright and filled with the pride Soulara ached to hear from her father as well.

“A gift?” Soulara smiled. Her mother didn’t give gifts, at least not often.

“Yes.” Her mother’s grin beamed brighter than the sun, and Soulara didn’t wonder how her father could have fallen under the spell of her beauty.

Soulara felt like a child, excitement at one of these rare moments. The first time she had ever received a gift from her mother, she had been fourteen seasons old and had been given magic for the very first time.

“What is it?” Soulara asked, sounding like she was a child again.

“Hold out your hands.”

Soulara did, and without being asked, she also closed her eyes.

The weight that landed in her palms was a cool balm against her drying skin. A calming lull, like the water’s embrace but not.

“What?” Soulara’s word came out as a soft whisper.

Her eyes landed on the stone in her palm, belief not quite catching up. She looked to her mother. There was a brightness in her mother’s eyes, but it wasn’t all joy.

“This stone is connected to a dear friend.”

“A friend?” Soulara stared at the smooth object.

“Their name is Nylah. They are a ray and will talk to you through the stone.”

“Why?” Soulara’s joy at the gift soured on her tongue.

“They can stay up here and let you know if the human returns during the moon’s presence. Or any other time your father requires you in the city.”

“Oh.” The sour taste turned to bile at the back of her throat. “Thank you.”

She should have told her mother about the meeting she had already planned with Autumn. Guilt warred and crashed inside of her like the tide coming in to slam against the shore.

Soulara didn’t turn back to wave goodbye to her mother. She dove into the water and let the magic wrap around her, stitching her legs into a tail. If only she were able to stitch her confusion together as easily.

6

Autumn sat, legs bent at the knees, as she looked out over the water. She dug her hand into the sand and scooped up granules. She opened her fingers and let them slide through only to dig her hand in once again.

Exhaustion weighed her down. Her thoughts were in complete disarray. She had come here to think. At least that was what she had told herself. Ever since she had met the alien, the alien with webbed feet who was so strange and familiar at the same time, her thoughts pushed against the world of following orders she had always accepted. It had been easy to accept them when the alternative was to fit into her family. She shuddered at the very thought.

Light glinted like flashes off the surface of the water. It winked and reminded Autumn of the stories of celebrities her great-grandmother once spoke of. The idea that a single person could ever inspire such a mass of enthusiasm didn’t quite seem feasible. She couldn’t even imagine a world where something like that could make sense. Life and the need to preserve it, however, those were the priorities she had been raised with. At least from a distance.

A blip in the distance interrupted her view. It looked as though something solid blocked out the winking lights. Autumn leaned forward, squinting her eyes. Hope blossomed in her chest. Which was crazy. Soulara was meeting her today. Autumn had been granted an unexpected free day, and she had decided to take full advantage.

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