Page 4 of Voice of the Ocean

“A pleasure to meet you, Maris,” Celeste said with a wink. “I look forward to seeing you again!”

The guard blinked, staring even as she swam out of sight.

That had been close.Too close. She had been lucky. If she had been caught by a guard who knew where she was meant to be, they’d have gone straight to the queen. But now that she was safely on her way, a little thrill ran through her at the victory.I got away with it.

Buzzing with energy, Celeste dashed through the palace halls to her rooms. She grabbed her spear and leather armor. Her lips hummed the human prince’s tune, echoing behind her as she swam through the halls. But when she reached the palace entrance, her mother’s voice stopped her.

“You’re late,” the queen said. “And you haven’t eaten.”

Celeste paused. She considered swimming away, pretending she hadn’t heard. But there was no use ignoring the queen of Staria. With a sigh, Celeste entered the dining room.

The white stone ceilings were cavernously high in every room of the magnificent palace, arched, and covered in shimmering mother-of-pearl. Small shafts of light illuminated the room from deep cuts circling the domed roof. They were too narrow for sirens to travel in and out of, but they let in enough light. The effect was a little claustrophobic, in Celeste’s opinion. Especially when she knew how the sun shone above.

Queen Halia reclined at the head of a long stone table, fixing her youngest daughter with a questioning stare.

“Good morning, Mother,” she said tightly. She tried to ignore the pit in her stomach from her mother’s worry. The queen cared greatly how the family appeared to others. “You look very regal today, Father.”

King Tidus responded with a grunt that made Celeste smirk. A man of few words. Her father did look rather striking that morning. Dressed with his formal stingray leathers strapped tightly across his wide chest. The masculine balance to the queen’s sovereignty. They were the perfect pair. Him battle ready and her in a delicate pearl crown and elegant shelled finery.

“Why aren’t you at training?” The king lifted a golden shell filled with shining red fish eggs to his lips. He was a large siren with stiff, sizable muscles beneath his sand-colored skin. Atop his head rested a large silver crown with rare pointed shells rising like spears. Beneath the crown, his hair was long, braided, and golden blond.

“I’m on my way there now.” Celeste was anxious not to be late. She tried, and failed, to avoid glancing at the tempting piles of sea grapes that sat upon the table. Her stomach growled.

“Don’t leave hungry. We wouldn’t want you fainting during drills in front of the others,” her mother chided.

Celeste sighed, knowing there was little sense in fighting. She was already going to be late, so she grabbed a fistful of sea grapes and popped one into her mouth.

“Your sister has already come and gone this morning,” the queen informed Celeste.

Of course she had. Shye, the heir apparent, was nothing if not punctual.

The queen tucked a strand of coral-red hair behind a delicately webbed ear. It was the same color that Shye, her eldest sister, shared. Sephone’s hair was soft and pink, a mix of their parents. Only Celeste’s hair was white. The House of Neris was once known for their white hair. It came from the Queen Mother’s lineage, descended from the Goddess of the Sea. But it had been over a century since anyone in their family had been born with the white hair of their ancient house. Having it should have made Celeste feel special. But growing up, she would have done anything to have her mother’s hair.

“Any news of Sephone?” Celeste asked, hope rising in her chest.

“Not today, Celeste.”

Celeste nodded, deflating a little. They hardly received news of her sister since she had left the kingdom in search of a royal marriage. In fact, Celeste couldn’t remember the last time she’d received a letter from her sister. It’d been nearly a cycle now. Still, she couldn’t help but ask anyway.

“Whyareyou in your armor today, Father?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Meetings,” he said.

“What about?”

“They pertain to the protection of this kingdom,” he said, before returning to his food, signaling the conversation’s end. Celeste wasn’t sure why she expected anything else. Her father was never one to give many details.

A server swam into the room, carrying a fresh silver tray of oysters. But the queen surveyed only her daughter, a tight expression on her face. Echoes of their argument rang in Celeste’s ears. Certain her mother wished to reignite the dispute, she dove toward the oyster shells.

“Please excuse me. I really must go,” Celeste told them, swimming from the room.

“We will speak after,” the queen called after her.

But Celeste was already flying down the hall, shoving an oyster into her mouth and trying not to focus on how late she was or what exactly her mother wished to say. A task she quickly failed at, as she squeezed the now empty shell in her hand.Madam Auralia is going to kill me. Swimming past the dining room had been a mistake. She should have thought to go another way. She shouldn’t have saved the turtle. She should not have gone to the ship. Her mind should be on the upcoming initiation, not returning to that handsome prince.

He was a human. She was a siren. Their kind had been at war since their creation.

She was certain she would never see him again.

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