Page 62 of Monster's Pet

“Biology same as land,” the teacher replied. “Physics same. Buoyancy included. Chemistry how two things react.” She shrugged. “Same. Maybe different to you.”

We were each paired with a small child, who showed us how to avoid the stinging fronds of the anemones and pull out loose rocks or human pollution that had filtered down to this level.

I was almost embarrassed by my species when I saw how much pollution had managed to make it through the protections surrounding Atlantis. It was mostly smaller objects, like bottle caps and plastic lids. I found a pull-tab from a pop can, which my kid pounced on and held over their head with a sharp ululation declaring a prize.

“Why excitement?” I asked after she had tucked it away in her sling bag.

“Make necklace like queen!” was signed quickly, eyes sparkling with joy. “Look beautiful.”

I smiled. “When I child, I do, too,” I signed in reply. I had forgotten that I had done that. “Find often?”

They shook their head sadly. “Only three. Big sister have thirty!”

“Wow!” I responded appropriately, wondering how much older the big sister was.

After grooming the building, our group said goodbye to the children, and Breese led us back to the palace.

“Feast tonight,” he said, rubbing his tummy eagerly in anticipation. “Everyone come.”

I looked around the large room wonderingly. “How whole town fit?”

Breese laughed. “Take turns. You see.”

Aquilia took over from the leaders of the various groups and brought us to a separate, smaller room. She looked grave. “We talk,” she said. “Magic weak for you.”

“Our tails?” I asked, concerned.

“On land,” she clarified. “Not problem here.”

“What?”

Professor Akhtar nodded. He had stayed with the queen to attend various meetings. This must have come up at one point.

“There’s magic here?” asked a boy from my class, signing eagerly. “I haven’t seen any magic.”

Our professor raised an eyebrow and gestured at his fin.

The boy flushed. “Meant spells.”

“Fields used spells to help seed and give nutrients,” volunteered a girl.

“We don’t use magic like land dwellers,” signed Queen Aquilia. “Not needed. I worried if magic weak here, too.”

“I did sight spell,” Professor Akhtar signed. “Magic strong. You look. Theories.”

The sight spell to see magic was a quick one, involving drawing a sigil over my eyelids. I opened my eyes slowly, to avoid being overwhelmed by magic.

The green of growing things was bright all around us, which I had expected. Each of my classmates were a vivid spot in my vision. But when I saw the ley lines intersecting below the seafloor, I gasped. It was like a river of magic. No wonder I felt so much more alert once we’d arrived. I’d thought it was theexcitement of being somewhere new. If I’d had to guess, I would have said that the spell we ate that gave us our tails changed our metabolic rate or something.

It hadn’t occurred to me that the ley lines were present.

“Theories,” Professor Akhtar signed again, making a gesture to get us to focus.

I removed the sight spell and raised my hand. “Other side world,” I signed when he nodded at me. “Maybe not drained here because drainedtohere?”

“Why not balance?” Professor Akhtar mused.

“Block, like dam?” I said.

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