Page 24 of Depths
Mayi would have laughed at me, harsh noises bubbling from her lips before she slashed at me with knives made of ice again and again, punishing me for foolish emotions. She’d been heartless down in the cave where she’d held me prisoner, so that I was close enough for her to access her magic, and I was secured enough that the brainwashing that Evaness had done to “ruin” me couldn’t affect her.
I looked up and eyed Mateo with longing, and despite all the synapses in my brain telling me otherwise, I wanted him to stay. Besides, what would it hurt if he stayed as an ambassador? I recognized my emotions twisting my logic, warping it like a kaleidoscope warps the objects under its mirrors until their true shapes are so distorted that they’re unrecognizable. I allowed it because a little part of me couldn’t bear to part with Mateo again.
He’d searched for me.
He hadn’t given up on me.
He was here. And he hadn’t run at the sight of me.
My heart wentthu-thud.
I wish …I swiped the thought away before it could topple my resolve, because I wasn’t a magicless second princess anymore. I was an heir, with the potential for powerful magic—with the potential for powerful good. All my life I’d dreamt of the throne, of making some monumental difference in the world, jealous that such a fate belonged to Bloss and not me. Yet here I was in this forgotten kingdom with the ability to restore it, enrich it, improve the lives of those around me and make a difference—the very thing I’d sworn to myself that I’d do if I ever escaped that awful underwater cave.
I took a breath, wondering how I would be able to break the news of the tournament to him.
But another voice cleaved the silence in two, as sharp and quick as an axe.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for your next appointment,” Felipe announced.
“Can’t we delay it a bit?” I turned, trying to wipe away the beseeching expression that wanted to cross my face. Queens didn’t ask permission. Didn’t beg ambassadors to stay.
Felipe’s expression softened. “No, Majesty. You are due to inspect the whales for the journey to Reef City. And one of your contestants, Radford, I believe, is to meet you there.”
It was a not-so-subtle hint.
I needed to take it.
I knew that I did. But still, I turned back to Mateo. “Can you join me for dinner tonight? We can discuss … everything then.”
Mateo gave a brief nod, and I stood, letting my fins unfurl fully for the first time since he’d walked into the room. His eyes widened a little, tracing them with his gaze. Part of me wanted to ask what he thought of this change, but I was nervous. He took a step back, respectfully putting space between us as I moved toward the hall.
To my surprise, when I reached the doorway, Felipe turned to the second guard, another merman with carrot red hair, a matching tail, and a disposition that was pleasantly sarcastic.
“Ugo, please escort Her Majesty. When you pass the second corridor, ask Walid to join you. I’ll be there shortly.”
Felipe probably needed a quick break; he had been on duty since the early morning hours. His stamina was endless. I tried to keep my thoughts focused on him instead of the fact that I was leaving behind the only man who might ever love me for myself as I swam with Ugo through the corridors, following each flick of his bright tail, trying not to turn back and look behind me.
Don’t do it, Avia,I warned myself sternly. The guards had already seen my weakness. There was no need for anyone else to know. I hoped that I’d kept enough of a facade when Stavros and Humberto had been in the room, or else everyone would be sniffing around for information on Mateo. He didn’t need notoriety, especially if he decided to stay on as an ambassador. Because apparently, I was a glutton for punishment. I wanted him near, even if I couldn’t havehim.
I tried to slide a placid mask across my features, but I feared I still looked upset. A maid, one of the many I’d invited to the ball, passed us. Her smile when she came out of her bow was as bright as a copper coin. At least my hope to pacify some of my staff seemed to have worked. The hallways were no longer filled with resentment and scathing glances. “Two dozen down, only a kingdom to go,” I told myself under my breath. I had to prove to them that I wasn’t Mayi, the harsh sea sprite who’d ruled Okeanos through force and cruelty. But I also had to prove I wasn’t a sky breather without a clue.My life’s as easy as a plankton’s.
We exited the castle and made a sharp right toward what the sea people called “stables.” They weren’t like the stables on land at all. Really, Okeanos’ stables consisted of lines of animals, whales, sharks, and seahorses, tethered to the ocean floor with various anchors. There was no building at all.
Radford’s red hair was easy to spot amongst the stable staff who swam about, leading seahorses and polishing saddles. The hermit crab shifter had a larger shell on his back today than he’d worn to the ball, though it looked more ornamental than inhabitable. It was gilded with gold along the spiral that protruded from his back. He stood in front of the largest whale, which was a dull grey monster with a tiny eye and greyish-pink gums that were as tall as my face.
Radford called out to the mer stable boy, who was using a broom to scrape some barnacles off the chin of the gentle giant. “More to the right! That’s it!”
The whale gave a shudder and a moan, making the stable boy jump.
“Don’t worry, lad, he’s not interested in you.” Radford swam up, grabbing the handle from the boy’s limp hand and then scrubbing furiously at the monster.
My eyes widened and my fists clenched in terror when the whale began to thrash his tail back and forth.
“That’s it, that’s the spot! See that, kid? If you get their sweet spot, a whale will be yours for life!” Radford yelled as the beast let out a muted noise of contentment, its eyes closing.
Sweet spot? Like a dog when you scratched his belly just right and his leg kicked automatically? Was that possible with whales?
Radford pulled the broom back and started to stroke the side of the whale’s face with his hand. “Good boy, Shadow.”
