Page 54 of Depths
I burst out laughing. “How many boots do people eat around here?” I waved a hand at his startled face. “I’m sorry. It’s a conversation I had with my maid earlier. She doesn’t want to try boots, but apparently they’re a delicacy or something.”
“Yes, you apparently can only get them after a shipwreck. They’re quite popular here.” Stavros pointed to a long table set with rows of shrimp and clams and … an entire pile of boiled leather strips. Floating next to that pile, hand on his gut, was Humberto, who slurped the end of a bit of leather into his mouth.
Ugh.
And he was going to carry his children in that mouth? Didn’t he care what he put into it?
I noticed Sahar next to him and realized that, around us, people were floating closer to the dinner tables. It was time to acknowledge Humberto’s heroics publicly. Sahar took his arm, and he snatched up one last leather strip, biting a piece off as they came closer.
I reluctantly released Stavros’ hand. “I have to go give a speech and thank Humberto.”
Stavros’ lips tightened in disappointment, but he gave a swift nod and a bow of his head. I turned my attention to the hero, who stuffed the last of his leather strip into his mouth so that his cheek protruded like a squirrel’s. He swallowed some boot, making his cheek shrink a little; I swallowed my disgust. And then I took his arm so I could escort him toward the head table where Mayor Deacon stood, awaiting our arrival.
We passed several tables with competitors from the tournament, and I gave them all a huge smile. Valdez sat alone at one table, his black clothing drawing my eye. Then his eyes. Then his sultry grin. I nearly swam into a table, I was so caught up in his gaze. I had to swim sideways quickly to avoid it.
And that was when a strange gasp erupted from Humberto. I turned, only to watch the cardinal fish shifter grab his throat as his eyes bulged—he was choking.
16
The competition can only beat you if they’re alive to win.
—Sultan Raj of Cheryn
* * *
I watchedin horror as one of the men seeking my hand began to turn blue. My gut churned with panic, and my hand flew to my mouth. Behind me, Felipe moved closer to me, his hand closed on my shoulder, and I nearly reached for it, nearly clutched at him in public to quell my fear. But he just leaned forward and whispered, “Back up. Leave room for the healers—”
“I’ve got it! I can handle this!” A familiar voice burst the panicked bubble between my ears. Julian swam forward. The tall, pale green-haired scientist’s face was serious as he grabbed Humberto’s face, squishing the man’s pudgy cheeks and popping his mouth open.
“If someone’s choking, you need to try to clear the throat—” Julian rammed two fingers down Humberto’s throat, and my stomach jumped as if the siren were choking me.
Gasps erupted from the crowd as Julian slammed his fingers side to side in Humberto’s mouth like he’d hooked the fish. I think all of us were so utterly shocked by the siren’s actions that we couldn’t move.
“No, too deep. I can’t get it,” Julian said matter-of-factly as his fingers and a trail of brown boot-colored spittle emerged from Humberto’s mouth. He wiped his fingers nonchalantly on his short pants as he swam behind Humberto. He raised his voice and spoke in a tone my tutor had often used. “If you can’t clear the passageway with your fingers, the next step is back blows.” He grabbed Humberto’s shoulder and slammed his hand into the man’s spine so hard that Humberto jerked forward like a puppet on a string. Blow after blow made his portly body jiggle, but he didn’t speak. Nothing came out of his mouth.
A healer swam up beside me, potion bottle in hand. “Majesty, do you want me to—”
“The final step, if the other two don’t work, is to induce vomiting with this maneuver,” Julian cut the healer off as he wrapped his arms around Humberto’s wide, striped middle from behind and then forcefully punched into the cardinal fish shifter’s stomach.
With a loud pop, a balled-up strip of boot emerged from Humberto’s mouth and floated in front of me. Felipe used his spear to bat the nasty thing away as Humberto gasped and coughed. Julian grabbed a bottle of bubble off someone’s table and handed it to Humberto, who took it and swigged down a few gulps before muttering a scratchy, “Thanks.”
All around us, applause erupted.
Julian gave a shy wave of acknowledgement before he turned to swim back to his seat. But I swam forward and latched onto his wrist, carefully avoiding his hand and the fingers that had just been down another man’s throat.
“Ladies and gentleman,” I said loudly, in my best royal voice, the voice I’d practiced in the mirror for so many years. I glanced around the room, waiting until every eye was upon me, feeling their attention feed me, empowering me to say what needed to be said. “I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Mayor Deacon has been an absolutely amazing host. Your city is quite lucky to have him. And I wanted to tell you how utterly impressed I am by you, the residents of Okeanos. I’ve never met so many men who are selflessly heroic. Twice, today, I’ve witnessed these competitors protect and help one another.” I lifted the hand of Julian’s that I held and used my free hand to gesture toward Humberto.
I let the tide of applause rise and fall before I continued, “While I was told to stand up here and give an account of what happened, I’m certain your maids will tell you much more exciting versions than I would, and why should I deprive these men of the legends they undoubtedly deserve to become?” That earned a solid chuckle from everyone, even Ajax, the jewelry maker. With a grin, I borrowed a glass from the person sitting closest to me and held it aloft. “So, without further ado, please raise your glass in honor of two Okeanos men today: Humberto and Julian.”
A cheer ripped through the room.
And after that, dinner wasn’t nearly so awkward or awful. I sat the heroes down on either side of me, and congratulations to them seemed to deflect the pointed questions that had been lobbed my way before the meal. I was able to enjoy my stuffed lobster in peace.
When, inevitably, music started to play and those around me started to sing, several people floated toward the ceiling to dance. I’d intended to go look for Sahar, but when I turned in my seat, I found a hand extended in my direction.
My eyes traveled up an arm that was taut with muscle beneath a black shirt, over a deliciously thick neck that tempted me to bite it, up toward the mischievous eyes of Valdez. His rings were missing though, a fact that I found made me the tiniest bit disappointed.
“A dance, Your Majesty?” He grabbed my hand before I could answer the question and pulled me up toward the chandeliers. Several couples swayed in circles around the blue lights. He brought us to an empty space under the coral ceiling where the only things I could see were blue-white crystals.
