Just for Fins (12 page)

“And if you win?” he asks.

I give him a wicked grin. “You have to eat hoya.”

“What's hoya?”

“Sea pineapple,” I answer innocently.

He frowns. “That doesn't sound like a punishment. I like pineapple.”

“This isn't pineapple,” I say as I kick my tailfin a little harder, pushing myself into the lead. “In fact, it isn't even a plant.”

The disgusted look on his face is quickly followed by faster arm strokes and even some kicking. I smile as he catches up to me, and even though I keep pace evenly with him as we cross the city—and even though I know I could beat him with one full-strength kick—I also know that when we get to the palace, he's going to
just
beat me by a blade of seagrass.

A few minutes later my prediction proves true. It's uncanny how I know these things.

Chapter 13

A
fter watching Quince gorge himself on pretty much everything the palace kitchen has to offer—even the sushi—I ask Margarite to escort him to the starfish room. He needs a good night's sleep after his two-day swim. He might need a good
week's
sleep to recover from that.

But knowing that he's catching up on his rest relaxes me as I swim toward Daddy's office. I never knew I could care about someone so much without the benefit of a bond to magnify our emotions. I can only imagine how strong our connection would be if we hadn't severed.

“Knock, knock,” I call out as I swim past the guards stationed at Daddy's door. It's late, but I knew he would still be working. Still waiting to hear my report about my royal visits this weekend.

He's not going to like what he hears.

“Lily,” he says, his handsome face spreading into a warm smile. “I had a feeling you would be by again.”

“Hello, Princess Waterlily.”

I cringe at the sound of Calliope's voice. It's nothing personal—her voice isn't high-pitched or anything—but her presence usually comes with bad news of some sort. Hopefully this visit is just about checking in on Quince's first test.

“Calliope,” I say, forcing a smile. “How are you tonight?”

“Wonderful,” she replies. “King Whelk was just filling me in on the details of Quince's adventure. Sounds like it was a bit of a challenge.”

“You could say that.” I throw Daddy an irritated look. “You could also say he almost didn't make it.”

Calliope's face falls. “I know it was difficult, but he did pull through in the end.”

“I know,” I say by way of apology. “I'm just really exhausted. Is there anything you need from me right now?”

“No, I don't think so.” Calliope glances at Daddy, who shakes his head. She turns back to me with a sunny smile. “I think I have everything.”

She gathers up her stuff and swims for the door.

“Thanks, Calliope,” I say.

“Anytime,” she says cheerfully.

When she's gone, I float into one of the chairs facing his desk.

“You look exhausted, daughter,” he says, his voice soft with concern.

“I am,” I admit, allowing my eyes to drift shut for a moment. “It's been a long weekend in a lot of ways.”

“Yes,” Daddy says, setting aside the papers on his desk, “and I want to hear all about your travels, but first, how is Quince?”

“Recovering,” I answer, forcing my eyes open. I need to be alert and awake for this discussion. “He'll be fine. But I can't believe he had to do that, Daddy. How could you ask him to do something so dangerous?”

His face falls serious. “If I could have found a way around the test, I would have,” he insists. “The law is very specific.”

“He could have died,” I say. “Maybe he wouldn't have drowned, not since you restored his
aqua respire
, but any number of things might have happened to him between here and Seaview.”

“I know.” His gentle eyes soften in what looks like genuine hurt. “And I know the pain that would have caused you, but there was no other way.”

I shake my head. I've lived in the mer world all my life—even when I'm on land, I'm still part of this world—but I'm starting to realize there are things I will never understand. The ancient laws are among them.

I don't want to dwell on my anger over something that is done. Quince is safe. I can argue about ancient laws in modern times on another day. Tonight we have bigger problems to address. “We need to talk about my weekend.”

“Yes,” Daddy says. “Tell me about your visits. Were they successful?”

I give him a brief recap of my visits to Trigonum and Antillenes, about the results of my surveys and the agreement each ruler made to be part of a cooperative commission.

“But I learned something important in Desfleurelle,” I say. “As I left the kingdom, I was stopped by Princess Aurita, who told me something terrible.”

Daddy frowns. “What?”

“She said King Zostero is planning to sabotage offshore oil drilling rigs in his kingdom.” I close my eyes at the thought of the potential consequences, the potential losses. “Those rigs are dangerous. If they're sabotaged—”

“Lily . . .” Daddy trails off, his voice sounding almost sympathetic. “Princess Aurita has a developed a reputation for dramatic stunts. She has become the mergirl who cried shark, I'm afraid.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “You think she's lying?”

“Last year, she called a council of kings and queens and falsely claimed an infestation of mer-hungry sharks was devouring her kingdom.” Daddy shakes his head. “King Zostero revoked many of her royal privileges after that.”

I picture the scared girl who stopped me on my way out of the kingdom. I may not always be the best judge of character—I thought I hated Quince for a long time—but nothing about Aurita's demeanor said she was lying or making things up.

“You didn't see the look in her eyes, Daddy,” I say, trying to convince him. “She looked truly frightened for her brother.”

“Brother?” Daddy puffs out a sad laugh. “King Zostero has only daughters.”

I clench my jaw. “Her
half
-brother,” I explain. “He's human and he works on one of the oil rigs and—”

“She manipulated you, Lily,” he says. The pity in his tone sends a shot of lead down my spine. “She obviously knows of your love for Quince and exploited that to make you believe her.”

“But—”

“She cannot call dramatic council meetings anymore,” he continues, “so she is using you to bring her attention.”

I fall silent, trying to process Daddy's words. He's basically accusing Aurita of lying and me of falling for it. I can't believe that. I mean, I can't believe he doesn't trust me. And I refuse to believe she was lying.

The sparkling tears in her eyes are proof enough for me.

“You're wrong,” I say. I don't usually argue with Daddy—and by usually, I mean never—but I can't just sit aside and let bad things happen to innocent humans. “I believe her, and if you won't do something about it, then I will. I don't want the consequences of King Zostero's actions on my conscience.”

I kick up from the chair, ready to storm out of the office in a show of rebellious certainty. But before I can swim away, Daddy says, “Lily, wait.”

I stop moving, but I don't turn back around. Growing up, I never thought I would have to use Doe's tactics to get Daddy to do something. I used to roll my eyes at her pouting and storming away. But today, when the cause is so important, I can see the benefits of her methods.

Not that I will
ever
tell her that.

“If you believe so strongly,” Daddy says, his tone more serious than pitying, “then I will investigate the situation.”

“Investigate?” I whip back around. “We have to do more than just investigate.”

“Investigation is the first step,” he replies. “I cannot go in accusing the king of plotting against humans. It would put him on the defensive, whether he is guilty or not.”

I take a deep breath and try to see the reason in his argument. He's right. Just rolling into a royal palace and lobbing accusations at the king is the surest way to be tossed either out the front door or into the palace jail.

“Okay,” I say, forcing myself to be reasonable. “I'll go with you.”

He shakes his head. “It will be better if I go alone. Besides, you have obligations on land. You have graduation in just a few weeks' time.”

“That's true,” I say reluctantly. “But I can miss a day of class. This is more important than my attendance record. I don't want to sit around waiting and wondering.”

“That is unnecessary. I will visit Desfleurelle and then send you a messenger gull with the results of my inquiry as soon as it's done.”

I consider his suggestion. To be honest, the idea of turning around and swimming all the way back to Desfleurelle after my weekend of travel is a little depressing. And it's not like I don't trust Daddy to do what he says he's going to do. I know he will.

I relent. “Okay,” I say, not really happy but willing to accept the situation. “But you send me that message as
soon
as you're done.”

“I promise,” he says with a smile. “Now I think you need to go catch up on your rest as well. You look nearly as exhausted as Quince did earlier.”

A yawn I didn't know was coming pushes out, and I try to cover it with my hand.

Daddy chuckles.

“I guess you're right,” I say around a second yawn that I don't try to stifle. “I could use a good night's sleep too.”

I push off and start to swim out the way I almost stormed out a minute ago.

“Lily,” Daddy says again, and I turn back to face him. “I am very proud of you, daughter. Whatever the results of my inquiry, your compassion and concern are wondrous traits in a princess.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I say, a proud smile breaking across my face. “I'll stop in and say good-bye before we head out in the morning.”

He grins, and as I swim out the door and head for my room, I know he's going to spend half the night working. Maybe someday he'll let me take over enough duties that he can take some time off.

Another yawn washes through my body, and I swim faster for my room and my bed. I don't even have the energy to change into a sleep top before my head hits the pillow.

Chapter 14

“P
ardon me, Princess.”

A soft voice pulls me out of a nightmare about Quince drowning in an oil slick. I woke up about a dozen times in the night, shaking with fear for what might have happened to him in his first test. Needless to say, I'm happy to return to reality.

I blink my eyes open and spot the source of the voice, a timid palace maid floating a few feet away from my bed.

“Forgive the intrusion, Princess,” she says, keeping her eyes averted, “but—”

“We made her do it,” another—familiar—voice calls out.

I lift my head and see Peri and Quince in the doorway.

“Look what I found in the palace kitchen,” Peri says, nodding at Quince. “I'm amazed there's any food left in the kingdom after the way he was devouring Laver's culinary concoctions as fast as the cook could make them.”

I smile at the pair of them.

“I need the nourishment,” Quince says in his defense, patting his stomach. “Do you know how many calories it takes to swim here?”

I turn to the maid, who looks like she's trying to make herself as invisible as possible in the corner of my room. I've never seen her before. “What's your name?”

“Bailya, Princess.”

“Well, Bailya,” I say, giving her a reassuring smile, “thank you for waking me. I am always available to these two.”

I get a beaming smile in return. “Will there be anything else, Princess?”

“No, thank you,” I say. “Please go on about your day.”

With a grateful nod, Bailya darts across the room, around my two visitors, and out into the hall.

“Give me five seconds,” I say, pushing back my covers and heading across the room. “I need to freshen up.”

“How was last night?” Peri shouts to be heard inside my bathroom. “Did you tell the king about Aurita's claim?”

“Yes,” I say as I grab a cloth from the shelf beneath the counter. “And you know what?”

“What?” she asks.

“He doesn't believe her,” I reply. “He doesn't believe
me
.”

I scrub the cloth over my face, and the action both relaxes and energizes me. I do the same at key spots—under my arms, base of my neck—and then reach for the toothpaste.

“Peri, can you bring me a clean tank?” I ask. “They're in the—”

“I know where your clothes are,” she says before I can finish.

Seconds later, she's handing me a turquoise tank. She whispers, “I heard Quince had trouble with the first test. Did it turn out okay?”

I nod. I dart behind the changing curtain. “The swim from Seaview to Thalassinia nearly killed him.” Stripping off my dirty tank, I open the lid on the laundry hamper and drop it inside. “I don't know how he will manage two more.”

As I swim out from behind the curtain, sporting the turquoise tank, Peri grins. “He will. Because he loves you, and that's the point.”

“Are you two gabbing in there?” Quince shouts. “I'm starving.”

“You just ate half the pantry,” Peri shouts back. She winks at me before adding, “Save some food for the rest of the kingdom.”

We swim out into my room.

“Actually, I'm starving too,” I say. Then, because I can't help myself, I add, “If there's any food left to eat, that is.”

“Ha ha.” Quince throws an arm around my shoulder as I swim by, pretending like he's going to throttle me but then changing his mind at the last second and kissing me instead.

“I thought you two were hungry. But if I'm wrong,” Peri says, swimming ahead, “I'll just go ahead and eat your share.”

Quince laughs at Peri's teasing. As he takes my hand and swims after her, I'm impressed. His swimming has improved a lot, and he's actually pulling me with him. I start kicking, just to get us moving faster, and can't help but smile.

I'm glad to see Peri and Quince getting along so well. I mean, it's not like they're going to be spending tons of time together—he may be able to breathe underwater, but he's still human—but it's nice to know my best friend and my boyfriend can hang out and have fun.

When we swim into the kitchen, I swear Laver looks at Quince and starts shaking. But he's a trouper and just orders his sous-chef to pull another order from the pantry.

Quince, Peri, and I sink onto stools at the kitchen counter and wait for breakfast.

“I'm not surprised the king doubts Aurita,” Peri says, grabbing us each a glass of orange-juice gelatin from a tray on the counter. She spoons out a bite and lifts it to her mouth. “She's got kind of a reputation for stirring up controversy.”

As she swallows her bite and Quince takes one of his own, I swirl my spoon through the gelatin. “So I've heard,” I say. “But you saw how scared she was. You saw her hands shaking and her eyes sparkling.”

“Maybe she's a really good actress,” Peri suggests.

“What are you two talking about?” Quince asks, looking up from his juice.

“When we were in Desfleurelle,” I explain, “the mer kingdom in the Gulf of Mexico, we learned about a plan to sabotage human enterprises.”

Quince frowns. “Like what?” he asks.

“Like sabotaging offshore oil rigs.”

Quince whistles—pretty impressive under water. “That's dangerous.”

“I know. But Daddy doesn't believe me.” I shove my gelatin away. “Because of the source.”

“So he's not going to do anything?” Quince asks.

“No, he is,” I reply. “He's going to visit King Zostero to ask him about the rumor.”

Laver sets a tray of gourmet breakfast sushi in front of us, and Quince quickly stabs at an awabi roll with his seasticks. The jab comes a little too close for Laver's comfort, and he jerks his hand away before it winds up skewered.

“And then what?” Quince asks before popping the sushi into his mouth and, I swear, swallowing it whole.

I shrug, making my own selection from the tray. “Then we wait and see. He's going to send me a message as soon as he has an answer.”

“King Whelk will do the right thing,” Peri says, obviously sensing my divided emotions. “He will find out what's going on and will act accordingly.”

“I know,” I say. “I trust Daddy.”

I'm just not sure if I trust him more than my own instincts. Everything inside me screams that Aurita isn't lying. Aunt Rachel always says I should trust my gut, and my gut is telling me that King Zostero is planning something.

“We'll see what Daddy finds out,” I say, mostly to Quince. “Then I'll decide what to do.”

“Um, Princess?”

I turn at the sound of a quiet voice, half expecting to see another timid palace maid.

I nearly drift off my stool when I see Astria floating there, with a respectful look on her face, and the lower half of her red hair dyed the same mint-green shade as her tailfin. I bite back a smile. Peri chokes on a laugh. Quince goes back to his second breakfast.

“Excuse the interruption,” Astria says, flicking her gaze at Peri and Quince, “but may I speak to you in private?”

I'm so stunned by her seemingly genuine respect—that's a first—that I can't answer.

Peri responds for me.

“Anything you have to say to Lily,” she says, her amusement at Astria's hair now forgotten, “you can say in front of us.”

I lean back instinctively, braced for Astria's wrath. She does
not
like to be put in her place.

So when she merely takes a breath and says, “Please, it will only take a moment,” I'm stunned.

“Um, sure,” I say, giving Peri a wide-eyed what-the-frog-is-going-on-here? look.

Peri shrugs. Yeah, I don't have a clue either.

Equally curious and afraid this is some sort of humiliation master plot, I follow Astria into the hall outside the kitchen. When she turns to face me, she can't look me in the eye. I'm starting to lean more toward the master-plot option.

“What you said to me the other night,” she begins, “about the problems in our world and the pettiness of gossip . . .”

Oh no, she's going to totally light into me. I tense, ready to flee.

“I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and . . .”

I float back a few inches.

“You're right.”

I stop kicking and just stare at her.

“What?” I ask as my momentum knocks me into the wall. I push away, floating back to Astria. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you're right,” she says. “There are things happening in our world, and I want to help.”

I think my brain just imploded a little. First Doe stops being a wicked brat, and now Astria wants to help. Surely these are signs of a looming apocalypse.

“Um, okay?” I half say, half ask. I feel so off-kilter, I don't even know which one I'm doing.

“If you need anything,” she says, finally looking me in the eye, “anything at all, just ask.”

She floats forward and presses a slip of kelpaper into my palm.

“This is my address. Send a gull or a message bubble anytime, and I will do whatever I can to help your efforts.”

I think I nod. Or maybe I just stare, slack-jawed, as she turns and swims away. I don't think my brain can process what happened.

When I swim back into the kitchen, Laver is setting out another tray of food for Quince. Peri looks up, relieved.

“What did she want?”

“I . . .” I shake my head as I float back onto my stool. “She wants to help.”

“She what?” Peri asks.

“Really?” Quince mumbles around a bite of sea-fan toast.

“Yeah,” I say. “She . . . I guess she finally realized there's something bigger at stake than making other people feel bad.”

Peri scowls. “I still don't trust her.”

I shrug. I don't know, maybe I'm the worst judge of character in history, but I think she was being sincere. As we all go back to eating our breakfast—Quince is on his third or fourth, at least—my mind is racing through everything that happened this weekend. Quince's test. My royal visits. The sabotage plans. And now Daddy's investigation of Aurita's claim.

I want to figure out what to do next, but the truth is I can't decide anything until Daddy talks to King Zostero and sends me his message. Quince and I need to get back to Seaview and get on with our days.

The message will come in time.

Hopefully, answers will come with it.