Page 15 of Secrets Among the Tides
I snorted and began helping him pitch the tent.
~~
NIGHT FELL QUICKLY AND I,with the rest of the selects, sat around the comforting blue glow of lava. The blue liquid was contained tightly inside of a hard glass ball. Attached to the ball was a small metal tube with a handle, used to safely release the lava in small quantities. A small volcano had been formed in the earth, lava released in the centermost part of it. The heat of it had caused warm bubbles to emerge from it, and we all sat in a circle around it, relishing in its warmth.
It was comforting, sitting with mer who knew what this change felt like, who were living what I was, if not completely. We’d all been chosen for this and there was a possibility that they would die. But there was also the possibility that I could save them.
I sat between two mer, one from Lagoona and another from an equally small backwater pond in Thalassar. The merman from Lagoona had worked for the blacksmith, a young mer of only seventeen. The other mer was a bit older than me and quite friendly, despite the circumstances. He was quite handsome, with short dark hair and skin, his skin was covered with a series of prickly spikes. There was webbing between his hands and he didn’t have a beautifully colored tail but webbed feet as well. He sported a jacket identical to mine, but unlike me, he wore his with glowing pride.
“Why do you seem so okay with all of this?” I asked, nursing my cup of warm, frothy tea.
“It’s not about being okay with this.” He gestured at the entirety of the quieting camp. “It’s about accepting what’s been thrown your way and making the most of it.”
The mer from Lagoona snorted at that reply, quite unkindly indeed. “I’d like to see you make the most of it when you’re face down in the sand with a spear gun in your gut, friends and family dying around you.” He took a sip of his own tea then splashed the rest of it into the lava angrily. “War is not glorious. It’s notfunand it most certainly isn’t agame.”
That sobered the other merman up quickly. “Of course it’s not a game. It flipping sucks. Do you think Iwantto go to war with Kappur? A war we don’t even know how or why it even started in the first place?” His voice had started to rise with anger, passion. The same anger that Josiah had always showed when he spoke of his theories and of the royals.
There were so many theories about what started the war, each one crazier than the last. Some said it was because Kappur wanted Thalassar land, others said it was because Thalassar had stolen something valuable from Kappur and the craziest story of them all claimed it was because of a love gone wrong.
Personally, I didn’t care how it started.
I just wanted it over.
I struggled to keep up with the conversation, their voices raising, arguing the different theories, arguing over what to expect and arguing over whether or not the Selection is justified.
When silence descended, I looked up to see what had prompted it, only to find Captain Saber looming over us, a glare mutinous in his bright eyes. I gulped, tightening my hand around my cup. His gaze swept over us, halting on me. The smile that had been on my lips died, the warmth in my belly churning into something unpleasant.
“I suggest you allstop talkingabout the kingdom that keeps you fed and alive and get some sleep.” He seemed to grind the words out through his teeth. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
“Yes, Captain,” they said as they got up and began clearing away the space. They dispersed and I started to do the same, but when I tried swimming away, the captain caught my arm, holding me in place.
“You call that being discreet?” he hissed through his teeth.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied calmly, tearing my arm from his grasp.
I could feel his anger emanating from his body in waves. I tried hard not to quake under it, instead straightening and looking at him with the calmest expression I could muster. “Insulting the kingdom with your friends is the surest way to draw attention to yourself.”
I frowned, eyebrows pulling together. “I didn’t say athingabout your precious Thalassar. Besides,” I darted a quick look around, “you’re drawing more attention to us with this conversation.” His entire body stiffened, straightening, he quickly glanced around the camp before turning his attention back to me. I probably shouldn’t provoke him, but it was impossible to resist doing so. I smirked. “Good night, Captain.”
He didn’t try to stop me as I swam away, following the other selects towards our guarded tent. I gave my cup to a passing soldier before reaching the tent flaps. I gripped them tightly into my fists and paused a moment. I looked over my shoulder to find Captain Saber still floating where I’d left him, looking after me with ice in his eyes. The look sent a shiver of awareness down my spine and all the way to my tail fin. Taking a deep breath, I turned back around and went into the tent.
Our temporary quarters were spacious, with enough room for all of us selects to sleep in. We each had a rolled up mat that had been provided by the soldiers as well as a very thin blanket. The tent would keep out most of the night’s cold, but I didn’t doubt I would toss and turn most of the night.
I reached for my mat and unrolled it on the muddy ground, then laid on it and pulled the blanket over my body. No one spoke to each other, and I doubted they would. Not in the solitude of the tent. I was sure there were things on their minds, sure they were thinking about their families and everyone they’d be leaving behind.
My thoughts wandered to Josiah and Tides’ Tavern. I would miss the smell of the backyard in the mornings, the soft growls of gaters. I would miss the smell of richly cooked food, moonshine and Josiah’s booming voice, screaming out theories at the telly.
I would miss that little blue boat that I’d called home for the past nineteen years, where I’d been raised by my grandmother and where I’d watched her die. Home. It seemed to far away now, and I wondered how long it would take before Lagoona seemed like nothing but a distant memory to me. I vowed that I would never let that happen. I would never forget where I came from, that I would never forget the merpeople who needed me.
I was doing this for them, after all. I couldn’t lose sight of that, of them.
So I pushed away those thoughts and closed my eyes to fall asleep.
~~
THE COLD BEATING OF WATER AGAINSTthe tent awoke me. So did the harsh sound of rapid breathing. My eyes flew open to be greeted by darkness. I blinked a few times, listened intently to the moans and groans around me. For a brief second, I’d forgotten where I was. But when my body pressed deeper into the cold mat, I remembered.
My limbs ached from the temperatures, the lack of warmth. My torn fin throbbed, as it tended to do when the weather was cold and unforgiving. I sat up, the thin blanket pooling around my waist, and stretched my arms over my head. My wrists popped with the movement, bringing me temporary relief.
