Page 5 of Secrets Among the Tides
ARTISAN’S SQUARE WAS PACKED WITHroyal soldiers. Some were setting up watching posts, while others swam lazily about, laughing and joking as though they hadn’t a care in the world. As though they hadn’t come to destroy lives.
The waters were a blur of royal colors. Everywhere I turned, there was a soldier and no doubt there were many more of them posted all over the outskirts of our town, waiting for escapees. I wondered if they relished in it, in the ones that tried to flee, because it was all just a game to them and they knew that there was no chance of escaping.
An image of a faceless, shadowy merman swam into my mind. The Black Blade. If the story was true, then he’d escaped their clutches. There had been someone out there who the soldiers hadn’t been able to catch.
And that filled me with satisfaction.
Bodies pushed up against mine as I tried swimming past the crowd. I’d swam directly to the Square even though it was more of a trek to come here instead of swimming directly to the Tavern. I’d just wanted to get a feel of the atmosphere this year, of the soldiers.
Selection did not require to be gathered together, at least not until nighttime. I wasn’t sure how they chose us, just that they looked through the list of population names the Lords and Ladies of Lagoona provided for them.
Funny how royalty was never chosen.
So, today would be a normal workday until tonight. Tonight, everything would change.
There were no stands up today, no sign of the merman who had gifted me with the blade, no sign of anyone but nervous mer swimming to work— despite the threat looming over them—and a gaggle of soldiers.
Shaking off my nervousness, I started to turn directions, to go to the Tavern. It would do no good to make myself anxious over this. Best to just get to work and bust my tail until I temporarily forgot.
But as I turned, I was caught off guard as a wall of solidity rammed against me. I staggered a stroke back, trying to right myself but, blast my torn fin, I lost my balance and fell to the mud.
The crowd didn’t slow as I sprawled to the ground. They swam past me, hitting me in the face with strong tail fins.
Briefly blinded, I cried out, throwing my hands up to protect my face. When the pain eased and the impact became less, I looked up to find a royal soldier staring down at me absently. His eyes were barely on me, flickering behind me with an expression that said he’d rather be elsewhere.
“Forgive me,” he said stiffly. “I didn’t see—” He suddenly froze, his hand outstretched, palm up as if he meant to help me up. His bright eyes grew wide as he took me in, really seeing me for the first time.
My face flamed under his scrutiny and, ignoring his hand and trying to preserve the scraps of my dignity, I got up on my own. As I did, I felt the tresses of my hair float against my cheeks. Great, I looked to the ground to find my hat trampled in the mud. With a groan, I bent and picked it up, shaking the mud out of it.
When I looked up, the soldier was still staring with a gaping mouth, making me feel entirely too self conscious. He was a tall merman with a wide frame, obviously muscular, if the bulging against his uniform was of any indication. His uniform was the same blue with black and gold trimming except his, I noticed, had moving starfish embroidered on his breast. His skin was golden kissed, hair blond, the color of sunlight, and cropped short. His aquamarine colored eyes matched the color of his tail.
All in all, a handsome sort of face, made ugly because of the uniform reflected underneath.
I said nothing as I started to swim past him. I was brought up short by the tight grip of his hand on my forearm. He whipped me back in front of him, so close I had to place my hands against his chest, both to keep me steady and to keep space between us. My heart pounded as I looked up at him.
“Look, mister,” I began angrily, hoping my voice wouldn’t shake. “You knockedmeover, so if it’s an apology you’re wantin’ sorry to disapp—”
“Odele?” he interrupted breathlessly.
I felt my heart stutter at the way he asked, at the intimacy with which he whispered that name.
“Looks like you’re confusin’ me with someone else.” I pushed him away and to my surprise, he didn’t tug me back. Good. He dropped his hands to his sides, tightening them into fists.
He blinked a couple of times, like coming out of a trance and then stiffened completely “Forgive me.” He looked around cautiously—to see if someone had witnessed his odd behavior?—and my fins flared defensively. “Might I speak with you in a more private area?”
My breath caught as I stared at this merman, at this stranger,soldier.What was wrong with him? The audacity! Anger boiled hot in me, like the workings of an erupting volcano. These soldiers had some nerve. They came to murder us, destroy our lives and now he was asking me for a private meeting?
“I don’t know what you take me for, mister,” I gritted out from between clenched teeth. “But I’m not some back door courtesan at your beck and call. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
I started to swim past him, slamming my hat back onto my head as I did. But he was beside me again, his hand reaching out to grab my arm. I suddenly wished I had brought the blade.
“You won’t take no for an answer, will you? Back off!”
“Wait!” When he made a move to grab me—again—I slapped his hand away and darted off into the crowd. Pushing my way through bodies, I swam, putting all the power that I could into my tail and when I found an opening, I sped through it, praying he wouldn’t follow behind me.
I zipped through town until I put Artisan's Square behind me and didn’t slow until I was sure he hadn’t followed. Still, just to be safe, I took different routes, cutting through the farmer’s market and taking the back way behind the pastry shop. When Tides’ Tavern finally came into view, I didn’t breathe until I was safely inside, door closed behind me.
I leaned against it, chest rising and falling with every rapid breath I took.
