Page 6 of The Demons in the Deep: Extended Edition
She’d been angrier than usual lately. The rage reminded her of the way she’d felt right after her family died of plague. And that was frustrating, too, because she had thought herself long past that kind of fury. She’d made a sort of peace with their deaths, unlike her cousin Kestra, who had suppressed her rage for years, only to have it burst out in unpredictable paroxysms of violence, usually directed at the mermaids. But ever since the day the mermaids were destroyed, Kestra seemed—free. She was sometimes sad, sometimes frustrated, but Mai didn’t sense the same pent-up, boiling anger seething from her. Kestra had released it somehow.
Maybe it had flown from Kestra’s soul into Mai’s.
“Just my luck.” Mai rose from the table and swept all her materials and tools into a jumbled pile. “There, you have your workspace back.” She gave the cook a half-apologetic nod that he accepted with a smile and a shake of his head.
Mai hurried out of the galley and along the passage, bracing herself against the wall because of the tilted floor. Flay swore they’d make it to Stragnoag without sinking, but Mai was beginning to wonder if they’d end up in the deep after all. She had a few of the mermaids’ breathing devices on hand, the ones the Queens had used on their human captives. But there were not enough of the devices for everyone aboard.
As Mai reached the steps leading up to the deck, a curvy figure came barreling down them, boots thunking on the wood.
Kestra’s cheeks were flushed with the sea wind—and probably with Flay’s kisses. “Mai, they’ve spotted land! We’re nearly there. We’re going to make it. Come and see.”
Mai followed her above-decks and forward to the prow, where Flay peered through a spyglass.
“Hey there, Sparrow.” He turned to Mai, blue eyes shining. “Want a look?”
As she accepted the spyglass, Flay stepped back, giving her his spot at the railing. He put his right arm around Kestra, who reached up and kissed his cheek.
They were always like that—always touching and kissing, teasing and blushing. As if no one in the world had ever been in love before. As if no beautiful mer-male with indigo hair and golden scales had existed. Sometimes Mai wanted to scream at her cousin, “Don’t you remember him at all? Don’t you realize how much he wanted you, how he couldn’t see anyone else becauseyouwere there?”
But she said nothing. After all, Kestra hadn’t been the one who combed Rake’s hair, taught him what books were, and danced with him for the first time.
Mai gritted her teeth and shut one eye, peering through the spyglass.
Rake had been a subject of study and curiosity, nothing more.
Through the curved glass, Mai could make out a smudge of something far away—possibly the outlines of mountains or hills, the bristle of ships’ masts.
“Stragnoag,” she said, handing the spyglass to Kestra.
“Stragnoag,” Flay echoed. And though his smile was wide and bright as ever, Mai could see the apprehension in his eyes.
“It’s nice to know we won’t sink and drown,” Mai said. “But I guess you’re nervous about seeing your father again, since you’re so late returning from your usual route.”
“The extra jewelry from the mermaids’ hoard should pacify him,” Flay replied, but his smile faltered.
“We don’t have to stay in Stragnoag long,” Kestra said. “We can move on, see all the ports and sights you’ve told me about.”
Mai’s heart lurched and tightened. “But we need to stay here for a while so I can study at the university, remember?”
“The ship will need to be repaired,” Kestra replied. “That should give you some time.”
“Not enough time.” Mai could feel her heart rate increasing. The university, its library, and its laboratories were the one reason she’d come on this voyage. Deep pools of knowledge, and she couldn’t be expected to dip in a toe and be satisfied. She wanted to submerge herself entirely.
“Kestra, we talked about this. I want to study the inner codex, the building blocks of human bodies. I need time to apply what I learn to the mermaid technology, so I can figure out how to repair and replicate it. Remember, my goal is to use that technology to fabricate a new hand for Flay—a real one, just like the one he lost. Just like the belts that transform tails into legs. I should be able to…”
But her voice trailed off as Flay and Kestra exchanged glances.
They did that often, as if they were having a private wordless conversation, and Mai hated it. She and Kestra used to share the same unspoken understanding—close as sisters, with private jokes they could communicate across The Three Cherries’ common room without saying a word.
“You don’t think I can actually do it, do you?” Mai said slowly. “You don’t think I’m clever enough.”
“It’s not a question of cleverness,” Kestra answered. “This technology was developed generations ago, probably by teams of mermaids and humans sharing knowledge and working together. Don’t you think it’s a little presumptuous to expect yourself to learn all that and implement it in a couple of weeks?”
“I don’t expect it to happen in a couple of weeks,” Mai said through clenched teeth. “That’s why I need more time.”
“It could takeyears—” Kestra began, but Flay squeezed her shoulders.
“Maybe this is something we should discuss later, Blossom?” he said. “First things first. When we land, I’ll need to get you two settled at an inn. And then I’ll have to meet with my father.”
