Starla and I swam into another chamber, this one significantly smaller. Only Messengers, the Royal Messenger, and Sparks required this course. Once again, the room was set up with benches along all three sides, including the one we had entered through.
This time, we were some of the last to arrive.
I stopped mid-water and stared. Dane was surrounded by female admirers. He looked annoyed by their attentions. But then our eyes locked and something changed.
Dane turned away, smiling lazily at the Mer sitting beside him. I changed directions abruptly, finding a seat near the back with room for both Starla and me. Rip grinned at me from a few rows down.
I noticed that he was also swarmed with females, though not quite as many. And he certainly didn’t look annoyed by their presence.
Do not look at Dane. Do not look at Dane. Do not look at Dane.
I looked.
He was watching me with a hooded, somehow speculative look in his eyes. My mouth opened and shut, like some sort of dimwitted guppy. I shook my head and turned to my books.
Yeah, sharing classes with Dane was going to be a gently rolling wave, I had no doubt. A soft current, guiding your fins homeward. I snorted, and Starla looked at me in question. I opened my book and gave her a lukewarm smile.
“You okay?”
I nodded, leaning my head against hers.
“Yes. This is all new to me. I never had tutors or anything. Not since I was very young.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll be a natural at this as well.”
I turned to see Marcum sitting nearby. I gave him a warm smile and a wave, glad to see a friendly face. I turned to see that Starla was blushing. With her coloring, the blush made her look even bluer. I bit back a smile as the teacher swam into the room.
“Good day, I am Kayvar, Royal Messenger. I am your Foreign History and Etiquette teacher. Perhaps you are wondering why it is one course and not two. The history of our ocean and its civilizations informs the current manners and etiquette required for interacting with other countries. So, we will be covering both.”
I took my scroll and quill from my bag and held it at the ready. We had all been given magically imbued writing instruments as well as books with words and images that changed as the class progressed. It lightened the load. If we had scrolls with all of Merkind’s history on them, they would be impossible to carry.
Paper was a rare commodity at the bottom of the sea. Magical paper was even rarer. Of course, the Queen had exceptional resources, but they were not unlimited. I had heard that Annaruth herself had spelled our writing instruments en masse for this century’s crop of recruits.
“Let us begin with Gundorth, our northern allies.”
I exchanged a glance with Starla. Allies? I thought our relationship with Gundorth was chilly at best. Kayvar’s next words confirmed it.
“Yes, class. I said Gundorth. We are recent allies and only against the two-leggers’ encroachment and damage to the seas. In all other Mer-related matters, things are more contentious.”
“What made them change their minds?” A brave young Mer asked, a pretty female with navy blue hair so dark it was nearly black. I didn’t know her, but I’d admired her hair since the start of the Trials.
“The North has been some of the last areas to see the effects of pollution. Yes, they had oil drilling, but only now are the waters starting to warm. Now the pollution and sickness have spread to the Gundies. They are no longer so aloof to our pleas.”
He gave us a salty smile.
“Never use that word with them, by the way.”
I scribbled furiously. If the northern seas were seeing more toxins, things were dire indeed. The Atlantic was one of the least-polluted oceans we had left. The cold water had something to do with that, as well as the lack of oil drilling.
“Don’t they have enough oil on land? Why must they churn up the seabed?”
“Greed. Many, though not all, two-leggers only care for profit. Not the land or sea or air. Not future generations. But hope is not lost. Many of the younger generations are as passionate as we are, including some high-profile artists they call ‘celebrities.’ We are praying they can help stem the tide.” He shook his head. “But that is another class, as our Spark candidates will soon learn.”
I couldn’t help it. My eyes sought out Dane just as his eyes found mine. This is why we were here. Our personal feelings aside, we were here to save the oceans. All of them.
We exchanged a nod at the reminder. I knew we were both feeling the same thing. We were both eager to begin our training and our work.
Though only one of us would be venturing on dry land, and well we knew it.
“Going somewhere?”
I shrugged guiltily. Rip had caught me trying to sneak off and eat my lunch alone. It was only the first day, and I was already feeling isolated. Our Human Etiquette and History class had been chilly, to say the least.
Dane had refused to even acknowledge me throughout the entire class.
Now Starla was eating with her new Messenger friends, as she should be.
I didn’t feel like barging my way into her group. Or eating alone. Well, at least not in front of people.
For the first time in a while, I wished I could be back in my tiny room, sharing a snack with Lila while we giggled about nothing and everything.
I was homesick, I realized. Even though my stepmother’s palace had been a very sad semblance of a home.
“I didn’t feel like dealing with . . . all that.” I waved vaguely toward the lunchroom. Dane was there, eating at a table surrounded by hangers-on, mostly female. Or who knew, maybe he was already making new friends. Real friends. Friends who wouldn’t reject him because of his title.
“Boy troubles?” Rip grinned flirtatiously. “I’m more than happy to take your mind off it.”
“It?”
“Him,” he said pointedly with a raised brow.
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“Don’t you want to sit with the other Messengers?”
“Ah, but I am training to be the Royal Messenger. I’m not one of them, either.”
I smiled and nodded.
“I guess we’re both out in the cold, then.”
“It doesn’t have to be cold, Tri.”
The warm glean was back in his eyes. He wasn’t joking, I realized. If I had met Rip first . . . before Dane . . . I probably would have been crushing on him instead. He was handsome and nice and a very, very good swimmer.
But he wasn’t Dane.
And apparently, I was a one-Mer female.
Ugh, I had no time for crushing. I had to eat fast and get ready for physical training. I knew the afternoon would be tough.
“I have a good spot, if you want to come.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. I wanted to check in on Beaz, but I didn’t want to advertise my habit of hiding in the stables either. Besides, he might be out and about.
As my familiar, he was able to come and go at will.
I nodded, offering Rip a small smile.
“Okay, let’s go.”