The arena was not as packed as it had been for the Trials, but almost. The entire Royal family and most of the nobles were here. The families of the candidates who lived close enough had come as well.
Even without the huge crowds spilling over the benches, it was still nerve-racking.
We were divided into two teams, each of us given an arm band of either red or blue. Starla was on the other team. So was Rip. Dane was in the stands, seated in a throne beside his mother. His eyes were hard and dark as he stared at me. I could see his hands gripping the armrests.
The Prince looked furious at being forced to sit on the sidelines. And I knew he was worried about his friends. Especially me.
He’s not even bothering to try and hide his emotions, I thought distractedly. I was pretty sure half the audience was watching him watch me.
I adjusted my armor, realizing that someone had in fact tried to get me sent into our exams without any protection. We were not allowed magic in this fight. In fact, the arena had been spelled so we could not even use it instinctively. This was one time my powers could not help me. My only advantage was my speed. This was a contest of pure brute strength and athletic ability.
Cunning and sneakiness were factors too, as well I had learned in the Trials.
Speaking of sneakiness . . .
I glanced up to see my sister on my side of the battle line. At least she won’t be trying to harpoon me this time, I said to myself. She was staring at her mother in the audience. An unspoken message was clearly passing back and forth between them.
I was glad I couldn’t understand what it meant.
Thalia looked at me briefly, then at the sandy floor of the arena.
I glanced around and realized weapons were being distributed. I swam forward and selected a spear. I stared at the pointed end of it.
Why in water were we being given sharp weapons? They were not just slightly sharp, like something an average Mer would have for protection when out in open water. These were weapons made for war. Deadly and brutal. Didn’t the General want us to survive? I looked at the crowd again and noticed Annaruth was not here.
Something was wrong. I could feel it, all the way down to my fins.
I waited, twitching my fins now and then to maintain my position. The fact that I was alone and far from any sort of backup was becoming clear. All of Thalia’s minions were on the same side. Juno and Jaynelle were on the other team.
I had a very uneasy feeling that I was going to be bleeding before the end of the exam.
With no one here to save me.
But I had one thing on my side. Only Annaruth and her healers knew about my ability to heal. If I had to, maybe I could heal myself . . . discretely, of course.
I closed my eyes as the arena grew very quiet. The exam was about to begin. A horn sounded and the arena erupted into violence. Fighting broke out everywhere. I had expected weapons to be thrown at first, but no one wanted to lose their weapon so early in the game. This fight was more up close and personal.
But no one was being skewered. Instead, Mers were being disarmed and disqualified left and right. I sighed in relief, hoping the fight would stay somewhat civilized.
Not a bad idea to get disqualified from this particular exam, I thought to myself. I blocked an attack from Jaynelle as she barreled toward me, throwing small star-shaped objects. My forearm armor worked well with those small weapons, but with one glance, I knew that was the least of what she was going to try and do to me.
She had a wickedly sharp-looking sword strapped to her side. I glanced down at my comparatively puny-looking spear in annoyance.
I’d been right. The exam was a setup. I only had one weapon.
I spun as I sensed someone behind me.
Minka. I had two Mers on me, and one of them from my own team! I moved quickly, darting around Minka and using her as a shield as Jaynelle drew her sword and thrust it forward. Minka screamed in pain as the sword found its mark.
Triton, I hadn’t meant to get the Mer stabbed!
I grimaced as the blade skewered her, scraping my fins as it came out the other side. I was horrified, even though Minka was one of the most unpleasant Mers I’d ever had the misfortunate to meet. Jaynelle had no such compunctions as she yanked the sword free, making the water turn red with blood.
Minka sagged in front of me. It was a killing blow. Or it would be, unless I did something about it.
“Waste of magic,” I muttered as I applied my hands to her flesh. No one could see us. They would think I was still using her as a shield. Jaynelle roared with frustration as she tried to stab me again. I spun too quickly for her, still holding the inert Mer in front of me.
Thank Triton, she didn’t manage to stab Minka again.
Or me.
I felt the wound in Minka’s back close up underneath my hands and released her, letting her fall to the seabed. She’d live to be awful for another day. Then I darted away, trying to find a safe place far from the murderous Mer on my fins. We were supposed to battle and defeat as many Mers as possible, to show technique. We weren’t supposed to be murdering each other!
But Jaynelle apparently had no interest in winning or high marks. She just wanted me dead. I knew the safest bet would be to swim away. Because I knew she would win. She was, by far, the better fighter. Not as fast or agile, but much bigger and stronger.
And I couldn’t use my magic to defeat her.
I swam so fast and so far that I nearly hit the outer wall of the arena. I was closer to the Queen and Dane now. I surveyed the battle, trying to find a more even fight. I needed to participate, not just swim in circles!
My eyes widened as I saw two Mers coming right for me.
Jaynelle. And it looked like Juno was coming for me as well, but from the other side of the arena. Hopefully, I could handle her before Juno arrived. I couldn’t defeat either one of them in hand to hand combat.
The truth sank in. I wasn’t all that confident I was getting out of the arena alive.
This might be it, I thought as I looked around in a panic.
Rip was in the thick of it, but winning, from what I could tell. I saw Starla darting this way and that, trying to evade actual fighting. Clever Mer, I thought, praying fervently that she would make it through this. One of us females had to.
“Tri! Watch out!” I heard Dane shout, and I turned just in time to parry a blow from Thalia.
My own sister, who was on my side of the battle, no less, was attempting to literally stab me in the back.
Triton, this day just keeps getting better, I thought sourly as a strange sense of calm came over me.
The truth was, it broke my heart a little. She wanted me dead. My own sister wanted me dead.
This was so much worse than her simply not liking me or thinking I was beneath her. This was something dark and twisted. This was hate.
I fought back, trying not to hurt her. No matter what her feelings toward me were, I didn’t want to turn my only living blood relation into a Mer-ka-bob.
She was a better fighter than I’d imagined. And when Jaynelle arrived, they exchanged a surprisingly friendly look.
I realized I was losing almost immediately. I didn’t stand a chance. Thalia was my equal in battle, but Jaynelle could take us both. And together, they were undefeatable.
My armor protected me from the most direct hits, but Jaynelle’s blade slid into the crack at my shoulder, piercing my skin. Thankfully, it wasn’t the arm holding the spear. I held it sideways, trying to block the next blow, which came from my sister.
I wondered idly whether she or Minka would be removed from the Academy for breaking the rules and attacking someone on their own team.
I kind of doubted it, though.
Cowardice would get you removed. Failure. But being bloodthirsty was apparently rewarded. Especially since the General was running this exam. Without Annaruth to keep him in check, he was letting his bloodthirsty tendencies go wild.
I cried out as Thalia stabbed my side, her blade sliding easily into my flesh. I was not going to make it, I realized. I could feel my magic working to repair the wound, but it was too deep. It would take too long.
Especially since Jaynelle was aiming her blade at my throat.
I saw something big swim in front of me with a roar, blocking the blow. At the same time, I felt someone behind me.
This is it, I thought. I’m about to die. Thalia will make the killing blow.
But when I turned to fight back with what remaining strength I had, I saw it was Dane.
The Prince was in the arena.
Without armor.
He was shielding me with his body.
I shook my head wildly, screaming, “Dane! No!”
He just shook his head, turning to face whoever else came. But no one did. I turned again, realizing my shoulder had not healed and my side was still gushing blood. I must have used up my magic to heal Minka.
Maybe the arena’s magic cloaking spell only worked when you were trying to help yourself. Or perhaps someone very powerful was preventing me from using my abilities.
What I saw when I turned back amazed me.
For a moment, I thought I had lost too much blood.
I blinked but the vision was still there.
Juno was protecting me. He was fighting Jaynelle with everything he had, and he was winning.
He flashed me a smile over his shoulder, and Jaynelle’s blade got through his defense, stabbing one burly arm. I caught sight of the General in the stands. He was fuming, screaming something.
But I couldn’t hear.
I could barely hear anything.
“Get her out of here, Pollux!” Juno shouted over his shoulder as he started to drive Jaynelle away. Thalia was hovering nearby, clearly unwilling to attack the Prince who was glued to my fins.
“What?” I asked stupidly.
Then Dane’s arm was around me, lifting me high above the fighting. He didn’t stop swimming as the arena disappeared below us. He didn’t wait for his guards.
He just swam.
The rock beneath my cheek felt oddly familiar as I slowly became aware of my surroundings. It was dark and cool, but not unpleasantly so. I felt utterly safe, which was a nice change from what had happened in the arena.
The arena where I’d nearly died, I remembered in a rush of terror. Where Dane had risked his life for me in front of everyone.
I flipped over, then grimaced as pain shot through me.
“Triton, that hurts!”
But not as much as it should have. I opened my eyes. And blinked.
Lumi was staring at me.
Beazil was hovering solicitously nearby.
Dane was too.
We were in a cave. Not just any cave. My cave.
I was alive and we were in the cave.
That meant . . . this was it. The worst-case scenario. If Dane hadn’t taken me to Annaruth or the Palace . . . he wanted me to leave Oceana.
“How are you feeling?” Dane asked, perching on the edge of the ledge beside me.
I had the craziest feeling he’d been arguing with my shark when I opened my eyes. I looked back and forth between them, my brow furrowed.
Beazil looked remarkably shark-like in that moment. He was angry. And worried. I stared into one eye and then the other. His magical eye was whirring softly, full of dark blue and green.
“Tri . . .”
“I’m okay,” I said, swinging my tail over the edge of the ledge. It hurt, but not as much as it should have. I must have healed. At least somewhat. Lumi darted closer, brushing against my wounds, and the pain subsided a little bit more. “Thank you, Lumi. Is Starla okay? Rip? Are you?”
I gave him a pointed look, still annoyed that he’d leapt into the arena without armor or a weapon.
“Everyone is fine. I . . .” He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. “I tried to get to you faster, but there was a magical shield in front of the thrones. I had to evade the guards. I’m so sorry, Tri.”
“You saved me. Even though you really shouldn’t have!” I glared at him. “You really, really shouldn’t have!”
He gave me a funny look.
“But I didn’t save you. Juno did.”
“What?”
I stared into the empty water in front of me. Lumi had settled on my shoulder and Beaz was sulking nearby. Jaynelle and Thalia had been working together to try and kill me. And then Juno . . .
“He doesn’t want me dead. Even though the General does.”
“No,” Dane said tightly. “Clearly, he doesn’t.”
I sighed. That changed things. Now Juno was a target because of me, too.
“We’re going to have to protect him, Dane. If he’s even remotely good . . . the General will have his fins for this.”
“I know.” He cleared his throat. “But you have to go.”
“No way in water am I leaving now.”
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. Prince or no, he wasn’t telling me what to do!
“You promised me, Tri,” he said. Then he shook his head. “The arena was spelled to prevent magical combat, not healing magic. But once . . . they . . . realized you could heal others and potentially yourself, I think they blocked that too. I think this whole exam was designed to eliminate you.”
I stared at him.
“Think about it, Tri. You had no armor. You’re the Spark candidate. You should have many sets of armor at your disposal. But somehow, it all went missing just when you needed it. And Annaruth was kept away.”
He took my chin and forced me to look at him.
“They won’t stop. You have to go the one place they will never look for you.”
I shook my head vehemently.
“I can’t leave you. Or the others,” I added lamely. But he wasn’t fooled. He smiled at me tenderly, leaning his forehead against mine.
“Did it ever occur to you that I might be safer without you here?”
Ouch.
Triton, but that hit hard. And it was the same thing I’d said a dozen times. He’d always told me I was wrong, that it was the other way around, but it was true.
And now there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we had a real bond. That he . . . loved me. Dane had made sure of that in the arena.
The Prince of Oceana had risked his life for me. Flagrantly. In front of foreign dignitaries.
We were both in more danger than ever before.
“Starla and Rip will be safer without you, too. And Beazil,” Dane said, driving it all home. Guilt filled me, along with worry. If anyone dared to harm my shark, I would finish them!
My shark growled and used his nose to shove Dane back.
“Beaz!”
“It’s okay,” Dane said, giving my shark a wary look. “He knows we are on the same side.”
I closed my eyes and nodded. The decision had been made. I just hadn’t said it out loud yet.
“All right. I’ll go.”
I heard Dane’s exhaled breath. I knew he didn’t really want me to leave. But he’d just forced me to.
I hated abandoning my friends. But he was right. They were safer without me.
“Good. We have to wait for the sun to set. There is a road just above the cliffs and a path leading up them.” He gave me a wry smile. “I’m afraid your first time using two legs on land will start with quite a climb.”
“Do I have a mission? Any information to go on?”
“I’m sorry. There wasn’t time. But we do know there is legislation to remove protection for oil rigs in the Atlantic. That would be a good place to start. But mostly just . . .” He squeezed my hand. “Stay alive.”
The Atlantic is what two-leggers called Oceana. The waters his family had ruled for centuries. Longer. Thousands of years.
He handed me an oddly-shaped bag, and I opened it, looking inside.
“Everything you need is in here. It’s called a backpack.”
I lifted up a bag with two straps on the back. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
“The straps go over your shoulders.”
“Ingenious,” I said, impressed by two-legger ingenuity.
“Open it,” Dane urged. I tugged on the ‘zipper’ with Dane’s guidance. Inside was a transparent shiny bag with clothes, money, and what I assumed were shoes. I noticed that the green dress that had belonged to my mother was also neatly folded inside. Annaruth’s magical fingers are all over this, I thought fondly.
“What is it?”
“It’s called plastic. It’s sealed to keep everything inside dry.”
I touched the slippery surface of the bundle. I wanted to see everything. But now was not the time.
“Leave your uniform in the cave at the base of the cliffs. It’s spelled to remain sealed to human eyes. If . . .” He cleared his throat. “When you return, that is where you will find your uniform waiting.”
I set the backpack aside and stared at him.
“How will I get in touch with you? How will I know that everything is all right? Or that it is safe to come home?”
He shook his head.
“You won’t.” He pursed his lips. “We have ways to communicate with the current Spark, but nothing has been put in place for you. I’ll work on something with Annaruth. There has to be a way.” He brushed the hair away from my face. “You’ll just have to be brave, Tri. Be strong.”
I bit my lip and nodded, transfixed by the look in his heavy-lidded eyes. His thumb brushed my lips and my eyes dropped to his. They’re strangely pretty, for a male’s, I thought to myself. Soft and pink and inviting.
And then he was kissing me. A kiss that started suddenly and seemed to go on forever. There was a sense of urgency in the way he held my face, the way he pressed his lips to mine one more time before pulling away.
“I love you, Katriana.”
I blinked at him and opened my mouth but no words came out. The discrete sound of a throat being cleared made me turn bright pink. Dane closed his eyes and smiled, though I could tell he was disappointed that I hadn’t said the words back.
“I was hoping you might show up,” Dane said without turning to see who it was.
“I was just waiting for the kissing to be over,” a voice said from the cave entrance.
I looked up and everything clicked into place. This was happening. This was destined to happen.
“Hello, Marcum,” I said with a half-smile as he swam forward and politely bowed to the Prince, something I hardly ever remembered to do. It was odd, but it almost seemed as if he were bowing to me as well. “Or should I be saying ‘goodbye’?”
“Goodbye for now. We will both see you again. That much I promise you.”
I nodded and bit my lip.
“Is that why you came? To say goodbye?”
He shook his head slowly and my pulse started to pound.
“I had a vision. More than one. I had visions all night after you two left me.” He gave me a small smile and tapped his head. “It feels like I was drinking wine all night!”
I inhaled, feeling scared and sad and excited all at once. No matter what, I really, really wanted to hear what Marcum had to say.
“Tell us, please,” I said, leaning forward.
Marcum looked at Dane and then back at me.
“Well, for starters, you are both Royal. Tri is a descendent of Leanna.”