Excitement bubbled within Sirena's chest. Today was Kristian day. Although it had been Diona's month to cover for her, Sirena still wasn't on speaking terms with her and sought out Ula. Ula was almost two years older than Sirena and would soon have her time at the surface.
"Just tell me all about it when you get back," Ula said.
"I promise." Sirena grinned. Only Ula and Marilla understood her love of the sun-stained world above theirs.
Sirena gave Ula a quick hug and darted out of her room so swiftly specks of sand broke free from the wall. She swam out the back of the castle and groaned when a guard glided over to her. Normally the back entrance was never guarded.
"Your father wants to see you," he said.
Sirena shook her head. "I'll be back in a few minutes to see him." She gave him a smile and started to swim away when he touched her arm.
"I'm afraid that isn't good enough."
A deep breath did not settle her nerves. Maybe she should have spent more time watching Diona. She could get any of the guards to do anything she wanted.
The mermaid princess flipped her hair back and batted her eyes. "I'll only be a minute."
He crossed his arms and glared at her. "You don't even remember me."
Sirena frowned. She knew none of the — oh! Bastin! Just her luck the guard was him.
"Bastin—"
"I'm glad I found you." He seemed a little unsettled, his smile less than convincing. "I've been meaning to tell you I wasn't the happiest with your sisters either. I didn't know what they wanted and—"
"It wasn't your fault, I know. I don't blame you." She knew it was rude to cut him off, but she didn't have time for his apology right now. "But I really have to get going. Can't you just tell them you didn't see me? Please?"
"I can't. You know your father. If he found out, he would strip me of my title, and I would lose everything. He is a very powerful man."
Sirena hung her head. Asking this was too much for anyone who wasn't in her bloodline. Her father was a triton, a descendant of Poseidon, and as such, had magical powers that rivaled those of any sea witch. Only the males in the line claimed such powers.
"I understand," Sirena murmured as she dutifully swam beside him toward the throne room. Perhaps her father wouldn't have much to say, and she could hurry up and be on her way to Kristian. Her promise rang in her ears, and she couldn't wait to see him again.
In her excitement, she zoomed forward and rushed to the throne, hoping her father would smile at her obedience. Instead, his eyes were a stormy black, and he clasped his trident beside him, the golden pointed ends glittering.
Sirena gulped and glanced behind her at Bastin, whose head was down, in deference to the ruler of the sea.
"Leave," her father commanded.
Sirena wished she could follow Bastin as he departed. "Daddy?"
"Don't 'Daddy' me, Sirena." He glowered at her, a vein on his neck bulging. "You know the rules, Sirena. How could you break them?"
Sirena thought frantically. Which of her father's many rules had she broken this time?
"You're only sixteen! You never should have been up to the surface yet, let alone countless times!" Her father swung the trident around, the weapon glowing even more than before. He circled her, almost vigorous enough to create a current of his own within the water.
Forced to twirl around to face him, she gulped again. Oh, that rule. "Father, I can explain—"
"No, Sirena, you will not speak! You've defied me. You've made a mockery of my rules, and I will not tolerate that."
"I only wanted—"
"You are a child. What you want doesn't matter. You will obey my rules, and you will do as I say. Your sisters listen to me. So should you."
"It's a stupid rule," she blurted. "What harm can come from going to the surface?"
"How dare you!" The trident shimmered until Sirena had to close her eyes against the brilliant light. When she risked peeking, her father now sat on his throne, his head down.
"Father?" she ventured, going up to him. He didn't respond, so she touched his fin as she had when she was only a little mermaid. "Maybe if you told me why we shouldn't go to the surface, then I would understand."
Hunched over, he raised his head but not his shoulders, his eyes now a calm soft blue that reminded her of the sky on a cloudless day, but there was a pain there that made her own chest ache.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"My … my sister. When she was a little mermaid, she swam up to the surface. I went with her most times, and we would play with the humans. As our parents asked, we made sure to keep our identities a secret. One time, I didn't want to go, so Kai went by herself. An hour passed, so I went to find her. She was on a rock about fifty yards beneath the surface, a spear through her."
"I'm so sorry, so so sorry."
"I can't even remember why I didn't want to go with her in the first place. Maybe if I had been there…" He shook his head.
"Father, you can't blame yourself."
Her father stared at her and sat up straighter. "I hated the humans, wanted nothing better than to forget them entirely, but my parents did not want that. They forced me to go with them back to the surface. My mother said it's important to know about the humans, that ignoring part of the world would be foolish. I agree, which is why I allow you girls to go up when you're old enough. But you have to be smart about it, fast enough to outswim a spear, to stay safe. Please do not go back to the surface until I allow it."
Sirena held her breath.
Her father did not look up. His eyes were closed, his lips still moving although she could not hear his words. She had a feeling he wasn't talking to her. He seemed to be lost in his memories. Or his grief. Or guilt.
After a few minutes, Sirena left the throne room and then the castle. She flipped and danced her way through the water, tearing through it as she made her way to the surface. As much as she loved her father and now understood why he was so strict, she couldn't not go to Kristian.
When her head broke the surface of the water, the moon shone down on her. She brushed back her damp hair. Kristian was nowhere in sight.
Had he given up on her? Thought she would break her promise? She could hardly blame him — she had never been this late before.
Movement on the beach caught her eye, and she hurried toward the shore, her heart beating at a frantic pace. She opened her mouth to call out to him only to realize the form on the beach was an unfamiliar one.
The person hunched over and dropped several items onto the sand. Then he straightened. "Sirena?" a male voice called.
She held onto a large rock. "Yes?" she said, cautious. Although the moon was shining, she couldn't see much more than shadows.
"Is Kristian out there with you?"
Sirena blinked back tears as she recognized fear in the man's voice. She released the rock and wrung her hands as she said, "No."
The man appeared to be struggling with something. "He went out earlier to see you and hasn't come back yet."
"Where is he?" No head bopped in the soft waves.
"Father Dominick told me he saw Kristian go to the shed earlier. It's where we keep our diving gear."
The term was familiar. Kristian had explained it to her before. Her heart had raced at the idea of Kristian being miles beneath the surface with her as they explored the underwater world together, not that she had never seriously considered doing that. If any of the mermen had seen him, they would have captured him, brought him to her father…
She had asked him countless questions about diving, and once she realized divers did not have the capability to reach their underwater city, she had breathed easier.
"I'm Blaise, by the way." He stepped forward, wearing a strange contraption on his back.
"He went deep into the water," she supposed slowly. She didn't know what to feel — worried that Kristian might see something he shouldn't or excited at the idea of sharing new sights with him. But for the most part, anxiety squeezed her heart until she thought it would tear in half. What if something happened? It had taken Kristian a long time to convince his parents to allow him to dive, because it was so dangerous.
"Yes, that's what diving is."
"You're planning on diving to find him?" she asked.
"Yes."
Not a smart idea. "Don't. Stay here. I'll find him."
"Sirena, he could be anywhere. You need help." His head snapped up, and she could see the star's light shining in his eyes. "How would you be able to find him without gear?" He didn't have a suspicious tone — it was more questioning, as if he was curious but not surprised.
"Please…" She had forgotten his name already.
"Blaise."
"Please, Blaise, don't ask questions. We don't have time to waste. Just give me ten minutes. I promise I'll find him."
He rummaged through the pile of stuff. "Almost ready," he muttered. Then he stood, shaking his head. "My weight belt's gone. I can't dive without it. He won't have enough air to last long, let alone ten minutes."
Sirena nodded, relieved he hadn't pressed the issue, and dove beneath the water. After two long tail-lengths, she realized Blaise may have seen her tail. Too late now, not that she cared. She had far more important things to worry about.