My alarm wails, and I swear it’s louder than normal. Either that or I have a massive headache. My bet is on the latter.
A pillow hits me in the face.
“Turn that thing off!” Halen mutters.
“Sorry.” I fumble around until I find it.
“Where were you last night?” she asks.
“Ask Mr. Brant.”
“Sparring?”
I sit up and rub my eyes. “The jerk gave me three times the homework I had before.”
“Ugh, really? Because of that thing with Earwyn?”
“No. I almost forgot about that. And he’s making me start to lift weights too.”
“What’d you ever do to him?”
“It wasn’t me, it was the trident.”
She lifts a brow.
“Never mind.” I fling off the covers and grab a uniform from my closet.
Halen sits on my bed. “How are you doing?”
“Busy.” I pull on the shirt.
“No, I mean how are you really? Finding out that Tiberias is actually your dad, and now he’s marrying your mom. And he’s the reason you’re turning into Queen Sirena and why you have to do the trials. And—”
“I’m not turning into Queen Sirena. I’m me, and I’m staying me. I just happen to have similarities with her.”
“Tiberias was trying to resurrect her at the same time you were conceived.”
“Do you have any idea how weird it is that everyone is talking about my conception?” I shudder, not wanting to think about my parents in that way.
“That’s hardly the strangest thing about all of this.”
“It’s the most awkward.” I plop down at my vanity and fuss with my hair, not that it matters since my first class is weapons. I’m also going to spar five times today—four practice sessions plus my class. And that’s not counting lifting weights. I’m going to have to thank the trident for that.
“Not really. It’s part of life.”
“Let’s talk about something else. Is there another dance coming up?”
Halen’s expression lights up. “I heard there’s going to be an announcement today! I wonder if they’re going to tell us at breakfast. Too bad Frost can’t come. I already miss him.”
“It’s that serious?” I’m so glad to have distracted her.
She sighs dramatically. “I’m already trying to figure out how I’m going to get over there on my own this summer.”
“Fun. Maybe we can brainstorm ideas later.”
“Perfect!” She leaps up and grabs her uniform.
Ten minutes later, we’re entering the dining hall.
Bash glances up from his seat and melts me with his eyes. I turn to Halen. “Mind if I sit with Bash this time?”
“Not at all. Go get him, tiger fish.” She nudges me toward him and swims away.
Before I reach him, he leaps up and wraps his arms around me, squeezing tightly. I take in the warmth of his embrace and his rugged scent. If only I could stay here for all time and not have to deal with anything else. Unfortunately, he pulls away all too soon. But he does hold out a chair for me.
I take the seat and greet the rest of the band. Rudder throws me a curious look, clearly wanting to know how the timing spell worked with the cloaking one. I give him a nod. My mission may have been less than successful, but the spells did what they were supposed to.
Bash sits and offers me a donut. I take it, eager for the sugar fix after everything I’ve been through, and scarf it down while everyone else discusses an upcoming concert.
“You going to join us?” Bahari asks me.
I swallow my food. “And put half the audience to sleep? Pass.”
He frowns. “You and Bash sound so good together. There has to be away around that siren thing.”
And the queen thing, and the trials thing, and the sparring thing, and nearly every thing else in my life. I shrug. “If I find anything, you guys’ll be the first to know.”
All too soon, the meal ends. Nobody mentions the dance during announcements.
Bash helps me up. “Everything okay? You seem quiet today.”
“I’ll have to fill you in later—if I can find any time.”
“I can go with you to your first class.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want you being late for yours.”
“Tell me fast.” He takes my hand and pulls me out into the hall. “What’s bothering you?”
“You know that queen book we found?”
“Up near” —he lowers his voice— “the weapons room?”
“Exactly. I went back and the book is gone.”
His brows knit together. “Are you sure about that? It didn’t just get moved?”
“I looked.”
“We should try again.”
I rake my hands through my hair. “You’re going to have to ask a fourth-year, because I promised Rudder no more spells. We’re putting him at risk.”
“You’re right.” He brushes his lips across mine. “We’d better get to our classes if we’re serious about not being late.”
“One more thing.”
He cocks a brow and does that eye thing of his.
My stomach somersaults. “Um, there’s another secret library I want to check out. You want to go with me this afternoon if I can fit it in between all my sparring practices?”
Bash squeezes my hand. “Let’s talk at lunch.”
We part ways, and I barely make it to my weapons class in time. The bell rings just as I go through the door. Mr. Brant throws me the most annoyed glance but says nothing. I sit on the ground, giving plenty of space between me and the other students. He gives some sparring tips then tells us to pair off.
Before I’m picked last, he makes eye contact with me. “We’ll partner up today, Ayers.”
“Awesome.” I leap up and race over to the cabinet for my trident. Even my weapon won’t talk to me.
Mr. Brant goes hard on me, pinning me to walls more times than I can count. The determination in his eyes tells me this is personal. Other students stop sparring to watch us. Earwyn and her dogfish are full of snide comments.
He doesn’t give me two seconds to recover and hope to attempt to gain the advantage. By the time the class is over, every muscle in my body aches and burns.
“Did you sign up for your four sessions?” Mr. Brant asks. I swear he’s mocking me.
I hold my head high. “Did it last night.”
“Good. Don’t be late.”
“You either.” That was a lame comeback but at least it was something.
I get to my next class a few moments after the bell rings. The teacher—my father—doesn't seem to notice. He’s talking on the phone. I collapse onto a chair and close my eyes. Hope his call takes the entire hour. I’d love to sleep the whole time.
“Sorry about that,” he says. “Your mother couldn’t make it because a dignitary from the Indian Ocean showed up unexpectedly.”
I struggle to open my eyes. “It’s fine.”
“I’m working to get the trials in order.”
“Seriously?” I groan.
“Why wouldn’t I be serious?”
“Because I already have enough on my plate, without adding this to my long list of things I need to do.”
“Like what?” He sits next to me.
“The sparring competition, for one. I’m facing off with the reigning champ, and the academy is depending on me—a girl who grew up on land! Mr. Brant is making me practice four times daily plus lift weights.”
“That competition is a big deal. Those in line for the throne routinely spar all four years. Drake and I battled each year.”
I notice he’s referring to his brother by his first name to me but I don’t react. “Who won?”
“I was the champion each year, and Drake came in second. It drove him crazy, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“I’m sure it did.”
“You’ll win too.”
I look at him like he’s crazy—because he clearly is. “I’m getting my butt kicked in the practices! I can’t keep up. How am I supposed to beat Zayn Landon?”
He puts his hand on top of mine. “I’ll speak with your teacher and let him know I’ll take over your practice sessions. He need only worry about class time.”
Relief washes through me. “You’d do that?”
“You’re my daughter, Marra. I’d give my life for you. This is nothing.”
My mouth drops open. Where has this father been my entire life?
“I’ll just need you to come to the castle for the sessions. Is that doable with your schedule?”
I nod, unable to find words.
He pulls out his phone and makes a note before turning to me. “One of my top servants is on his way to speak with your teacher right now.”
Mr. Brant will probably be angry with me in class tomorrow, but I don’t care. “Thank you. When should I be there to spar with you?”
“Whenever suits you. If I’m not immediately available, one of the mermen I practice with will be available. They keep me at the top of my game and are the best of the best. Either way, you’ll receive the top training possible.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Anything for you. I’m just glad I can finally treat you like a daughter. It’s been painful holding back my true emotions.” He clears his throat. “Anyway, we’re here to work on the Ayers power. The first thing I want to tackle is using it for good, something I’m sure is a foreign concept given all you know is from Drake.”
“And my own experience,” I say quickly, surprising myself with the defensiveness I feel for the man who raised me. “Mostly that.”
My father nods.
I jolt with the realization that I just thought of him as my father.
He leans closer. “Is something the matter?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Okay. Our power can be a volatile thing, can’t it? However, it’s extremely powerful when used for good.”
“How does that work?”
He leans forward. “Healing, for example. We can use it to heal ourselves and others. And no fancy ancient language is required.”
“Are you referring to my failed fish teeth lesson?”
“Possibly.” He smiles. “I had issues with regular magic, myself. But once your grandfather taught me how to harness our family power, I had access to more spells than the professors of the School of Magic Arts—as a first-year student.”
I give him a double-take. “Seriously?”
“Of course. The Ayers power is far stronger than any magic system.”
“Why is that?”
He shrugs. “Good question. And also not one I have the answer to, not that we need it. All that really matters is learning to harness it.”
“So, we can do things like cloaking spells?”
“What do you need to be invisible for?” He chuckles.
I can hardly tell him I’m searching for a book I don’t want him to know about. “Just curious. A third-year was talking about a spell like that.” Guilt stings me for being dishonest, but I need answers before I tell him about the books or the dad curse. I change the subject. “How much do you know about Queen Sirena?”
He taps the table. “Haven’t we been over this?”
We both know the answer to that. “Yes, but there’s so much more to discuss.”
“That’s true. And I know you’re curious about the trials.”
I nod, though curious isn’t the word I’d use.
“We’ll discuss this at the castle.” He glances at the time. “We need to focus on the Ayers power for classroom time.”
My heart sinks, but at least I won’t have to deal with four practices plus weight training.
After the last class period of the day, Bash and I can head over to the secret library under the public one and see if they still have the Queen Sirena books.