I stare at the trident, watching it glow in the cabinet.
“Would you like me to come back tomorrow?” Dad asks.
“Sorry.” I reach for the rod, and am immediately soothed by the warmth it sends through me. Even my stomach stops aching.
“That really is incredible,” Dad says. “I’ve connected with my weapon, but it doesn’t change colors like that.”
“Does yours speak to you?”
“Not in a conversational way.” He holds up his trident.
“Consider yourself lucky,” I mumble.
I heard that.
“Good. We have a lot to talk about.”
So I’ve gathered.
“What do you mean?”
People talk when in here.
“Eavesdropper.”
For your good. Did you know students and staff alike are genuinely worried about you?
I snort. “Right.”
They are. Even the one you call Earwig.
“Now I know you’re pulling my leg.”
Don’t use those land phrases with me.
My dad clears his throat. “Why don’t you discuss this while we practice? Otherwise, there’s no point in me being here.”
“Other than to allow me to be here. Can’t be here without a teacher, remember?”
“True, but let’s do this. You need to be prepared for the trials.”
Trials?
I hold my weapon in the ready position and stare down my dad. “We’re recreating Queen Sirena’s trials so I can come into my full powers.” I swing my arm but the weapon stops with a jolt halfway.
You’re actually recreating the trials?
“My father is,” I grunt and struggle against the trident.
Is he crazy?
“You tell me.” I swing my arm, and this time it moves with more force than I meant and nearly slices my dad’s face in half. “I’m sorry!”
He touches his intact cheek. “Don’t be. That was impressive.”
“What do you know about the trials?” I ask my weapon. “Were you there when she went through them?”
Of course I was. It was like the Olympics for one contestant. Practically killed her!
I freeze in place, and my dad’s trident nearly takes me out.
“Why did you stop?” he demands.
“I can’t do this—hold a conversation and spar at the same time. It’s not working!”
“How do you feel?”
I press a palm on my stomach as if that’ll help. “Better.”
“Good. We’ll keep this up. It’s helping.”
“Seriously? I just said I can’t do this.”
“I’ll go easy. Pay attention to what the trident has to say.”
My eyelids grow heavy. “Okay, but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”
He frowns. “All the more reason to carry on with the trials—especially the big one.”
I hold up my weapon so I can stare at it. “Did Queen Sirena have to kill her father to come into her powers?”
She did.
“And she had to go through the trials as well?”
Correct.
“I need more than one- or two-word answers from you!”
Don’t ask yes or no questions.
I groan. “Just help me out. I’m new at this, and I’ve been through a traumatic week. All this stomach pain from the powers apparently trying to come out. Did she deal with this?”
My father holds up his weapon in the ready position.
Just perfect.
Dad aims it at me and lunges for me. I block him.
Sirena went through the trials, but she didn’t do as well as her father wanted. He humiliated her in front of all the people, setting off her anger. The power deep inside her raged out of control. I could feel it radiating through me. I tried to stop her from killing him—I knew she would never do such a thing in her right mind.
My dad and I continue going back and forth, attacking and blocking.
“So, you’re saying when her power is in control, she wasn’t in her right mind?”
Dad arches his brow at that before swinging at me.
Not exactly. Once she came into her full powers, she had control over herself. Though it did take some effort to rein them in.
“Isn’t there a loophole?”
Against killing your father?
“Exactly.”
It’s either you or him, if you’re truly swimming in her path.
“There’s nothing I can do? Nothing?”
Not unless you find someone to undo the spell your father cast connecting you to the queen.
I skid to a stop. “Is that possible?”
Maybe.
“Maybe? Is it or not?”
How would I know? She came into all of this naturally. You didn’t.
“Who would I talk to?”
Ask the merman who did this to you.
“Do you know anything that will help me?”
The main thing I can do for you is to help you through the trials. If they’re based on Sirena’s, then all the better. I’ve been through those before.
“What will happen to me if I refuse to do any of this?”
The stomach pain will eventually kill you, I imagine.
“You imagine?”
I wouldn’t know, now would I? She followed her destiny.
“Is that a jab?”
No. Just pointing out the obvious.
I leap away from my dad and press the trident on the ground. “I’m done.”
“Your stomach?”
“Never better.”
“What did you find out?”
It warms in my hand. “I don’t suppose you’re willing to undo this Queen Sirena spell you’ve cast on me?”
“Undo it?” His eyes nearly pop out of his head. “When we could have a Queen Sirena of our day? When you could be her? Why wouldn’t you want to be the most powerful queen of our time—to rule over not just Valora but all water?”
I replace my weapon in the cabinet and turn to face him. “It looks like I have to kill you.” I race out of the room.
He chases after me. “But that’s what I want. It’s what’s necessary.”
I narrow my eyes. “What if it goes wrong? If we can’t bring you back? You’d break not only Mom’s heart, but mine and the rest of Valora’s. Drake had no intention to keep you alive. What if this backfires? I can’t lose another dad so soon!”
“I understand.” He frowns.
“Does that mean you’re willing to reverse the spell?”
“Never. I just mean that I sympathize with how you feel.”
I clench my fists, making them glow. “You’d be willing to risk losing the life ahead of you with Mom?”
“It’ll work.” He straightens his back.
My fists glow even brighter. “And if it doesn’t, you won’t be here to deal with the fallout. It’ll be Mom and me.”
“I have faith in you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about! How can you be so sure your servants will be able to bring you back to life?”
“The fact that I’m here today gives me full confidence.”
I rub my temples. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
He nods. “We can talk tomorrow during magic class.”
Whose great idea was it to have him as my teacher? But maybe that’ll give me enough time to find a way out of the spell. “Okay. See you then.”
We part ways, and before I even reach the band practice room, the bell rings for dinner. Already?
The band exits the room, and Bash’s eyes light up when he sees me. We throw our arms around each other, and I kiss him deeply.
He grins. “I could get used to a greeting like this every day.”
I snuggle against him. “Me too. I wish all I had to worry about was school and you.”
“Did something happen today?” He runs his hands through my hair.
“I’ll tell you on the way to the dining hall.” By the time we reach the hall, he’s caught up on the disaster that is my life.
“Do you think the spell can actually be lifted?” He holds out a chair for me.
I sit and wave at my other friends down the table before turning back to him. “The trident seems to think so.” I realize how crazy that sounds and lower my voice. “I don’t know how likely it is. How am I going to find the spell my dad used to create this mess?”
Bash plays with my hair. “I wouldn’t call all of it a mess.”
I sigh. “Have you heard a single thing I’ve said about the trials? The dad curse? And let’s not forget about the stomach pain from trying to avoid all this.”
“I couldn’t forget.” He grimaces. “You’ll be okay to eat dinner?”
“Yeah.” I take a bite of pasta to prove the point. “I was practicing with the trident, so that should keep it at bay.”
“Let’s find someone who can tell us more about that spell.”
“I’m not sure when I’m supposed to find the time. I’m already falling behind in my studies.”
“Would this weekend be too late?” he asks.
We continue discussing plans until the meal ends. As we’re leaving, people I don’t even know stop to say they’re glad I’m doing better. Not one person gives the stink eye—not even Earwyn and her dogfish. Not to say they smile or anything, but they don’t give me any problems.
Bash and I head for the library, then study until I can’t keep my eyes open. With any luck, I’ll make it the rest of the week without any stomach pain so we can find someone to help with the spell.