Chapter Fourteen
When Serena returns to the kingdom, Assembly is already in session. She slips into the Great Hall, taking her place in the shadows, unnoticed. Squinting, she can see the whites of King Merrick's eyes, they are so wide with disbelief—a stark contrast to his red cheeks. "What is the purpose of littering the Great Hall with dead plants?"
The young Undine, recently given the title of Scientist Assistant at The Choosing, does not expect his temper. She steps back, half turning—on the verge of bolting.
She catches the eye of Evandre, the Head Scientist. Judging by the glare he gives, no amount of bolting would help the young Undine.
"Answer your king, please," Nerin prods.
"It's just…I didn't realize," the Undine maiden continues to stutter. "I thought maybe the court wasn't aware."
"Not aware that half my kingdom is crumbling to dust?" The king sits forward on his throne, hands so tight on the armrests that the chair itself is on the verge of crumbling. "Not aware that coral, the very lifeblood of our food source, is disappearing around the globe?"
"I'm sorry, your majesty." The Undine bends in an unsure curtsey. Now she is the one with the flushed cheeks. "I've just never been so far from the Great Hall and…was shocked at the dead coral fields."
The king leans back, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe I should mandate Society borders just so my time isn't wasted whenever a new Undine discovers the coral fields," he mumbles, glancing at Evandre.
"It wouldn't matter," Serena's voice booms from the back of the room. All eyes in the court turn to her. Bracing herself for an onslaught of attention, she walks forward, releasing many of her scales that armored her body above seas. One hand holds Kai's trident, the other is balled into a fist, scales protecting the fur inside.
The back of her neck itches as maidens watch her walk the path to the front. If I can sing in front of everyone, if I can face a werewolf, then I can do this.
The king sits back in his throne. "Why?" he huffs. "Because you would cross the closed border anyway?"
"No." Serena approaches Assembly at the front of the Great Hall. "Because even the corals that decorate our own mountain are beginning to show signs of decline."
The king grimaces. From behind the table Evandre holds up a finger. Before either can speak, a flash of metal catches their attention.
Serena twirls the trident so the handle faces out. She takes aim and tosses it toward Kai. The Second in Command has only to extend a hand to catch it. In one smooth motion, he brings it upright to the position of attention against his body.
"I thank you for your protection," Serena tells him.
Kai nods, a slight, almost indistinguishable bob of his head. He stands rigid at attention next to Murphy, but his eyes go soft, lingering too long on her face.
Heat blossoms in Serena's abdomen, and she doesn't know why. It rises to her chest, and she has to look away before it reaches her cheeks.
"I have a request," Serena turns back to the king. His cold eyes bore into her, and she has to quell the urge to hunch her shoulders, or run from the room completely. "For my own trident and possibly other weapons. And training."
Nerin answers, "The King's Guard couldn't possibly have time—"
"As you say," interrupts King Merrick. "Anything more?"
Serena clears her throat, forcing her hands back to her sides. "I have come to speak of my chosen…" she drifts off, deciding to change the wording. "My given position."
"You cannot be reassigned." The king sighs, leaning back in his throne and rubbing his temples. First the corals, then this. The Temporal Caste is not taking to their assigned Choosing easily.
Nerin places her hand on the armrest of the throne. She looks natural there, her presence to the left of the king reminding Serena of the symbiotic relationship of a spotted goby and hard-nosed shrimp. Serena scrutinizes the pair at the throne. She wonders which is the protective goby and which is the domestic shrimp.
Folding her hands in front of her, Serena tries to exude patience, and confidence. "Had I wanted reassignment, I wouldn't need weapons—nor the training for them."
Nerin shakes her head once. Even if the king is in the wrong, it is bad etiquette to make it obvious. Serena takes a deep breath. "I came to find out my purpose of the assignment."
"Your purpose?" asks the king.
"The title 'liaison' suggests cooperative contact. Though, maybe that is just upholding the old name. If I'm meant to look for weaknesses, or perform as a spy because you intend to attack, please tell me. I need to know where to focus my efforts."
The Great Hall goes quiet as the king rubs his upper lip. "Suppose I consider the point moot?"
"Why?" asks Serena.
"Well," the king leans back in his chair, his fins give a casual flip. "Maybe it is best to wait and see if you can actually make contact. It may take months, possibly years, for each of our species to earn trust and open up a conversation with—"
Serena extends her hand in front of her. It is still balled in a fist, covered in scales. She slowly retracts the scales to reveal thin, tight fingers. When she is sure every pair of eyes in the Great Hall is on her fist, she opens it. Brown, wiry hairs float to the ground in front of her.
The council members lean forward.
Nerin is the first to speak. "They could be from anything. One of us, even."
"Do you see them glowing?" Serena asks. Everyone knows what happens to fresh cut Undine hair.
No one moves, almost as if they are afraid to approach the beast's fur.
Serena rolls her eyes. "Smell it."
Nerin glances at the king. He, too, is leaning forward in his chair. He nods to her. Nerin steps forward and bends down to pick up one strand. With a shaky hand, she brings it to her nose.
"So again I ask, are they enemies or allies?" Serena meets the king's eyes, demanding the answer.
The king does not speak right away. Finally, after a long pause, he asks for everyone to leave. The council exchanges confused looks.
"I said go!" the king's voice booms through the cave.
Everyone jumps at King Merrick's bellow, including Serena. The room moves to action as the council and the audience shuffles to the exit. Serena half turns, expecting to be told to join them. She looks back at Nerin, who hasn't moved from the king's side. Nerin pins Serena to the spot with her stare. So they are both to stay, then.
When the cavern has cleared, Serena swears she can still hear the king's shout bouncing off the walls. A small drop of sweat trickles from the hairline at her neck down her back. The confidence she walked in with is quickly draining.
"I apologize for my gruff manner," says the king. "It's been a long few…" He glances at Nerin. "Years."
Serena peers closer at the wrinkles around his eyes. She's never noticed them before.
"Our world is changing, Serena Moon-Shadow. The werewolf packs in The Dry are no longer our biggest threat."
Serena glances down at the line of dead corals at her toes.
The king continues, "Though some in our council will still have me believe that."
Who? wonders Serena. The King's Guard? Kai did leave me the trident.
Serena realizes the king is looking down at his tail. It spirals into an unnatural twist at the bottom toward the fins. A long, white scar follows the spiral. Scales on either side of the scar are lumped on top of each other, like they have reached a border they cannot cross, yet they insist on trying.
It is because of the werewolves that he cannot take his Ungainly form. They have scarred him for life. For more than a decade, werewolves have chased Undine back into the sea. They killed his wife and son, and have prevented any maiden from conceiving since.
The king finally speaks. "Our situation is becoming desperate. We have tried hiding from the wolves, and we have tried fighting—losing most of our male population in the process. We need to take back our beaches. I implore you to seek an amenable relationship with the clan. However, if that ca
nnot be done, find a time when their defenses are weak, so we can mate on the beaches." The king leans forward, fixing Serena with a hard stare. "Do not let your guard down in The Dry for one second. They are not to be trusted."
Nerin lays her hand on the king's shoulder. The intimate move shocks Serena more than the king's words. Nerin looks away, but her hand remains—her thumb rubbing back and forth over the material of the king's tunic.
The king straightens and takes a deep breath. "So there you have it. Be safe and be smart. Do what you do best and observe. Get to know them, and report everything back to us."
Serena rubs her temples. Easier said than done. I'm going to need more wolfsbane.
"Anything more?" asks the king for a second time.
Serena's hands drop to her sides. "Yes, there is," she says.
The king raises one eyebrow.
"I request permission to access the King's Library." Serena holds her breath. Very few are given access to the restricted library, but it contains information regarding werewolf origins. Maybe something from their past can help me figure out how to move forward.
The king and Nerin exchange another glance.
"For what purpose?" asks Nerin.
"In order to fulfill my duties as Werewolf Liaison," says Serena.
The king leans forward, his bright blue eyes boring through Serena. "Request denied."