Chapter Fifteen
"Ugh!" Serena shouts out, banging her first on the wall inside her cave. "Waste of time." One sole echo repeats her words back to her, a reminder of how empty her cave is.
Bending to her experiments, Serena peers into a jar of sea urchins, attempting to distract herself. The few eggs skimming the surface are no longer white. Edges drooping, they have gone flat and are pale yellow. They are all dead.
"This is what is going to happen to us." Serena stands and turns away, her feet splashing around in ankle-deep water.
We should be protecting our home, not romping around with werewolves.
Rage bubbles up inside. Her arms shake and her cheeks grow hot. Without thinking, she rips the charm from her neck and throws it. The necklace clinks against the unforgiving cave wall, then drops to the floor. The outer casing splits in two and the charm slips from its barred prison.
Shocked out of her anger, Serena drops to her knees near the charm, picking it up to wipe grime from its smooth surface. Tears begin to flow as unrestrained and unrelenting as the North Pacific Current. Her body shakes with sobs until she feels a warm hand enfolding her entire shoulder.
She looks up. Kai is looking down on her, eyebrows furrowed.
Serena stands and takes a step back, embarrassed to be caught in a moment of weakness. "What are you doing here?" she asks.
"I was sent to watch after you," he says.
Serena wipes her hand across her nose, trying to stifle the hiccups that insist on replacing her sobs.
Kai steps forward. "I thought it was to make sure you didn't make another unauthorized trip to The Dry…"
Arms hanging limp at her sides, Serena looks at him. "You have babysitting duty."
"I volunteered. And it looks like you need some company anyway."
Serena almost laughs out loud. "I need much more than that." A mother, a new job, more wolfsbane.
When Kai steps forward once again, the walls of her cave press in until it seems as though his wide shoulders touch each side of the room. She folds her arms across her midsection; the heat is back.
Kai extends a hand, palm open.
Looking up at him, her lips part. "What?" she breathes.
"Let me see."
"Oh," she looks down at her hands and opens them to reveal the charm inside. "It was my mother's."
Kai takes the charm from her, rubbing the rest of the grime away. "Come on," he says, smiling. "I know what we can do with this."
He steps back and Serena finds herself moving toward him like a magnet.
"What?"
"Just trust me," he winks at her.
Serena looks at him. It would be better not to get too close, she needs to concentrate on her job. Serena follows his sure footsteps down the halls. He keeps looking over his shoulder at her.
"It's quiet out here," Kai says, breaking her concentration.
Serena moves up to walk next to him. "No one has occupied these caves for a long time."
"Except you," Kai says. "Why is that?"
Serena pauses for a brief second before taking her next step.
"What?" asks Kai.
"Nothing," says Serena. "It's just that…you are the first person to ever ask me that."
"Well?" Kai prods for the answer.
"Well…" Serena stops walking and crosses her arms, turning to Kai. "Out here, I feel like I am closer to home."
He keeps looking at her, as though he expects further explanation.
"I can show you," Serena says. "That is...if you want to see?"
Kai leans against the wall, rubbing at his chin with one hand as he looks at Serena. Her eyes fall to her feet.
Finally, Kai pushes himself off the wall. "I'm up for anything you want to show me."
"Okay," Serena stammers, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear. "Come on." She leads the way toward the open ocean. Once they reach the ledge, right where water trickles in for high tide, she turns to Kai. "Ready?"
"Ready for what?" he asks, frowning and peering out into the darkness.
Serena smiles to herself. "To see what is really worth saving—even if it is beyond the borders of our kingdom."
Serena dives, forming fins and heading for the open ocean. Though coral still grows throughout the main paths of the Undine territory, it doesn't thrive and there aren't as many species that choose to dwell there. Undine seldom visit the backside of the mountain, except of course, the King's Guard during their rounds. Here, right outside of Serena's doorstep, the ecosystem is flooded with life displayed in vibrant colors and in varying textures and shapes.
Serena stops by a pile of rocks with a hole the size of her fist in between them. She peers in and sees movement. Smiling, she beckons Kai closer. She picks up a purple, spiny sea urchin and waves it in front of the hole.
A wolf eel appears, its grey lips opening in anticipation of a meal. His needle-like teeth gleam. Kai starts to back away, but Serena shakes her head at him. Serena releases the sea urchin and the wolf eel consumes it in one swallow. Kai touches his stomach, groaning. Serena doesn't blame him, thankful the Undine aren't yet reduced to have to digest such spiky things.
Before the wolf eel can retreat to its cave, Serena scratches it under the chin. It pauses, momentarily cautious, then leans into her touch. The fish runs the length of its sleek body down the back of her palm, then turns for more. For as ferocious as the creature looks, the wolf-eel is gentle and can be docile.
Wondering if the same could be learned from the werewolves, Serena gestures for Kai to hold his hand out. He does so, not taking his eyes off its teeth. The wolf-eel moves closer to Kai, rubbing against a rock. Kai glances at Serena, then back down at the fish. It touches Kai's knuckles, tentatively shrinking back; neither one moves. Finally, the fish caresses Kai's hand with the side of his head.
Kai smiles down, mouth open in awe at the unique animal, then smiles at Serena. She smiles back, but grabs his hand to lead him away. They don't want to overstay their welcome with the temperamental fish.
Serena scans the wall of coral. Kai is sticking closer to her, stopping a moment longer than necessary next to each dark crevice, peering inside.
It is amazing, thinks Serena. How many times has he passed over these very corals, never stopping to appreciate the life systems they support? She smiles to herself. I'll show him something that will put some life into his patrols.
Farther along the reef, Serena spots what she is looking for—a dark pinkish-red octopus, spread out among the rocks. Serena motions for Kai to hang back while she swims closer, at first putting her back to the creature. He curls up his tentacles so at the end they each look like a spiral shell.
Serena puts one hand behind her, still backing up, until she reaches the octopus. It responds to her touch by reaching out himself. Serena feels the bright white suction cups slide across the palm of her hand. It tickles.
She leans back and allows the octopus to move over her. A school of fish soaring overhead is blocked out by row after row of the suction cups.
The beak between the eight legs on the underside pecks at her cheek, but it does not hurt. Its tentacles squeeze, the white cups sticking to skin and scale alike. It is the tightest hug Serena has ever received.
Suddenly, the octopus jets away, expelling ink as it goes. Serena turns around to find Kai standing there with a large rock raised over his head, trying to come to her rescue. He still doesn't understand—it's not her that needs the rescuing.
Let me try one more time, she thinks. He has to find the beauty in this place somehow.
She crawls along the ocean floor in the opposite the direction of the octopus, pushing herself forward with short flicks of her tail. Pausing at the bottom of a steep but short incline, Serena waits for Kai to join her. When he moves up alongside her, his eyebrow is raised in question. A devious smile slides across her face, and she gestures to just over the hill with her head. He glances up, then slowly wriggles forward.
Serena hangs back, watching
his face as he displays his true inner guard. A strong but cautious thrust forward puts him at the crest of the hill, body tense and alert, eyes scanning the shallow gully below him. Finally, his gaze fixes on the deepest part of the depression in front of him, where three dozen nurse sharks lay resting after a night of hunting. His eyes fly open while he stares. Serena laughs, releasing a myriad of bubbles that float up, surrounding Kai.
Jolting away from the bubbles, Kai bats at them as if the bubbles are the threat and not the nest of nurse sharks. Serena is still laughing, having a hard time of not sucking salt water down her throat. When she rises to meet Kai, he glances at the sharks. They are beginning to stir. Panic overtaking him again, he pushes her back down the hill, covering her body with his.
Serena goes still, trying to memorize the sensation of his large body pressing into hers. His tail pins hers to the rocky seafloor, but his hand is behind her head, protecting her from the jagged stones. Soft ripples from the current rock Kai back and forth. Serena conforms to the movement, tentatively placing the palm of her hand on his chest. It swells with each breath he takes, reminding Serena of the rhythmic hum emitted by the hardened, steel engines of passing ships.
She looks up at him, and her shoulders sag. Kai is not reveling in the experience like she is. His eyes dart around as the bubbles clear, and his hands reach for a trident that isn't there.
Serena rolls her eyes, pushing him off. Before he can grab her again, she darts up and over the hill. She pauses, amidst the nest of sleeping sharks, looking over her shoulder to ensure Kai is watching. He shakes his head, from side to side, signaling very clearly to not do what she is about to do.
With a sly smile, Serena reaches for the tail of one of the sharks. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Kai's head shake faster. A few more bubbles escape as she tries to hold back more laughter. In one, quick motion, Serena grabs a grey, sleek fin and pulls.
The shark bolts, rousing the rest of the nest. Serena feels a pair of hands under her arms, jerking her up and away from the sharks.
They crest the surface, surrounded by ocean, spitting saltwater from their lungs to breathe air.
"Why do you do that?" Kai asks.
"Do what?" Serena pushes her hair away from her face, struggling to get the glow under control after the excitement of seeing the pod of sharks.
"Put yourself in danger like that!"
"They were nurse sharks, Kai. Bottom feeders. When have you known them to attack the Undine?"
The smile disappears from her face when he frowns.
"I don't do it for the thrill," Serena explains. "I do it because it's beautiful. They’re beautiful."
Kai looks at her, then stares back at the empty surface of the ocean.
"It's our home," she continues. "And it's dying. And no one is doing anything about it. Not the king, not the council, not the King's Guard…" Serena trails off as the second-in-command arches his eyebrow at her.
"There are more pressing matters," he says, lips turned down in a frown. "As one of the Temporal Caste, you should know that better than most."
She huffs, blowing a small strand of hair from her forehead. His reminder that she is the youngest Undine stings, like she is not old enough or experienced enough compared to him. "Soon there will be nothing to feed calflings, even if we had another pairing. Our own apathy has brought our ecosystem beyond a turning point."
The couple bob up and down at the surface, thrust into an awkward silence at the mention of a pairing—the Undine mating ritual. The ocean is so calm tonight, pinpoints of each star reflect on top of the water. The horizon blends with the sky, and for a moment, it seems Serena is weightless, floating in the heavens with Kai.
Serena bites the inside of her cheek, trying to bring herself back to reality. She skims her hand over the water, scattering bits of light along with the illusion.
"Where is your trident anyway?" She looks up at Kai. "You look…naked without it." The sentence came out harsher than she intends.
Kai blinks, then smiles. "My turn to show you something." He pikes his body, then dives under.
Serena shakes her head. Don't follow him yet, you don't want to look too eager.
She looks toward the forest, squinting her eyes at a looming cliff. There is movement—a tail, possibly. It disappears into the trees.
"Are you coming?" Kai asks. He has resurfaces and flicks a splash of water toward Serena with his tail. "Or are you just going to search for Ungainlies all night long?"
Serena sighs, wipes her face, and treads toward Kai. "It's not the Ungainlies I'm looking for."
"What then?" Kai is back to a playful mood, a smile on his face.
It's been a long time, but Serena remembers how to play, too. She smiles back, a devious spark in her eyes. "It is something…very dangerous." She says, lowering her voice and moving closer as she speaks. "Something with large red eyes, and long sharp teeth. Its fur stinks of Undine blood and its claws…ARGHH!"
Serena jumps at Kai, hands extended. His eyes go wider than they had at the nurse sharks, and she laughs as she reaches him, dunking him just below the surface. Returning to the surface with a powerful thrust, Kai heaves Serena backward. She splashes into the ocean, sunk under with more water Kai sends her way.
Sputtering and laughing together, the current pushes them into one another.
An ear-piercing howl cuts off their fun. They both turn to the cliffs. Scales along Kai's shoulders, arms, and neck pop out as quickly as the goose bumps on Serena.
"Is that the one you saw?" Kai asks.
Serena cocks her head. "The howl is familiar."
"Really?" asks Kai. "They all sound the same to me."
"I don't know," she says. "Come on, let's go."
She turns, disappearing below the waves. Kai follows a split second later, still armored in scales.