Chapter Six
"Are you okay?" Mariam asks, intercepting Serena with a hug.
Closing her eyes, Serena tries concentrating on something peaceful, like pink waves at sundown. Her shaking body calms as it sheds the last of the salty ocean water, dripping from underneath her robe. "I'm fine, Mariam," Serena mumbles. "Now."
Mariam squeezes tighter and Serena's eyes wander up to the reading cove. Sasha peeks out over the edge and waves.
A chair moves, squeaking against the rough floor, sending Sasha back into the cove.
Mariam and Serena pull apart.
Standing from the table, Ervin stretches and lets out a loud yawn. He rubs sleep from his eyes, then freezes.
"I fell asleep," he announces, his voice tinged with shock.
"I'd say so," says Mariam, turning back toward her catalogues, busying herself with reorganizing the card files. "I kept an eye on Serena for you."
His eyes flit across the floor. Wet footprints leave an obvious track from the entrance.
Ervin opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a messenger entering the archives.
"Word on my reassignment, I hope." Ervin crosses his arms.
"Er, no." The messenger clears his throat. "There was a distress call from The Dry."
"A call?" Ervin's arms drop to his sides. Behind him, Mariam glances at Serena. They wouldn't have heard Serena's song here in the archives.
"King Merrick has ordered Assembly in the Great Hall," says the messenger.
"Two days early? Must be important." Ervin turns to Serena.
"What?" she asks.
"Why do I feel like this has something to do with you?" he asks.
Mariam clears her throat. "May I remind you she was under your watch."
"Yes, but—"
"But what?" Serena cuts off Ervin, challenging him in front of the messenger.
Ervin scratches the back of his neck. "Nothing. Come on—can't keep the king waiting."
By the time Serena, Ervin, and Mariam arrive in the main cave system, most of Society is already there, and the corridor is quickly emptying into the Great Hall. Ervin and Mariam, with Serena close behind, round a corner, almost running into another group. Kai and one other guard escort a maiden, each with a tight grasp around her upper arms.
"What happened?" Ervin asks Kai.
"She couldn't resist the call," Kai tells Ervin.
Serena glances at the maiden, who keeps her eyes downcast. "It was that alluring?" she asks.
The other guard shrugs. "She didn't even come back at the King's decree. I've never seen anyone resist his orders before. If it wasn't for Kai holding her back, she'd of been in The Dry within seconds. Werewolf fodder for sure."
Kai stares at Serena, unflinching and stone-faced. His sea-green eyes are bright, his brow furrowed.
Serena shifts on her feet. Does he know it was my call? How could he?
Serena looks at the maiden again, almost wanting to thank Kai for stopping her. But which is worse? Risking The Dry to answer a call, or defying the king? The penalties of Society are harsh for ignoring orders, and the punishments are always carried through without mercy. There are too few Undine left to allow anyone to jeopardize Society. Serena swallows hard as she remembers the charges that she may face, just a few moments from now.
Kai turns to Ervin. "You didn't hear the call?"
"No," Ervin snaps his heels together as he addresses his superior. His scales duplicate the pattern Kai wears down his legs, almost automatically. "We were all in the archives, where you left us…" Ervin trails off, glancing at Serena.
"As you say," Kai responds, following Ervin's gaze back to Serena.
"We mustn't keep the king waiting," Mariam says, pulling Serena toward the Great Hall. "We thank you for your service," she dismisses Kai in a formal tone.
Not one word, Mariam mouths to Serena, as they follow Ervin through the archway into the large cavern. Serena nods, stealing one last glance at the maiden being escorted to her punishment.
The trio takes a place toward the rear, backing up against the rough rock. Miriam’s presence is calming, almost as much as the fact that several-hundred heads face away from Serena. Few, if any, eyes are on her.
The largest room of the kingdom is packed with the Undine. The expansive ceiling is bare, with most of the larger stalactites long since removed. Underneath it, a mob of Undine stand shoulder to shoulder. They smell as bitter as a kelp forest, the stench so thick in the air Serena could almost taste it. She watches Mariam run her tongue through her mouth in distaste.
Serena smiles to herself. Mariam loathes crowds, too.
Sasha slips through the entrance after them, her bright orange scales making it impossible for her to blend. Without looking at Serena, she joins her mother and sister in the middle of the hall. Especially when they stand together, the color of the Sunbeam family shines out like a beacon. Colors are rarely handed down from one generation to the next, though in this case orange must be a dominant shade. Serena isn't sure what coloring their father had—he was killed even before Sasha and Serena entered their first caste, in one of many battles over the years as Undine endeavor to take back their beaches.
Deep reds, pinks, silvers, golds, and occasional greens crowd the hall like corals packed onto a cliff, clamoring to reach the best nutrients. Serena's dark blue and Mariam's brown scales help them blend in to the shadows of the cliff that hangs over them. Only Ervin's scales stand out, if anything because of their modesty. They are light and dull brown, as is the same with most males, lacking the vibrant colors of Undine maidens.
In the Great Hall, bioluminescent hair of most still glows like stimulated jellyfish. The radiance smolders out as the minutes pass after they've surfaced. An almost coordinated wave of dying embers, rolling through the crowd all the way to the back. Mariam and Serena have better control over their hair than most with years of practice out of water in the hall of archives, but Ervin's hair still glows, highlighting all three of their faces.
Mariam leans forward on her toes, straining to hear the session, which has already begun. Serena doesn't have to do the same to spot Zayla, her golden scales standing out among the line of council members, waiting for her chance to call Serena to trial.
"How do we know the prints aren't from last night, when the wolf was spotted by the Temporal Caste?" Nerin stands next to King Merrick sitting on his throne, questioning a young Undine in front of them. "We know for sure tonight was not a full moon."
Her small voice doesn't reach the back of the cavern where Serena stands. Whatever she says causes the king to grimace. The council members standing off to the side whisper amongst themselves.
"Speak up, so the whole of Society can hear you," Nerin commands.
The Undine turns and Serena recognizes her as a gardening apprentice, Lilly, two castes ahead of Serena. "Part of our duty when we go to the gardens after each full moon is to record the positions of wolf prints so we can track their pack numbers and locations, then erase them before they can attract any Ungainly attention. I am sure that section of the forest was cleared of tracks."
"We'll investigate the matter and consider your request for extra guards." Nerin says, folding her hands in front of her. "Is that all?"
Lilly shakes her head then halfway turns, so all of Society may hear, remembering the last rebuke. "There was another set of footprints…" she pauses, and swallows hard. Serena can see it from all the way in the back. "Undine footprints."
A ripple of murmurs runs through the crowd. They grow to panicky whispers, murmurings of an Undine traitor and conspirator. Those who haven't mastered control of their scale pigmentation begin to involuntarily flicker new colors. Yellows and blues light up the Great Hall, as though the whole of Society seeks attention.
Serena and the friends by her side are in the shadow of a protruding cliff. Their reflective guanine crystals spaced throughout Undine skin, acting as mirrors to replicate the immediate environment, don't
react, leaving them lost in one large chaotic mess of color.
Serena scans the commotion, then stops. Her eyes lock with those of the king himself. He is leaning forward in his chair, hands gripping the etched armrests, and there is no doubt he is looking at her. Almost as if she sticks out simply because she doesn't mimic the rest of Society.
Nerin breaks the impasse by stepping in front of King Merrick, arms raised to calm the crowd. When the chatter dies down, she speaks. "Are you positive? Perhaps it could have been an Ungainly."
Lilly licks her lower lip. "What little webbing remains between the toes in Ungainly form was apparent in the print."
"And do you think the print has anything to do with the call for help we heard not hours ago?"
Hidden under their cliff, Serena's eyes go wide and Ervin stands as rigid as the trident by his side. Serena tries to reign in the rush of panic flooding her veins. No one would recognize my call—I've never done it before. And I have an alibi. She glances at Ervin.
"I'm not sure," says Lilly, twisting her fingers together. "But I did make a caste of the print." She turns to the crowd behind her. Another maiden squeezes out, delivering a large rock into Lilly's hands. Lilly looks at the king for further instruction.
"Put it down," says the king.
When she does, there is a show of Undine popping up on their toes, peeking out from behind shoulders of those in front of them, each maiden straining to catch a glimpse.
Nerin raises her hands, and the commotion dies down. "It is a footprint, fossilized with a hardened mixture of limestone and sand," Nerin says for the benefit of those who cannot see. "The Undine webbing in between the toes is apparent."
"And how do we know these two footprints, one werewolf and one Undine, were laid side by side at the same time and not hours apart?" asks the king.
"The clovers beneath them both were just beginning to spring back up when I found them, your majesty." Lilly bows in an unnecessary curtsey.
The king clears his throat, and gestures to the footprint. "And what do you expect us to do, have every maiden measure their foot against the rock? That would take all night!"
"Apologies, your majesty. I am not expecting anything of the court."
Though it was said through meek lips and a lowered head, the king glowers at the comment.
"The court will certainly not stand idle, if that is what you are insinuating," the king's voice bellows out at the shivering maiden.
She shakes her head, but has all but lost her voice.
"Perhaps, your majesty—I might offer a speedy solution," Zayla says, stepping out from the line of council members.
The king takes a deep breath. "As you say," he mumbles to Zayla.
Lifting her chin, Zayla steps forward again. "I call Serena Moon-Shadow. Having witnessed her return from The Dry during an unauthorized visit, I believe this footprint serves as proof of the crime of absconding."
Serena's lips tremble, and her cheeks burn.
My own teacher hates me.
"Fine," King Merrick says, his rough voice rumbling through the cave. It is a stark contrast to Zayla's smooth tone and exact articulation. "Step forward, Serena Moon-Shadow."
A murmur sweeps through Society. Heads turn, each attempting to seek out the accused. A jagged line parts down the middle of the crowd, all the way back to Serena. When she looks up, the king's stare fixes her in place, the shadows of the cliff no longer offering her protection.
He raises his hand, beckoning. Like an obedient subject, Serena steps forward. With each slow stride ahead, more murmurs die out. As she passes each Undine, scales emerge along their feet or down their arms as if they are warding off whatever ill-gotten fate Serena exudes.
The sprawling cavern closes in, pressing down on Serena's shoulders and chest, constricting her breathing. She tries imagining she is in her sleeping cove. Eyes glistening around her become the minerals of the cave walls, and solitude sets in.
Lilly and Zayla move aside as Serena steps up to the smooth, mid-platform. It raises halfway up to the king's throne, slightly higher than the rest of the ground Society stands upon.
Serena meets the eyes of the king. He seems larger than she remembers, his shoulders almost spanning the width of the throne behind him.
"If you please," Nerin nods to the rock in front of Serena.
Swallowing hard, Serena lifts her foot to the mold. The king leans forward to watch.
The ridges of the webbing between Serena’s toes fall into their individual places in the mold—it is a perfect fit.
The king glances only briefly, then settles back into his throne, a smug smile on his face. "Let it be noted—"
"I object," Nerin's voice rings through the cavern.
"Oh?" says the king.
"The print is a close match, to be sure. But we cannot condemn the girl on this piece of evidence alone when there could be several other close matches among us." Nerin shoos her hand at Serena, motioning her to move away from the footprint.
Taking one step back, Serena holds her breath, holding hope that the King's Second will come to her rescue.
"And since, as the king says, it will take far too long to test every Undine, I insist we explore the only other piece of evidence offered." Her eyes fall on Serena. "Tonight's call."
The king breaks his composure and sighs. He rubs at his temples.
Nerin nods, as if that is all the permission she needs. "Serena, if you will."
The weight of a thousand eyes burn into Serena.
"Sing," Nerin commands.