Just for Fins

  “Looks like your ride’s here,” Quince teases.

  “You be careful,” I tell him. “And remember—”

  “I’ll call for help if I need it.” He drops a quick kiss on my nose. “I won’t need it. You go rally the environmental troops.”

  I nod and then turn to walk with my guard into the waves. As we sink under the surface, I find the rest of the school waiting just beyond the pier.

  “Lily!”

  Peri swims out from behind the guards.

  “Peri?” I ask, confused. “What are you doing here?”

  As she floats up to me, she says, “I applied to be your emissary. King Whelk interviewed me and gave me the position—mostly because he thought it’s what you would want.”

  “Of course it is!” I squeal, giving her a quick hug.

  Peri grins. “He sent me to accompany you on your royal visits this weekend.” She holds up a thick folder of kelpaper. “I’ve been doing my research all week.”

  “That’s great!” I’m instantly relieved to know that Peri will be at my side. I’m glad to know I won’t be traveling alone. My guards are nice enough, but they’re not exactly chatty.

  Tellin is meeting me in Trigonum to help. Knowing I’ll have both him and Peri with me is reassuring.

  “Hold on a second,” I tell her. “I have to take care of something before we leave.”

  She nods, and I swim over to my guards.

  Quince may have a bunch of manly confidence in his ability to swim all the way to Thalassinia, and I believe in him about a lot of things—but he is a novice swimmer. That’s like a person who just ran his first mile deciding to compete in a marathon. Only with sharks and deadly jellyfish in the way, to make things more interesting. Well, I don’t care what the rules say. I’m not letting him set out on his own.

  “Which two of you are the best swimmers?” I ask as I approach.

  They look startled, but eventually two of them raise their hands. One has bright blond hair, almost the color of mine, and the other squid-ink black. They are both young and strong and look like they could swim around the world if they had to. They’ll do.

  “What are your names?” I ask.

  “Phyllos, Princess,” the blond one answers.

  The other says, “Triakis.”

  “In a short while, a human boy with aqua respire—”

  “You mean Master Quince, Princess?” Phyllos asks.

  What was I thinking? Of course they know who he is.

  “Yes,” I continue. “In a short time, Master Quince is going to enter the sea and begin making his way to Thalassinia.”

  “Is this the first test?” Triakis asks. “The Trial of Truth?”

  I nod. Apparently the whole kingdom knows about the Trial of Truth, too. I shouldn’t be surprised. Well, then there will be all the more people to celebrate when Quince succeeds.

  “When he does, I want you to follow him.” I take a deep breath and hope that this isn’t breaking the rules, knowing that I would still do it if it was. “Don’t get too close, don’t interfere unless he is in danger, but make sure he is safe.”

  The two swimmers glance at each other and then back at me.

  “We will, Princess,” Phyllos says.

  Triakis adds, “We will protect him with our lives.”

  I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I am relieved to know he will be protected. He won’t like it if he finds out I put bodyguards on his tail, but if everything goes smoothly, he will never know.

  “Thank you.”

  The pair swims over to the last pylon of the pier and take up a position. They’ll be able to see Quince enter the water and then follow after him. He will be kept safe. I can keep my promise to him and get on with my royal business.

  “Now,” I say, turning to Peri and the remaining six guards, “let’s get moving. I want to be in Trigonum before sunset.”

  The guards surround me as they did last time, only with Peri in the center with me, and we head out toward Thalassinia’s northern neighbor. Hopefully, both Quince’s first test and my first royal visit will be equally successful.

  Chapter 10

  The royal kingdom of Trigonum is Thalassinia’s nearest neighbor to the north, covering an area of the Atlantic bounded by the coast of the United States in the west, from Georgia to New York, and to Bermuda in the east. Along the North American coast, the kingdom is colorful and full of underwater life. In the waters far from the shore, the seas are dark, barren, and prone to storms and whirlpools. The eastern edge of Trigonum is rumored to be cursed, with a reputation for objects—human and mer alike—disappearing into what the human world knows as the Bermuda Triangle.

  In the mer world we call it the Trigonum Vortex.

  Thankfully, the palace is in the western part of the kingdom, off the coast of North Carolina. As we swim north, the waters get chillier. My mer powers kick in and automatically warm the water around me, but I can still feel the cold. I can’t imagine what the trip to Glacialis will feel like.

  “I scoured the palace records all week,” Peri says. “I made a list of important facts about King Bostrych and Trigonum so I can give you an official briefing.” Peri doesn’t look up from her stack of kelpapers. I smile, glad to see her so excited about this job. There isn’t a merperson in all the seven seas I’d rather have at my side.

  “Good idea,” I reply. “The more I know, the better.”

  She nods absently, flipping through her papers. “I’ll stick to the facts most relevant to our visit.”

  She finds the paper she’s looking for and skims over it.

  “It’s worth noting,” she says, “that beach erosion and potential oil and gas drilling operations are the primary threats to the Trigonum ecosystem.”

  “Beach erosion,” I repeat, “and drilling operations.”

  “Human tourism is also a major concern in this kingdom,” she continues. “As are commercial fishing and water pollution.”

  I try to keep a mental tally, but it seems like the list of problems is very long. And this is just one of ten kingdoms. I have a feeling my surveys are going to be quite full.

  “But maybe the most important, though tragic, fact,” she says, looking up from her notes, “is the death of the king’s son last fall.”

  “Oh no,” I cry. “What happened?”

  “Prince Cirren was a scientist,” she explains. “He was leading a research expedition to the Trigonum Vortex when a flash whirlpool appeared and wiped out the entire expedition.”

  “That’s terrible.” I can’t imagine the impact of such a tragedy on the king. He must have been devastated. “Are those kinds of incidents common in Trigonum?”

  “They aren’t unheard of,” Peri answers. “That’s how the Trigonum Vortex got its reputation. But supposedly they are happening more frequently. And with greater intensity.”

  The waters of Thalassinia are relatively calm. Other than the occasional hurricane that churns the surface but leaves the depths undisturbed, we don’t have many natural disasters. It must be stressful to live somewhere where they happen all the time.

  “That information helps a lot, Peri,” I say as we continue our northerly swim. “I’m sure it will help to go in knowing some of what’s going on.”

  She swims close to my side. “I thought so.” She tucks the folder of kelpaper notes into the messenger bag slung across her body. “I’m glad I could help.”

  I take her hand.

  “It definitely helps to have my best friend at my side.”

  We swim along in silence, and I let my attention drift to the world around me. Everything is quite still. There are few fish in the stream of the faster-than-usual current. I glance up. I can see far above, just beneath the surface, the hulls of several boats. From this distance I can’t tell if they are pleasure boats or commercial fishing boats or even scientific expeditions.

  As I watch, something splashes into the water next to one of the boats ahead of us. A trail of bubbles spirals dow
n, falling just in front of the lead guard as we pass. I crane my head down to see where the object lands, and when it does, I’m appalled to see that it’s a glass bottle.

  “Gross,” Peri says, seeing the same thing.

  I shake my head. “Why would anyone think they can use the ocean as a trash can?”

  “Some people just don’t think about it all,” she says.

  Sad but true.

  Even sadder, as we swim by, I see the seaweed forest along the ocean floor littered with all kinds of human trash. Shopping bags, tangled-up fishing line, even a big, bright-blue plastic barrel. It’s awful.

  “This is where we change course, Princess,” Captain Frater says. He makes a quick hand gesture, and the school of guards turns as one and sets a course to the east.

  We’ve kept pretty near the shore until now, for more than two hours. With the magical boost to the Gulf Stream from Daddy’s trident—just one of the royal powers that comes with being king—the complete journey only takes us a little over three hours. We’re swimming to a stop in front of the palace before I know it.

  Peri takes her position as emissary very seriously and insists on being the one to officially announce our presence. She swims up to the front, which looks to the human eye like an abandoned shipwreck, and clangs the bell on the stern of the ship. Within moments, a pair of uniformed guards, wearing the dark teal and gray colors of Trigonum, slide open a hidden steel door.

  “Who calls?” one of them asks.

  “Crown Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia,” Peri replies. “She seeks an audience with the king.”

  The two guards, twins, look at me and nod.

  “Please come in, Princess,” one says. “Prince Tellin is waiting for you.”

  The other adds, “We will notify King Bostrych immediately.”

  “Thank you,” I say, trying to sound regal. “Please tell his highness it is a matter of some urgency.”

  “Yes, Princess.”

  With that, they leave us in the entry hall as they go to inform the king. Tellin and a single pair of Acroporan guards are waiting there, too.

  “Are you ready?” Tellin asks with a nervous smile.

  The message I sent him, asking him to meet me here today, outlined the basics of my plan. He knows what we’re asking for and what the next steps are.

  “Absolutely,” I say, more confidently than I feel.

  “His Highness King Bostrych of Trigonum,” one of the twin guards announces as they both swim back into the hall, “invites you and your contingent to dine with him in the formal dining chamber.”

  My contingent and I follow them into the palace. I’m in the lead, with a guard on either side. Then Peri between another pair, and Tellin between his. Finally, my last two guards bring up the rear. We’re quite a parade.

  We pass through the halls of the shipwreck, narrow passageways lined with saltwater-preserved wood and rusted hardware. Eventually we pass through a large opening—like a giant hole in the side of the ship—and into a more merlike structure. Carved from rock and reef, the heart of the Trigonum palace is not so different from my home in Thalassinia. Rounded halls and spiraling ramps. Pearl-crusted frames around mosaic portraits. But where everything in Thalassinia sparkles with gold and gems, the details here are more modest. It is apparent that Trigonum does not possess the wealth my kingdom does.

  I’m lucky to have been born into Thalassinia. I only hope I can help Trigonum in some small way and that I can convince them to help us in return.

  The guards stop in front of an open doorway and gesture us inside. There, at the head of a long black table, sits King Bostrych. When he sees me enter, his round, bearded face cracks into a broad smile.

  He has always reminded me of an old-time sea pirate. Tall and broad, with a round face and a big, bushy black beard. But always with a ready smile.

  Several other members of his household, his family and maybe some key staff, are seated around the table.

  “Oho, Princess Waterlily, Prince Tellin,” he calls out with a laugh. “Please, come in and join us. The feast is just about to begin.”

  As if on cue, a trio of wait staff swims in with big dome-covered trays. They each take a position at the table and, in perfect synchronization, set down their trays and pull off the domes with a flourish.

  Each tray is filled with a bounty of fruits and vegetables, both sea grown and from land trading.

  I sense my guards staring eagerly at the offering. They are probably starving after the trip to Seaview and then the swim here. As much as I don’t want to impose, it’s lucky we arrived at dinnertime.

  “Thank you, King Bostrych,” I say, smiling and nodding. “We appreciate your generosity.”

  “Posh,” he says, waving off my gratitude. “I doubt you swam all this way for dinner service. Come, sit at my side and let us discuss your purpose here.”

  Peri stays next to me as the Thalassinian and Acroporan guards take some of the open seats and quickly dig into the fresh feast before them. I nod at Peri, indicating she should join in as well—she must be just as hungry as the guards. But she shakes her head and comes with me as I swim nervously to the head of the table and take the seat to Bostrych’s right. Tellin takes the seat to his left.

  “Don’t be nervous, Princess,” he says as I sink into the chair. “I won’t be holding the events of the council meeting against you. Say your piece, and I will listen with an open mind.”

  I take a deep breath, clasp my hands tightly together in my lap, and begin.

  “As you know, King Bostrych, I am concerned about the effects of ocean warming on the people and the kingdom of Acropora.”

  He nods at Tellin and then reaches out to grab a handful of sea grapes. “Made that clear at the council.”

  Tellin blushes, and I’m pretty sure I turn bright red too.

  King Bostrych pops a sea grape into his mouth and bites down. I take it as a good sign that he’s still smiling and hasn’t ordered me out of the room.

  “Yes, well, after that meeting I realized that the problem is much bigger than Acropora.” I fidget with the hem of my tank top. “The environmental issues are affecting all the mer kingdoms in different ways.”

  “True enough,” he says after swallowing the sea grape. “We have our own problems here, to be sure.”

  “I know,” I say, jumping on the opportunity to use some of the facts Peri told me earlier. “You have beach erosion and commercial fishing and oil and gas deposits that humans are just waiting to drill.”

  “You’ve done your research, then?”

  My cheeks burn. I won’t take credit for Peri’s work. “I’ve had help, your highness.”

  “That’s all well and good,” he says, pulling a big fat eggplant onto his plate. “But that still don’t explain why you’re here.”

  I reach behind me, holding out my hand, and smile when I feel the waxy curl of kelpaper.

  “I’m here for two reasons, your highness,” I say, setting the survey and the petition Peri just handed me onto the table. “First, I want to create a detailed list of all the environmental challenges facing Trigonum.”

  “Have you got a year?” King Bostrych asks with a humorless laugh.

  “I know, it’s a lot,” I say. “But we can’t start to fix the problems until we know what they are.”

  “I suspect that’s fair to say.” He pops another sea grape into his mouth and nods. “What’s the second reason?”

  “We want to form an alliance,” Tellin explains.

  My hands shake as I spread the papers on the table to reveal the petition. “An interkingdom commission on environmental concerns.”

  King Bostrych looks downs at the papers with curiosity.

  “What does this commission entail?” He looks up at me, and I see wariness in his dark-gray eyes. “Trigonum ain’t the richest kingdom in the sea. We don’t have sacks of treasure to throw around—”

  “Oh no, no, no,” I interrupt. It’s rude, but I don’t want him t
o think I want money from him. “For today, all we want is your pledge of support. For you to say that you’re concerned about what’s happening in the oceans—in your kingdom and in others—and that you’re interested in figuring out a way to change things. Together.”

  I hand him the petition so he can read the pledge for himself. Shannen helped me with the wording, so I know it sounds impressive.

  “And after today?” he asks. “Signing a paper won’t do a lick to clear the pollution from our waters.”

  “No, your highness, it won’t,” I reply.

  “This is only the first step,” Tellin explains. “Once the commission is in place, it will become active. Part of its purpose will be to organize relief efforts. Then we get a protocol in place to call for aid from all the kingdoms of the Western Atlantic when disaster strikes, so that help comes faster and from more sources.”

  “The other thing we will do,” I add, “is create what my friend Shannen calls a resource matrix.”

  “Resource matrix?” King Bostrych repeats.

  “It basically means we’ll look at what resources each kingdom has,” I say.

  Tellin adds, “And what they need.”

  “Then we can create a circle of aid.” I draw my finger in a circle on the table. “Maybe you need cloth, but you have a surplus of crab this year. Thalassinia will send you a sea truckload of cloth, while you give a portion of your crab harvest to Rosmarus. Then Rosmarus gives Thalassinia a delivery of swordfish, and the circle is complete.”

  “Sounds complicated,” King Bostrych says.

  I thought the same thing when Shannen first suggested it. But the more she explained it, the more sense it made.

  “It kind of is,” I agree. “But once it’s in place, it will just be a matter of staying organized. Besides,” I say, giving him an earnest look, “I think it’s worth the effort, don’t you?”

  He studies me, and I see the concern in his eyes. He’s worried about his people. The situation in his kingdom might not be as bad as Acropora’s—yet—but it could be heading that way.

  If he would just see that our only hope for solving this massive problem is to work together.