He didn’t care. He would keep praying. On the brink of whatever this was, he needed a god to turn to.
CHAPTER TWELVE - Lysi
The Atlantic Kingdom
If we had to spend one more day in the Arctic, I would go insane. The sun taunted us, circling our heads and bouncing off the horizon without setting.
We must have travelled for half a tidecycle; it was hard to track.
When we made it south enough that twilight finally darkened the sky, I nearly cried in relief.
“I never want to see another iceberg,” said Meela.
I grimaced. Mentally, we were diminished. Physically, we were disasters—bony from the long days of exertion, and moving with the agility of a couple of sea cucumbers. Meela’s hair, like mine, was packed with plant life. It had reached the point where she could no longer undo her braids. Thankfully, her green eyes still sparkled when she looked at me.
“Is that it?” she said, running a hand up her arm. She must have been talking about the activity on the current.
“Should be.”
I tried to smile. It came off nervously. Except for my deployment to the South Pacific, which hardly counted, I’d never been to another kingdom. I wondered how much we would stick out as foreigners.
We followed the activity, nerves tightening with every stroke. And then we were in the midst of it. One moment, we were surrounded by coral, and the next, merpeople bustled on all sides. They talked and laughed and went about their business.
I gaped at Meela.We made it.
My shock gave way to awe. Ahead, kelp archways lined the main street, swaying with the current. Beyond it, stone buildings loomed so high they broke the surface. Every structure was alive with plants, starfish, coral, and algae, reminding me how ancient the city was.
Meela’s mouth was open, her eyes enormous. I let out a laugh. I was making the same face.
“Why areyousurprised?” she said.
“Utopia’s nothing like this!”
As we passed a large tower that was full of grottos, I rolled onto my back to see the top of it. Merpeople climbed out and plunged back in. It opened to a plateau above the surface, and I wondered what the plaza must look like, if it was full of sunbathing mermaids.
The majority of civilians looked northern like us. I’d thought our haggard appearances would draw attention, but everyone’s style here was so different that, for all anyone knew, Meela and I looked like this intentionally. In the realm of hair alone, I saw intricacies like spikes, spirals moulded with clay, and complex braids laced with jewels. Some mermaids wore clothing, spanning everything from live sea creatures to human-made items like bikinis and fishing nets. Like South Pacific merpeople, many had piercings and gems embedded in their skin.
I’d never known Adaro’s kingdom was so, frankly, boring. Was it because Adaro had forced it to be that way? Was it about order, structure, and obedience? Or was everyone just too afraid to be different?
A noisy family with six children passed, each trailing a glowing blue squid on a leash.
“Should we ask for directions to the queen?” said Meela.
I struggled to get my brain working. One of the children with the squids stopped to stare at us. We were blatantly acting like outsiders.
“No. Don’t talk to anyone.” I scanned our surroundings. “I think we keep following this.”
The street we were on proved to be an artery that flowed through the city, with branches leading to buildings and more plazas.
“Three pounds for unlimited time!” shouted a merman at the base of a tower.
He caught my eye and grinned, motioning upwards.
“Highest open-air waterfall in the Atlantic, girls!”
Curiosity ate at me. But even if we had time to stop and lounge, we had nothing to pay with. Since being enlisted, I hadn’t seen a single coin, never mind three pounds.
We passed through a market, everyone selling what they claimed were the boldest styles and tastiest snacks and most beautifying makeup. Meela tried to politely decline everyone who waved us over, until I grabbed her elbow and pulled her along faster. “We’ll never get anywhere if you keep stopping.”
