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Yanking the dagger out, I swam beneath the fish so I could position myself underneath it, then wrapped one arm around it to hold it against my back while I swam to the surface. The aquatic beast, while significantly smaller than the orca, was still heavy, and by the time I broke the surface of the water, my arms and legs were leaden.

“Limos!” I yelled, spotting the boat several yards away. “I caught something!”

Limos quickly rowed the boat toward me, stopping a foot away from me. His mouth dropped open when I lifted the enormous fish above my head, my arms trembling from the effort.

“That’s a giant barracuda!” he exclaimed, his eyes bulging. “How are you holding it above your head while treading water? It must weigh at least two-hundred pounds!”

“I’m stronger than I look,” I grunted. “Now, are you going to take this thing off my hands or what?”

“Right.” Sheepish, Limos tossed the fishing rod he was holding aside, then leaned over the side to take the fish from me. It was a struggle for us to get it into the boat without capsizing it, and when it was finally done, the young dragon shook his head, his boyish face filled with disbelief.

“Here,” I said, holding his knife out to him. “I got this back for you.”

Limos shook his head. “You should keep it. You earned it.” He glanced back at the fish, then at me again, and winced. “I’m not sure if there’s room in the boat for you, though.”

“That’s fine. I can swim back. Just take this thing so I don’t accidentally drop it. I went through way too much effort to get it back.”

“What was on the other end of the line?” he asked, leaning over the boat to take the weapon from me.

“A mother orca and her two babies.” I smiled as his face paled. “Don’t worry, I freed her and removed the hook from her mouth. All three of them are safe.”

Limos gave me a strange look. “I can’t tell if I admire you or if I think you’re crazy,” he said.

I gave him a crooked smile. “Why not both?”

Limos snorted. “I’ll meet you back at the beach.”

Nodding, I dove beneath the waves, activating my gills again. Despite my ordeal with the barracuda, the ocean current reinvigorated me, and I cut through the water with ease, making it back well before Limos.

The two of us secured the boat, then carried the fish up the sand and back to the village. The other dragons cheered, and Ylena came out of her hut to watch from her porch as we approached. We laid our massive catch at her feet, then stepped back so she could inspect it.

“A giant barracuda.” Ylena gave Limos a pleased smile. “You caught this?”

Limos ducked his head. “No, Miss Ylena. Adara did.”

Ylena’s eyebrows winged up as her gaze flicked toward me. “Did she now?”

“Yes.” Limos told Ylena the whole story while the other dragons gathered around to listen. Her expression remained impassive as he told her how I’d rescued both the orca and the fishing boat, then used the knife to slay the fish and swim back to the surface with it, but the other dragons were impressed by the feat.

“I’m surprised you weren’t able to use your water magic to carry the fish back to the boat,” Ylena said to me when he finished.

I shrugged. “I know I look like a water fae, but it’s much easier for me to wield fire magic. Once I complete the ritual, I should be able to access a wider range of abilities, but right now, ice magic seems to be the only type of water magic I can reliably use.”

Ylena nodded. “Well, I hope you’re not too tired to put that knife to good use again. That fish needs to be gutted and filleted before we can cook it.”

She turned away, and I buried a sigh as she walked back into her hut. Limos gave me an apologetic glance, and Yaggir stepped forward, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

“Ylena can be a cold fish sometimes,” he said, pitching his voice low so that the dragoness wouldn’t hear. “Try not to let it get to you. I’ve known her long enough to tell when she’s warming up to someone, and you definitely left a good impression today.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely sure whether I believed his words. Limos and a few other dragons hefted the fish up, then brought it to the communal kitchen area, where several others were already at work skinning and chopping vegetables. They laid the enormous creature on one of the counters, and I hesitantly approached, not sure where to start.

“Here.” I started as Ylena came up beside me, a long, thin knife in her hand. “Let me show you what to do.”

She taught me how to clean and fillet the fish, and we worked alongside each other in silence. I was a little surprised she’d decided to teach me herself—I’d seen her doing village chores alongside the others, but she could have delegated this task to someone else. Yet she’d taken it upon herself to show me what to do. Perhaps Yaggir was right after all.

Once we’d finished filleting the fish, we wrapped the individual portions in leaves, then set them atop hot coals to roast them. Within no time, the aroma of sizzling fish filled the air, and my stomach grumbled loudly.

“Mmm.” Quye entered the outdoor kitchen, her eyes gleaming with interest as I worked with the others to remove the freshly-grilled fish. “Is this the sea monster you caught?”