Page 22

One minute I was walking through the door marked with my name and the next a rainbow of light rushed towards me.

It was like swimming up quickly after diving off a jetty and seeing the colours dancing on the water.

And maybe that’s exactly what happened because I found myself swimming in the ocean near home.

I’d recognise that part of Tritosa City sea anywhere; the bright coral, the schools of fish that swam by and the rhythm of the waves against my skin.

How I’d been transported home was anyone’s guess. Maybe not the Masters or the Overseer, as they were the ones who created this trial, but anyone who didn’t know how to use this sort of magic—like me.

I shook my head. I had swum up an unnecessary thought stream.

Focus, Zane, focus.

The water was a song that called to me. I’d missed the feeling of the water against my gills and the cool embrace of the sea. I hadn’t felt homesick before, but being here now made me realise how much I longed to return to the Tritosa City waves.

I swam towards the shallow waters, the sandy floor drawing closer, and noticed the water turning murky. Odd . I frowned at the cloudiness around me.

The ocean wasn’t just a cool location to inhabit, it was a part of Tritosa and its citizens.

My dad was the ruler of our city and custodian of the sea and land that bordered it.

He was careful about maintaining the ecosystem we lived in.

At least, he always had been. I wondered what he was doing about this murkiness.

As if on cue, I spotted him through the cloudy water, swimming just ahead of me. I’d recognise him anywhere. His muscular body moved through the sea with grace, despite his size. It was like he was actually a merman and not a human at all.

Was he there to inspect the ocean? Had something gone wrong? Was there an attack on Tritosa like in the Verdant Plateau?

Chill on the questions, Zaney. See where this takes you. This is the Trial of Mind. Focus on what’s in front of you.

Well, my dad was right ahead so I guessed I’d better think about him.

Not a hard task considering I thought about him a lot.

I’d always wanted to be like my dad, confident and in control.

Not in a dictator sort of way, because Tritosa City was too chill for that shit, but in the way he handled his emotions. My dad was as cool as a sea cucumber.

Me, on the other hand? My emotions were water in a sandcastle; tricky to hold on to.

I wasn’t alone in that aspect, though. Many Tritosans struggled to navigate their emotions properly.

People like me, whose magic was directly tied to emotions, felt things deeply, which made them all the harder to control.

Interesting, that for a place known for many of its inhabitants being able to manipulate emotions, so many of its citizens weren’t great at navigating them. When it came to the Feelings Sea, those like me were not the best sailors.

Except for my dad. He had the same magic as me and he had his emotions locked down and hidden away better than a treasure chest on an uninhabited island. It was probably why he was in charge.

I swam fast, kicking my legs hard to catch up with him.

It’d been a while since we’d had a chat and even though I was in the middle of the trial, there had to be a few spare moments to talk.

He’d probably want to know all about my time at the academy.

He’d feign disinterest, but that was all an act.

It was part of his ruler persona. I knew he cared deep down, it was just hidden beneath the facade.

He had sent that warning letter after all.

The water got murkier as I went but I pushed through it, my dad still just out of reach. I knew this part of the sea so well I could have easily swum with my eyes closed. I kept going, flapping my feet, each stroke of my arms moving me faster through the water.

For some strange reason, I couldn't catch up no matter how hard I tried.

The dude must have been in a heck of a rush. At one point I thought he saw me, but how could he? The water was almost opaque.

I didn’t give up hope though and continued moving towards the shore until my fingers dragged along the sandy bottom. I got to my feet, standing out of the sea with the sun warming my wet skin as I began wading through the hip-deep water.

I called for my dad, shouting his name as he reached the shore ahead of me.

A pesky seagull took that exact moment to squawk loudly and start a fight with another bird over what I can only assume was a hot chip. The noise of their birdie argument ruined any chance of my dad hearing me. Just my luck. Seagulls were the absolute worst sometimes.

I followed him up the sand where Tritosa City sparkled in all its glory before us.

The skyrise buildings sat along the coast, towering over those who were relaxing on the beach.

It didn’t matter what time of year it was; the beach was always filled with people laying on towels or sitting in deckchairs sipping colourful drinks with tiny little umbrellas and basking in the sunshine.

Today was no different. If anything, Tritosans and other Terrulians were out in droves. My city had always been a popular tourist destination because of our pristine waters and nightlife, but this was crazy. I guessed there hadn’t been an attack like in the Verdant Plateau, after all.

So, what had happened to the water?

I ran up the sand, leaping over people sunbathing, dodging volleyball games, and even more pesky seagulls. I did my best to catch up, but Dad moved so quickly. He must have been on his way to an important meeting or something.

He was on the street now, heading towards the centre of the city.

That’s where his office was; high up in the tallest building of Tritosa so that he could look down at all he ruled over.

Not that he spent much time looking out of the huge windows in his office.

He was always so busy in meetings—that’s what his assistant always told me when I popped in or called at least.

The city streets were crowded just like the beach. It was like everyone had the day off and decided to spend it outside. Odd, but not unusual. The weather was totally sick and, if I wasn’t chasing my dad, I would have grabbed my board and gone for a surf with my dolphin besties, Pip and Delilah.

I tried calling Dad again now that I’d left the seagulls at the beach.

But he must have had water in his ears because he didn’t hear me and just kept going. The crowd parted for him as he moved, like waves in the sea. They didn’t part for me. No, they crashed into me and tried to tug me away like a rip.

I pushed my way through, determined to get to my father. We really needed to chat about how great I was doing at the House of Ascension. He’d be so flippin’ proud.

“Dad!” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Dad!”

I followed him through the city, his steps slowing as he reached a familiar sandstone archway.

The Tritosa rock pools were a sacred place, a calm in the chaos of the city.

I stopped calling, respecting the place we were in, and followed him down the narrow path, passing Tritosans kneeling beside the water.

Some of them placed gifts at the feet of little statues, others watched the creatures that dwelled within.

The pools were so colourful and full of life. At least, they were supposed to be. Upon closer inspection, I saw the water here was also cloudy. I frowned at the sight. What was happening to our beautiful waters?

I followed still and we reached an all-too-familiar rock pool. I stood back, watching as my dad crouched before it. My mother’s name was engraved in the memorial stone that sat in the very centre. She wasn’t buried here, but this was the spot we came to be closest to her.

Tritosans cremated their dead, scattering the ashes out to sea so that they could be one with the ocean. Sort of like a return to home. The rock pools, on the other hand, were a memorial purely for the living.

“Dad?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper. I made to reach out, only for my wrist to be gripped gently and held back.

“He won’t hear you,” Zach, my older brother, said at my side. A frown was partially hidden beneath his scruffy blond beard.

“He might.”

Another arm wrapped around my waist, and I found Zara on my other side, leaning into me. “It’s too hard for him. We remind him of what he lost.”

“Let it go,” Zach insisted, squeezing my wrist in comfort.

I shook my head. “No, there’s still hope.

He sent that letter warning me. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t care.

” I called out to my dad again, no longer caring about disturbing the peace of the rock pools.

This time, he actually turned. He looked right at me, his blue eyes red-rimmed. No, not at me, through me.

I was invisible to him.

I always had been.

“Look at me,” I shouted at him as my siblings gripped my sides. “See me!”

“Zane…” Zuri began, joining my other siblings beside me, but I ignored her as anger rose in my gut, twisting around like eels fighting over scraps.

“If I could just get him to focus,” I snapped, tugging at the hold my siblings had on me. “He sent the letter…”

“Did he?” Zeke asked, stepping in front of me. My brother looked down at me, his eyes soft and searching. Patient. “Think, Zane.”

I closed my eyes, trying to recall the letter and the warning written in my father’s hand. There had been something strange about it, but that had been part of the code. A clue to what he really meant… hadn’t it?

“You?” I shook my head, opening my eyes to what was right in front of me.

“Us,” Zion replied, Zariah at his side.

All my siblings stood around me, blocking my view of Dad. They were all here with their dirty blond hair and tanned skin, some with eyes that matched mine, others with similar noses or cheekbones.

“He cares,” I said to myself, holding onto the lie like it was a life raft. I tugged myself from their hold, pushing past them to look down at my dad.

“For fuck’s sake! See that I am here! That I am a good son and worth your time. I’ve done everything you’ve asked. I put my life on the line and joined the trials to make you proud.” My shoulders sagged, my heart hammering in my chest. “The least you could do is see me.”

It was useless. It was like talking to a surfboard. A waste of time.

My dad only acknowledged me when it suited him, which was rare. He was a busy dude, running an entire city after all, yet I was his son. Didn’t that mean something? I wanted him to notice me; to be proud of me; to think I was worth his time.

That I was enough.

I couldn’t remember a time when he’d shown any interest in what I was doing beyond scolding me for something.

Why?

I turned around, finding Ace standing behind me, his gaze narrowed on my dad. My siblings had vanished, replaced by Starfish, Ace, Kayden, and Noah. They were all here.

“It’s his problem. I don’t need him, I’ve got my pod.”

“And we’re never letting you go,” Fallon said, reaching out a hand. I took it instantly, letting her tug me towards them.

The warm sun shone down on us, a bright light in the vibrant blue sky.

“Let go,” Fallon said, echoing my brother’s words from before. “It’s okay. We’ve got you.”

Starfish was right. I didn’t need him.

All these years I’d had my siblings by my side. They had always been there for me. And now I had Starfish and my pod, too.

They thought I was enough and liked me just the way I was.

As I glanced down at the memorial to my mum, the murky water cleared, the rock pool sparkling in the sunlight and illuminating the colourful creatures that lived within.

I liked me just the way I was. And that was all that mattered.