Page 17 of Cruel Tides (Queen of Tridents #2)

17

Kai

“O kay, so that makes five beef sticks, two tins of nuts, a package of sugary bread rolls, and whatever these little fruity things are.” I held up one of the pods and gave its thin, see-through skin a test squish, watching as the yellow juice inside it swirled. “It says ‘lemon scent’ on the box, but do all lemons look like these?” Bringing the box to my nose, I drew in a deep breath.

Oh yeah. That smelled nice.

Before I could pop the little morsel into my mouth, Barren plucked it straight from my fingers. “No.” He dropped the golden pod back with its friends and snatched the entire box from my hands.

“Hey, man, I was going to let you have the beef sticks!” I said, diving for the box with grabby hands, but Barren’s long arm easily held it out of my reach. “Geez, I know it’s not much of a breakfast, but I don’t know how long it’ll take Claira to get back here with her stuff. How long do you think it’s been?”

One of Barren’s eyebrows slanted in strong disapproval. Using the side of an oil-slicked shoe, he lifted an overturned trash can and plopped the entire box of fruit pods inside it.

“Wait! You’re not even gonna eat them?” The empty pit of my stomach sank. What a waste! I was so hungry, too.

Snorting like he’d heard some joke I wasn’t aware of, Barren straightened out his pant legs and took a seat on the floor. “She’s not coming back.”

I nearly choked on my saliva. I could hardly believe it—he’d finally spoken more than just a word to me!

First Claira, and now Barren. I’d only been away from my family for a couple of days, and I was already making new friends. My brothers were wrong after all. I knew this trip wouldn’t be a waste.

Eager to hear more sweet, sweet words, I grabbed the beef sticks and scuttled across the floor to get closer. “Oh? And why’s that?”

Crossing his ankles, Barren stretched his long legs out in front of him like he was hunkering down to share his thoughts on the subject. I leaned in closer.

Then he dug his phone out of his pocket and went back to ignoring me.

Exasperated by the letdown, I shook a beef stick at him. “Aw, come on, dude. I thought we were friends!”

Man, that phone sure looked laughably tiny nestled in the curve of his palm. Almost like he was holding a merfry’s plaything. Still, a wistful longing rolled through me as I watched his thumb glide over the remarkable little device.

It sure would have been nice to have a phone of my own. But with so many brothers in line before me, it made sense that I was left without. Sure, the first half a dozen princes all got one, but at a certain point, it seemed Queen Javalynn—much like my parents—sort of forgot about the rest of us. I couldn’t blame them, though. It was hard keeping track, even for us.

Well, if Barren wasn’t going to elaborate, that just meant more time for him to warm up to me.

“I think she really took a shine to us,” I began. My lips curved as I thought back to the look on Claira’s face when we’d suddenly appeared to help her.

Without looking up from his phone, Barren let out an abrupt snort that suggested he didn’t agree. At least he wasn’t completely ignoring me.

“Maybe you couldn’t tell, but I saw it.”

Sure, Barren might have led an exceptionally cool life for a merman, but his reserved nature hadn’t won him many allies. At least, according to all the rumors that funneled their way back to the Pacific. I probably had years more experience making friends. And not only with sea creatures, but other merfolk, too. He could trust me on this.

“It’ll be great to get her away from the Atlantic. Could you believe what their scribe wrote about constructing a cage while they tracked her down? My mother gasped so loud when she got to that part in the letter. Well, with Queen Javalynn as your sister, I’m sure you know how particular mermaids can be. I sometimes wish the Pacific kingdom would travel around, too, but my father absolutely forbids us from stepping one foot on land. Well, until recently, of course.”

My thoughts trailed, and I glanced down, suddenly realizing I was crushing the life out of the beef sticks in my fist. Whoops. I forced myself to relax.

Because of my father’s feelings—along with King Eamon’s reputation—all my brothers had elected not to travel. But how could I refuse to help? It wasn’t like King Darias would notice one of his many sons missing anyway. He could hardly tell one of his scrappy, spike-tailed offshoots from another. And if Claira really wasn’t cursed, then maybe she could work with all of us to help get back our tridents. Forcing her certainly wouldn’t work. Camaraderie—not cages—was the better way to go about asking for her help. As soon as King Eamon tossed her in the water, she’d just swim away, right? Like, dude. How had a king not realized that?

Turning the beef sticks around in my hand, my mind wandered again. “Do you think they’re feeding her?” I tucked one safely away in my pocket just in case they weren’t. “Here, man.” I tossed the other four to Barren. He shot me a deadpan look when one ricocheted off his phone screen. “Err, my bad.”

Opting for the frosted bread rolls, I reached back for the bag. Just as I ripped into the top, the doors started rattling, and my ears perked.

“Do you think that’s her?” I spun a quick circle on my rear to squint through the glass. “Or maybe Laverne finally woke up. She’s probably wondering why we left her alone in the car, you think?” I glanced back to Barren, but his focus was on his palm, and his thumb was still tapping away. Guess that meant it was up to me to see.

Something slammed against the door, and the entire building seemed to shake around us. I scrambled to my feet.

“Laverne?” I called out as I toed around the collection of bottles left behind from Top Lobber—one of the greatest games I’d ever created. “I didn’t mean to leave you all alone—” A head edged through the doors, and a golden mop of hair instantly gave its owner away. Prince Leander slid inside, kneading at the side of his shoulder. “—sweetie.”

“ Sweetie? ” he shot back, arching a questioning eyebrow in my direction. “Just who did you think was on the other side of these doors?”

Oh. Oh no.

I’d left Laverne in the car for a reason. The last thing I wanted was for her to get caught up in all of this. She was too good—too precious —to meet up with merfolk with reputations like the Atlantic mers had. Fanning their tails and swaggering around with their butts popped out as a means of flirtation… Shameless. No one needed to see that.

Even in human form, one look at Prince Leander’s butt told me it did its fair share of waggling, even on land. Why else was it so tight, like two perfectly round globes nestled together?

“Just you.” I dragged the words out in a sing-song voice, making a show of batting my eyelashes at him. Then I added, “Sweetie.” Just to sell it.

A hand came for my throat, but Barren yoinked me away, wrapping me up in his incredible arm. My gleaming knight in strapping leather armor!

I was so overcome with emotion that I curled my arms around his neck as a show of my gratitude. “I knew we were friends,” I breathed out in delight, leaning close enough to see my reflection in his dark, mysterious eyes.

Then my strong savior cast me away, and I flew across the building in a perfect arc. Tuck and roll, tuck and roll! My inner voice urged me on, but my face found the ground first, and I skidded across the trash covered floor like a skipped stone over the water.

“Gah—my bread rolls!” I shrieked, pulling out the smashed bag of bread from between my thighs. I hadn’t even tried one yet.

“Do you know this idiot?”

My head was spinning, but I focused on Leander’s voice as I got back to my feet. I wasn’t yet sure who he was talking about, but my eyes swept over the building and—

“Just met him today when I picked him up from the airport.”

Whoa now. He’d gotten ten… eleven… twelve words out of Barren? My chest tightened as my eyes bounced between the two of them. They must have been the best of friends.

“Heard you were dead,” Barren said as he dug his phone back out of his pocket. My heart all but melted—he’d put it away just to save me!

Leander gave a tight shrug. “Yeah.” Well, this was getting interesting.

“Is it true what they’re saying about King Eamon?” I chimed in, and both heads whipped over to me.

“That he almost murdered his only son and heir by taking me out on a boat and throwing me in the water above the palace?” Leander let out a dry, nonchalant laugh as he raked a hand through his hair. “Yeah. He said I could either dive for the trident or swim back to shore on my own. Took a few weeks, but when I did finally turn up, he knew a king couldn’t go back on his word. At least not with the entire kingdom watching.”

A musical tone broke the mood, filling the air with a chorus of cheerful notes moving up and down a chord. Barren’s thumb glided across his phone, and the melody cut to silence.

“King Eamon?” A clear voice spoke through the phone, formal and contemptuous.

“Queen Javalynn. It is always a pleasure.” A second voice came through, overly ripe with a similar resentment as the first. Although Barren seemed unaffected by the surprise, I saw Leander flinch.

“And what a tremendous pleasure it is to speak with you, King Eamon. I do hope you are in good health.” The words rolled smoothly off Queen Javalynn’s tongue with the underlying edge of an undertow. “But let me cut to the chase. Barren, are you there? Speak.”

Barren cleared his throat. “My queen.”

“Ah, good. I trust you’ve spoken to King Eamon about his captured mermaid and the change in plans we have for her?”

The bottom of Barren’s jaw fell open like he was carefully choosing how to respond. Then he let out a deep sigh that hinted that he knew that whatever answer he gave wouldn’t be accepted without complaint.

“Not yet, Your—”

“A change of plans? And just what authority does the Indian Ocean have over the Atlantic’s plans?” Hostility sizzled in King Eamon’s voice. “We welcomed you here, extending nothing more than an invitation of celebration to witness our grand accomplishment. You have no say in any of it!”

Oh, this was definitely getting good.

The way he’d overly emphasized the “invitation of celebration” part had me fighting back a chuckle. Geez, like throwing a mermaid into a cage was really an accomplishment worth celebrating.

“Need I remind you whose land you’re standing on? Whose chair you’re sitting in? Shall we reminisce over who came to your aid, clothing and feeding and even furnishing that scrap of tinfoil you’re hiding under!” Her noble facade was clearly unraveling. Her volume escalated with every word, and yet all three of our shoulders naturally slumped over the phone, eager to hear the next retort.

King Eamon snarled. “Yes, yes, and those debts will be paid in time! This is entirely—”

“You will hand her over or prepare to be cast out! The mermaid belongs to me!”

“The mermaid belongs to no one!” I cut in, and two pairs of eyes flashed to me, their stunned faces blinking so hard at me I started blinking back at them, too. What? It was true.

Queen Javalynn breathed out an appalled gasp. “What did you say to me?”

I crouched over Barren’s hand so she could hear me better. “The mermaid doesn’t belong to anyone! I’ve spoken to the scribe here and—”

“And who are you to speak of my scribe?” King Eamon hissed in return.

“Oh, this is Prince Kai. Kai Corentine, of the Pacific kingdom—ninth prince, son of King Darias. Hello, King Eamon, Queen Javalynn. You haven’t heard from me before because you forgot to give me a phone when you were handing them out but, uh, hello.” I cleared my throat. Note to self: practice my introduction for future political intrusions. “As I was saying, I spoke to your scribe, and technically, neither of you have any hold over, uh, sorry, I’m blanking on her name.”

“Nerida Galen,” King Eamon spat out, just like I’d hoped he would. Too easy. “She was born under my rule; I have every right to her!”

“That’s right! I spoke to your scribe about a Nerida Galen, but he informed me she was officially deceased. Very, very sad to hear it. The document stating so was even signed by your own hand. Then notarized. I mean, so I don’t know what mermaid you think you captured, but the Law of the Ocean clearly states a free mermaid can’t be held—”

“You invited us to your celebration when you had no claim over her?”

Oh man, Queen Javalynn sounded angry .

“A free mermaid can’t be held against—” I tried again, but a growl cut me off.

“The Atlantic is no longer concerned with what the Law of the Ocean states! Our tridents were the law, and now they’re just as lost to us as the rest of it all!”

A unanimous gasp broke from every throat, followed by a solemn stillness.

I took in a prolonged breath. “Well, I am not a king, but I know that without our laws, we, as merfolk, are nothing. Trident or not, the Pacific will always maintain the Law of the Ocean. You may ask for her help, but if I see a mermaid held captive against her will, be it on land or at sea, the Pacific will not hesitate to let loose the tempests of war.”

“You, a mere fallback princeling, dare speak to a king about war?”

“Such a waste of my time,” Queen Javalynn hissed, and then the conversation went dead. I paused, my mouth still poised to speak, as I waited to see if King Eamon had disappeared as well. When the phone screen turned black, I straightened back up.

“I think I got through to them,” I said with a smile and raised my fist in a cheer. When neither of them returned my act of celebration, I toed at the trash at my feet. “You, uh… you don’t think King Eamon is going to murder his scribe now, do you?”