Astrid found herself flying through the water at a dizzying speed. Elskan, who’d been trying her best to bolt off, suddenly found that she could. She streaked through the water dragging Astrid behind her. Des had fallen away.
Unable to breathe, barely able to see because of the water rushing into her face, Astrid pulled herself up the rope hand over hand and climbed onto Elskan’s back. After a minute or so she was able to calm the frightened animal and get her to stop. She wheeled her around and doubled back.
She found Des where she’d left him, bent over and panting. The Qanikkaaq had returned to the surface.
Des straightened as he heard Elskan’s fins. He was angry. Astrid could see his emotion on his face. So much for that friendship, she thought. He probably won’t want anything to do with me now. Kolfinn’s words came back to her: Who wants a mermaid without magic?
“Why didn’t you say something?” Des asked.
Astrid didn’t answer. She dismounted from Elskan, her eyes downcast.
“By not telling me you can’t sing, you almost got us both killed,” Des said. “I wasted precious time shouting at you to songcast instead of doing it myself.”
“I guess you’ll be going now,” Astrid said miserably. “Take the food. I can find more.”
“Astrid, what are you talking about? I thought we were going to the Karg together.”
Astrid shook her head. “You should go to the Karg alone, Des. It’s okay, really. Most mer don’t want to be around me once they know. I’m seen as a liability. Like I was just now.”
Des was quiet for a few seconds, then he asked her a question. “Is that why Kolfinn didn’t go through with the permutavi?”
Astrid, still looking down, nodded. “He didn’t want my secret to get out. He didn’t want anyone to know that a member of the admiral’s family was weak and defective.”
“That’s awful, Astrid,” Des said, still angry.
Astrid thought he meant her father’s attempts to cover up her disability, and her own attempts to do the same.
“I’m sorry, Des. I should’ve been straight with you,” she said.
“No, I meant the way your father treated you,” said Des, his voice softening. “He shouldn’t have done it. He had no right. There’s nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all. You’re not weak—you’re strong. One of the strongest merls I’ve ever met.”
Astrid looked up at Desiderio uncertainly, wondering if he was teasing her, but she saw no maliciousness in his eyes, only kindness.
“Look, Astrid. I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have yelled,” he said. “The only reason I did is that I was scared.”
“Scared?” she echoed. “Of what?”
“Scared you were going to be sucked inside the maelstrom,” Des replied. “Scared I’d lose you.”
Astrid looked away again. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. She could hardly believe what was happening.
“Why don’t you let me decide if I want to be around you, okay?” he said. “Because I do. A lot.”
Astrid raised her eyes to his once more. They were warm and smiling, and she felt as if she was falling into their green depths like a stone into calm seas. And then Des took her face into his hands and kissed her. It was fierce and gentle all at the same time and it took her breath away.
She looked at him as he broke the kiss, scared he would do it again, scared he wouldn’t.
“A lot,” Des said once more, and then, suddenly shy, he swam off to deal with Elskan.
“IT’S BEEN TWO whole days, Marco,” a worried voice said.
“I know that, Elisabetta. She took a hard blow to her head, but her breathing’s good and her color’s improving,” said another.
They were speaking Italian, a terragogg language. Becca was surprised to find that she understood it. The bloodbind, she thought. She could follow most of the words, but she had no idea to whom they were directed. The voices seemed so far away. She felt like she was drifting on the surface of the sea. Waves were rocking her gently. She wanted to keep drifting, but she knew she couldn’t. She had to open her eyes. She had to keep swimming. There was a reason she had to, but she couldn’t remember what it was.
“What if there’s a brain bleed? What if there’s a hairline fracture? What if—”
“What if you made us some coffee, Little Miss Sunshine?”
Who has a brain bleed? Becca wondered. What’s coffee?
She opened her eyes. And immediately wished she hadn’t. The light sent a bolt of pain straight through her brain. She waited for the agony to subside, then tried again.
Her vision was blurry. Little by little it cleared. As it did, she saw that a face was hanging over her—the most gorgeous face she’d ever seen. Two warm brown eyes, filled with worry, stared at her. The mouth, generous and full-lipped, was frowning, but suddenly broke into a broad, beautiful smile.
It was a man’s face.
Wait, Becca’s aching brain said. A man’s face? A man’s?!