Not for long.
I passed the girl with the spikes and surprisingly, the smallish boy with the third eye. I swam past a few other fast-swimming Mers before the crowd thinned out to nothing.
I was alone. It was blissful to just let myself go all out, even with the worries in the back of my mind. I couldn’t forget that I’d left behind my friends. And I could not forget the dangers ahead.
Plus, I was pretty certain there had to be at least a few Mers ahead of me still to beat.
I was proven right a few minutes later. I saw a Mer just ahead as I rounded a corner. I was shocked to see the Mer who had smiled at me there. He was a large male, and they usually didn’t swim as fast as the less bulky Mers. He really was a remarkable specimen. He gave me a startled look as I passed him, and I heard him shout something.
Come to think of it, it sounded a lot like he said, “Look out!”
I passed another Mer a few minutes later. The front-runner. He was a very tall but slender male. His face was sharp, with a needle nose and pointed chin. He sneered at me, his short, dark blue hair almost black. I kept my distance, well out of reach of his arms as he reached for me. But it didn’t stop him from throwing something at me. I felt it glance off my side with a grimace. I kept swimming, ignoring the pain in my flank.
And then I was truly alone. I could feel it in my bones. I was ahead of the pack. Ahead of everyone and anyone. There were spectators along the route, but they were silent, their eyes wide as they watched me swim past.
The ocean felt so big in that moment. So vast. So empty.
I looked up and saw it just in time to swerve out of the way.
The first obstacle.
A fine mesh net was blocking the way. It shone dully in the light. Metal. The most brutal sort of net to get caught in. It looked sharp, like it could cut you to shreds. I swam up, figuring it wouldn’t reach the surface. That was a mistake.
I wondered what Mers had dared to swim high enough to set the net. It was forbidden. Unless you were a Royal, of course. Then, literally nothing was.
Except putting yourself in harm’s way. For a Royal, that was the ultimate sin. They were here to rule, not get themselves killed.
Swimming to the surface was dangerous. Everyone knew that. Then again, so were the Trials.
I saw the surface sparkling pale blue above me. I was nearly there. The net somehow seemed to extend beyond the surface. I saw where it broke the constantly shifting waves above. The metal net glimmered starkly in the bright sunlight.
I realized abruptly what I would have to do. With a burst of speed, I swam straight up and out of the water. The air hit my skin, chilling me instantly. I arched my body, flying up and over the net. I felt my back fin drag against the very edge of it and cried out in pain. But then I was over it, plunging back into the sea and back into the race.
I heard a Mer scream far below and behind me, piercing and shrill. I glanced back to see the dark-haired Mer clutching his arm. Dark red billowed out into the water.
He hadn’t seen the net.
I wanted to wait and warn Dane and Starla, but I was winning and I didn’t know how far behind they were. I saw Juno and the spike-covered Mer swimming forward, led by the handsome Mer whose name I did not yet know.
They wouldn’t miss the net. They’d find a way around it, and fast. If Juno was that fast, there was no way I would be able to fight him off.
My lead was rapidly diminishing. I figured it had taken me almost an hour to swim to the surface and down again. For all I knew, there was an easier way around or under the net.
I have to go now.
I turned and flipped my tail hard. I was in pain, and tired, but I was still fast. I dug deep and swam as if my life depended on it. But I kept my eyes open. I knew there were more obstacles to come.
Chapter 9
I was well ahead of the pack when I saw the shadow above me. I was in a mid-sized trench surrounded by sharp cliffs. Mer spectators lined the race track, staring down at me and cheering. For the first time, I was finally getting a reaction from the crowd!
I looked up as something caught my eyes. I screamed silently when I saw what it was. A huge boulder was barreling toward me, bouncing off the cliff face. It was big enough to crush me and three other Mers as it fell.
I swam out of its path in the nick of time.
Another rock glanced off my head, making me close my eyes as dizziness overwhelmed me. I touched my helmet, feeling a trace of blood. I would have to tell Dane his gift had saved me.
Saved my life, most likely.
That’s what I was thinking when I realized there were more rocks falling. Many more. I saw rocks of all shapes and sizes dropping rapidly along the cliff face. It was an avalanche. Somehow, I had triggered it.
It had to be deliberate. It was a planned obstacle. I hissed through my teeth at the realization.
The Royals were going above and beyond my expectations with this race. This wasn’t just an obstacle. It was far from simply dangerous.
It’s deadly.
Mers would die here before the day was out, I had no doubt. I hoped fervently that they would stop once the front-runners were through. Fear ran through my belly. Starla could never survive this. I wasn’t sure Dane would either.
I wasn’t even sure that I would make it through.
I dove low, swerving around the falling rocks with ease. I only survived the next twenty minutes because I was fast.
Any other Mer would have been crushed.
Maybe that was the point. Maybe they matched the test to the competitor. I almost hoped so. That meant other, less physically-adept Mers would have an easier time.
I didn’t want to think of anyone dying like that. Crushed for no reason. Especially not an innocent Mer.
I dove and dodged, getting bumped a few times but mostly escaping a direct hit. I paused just beyond the field of falling stone to look back. It was silent and would remain so until another Mer entered the trench. I realized that it must be spelled, as many of the Trials were.
I swallowed nervously.
I saw shadows approaching and knew they were catching up. I was in the lead. I had to move if I wanted to win. I shook off my fear and took off, praying there would not be anything quite so deadly to come.
Chapter 10
A forest of kelp lay ahead. I kept going, taking in my surroundings warily. From the thickness of the crowd along the sidelines, I knew I must be near the end.
The crowd had grown thick and unruly. Drunk on fizzy beverages, no doubt, Sea wine and the two-legger variety for the very rich. I had been craving the roar of the crowd, but now it felt hollow and empty.
They didn’t care about me. They only wanted to cheer the winner. And I wanted the same thing.
I swam quickly, tasting victory in my grasp. Of course, I was still afraid for my friends, particularly Starla. She was rapidly becoming the sister I had always wanted but never had.
And Dane, well, he could probably take care of himself. That didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to help him. Or at least show off a little bit.
I might not be beautiful, or wealthy, or possess magic, but I was good at this. I would go back for them and guide them through the obstacles. But rationally, I knew I had to win first.
So I swam.
Straight into the largest kelp I had ever seen. They were twenty feet high, at least, if not higher. You could hide a small city inside kelp of that height. I knew without a doubt that there was danger inside.