CHAPTER EIGHT - Lysi
Ruby, Emerald, and Amethyst
I didn’t bother Meela with what was happening a short distance away. While she and Nilus talked, the others who’d returned from the acoustic channel whispered urgently. Panic rippled through them as if a cannon had plunged through the water.
I hovered closer to listen.
“... retaliation,” said a mermaid. “Right over Utopia.”
The word “iron” carried through the crowd in whispers.
Dione’s eyes bloomed red. “How many casualties?”
“At least a hundred,” said a bearded merman. “Sounded like there were supposed to be enough explosives to wipe out the city, but Adaro got there in time to stop most of them.”
My pulse quickened. This meant humans had tried to wage war against Adaro—and failed.
“What exactly did the message say?” said Dione. “Is he planning anything?”
The volume of the conversation dropped. I made to push closer, but a hand closed around my arm. I spun to find Galene.
“We need to leave Dione to her council.”
I glanced back desperately, unable to hear the conversation. The crowd pressed closer, everyone eager to know what was going on.
“Some of us have wondered if the humans would respond,” said Galene. “They’ve been less friendly to us over the last few years.”
“Meela knew the Americans would get involved as soon as Adaro broke the Aleutian treaty,” I said. “It was a matter of time.”
Galene wrinkled her brow, examining me. “Think there’s a chance they’ll be able to get rid of the serpent?”
I considered how humans had wiped out cities in wars among themselves. But the serpent had apparently just stopped something designed to destroy all of Utopia.
“I think they’ll obliterate half the Pacific before they put a bruise on that serpent.”
Galene kept studying my face like I was a foreign object.
I said, “I’m only relaying what Meela’s told me about humans and the serpent. Adaro’s unwise to—”
“I know. I believe you.”
My gaze drifted over to Meela, still chatting with Nilus, the children hovering at their tails. I fleetingly marvelled that such well-behaved children could possibly be related to Meela.
“This’ll get the king more supporters,” said Galene, drawing my attention back.
I nodded. Adaro would seem the hero for stopping the explosives.
“The humans will look like the bigger evil,” I said.
“Maybe. But I like to think most Northerners are aware of what Adaro’s doing. The labour camp and all.”
“What was the Pacific like before he took Queen Evagore?”
Galene’s lips turned up in a half-smile. Something in her aura softened at the mention of her queen.
Before she could answer, Ephyra appeared beside us.
“May I borrow Lysithea for a moment?”
Galene nodded and backed away. “Later, sugarkelp.”
Ephyra motioned for me to follow. “I want to show you something.”
The canyon was deserted except for a few children left playing. We passed empty caves and mounds of coral.
The scar at my waist burned, the pain intensifying as we crossed into the shadow below the wreck. I dug my nails into my palms, forcing my attention elsewhere.
“I’m glad you made it here,” I said to Ephyra.
I couldn’t help remembering the last time I’d seen her, when she tried to capture me on Adaro’s orders, and I tried to bite her face.
She offered a slight smile. “Same to you.”
We turned into the same cavern as earlier, where the map was chiselled into the stone.
“We have been tracing King Adaro’s whereabouts,” said Ephyra.
“I’ve seen this. Dione showed me and Meela.”
“Did she tell you the significance of the gemstones?”
“Attack sites?”
Ephyra placed a forefinger on the ruby at Eriana Kwai.
“Our sources from Utopia and the spies along the acoustic channels have helped us create a nearly complete map. Fortunately for us, the serpent’s movement can be felt for leagues in every direction, making Adaro easy to track.”
She traced her finger from Eriana Kwai to the ruby at the top of the Aleutian Islands, and then to one on Vancouver Island.
“He acquired the serpent at Eriana Kwai and then went to the Aleutian Islands before moving east again.”
I scanned the rubies, committing their locations to memory.
“The next wave of attacks happened in Canada.”
Ephyra traced a zigzag of emeralds. Then she moved to the next round of attacks, marked by amethysts. I took in every gemstone, determined to remember all of the locations.
“I do not think he moves in a predictable pattern,” she said. “Tracking his location is a waste of time.”
I looked up. “You don’t think it’s possible to predict where he’ll go next?”
“Are you familiar with king tides, Lysithea?”
“Sure. When the full or dark moon coincides with the strongest tides. Happens a couple of times a year.”
Ephyra nodded. “There is one pattern worth investigating. I noticed it when I worked for him.”
“King tides?”
“During king tides, Adaro disappeared for a whole day without warning. He simply left, and no one knew where he went or why.”
“Did anyone else notice?”
“I am not sure. We did not discuss it.”
I considered this information. The behaviour was odd, but I had no idea what to make of it.
“What do Dione and the others think?” I said.
“They plan to leverage it. If we can expect the king to disappear, that will be a good time to attack Utopia.”
“So when’s the next king tide?”
“Next tidecycle.”
We fell silent. I could tell Ephyra wanted to say more. I wondered if she’d been able to share a lot of valuable information about the king, having worked by his side for so long. Then I recalled Dreadlocks saying Adaro made sure nobody in his government knew everything about him.
“Why did you tell me this?”
“It is something I thought you might find interesting.”
I nodded to the exit. “They aren’t going to try and find him any time soon, are they?”
Ephyra hesitated. “It is not the priority.”
A moment passed where we stared at each other. I saw my fears reflected in her expression, felt them in her heavy aura. All we had to work with was an odd pattern of behaviour. We were no closer to finding Adaro and the serpent.
“There are two wars happening, Lysithea.”
I nodded. The effort at Kori Maru was dedicated to the civil war, not the one against humans. But the latter was leading to explosives being dropped all over the Pacific. We had to stop it as soon as possible. I didn’t want to think about what might happen if we didn’t.
“What do you know about Medusa?” I said.
If Ephyra thought this was a strange question, she didn’t show it. “The king never spoke of her. Anyone who did was punished.”
“He’s scared of her?”
“Perhaps. He clearly wants us to forget she exists. He might be worried that many who followed him to the Atlantic regret their decision.”
“Do they?”
“It is hard to tell. You know as well as I that no one speaks ill of the king.”
Her eyes drifted to the map, but they were unfocused.
“I want to get Medusa’s help,” I said. “I think she’s our only chance at defeating Adaro.”
Ephyra seemed to consider this. She nodded slowly. “Perhaps.”
Her agreement surprised me; I’d expected more resistance. Maybe I’d just spent too much time trying to convince Meela of the same.
“Meela doesn’t think so,” I said. “She’s being as stubborn as a barnacle.”
“Maybe she does not understand Medusa’s power.”
I shook my head. “It’s not about that. It’s about how long it would take to get there. I don’t know how to convince her it’s worth it.”
A shadow eclipsed the cave entrance, and we spun around.
“Convince whom of what?” said Dione, as she and several others entered the cavern.
“Family troubles,” said Ephyra with a graceful smile.
Dione looked at her a moment too long before saying curtly, “I see. Lysithea, may I speak with you privately?”
With a parting glance at Ephyra, I followed Dione out of the cavern. She led me to the surface—a place we could speak without being overheard. We breached to strong winds and a cascade of fat raindrops. Waves rolled in enormous, slow swells.
“Our meeting was cut short, but I wish to learn more from you and Meela.”
“We told you everything.”
She studied me, expressionless, the whites of her eyes stark against the grey sky.
“This news from Utopia requires my attention, but I will arrange a private meeting to debrief both of you in more detail.”
This intrigued me. Was she trying to negotiate an exchange of information?
No matter what Dione told us, information on how to control the serpent would not be up for exchange. Meela and I agreed on that much.
“That would be nice,” I said.
Dione nodded once. She seemed about to submerge, then stopped.
“Consider, Lysithea—” A tinge of red appeared in her eyes. “—that forging an alliance on half-truths and deceit would be most unwise.”