I plunged down into the darkest water I’d ever swum in. I’d never seen darker, even very late at night. There wasn’t the faintest hint of light, other than the glowing orb behind me that marked the start of the race. Not even the waning rays of the sun could reach us down here.

I was really in the trench. The one place I never wanted to see. I might long to see all the waters of the world, but not this bottomless place. Not ever.

I could sense movement around me, other Mers thrashing and panicking as the oxygen got thinner. Yes, even a Mer could drown underwater if we went deep enough. If our gills did not get oxygen-rich water, we might as well be human.

Well, except for our tails.

I shuddered at the thought.

“Katriana!”

I froze, throwing my head to the left to listen. Someone had screamed out my name. Starla. I should have stayed closer to her. But once we dove into the dark water below the ledge, I’d had an overwhelming instinct to flee. Just go, and get out. That’s what every other Mer was doing. Or at least I had told myself that.

Hearing her frightened voice changed everything in an instant.

I changed direction, swimming toward the soft cries.

I bumped into something, hard.

I heard a low voice curse in the darkness as hands reached out to steady me. A familiar voice with a proclivity for colorful two-legger language.

“Dane?”

“Tri? Is that you?”

I couldn’t see a damn thing, but I could sense him in the dark. And just like that, I didn’t feel so alone.

“Yes. I heard Starla.”

“Me too.”

“Starla? Can you hear us?”

“Here! I’m caught in something!”

I reached out and touched something. It was a rough hemp rope. A net. Whether it was left here deliberately or not was unclear.

Either way, we had to get her out of it.

“Okay, try and hold still. I’ll get you out.”

“We’ll get you out.”

I sighed, rankled by the sour tone of Dane’s voice. Apparently, he was still mad at me. It wasn’t as if I had encouraged Rip! Or chosen my damn dress!

I wanted to tell him that, but I didn’t. I also wanted to ask him why he was so angry with me. Like a little girl, I just wanted things to go back to normal.

Instead, I started untangling the net. I forced myself to calm my heightened nerves.

After a few moments, I replied quietly, “Right. We will get you out. Then we stick together until the finish line. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Dane nodded. At least, I think he did. Was it just my imagination, or was I starting to see? At least I could discern different levels of darkness.

“Dane?”

“Yes?”

“I think I can see you. Can you see me?”

This time, I did see Dane tilt his head to the side.

“Hmm . . . maybe a little.”

Starla whimpered and we renewed our efforts. I told her not to be scared. That we wouldn’t leave her, no matter what. Even if a submarine charged us, we wouldn’t leave. She quieted, and in a few minutes, she was free.

We hovered, not even knowing if we were still within the bounds of the race. Dane’s deep voice rumbled from where I thought he was, a few feet to my right. So, I was definitely seeing a bit better. Though I wasn’t sure how that was going to help us.

“It would be nice if they left markers.”

“I don’t understand the point of this. How are we even supposed to know which way to go?”

Dane sounded aggravated but not panic-stricken. Good. I cleared my throat.

“I know. At least, I think I do.”

“How?”

“I have a really good sense of direction. My father did too. He called it an ‘inner compass’.”

“Wow. That’s cool.”

“It’s handy, but not one hundred percent accurate.”

“Okay, Tri, which way? And how are we supposed to follow you if we can’t see you?”

Dane’s voice had a biting edge, but even I had to admit he had a point there. I could barely see him, and only if I focused on it. And he was barely an arm’s length away. Once we started swimming, it was going to get even harder.

“The rope! Do you still have it?” Starla exclaimed.

“Yes.”

“Wrap one end around your waist, Tri. We can hold on to it.”

“You are one brilliant Mer. Are you sure you want to though? I mean, I think I know which way we should be going. But I could lead you farther into the trench.”

I saw a flash of something in the darkness. It took a moment before I realized what it was. Dane’s perfect teeth. He was smiling.

“Lead away.”

“Starla?”

“Yes, please get us out of here, Tri! I don’t like it here. I’m scared.”

“Hopefully, they will use magic to find anyone who gets lost. They have to eventually, right?”

Silence from my friends. Yeah, I wasn’t so sure either. I exhaled through pursed lips.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

Thankfully, I still had the rope in my hands. If I had dropped it, it might be a mile below us by now. The trench was that deep.

I shivered, the chilly water sinking deep into my flesh. The water got colder for every foot you dropped. Or perhaps it was fear. It was probably a combination of both.

I wrapped the net tightly around my waist, tying it firmly. I held the rope out and felt someone take it. I vaguely saw Dane wrap the rope around Starla first. Then he took the other end.

“All set?”

“Yes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Come on then.”

I started swimming, forcing myself to go slow. I could still feel the direction we had come from and swam in the opposite direction. We swam in total silence and near-total darkness. I felt myself pick up speed and slowed again.

We heard a Mer scream somewhere behind us. I paused, turning my head.

“Should we go back?”

“It sounded far . . .” Starla’s voice sounded so reedy and thin. She was afraid, I knew it. How could she not be?

I chewed my lip.

“It’s not a rescue mission, Katriana.”

I opened my mouth to argue then thought better of it. Dane’s gravelly voice spoke the truth. And Starla was trying to be brave. The truth was that we all wanted out of the trench and we wanted out now.

It was not a good place.

It was dangerous.

It felt like . . . an endless grave.

It was forbidden to enter it under normal circumstances. The only Mers who dared enter it were thrill-seekers and outlaws, foolish and desperate Mers who needed to be beyond the reach of the Royals.

And us, of course. But we hadn’t had a choice in the matter.

I felt a current rising on my right. It was just below us. That most likely meant we were near the center of the trench, and far lower than we should be. I guided us up quickly, but not before Starla got sucked into it.

She screamed as the rope around my waist was yanked backward. I gripped it with my hands, working my tail furiously.

“Back and up!”

“Got it!”

Dane and I thrashed our tails with all our might, but to no avail. The current was too strong. We didn’t give up though. We couldn’t. This would not just make us lose the race. We could easily lose our lives.

If we got sucked into that current, they would never find us again.

“Cut the rope!”

“No, Starla!”

“Never!”

I was relieved at how quickly and furiously Dane had answered. The truth was, without his strength, the two of us would have been pulled into the current, beyond all hope of rescue.

Even Annaruth, the High Priestess of the Northern Sea herself, could not hope to save us.

“Swim harder!”

“Use your arms!”

I let go of the rope, praying that the knot at my waist would hold. With all of my limbs working, I finally felt myself gain some ground. Dane must have done so as well because suddenly, Starla was tumbling into me.

“Oh, thank Triton!”

I was laughing breathlessly as I hugged her. Dane’s thick arms wrapped around us both, instantly making me warmer. We stayed there like that for a short while, catching our breath.

“Let’s get out of here. We must be near the end, or close to it.”

“We are, look!”

Starla’s thin arm pointed ahead and just above us. We could see! The edge of the trench was visible as well as a glowing sphere marking the end of the race. We’d done it!

We swam quickly, holding hands this time. I was proud of their speed. Even exhausted, they were well above average. Any one of us would be an excellent messenger, even little Starla, once she got a bit bigger.

In the end, we didn’t finish first or last. But we did finish together. Apparently, that had been the purpose of the test. Problem solving. Teamwork. Since I had won the short races and Dane had won several of the strength and agility events, we were declared the winners of the day with Dane in first place, me in second, and Starla in third.

Tonight, there would not be a banquet with Royals and nobility.

But there would be a feast for all competitors.

And we were the guests of honor.