Royalty Found Between Water and Land

For the past eternity—or at least, that’s what it feels like—there has been a battle between my mother and me. And I know what you're thinking. I sound like some angsty youngling who wants to rebel against her mother simply because she can. That's not it. You see, I know almost no one outside the castle unless I'm meeting them on a battlefield. My warriors know me. They respect me. More importantly, they trust me. As their captain, I've led my army across more battlefields than I care to count, and I've brought them home with little to no casualties. Because I'm ruthless. Kill first. Ask questions later. It isn't exactly a philosophy my grandmother is proud of, but it keeps my warriors alive. My mother is a different story. As the reigning queen, she's feared. Not respected. Feared. She doesn't do particularly well with the word no, either. Between you and me, she's a bit self-absorbed. And by a bit, I mean she cares about exactly one person in this entire kingdom. Herself. I've lost count of how many times I've told her that the ocean is calling me. Every time, she gives me the same answer. She is Queen. The old Trials of Fate are no longer relevant. Except that's not how this works. Before my mother became queen, our elders taught us about the calling from the time we were younglings. When the ocean calls to you, you answer. You do not ignore it. The ocean doesn't call without reason. Sometimes it offers a gift—power, strength, agility, speed. Sometimes it leads you toward something you've lost without ever realizing it was missing. And sometimes... It leads you to your mate. Ignoring the ocean comes with consequences. Our essence can begin to dwindle. The magic residing within us—magic passed down through generations of mermaids descended from the ancient sirens—can weaken. Our voices can disappear. No incantations. No healing. No protection. And if the ocean is attempting to lead us toward a true mate bond and we refuse it long enough, we can even lose the ability to procreate. That's what the elders taught us. That's what my grandmother still believes. My mother decided she knows better than both of them. Then again, Mother has never had a particularly high opinion of males. According to her, they have one purpose. Breeding. Disgusting, isn't it? I don't even know my own father. I know of him. That's different. The cruel irony is that he wasn't simply some male my mother chose. He was her true mate—the one the ocean had chosen for her. She ignored him. She took other mates before she ever allowed herself to be with him. By the time she finally did, she'd already broken him down. Then she used him. And when she was finished? She murdered him. I wish I could say I'm surprised. I'm not. I'm fairly certain she murdered her twin sister too. My aunt. Do I have proof? No. It's more of a feeling. An understanding that settles somewhere deep inside you when you've spent your entire life living with a monster. I'm convinced something went wrong when my mother was born. Her twin should have balanced her. At least, that's what I've always thought. My grandmother is nothing like her. Mammat is amazing, although she barely speaks to Mother anymore. I've never been completely sure what happened between them. Maybe she sees the same darkness in her daughter that I do. Then again, our family history isn't exactly filled with happy endings. My grandfather died at my grandmother's hands. He attacked my mother. Mother never told Mammat exactly what happened. There are pieces of that story no one will give me, and maybe I'll never know the truth. But right now, none of that matters. Because the ocean is calling me again. I press my palm against my chest. The feeling starts beneath my ribs before traveling lower, twisting through my stomach. It isn't painful. It's a pull. A direction. Something reaching inside me and insisting that I follow. Come. I don't hear the word. I feel it. And every day, it grows stronger. Naturally, Mother has me locked in my chambers again. Apparently, getting caught sneaking out of the kingdom to watch the ships along the sea line is a crime worthy of imprisonment. They couldn't even see me. I used my cloaking magic. You would think I'd committed some unforgivable sin. Then again, to Mother, I probably did. She says she's protecting me. She says she's protecting my position in the line of succession. She reminds me that she's the one who has always been here. That she's the one who stayed. That no one else did. She thinks I don't recognize what she's doing. The manipulation. The lies. The carefully placed backhanded compliments disguised as concern. She doesn't want me to grow. She wants me obedient. Because as long as I'm obedient, she keeps her throne. The only reason Mammat allowed her to become queen in the first place was because her own song had begun weakening without her true mate. We only receive one true mate in our lifetime, and my mother destroyed hers. Now she's terrified I'll answer the calling she refused. Too bad. Mother doesn't know I can escape. One of her most loyal guards, Kareena, is stationed outside my chamber door. She's nearly as vile as Mother. Nearly. I glance toward the packed bag hidden beside my bed and smile. Too bad for both of them. I'm getting out tonight. My trial is calling me, and nothing—not my mother, not Kareena, not the entire royal guard—is going to stand in my way. I already have everything planned. First, I'll stay close to the palace walls and use my cloaking magic. Then I'll wrap myself in kelp. It isn't exactly fashionable, but it'll mask my scent well enough that the patrols shouldn't notice me. And then there's the necklace. My fingers find the small pendant resting against my chest. The sea witch made it for me. A song-dampening charm. When I wear it, no one can hear my voice when I sing to the ocean. No one except the ocean itself. And my mate. If I have one waiting for me. The thought sends that strange pull through my chest again. Perfect. Tonight I need to be three things. Silent. Scentless. Invisible. Once I'm out of the palace, I'll skirt along the eastern wing and stay beneath the seaweed gardens. From there, I'll swim through the coral outside the gardens and continue toward the sunken ship graveyard. I know. Sunken ship graveyard sounds exciting. It's not. It's depressing. Hundreds of human ships lie broken against the ocean floor, some so old that coral has swallowed them completely. Once I'm beyond the graveyard, things become more dangerous. I'll have to watch for patrols. Humans occasionally attempt to raid the wrecks for whatever gold and jewels remain inside them. Mother makes certain they fail. Her sharks patrol the wreckage. No human gets through them alive. I can, though. The sharks like me. Honestly, they're kinder to me than my own mother is. I visit them sometimes when I sneak away from the palace. One of them even lets me scratch beneath his jaw, although I'd never admit that in front of my warriors. Ruthless captains probably aren't supposed to cuddle sharks. Now all I have to do is wait. Kareena will eventually decide I'm too well-conditioned to attempt an escape and fall asleep at her post. She always does. She never checks on me. Usually, it doesn't matter. Usually, I come back. Tonight? I won't. I lie across my bed, staring toward the chamber door as the minutes crawl past. Soon, Kareena will be asleep. Soon, I'll slip through the palace unnoticed. And by the time anyone realizes their precious princess is missing, I'll be long gone. I almost feel sorry for Kareena. Almost. Mother's wrath is going to be spectacular when she discovers what happened. Then again, Kareena always seems to escape the consequences everyone else suffers. Maybe she'll manage it again. Maybe she won't. I guess we'll have to wait and see. As for me? I'm done waiting. The ocean is calling. And this time, I'm answering.