Chapter 24

“What happens now?” Luna asked Hana. They were sitting on a rock that lapped the surface of the water directly above the sacred caves. She guessed she could take this contraption off her head, but with the fuss and bother of getting it on in the first place, it didn’t seem worth it.

Hana and Shen had fitted the helmet on her before they’d swum out here. She’d heard her own breathing, like the rasp of a trapped animal as she’d followed the kraken to the caves. She’d tried not to panic. What if they brought her here and killed her, as they had her mom and dad? But through her fear, she held onto the memory of Kai, of his generous hearts, the sacrifices he had made for her, and that kept the panic at bay.

At the entrance, an official kraken in uniform had fitted her hearing buds, and the speaker.

And then Shen had speared off to join the elders, and Hana had led her into the caves.

Never had Luna seen anything like this aged, becrusted man, Kai’s grandfather. Or the other elders, all different shades of blue, all covered in shells and barnacles. All in half shift. What would they look like, she wondered, in their fully kraken form?

And where was Kai?

She’d startled as she spotted him seated on a rock opposite, had given him a wave of sorts. He’d returned it—she thought. While they waited for proceedings to begin, her eyes had strayed constantly to his beautiful, composed face. It had helped to calm her shredded nerves. She’d felt his long dark eyes on her during her account, realizing he looked more amphibian here. His eyes seemed wider, and she could see gills below his ears. The blue of his skin was somehow more radiant. Otherworldly. Like all the kraken here. You could see their mixed ancestry, the human and kraken forms intermingled.

Now, out here on the rock in the open air, Hana sat calmly, cross-legged, her tentacles laid neatly in front of her. “We wait, they discuss the findings, and then we accept their verdict.”

“So those males get to decide what happens next?”

“That is the way in Thedaka.”

“But… what about women?”

“What about us?”

“Don’t females have a say?”

“Yes, behind the scenes. The way I influenced Shen. If I had not spoken reason to him, quietly, within the privacy of our relationship, you would not be here now. Our feminine power takes place in private.”

“That’s about as antiquated as this mask.” Luna sniffed. “Isn’t it time female kraken had a public voice?” But then, what did she know? Sure, she had grown up and found her way in Motham as a female. But as one of a few outcast humans, she had no community, no roots, no history. All she knew, she’d taught herself out of necessity.

So how could she criticize the kraken culture? But still, she couldn’t let it rest. “What did you say that persuaded Shen to go to the elders?”

Hana didn’t speak, just shifted on her tentacles.

“When I mentioned Tomas, your whole demeanor changed. I saw it in your eyes.” Still, Hana did not speak. Luna turned impetuously, then winced as the heaviness of the helmet made her neck twinge. “Why will you not tell me?”

“I have nothing to tell,” Hana said quietly. But Luna noticed that the tentacles in her lap twitched sharply.

“I know that’s not true. Please, you know something about Tomas. Or does being female give away your right to speak with me too?”

Hana’s face tightened; she wrapped her tentacles around herself.

Luna pressed on. “You met him, didn’t you?”

Hana huffed a sigh. “Yes,” she said softly. “And the last I saw of him, Luna, he was alive.”

“And then?—”

“And then he disappeared from Thedaka.”

Luna buried her head in her hands, or at least tried to, but for this damn contraption. This was unbearably hard, all of it.

Suddenly Hana said, “My mother was a nurse. She adapted the unit you are wearing to help your brother breathe.”

“W-what?” Luna turned her head and blinked at the blurry image of Hana behind the glass. This old helmet… it had saved her brother. Suddenly Luna was no longer angry with the contraption.

“Surely it would have been too big?”

“We made a smaller-fitting piece around his face and hung the body of the mask on the side of his cot.”

“How did you feed him?”

Hana laughed softly. “Mom made a separate tube, and we fed him dolphin milk, because they are warm-blooded like humans. But he was not with us long.”

“Where did he go?”

“He was taken away—elsewhere. That is all I know, Luna. I promise. And I shouldn’t even have told you that. This is why you are here. Because I knew that much of your story was the truth.”

The sound of a heavy gong echoed up from the water.

“They are calling us back now,” Hana explained. “Come, my dear.”

When they entered the court cave, Razad took to the podium.

And beside him was Kai, beautiful, and somehow more powerful than an hour ago. He stood proud, shoulders back, spine erect.

“Your version of recent events has been verified by trusted sources,” Razad said solemnly. “You did not leak the photos of Kai. They were indeed stolen by the selkie, as you recounted. Your decision to renounce the title will be accepted. You will make a statement to the media that you faked you were drowning, and out of the kindness of his heart, Kai let you go. You then falsely claimed victory when you reached the surface.”

Luna bowed her head, clasping her fingers together until she was sure they would snap like twigs.

“In return, we admit the following.” He cleared his throat. “Your parents’ boat was sunk in a kraken attack fifteen years ago. It was mistaken for a pirate ship by our chief naval officer at the time. Your brother was saved by one of our military nursing personnel. After that, a search was conducted of the surrounding seas, but no other bodies were found.” Another longer pause. “We, the people of Thedaka, apologize to you for the pain and suffering you incurred as a child due to this wrecking. There will be no other monetary compensation except to allow you to keep the prize money. You will return the trophy.”

Luna waited, her breath wheezing in the mask.

“With regard to your brother, he is alive and well, and living in a Mer colony south of Motham City.”

Luna let out a yelp of joy.

“You will be accompanied by one of our people to visit him there. What happens after that is for you and your sibling to decide. Kai has requested that he accompany you. He has been granted his request, on condition that you sever all contact with each other following this, and never seek to interact with any of our race again. You must never speak of your meeting with the elders here today. To anyone. Is that clear?”

Once again, Luna’s gaze locked with Kai’s. Happiness and sadness vied in her heart.

“Oh gods, oh thank you, thank you.” She prostrated herself on the Rock of Truth.

“Do you agree to these terms?”

“Yes, yes…” She tried to force the words “you will sever all contact” out of her mind, tried to focus only on the joy of finding Tomas.

“All rise now. This meeting is adjourned. You will be escorted back to shore, the press will meet with you at noon. And later today, Kai will escort you to the Mer colony. After that, it is over. You will never go near my grandson again. Do you understand?”

Luna’s mouth went dry. Never see Kai again? It lodged like a shard of ice in her chest. But what choice did she have? “I understand.”

As the elders filed out, she tried to keep her gaze averted from Kai. But as he passed by the rock, she couldn’t help but look at him. They stared at each other for long moments, and she knew he could see her eyes behind the glass. He smiled, but it was tinged with sorrow.

Tomorrow they would be together again.

For a few more days.

And then they would say goodbye.

Forever.