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A mischievous grin tugged at her lips. “So, if I get Emmaline to sign off on my service idea, you’ll do it?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why not just tell me?”
She lifted her chin. “Because I don’t trust you either,” she said, imitating Dr. Tierney. Then in her own voice she said, “I’m worried that if I tell you, you’ll say no.”
“Then the answer is no.” Sid folded his arms, hoping that would end the discussion.
Jayna raised her eyebrows quizzically. “But if Emmaline thinks it’s a good idea?”
Sid struggled, trying to decide how to answer. Emmaline was an expert at pushing him outside of his comfort zone, but the whole reason she’d set up this Manutai trip was to give him a chance to improve his reputation with the Order. The International Giving Tour event was his best opportunity, so Emmaline would never go along with Jayna’s idea, whatever it was. “If you can get Emmaline to agree, then I’ll do it.”
Chapter 15
Jayna drew in a breath from her merbreather and stared anxiously at Merman Pala as he floated just below the surface on the opposite side of the pool. His broad chest and shoulders, bright golden tail and shield, and long, slender three-pointed trident were all terribly menacing.
She hefted her own trident to find its center of balance. Fortunately, the nasty looking barbs at the tip of the long black weapon were soft and flexible, though they were anything but harmless. Memories of the modest electric shock the trident delivered were enough motivation to avoid the spear points as if they were made of hardened steel.
This match with Pala was incredibly unbalanced, but mermaids and mermen had always competed head-to-head since most contests were designed to favor skill and ability over size and strength. Yet underwater jousting was a new event, created specifically for the Merathlon, and Jayna couldn’t help but feel that the organizers had strayed far from that guiding principle.
She had coaxed a few of her Realms of Neptune merfriends into practicing with her, but none came close to the challenge presented by this large Manutai merman. She had done reasonably well in her test bouts earlier in the day, but she feared her strength would be no match for Pala. Her greatest skill was her ability to jump, which was completely useless when jousting.
Jayna turned her attention to Mermaid Buwan, who floated near the edge of the tank. She wore a black-and-white striped referee’s tail and held a staff topped by a blue-green orb. The orb flashed green, and Jayna launched herself towards Merman Pala, shield raised and trident leveled.
When they met at the center of the tank, Jayna felt a moment of panic. She tried to dodge around him, but he anticipated her move. Jayna was punished with a painful shock that radiated from her left shoulder all down her side.
Hurt and humiliated, she swam to her side of the tank and set up for the next run.
She turned to face Pala again and accepted that simply trying to dodge wasn’t going to work. Maybe if she built up enough speed, she could knock his shield out of the way with her own. A direct assault might surprise him enough to give her an opening.
The orb flashed green and the two mers rushed at each other.
Her attempt to knock Pala’s shield away felt like running into a seawall, and Jayna was tossed up and backwards. The pain of impact was soon joined by a searing shock that ran across her back.
Tired, sore, and embarrassed, Jayna swam to the edge of the pool and set up to try again. She had initially worried that Pala would be too easy on her since she was a girl. Now she wished he had been.
Even though Pala had already won the match, the two mers squared off against each other for the final set, since every run counted for points. Jayna considered forfeiting the last run, but quickly dismissed the idea and moved herself into position.
She squared herself and waited for the green light, but the orb flashed red instead. The official motioned Jayna and Pala to the surface.
Confused, Jayna poked her head above the water, where she saw Kalani waving her over to the side of the pool. Jayna swam to the edge of the tank and pulled herself up onto the ledge.
“Is everything okay?” Kalani asked.
“Yeah, fine,” Jayna said, trying to sound upbeat.
Kalani scoffed. “That’s not how it looks from up here.”
Jayna frowned as the last of her bravado evaporated. “I can’t compete with someone like Merman Pala. He’s too strong. I don’t have a chance.”
Kalani folded his arms. “Yes, he’s strong. But that doesn’t mean you can’t compete.”
“How? I’m faster off the mark, but that means nothing. My strength is no match for his.”
“So, you think you have to match your power against his?”
“That’s what jousting is. Power against power. He has more.”
Kalani shook his head. “But it’s not ‘power against power.’ That’s why you’re doing so poorly.”
