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“Don’t let go, no matter what,” I yelled.
“How long does this last?” Kaga shouted, trying to be heard over the waves crashing.
“Minutes to hours,” I said, shouting in return. Even then, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me.
I clung to Kaga as the storm unleashed its fury upon us, the raging winds whipping through the water. The waves danced chaotically, crashing and rising to an unheard rhythm. The sky crackled with bursts of lightning, illuminating the darkness with its jagged light. Rain poured down in torrents, obscuring our vision and adding to the chaos.
At one point, the waves threw us out of the water, my vision clearing as water flew off us. Dark storm clouds filled the entire sky. The lightning brightened the sky so much it could have been day.
Kaga’s hand flew to the back of my head, pressing my face into his shoulder. We gripped each other tightly, not daring to let go. I cried out as we crashed back into the water, the impact stinging my body.
I refused to cry, making the tears stay in my body from sheer force of will. Kaga shook, but his arms stayed around me like steel bands as we were tossed through the ocean.
Finally, my arms started to tremble, as if they were jellyfish tentacles. Pain made my entire body twitch, and I knew Kaga was experiencing the same. Even so, he kept hold of me, even after the way I’d treated him. My heart cracked a little, but only a little.
I locked my fingers together, praying the storm would end. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the tempest calmed enough for us to let go of each other. We floated in the sea, our shoulders above the surface. My hand reached for his, still unsure if the skies would stay calm. It might have skipped a beat, but I wasn’t going to think about that right now.
Glancing around, I studied our surroundings. No landmarks were in any direction. My shoulders drooped. We were in the farthest reaches of the ocean, very far from home. At least a few days’ journey.
In the distance, lightning crackled and thunder rumbled. “We need to swim as far down as we can,” I said, watching nature’s wrath. “It’ll be calmer.”
I reached my other hand up, loosening Squiggle’s tentacles from my neck. At this rate, I’d have suction marks on my skin. With a sigh, I dragged us below.
“I’ve never seen a storm like that, even on land,” said Kaga, his hand remaining in mine.
“Nature is vicious and has a mind of its own.”
We swam deeper, and I didn’t recognize our surroundings at all. A short distance away, I spotted a cave and aimed for it. We needed the cover for the night. The sea was calmer the farther down we moved, the creatures swimming by us oblivious to the chaos above.
Before I could blink, we were floating in front of the cave. I loosened my hold on Kaga’s hand and peeked inside. It didn’t seem as if anything was living inside, but there were never any guarantees.
“I can’t see anything.”
I grinned. Human eyes weren’t as sharp as ours. We needed them to be, with caverns dotting the sea floor. Plus, to spot creatures from far away. The seashell from my mother gave them tails and the ability to understand intelligent sea creatures, but not our powers. “We’re good. Nothing’s in there.”
In front of the cave were rows and rows of seaweed. I plucked a handful from the ground, just enough to make hammocks, handing the long strands to Kaga. When he reached out to take them, I saw angry red welts across the back of his hand. The same one that had held my head. My chest tightened, but I ignored the strange emotion.
The whole cave was dark, gloomy. Not a single luminescent coral to be seen. At least it was good enough to sleep in. Kaga had a frown on his face when I took half the seaweed from him, glancing around the cave. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“As safe as we’re going to get. We need to make hammocks. Here, watch me.”
Efficiently, I gathered the strands together and showed Kaga how to weave. He stumbled a few times, eventually catching up with me. When we were finished, I tied mine to two stones growing out of the floor.
Kaga did the same, choosing stones right next to me. I raised my eyebrow at him. “You can sleep on that side of the cave.”
He paused, staring at me. “But what if something swims in and tries to eat us?”
I shrugged, settling into my new bed. “Then it was nice knowing you?”
A look of hurt flashed across his face, and I felt an unexpected pang of regret. I sighed, as audibly as possible. Leaving my comfortable hammock, I swam to the entrance. I traced a design in the water in front of me. Power rippled through me and out into the water, until my design glowed, then disappeared. It was a simple rune, designed to keep out harmful creatures. It would only last until morning, but that was enough. “There. You’re going to be safe in here. Nothing is coming in to eat you, I promise.”
I got back into my hammock, Kaga mimicking me. “What was that?”
“Do you think only humans have magic?” I said, adjusting Squiggles on my side. He still wouldn’t let go of me, shuddering now and then. Poor thing.
“What’s being a mermaid princess like?” asked Kaga, his voice quiet.
I looked up at him through my lashes. “Do you really want to know?”
