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Kaga swam off. This was what I’d been reduced to: following a water dog through the ocean with a water mage. Ugh.
“Are you coming or what?” asked Kaga, glancing back at me.
“Yes, yes. Hold your seahorses,” I said, grumbling. With a powerful swish of my tail, I caught up to him in seconds and we were off following his water dog.
My ocean was in a good mood today. We swam through at a leisurely pace. Now that we knew our way home, I wasn’t exactly in a hurry. Mother would immediately have questions about what happened, especially when she saw the remnants of Kaga’s wounds. I couldn’t heal scars quite like her, despite my extensive practice. The longer we had for them to heal, the better for me.
The gentle current flowed over our skin as we cut through the water. Thin rays of sunlight shone down from above, illuminating the sea life around us. A giant sea turtle swam by us, causing Kaga to stop in awe. I hid a smile behind my hand, waving my other to encourage the fish to come out of the coral. Curious, they popped their little heads out, and I pointed them out to Kaga.
He floated toward them slowly, his water dog pausing, studying the fish darting playfully around the reef. “I’ve never seen fish so colorful.”
“The sea is full of treasure. Probably why your mages are obsessed with destroying it,” I blurted. I gritted my teeth, shoving that small pang of regret down where it belonged.
“I wouldn’t say obsessed,” said Kaga, looking deep into my eyes.
I snorted and turned around before my heart responded to his soul-piercing stare. Swimming up to the water dog, I stayed there, waiting for Kaga to catch up.
His pet shot off, and we continued. I twirled around; the fish darted up to me. I laughed as they playfully nipped me. “What?” I asked when I saw Kaga’s face.
“Are you more fish or human?”
“You are so rude. You just don’t ask a mermaid that.”
“Is it cannibalism when a mermaid eats a fish?”
I opened my mouth to retort, but both our stomachs grumbled at the same time. I laughed. “I honestly never thought about it.”
I dove toward the sea floor and searched around until I found what I wanted; an older fish, barely moving its fins.
I reached my hand out, and it swam up to me, laying its head into my hand. It struggled to breathe, its gills flapping in the current. “Thank you for your sacrifice,” I said. Carefully, I drew out its life-force, waiting as it stilled. Gently, I held the fish. We swam to a clear part of the sea floor. We sat down in the sand, our tails turned to the side.
Kaga stared open-mouthed at me as I prepared and cooked the fish, thanks to mermaid magic. Our ancestors gained the ability to cook food under water when we first came to the sea. Thankfully, too, otherwise we’d only be eating plain raw fish and seaweed. Gross. Those who wanted to be chefs trained their magic specially to make fantastic foods. I knew how to make the basics, but that was the extent of my abilities.
First, I plucked out a sharp scale from my tail, using the razor-sharp edge to gut and chop the fish. Next, I created a bubble around the fish, ensuring that the water around didn’t spread away. I blew on the bubble, and within seconds, the water started boiling inside. While I waited for it to cook, I fixed the scale back into my tail.
Once it finished cooking, I blew on the bubble again, causing the water to cool. When it cooled, I reached in and grabbed the fish, halving it and handing him his portion.
“That was amazing,” he said, examining his food. “You didn’t even use a fire.”
I ignored his compliment. “What are you going to tell your parents when we get back?”
Kaga grimaced. “The truth? We got caught in a storm and made it home. Thankfully.”
“Don’t tell them about how I healed you,” I said, taking a bite of my fish.
“Why?”
I shrugged, not quite knowing myself. For one, I didn’t need the extra attention my mother would show me. She would probably twist it into a way to prove to herself that I am ready to be queen, since I put aside my hate for humans to heal one. No doubt she would pile on more responsibilities. That was the last thing I wanted.
Kaga popped a piece of fish into his mouth. “Wow. I can’t believe I’m eating a fish you cooked underwater.” He shook his head. “The things I’ve seen these past few days.”
“Have you ever been caught in a storm before?” I asked, curious to know the answer. Kaga’s parents didn’t seem like the type to go out in a storm willingly. I handed a few pieces of fish to Squiggles, who gladly took them.
“No, never. We always stay inside when the storms roll in. On the island, they can be incredible. I’ve never been caught in one, though.” He finished his food and floated to a standing position. “Thank you for the food. It was incredible.”
“You should see what our chefs can do,” I said, swallowing the last of my fish. “They can make the most incredible dishes out of fish and rice and seaweed.”
“Rice?” he said incredulously. “How do you get rice down here?”
