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My face blanched. “No,” I said with a gasp.
She nodded, confirming my fears. “Yes. The sea will be hers.” She shook her head. “It must never happen. The pearl in her hands would be… catastrophic.”
She whipped around, crossing her arms and staring at her books. “Go. I’ll see what I can do here.”
Why does everyone want the pearl?
“Let’s figure it out when we’re out of here,” I said in a whisper. “Let her concentrate.”
We swam out of the cave, Kaga’s water dog joining us. He’d been in the hall with all the bioluminescent creatures the entire time.
Come on, Finn.
The water dog gave a silent yip in response, bouncing all around us. I laughed. “Finn?”
Kaga flipped his fins. For obvious reasons.
We made our way out, and I was glad to leave the heat behind. I preferred the cool water.
When we were finally out, I kicked my fins, floating higher in the sea. “All right. First, the moonflower. Have you heard of it?”
Yes, but it only grows on the island during the full moon, he said.
“That’s as much as I know, too,” I said with a nod. “What else do you know?”
He studied me carefully. I know where it grows. I can lead us to it. We’ll have to go on land.
“Perfect,” I said. “When is the next full moon?”
I’m not sure. Let’s go find out. Kaga grabbed my hand, sending a powerful kick into the water with his fins, propelling us upward.
I laughed as we broke through the surface, our faces bathed in the low light of the sun.
Are we going to be able to walk on land?
I continued to keep my face turned upward, smiling as I soaked in the sun. I loved my sea, but sometimes, a girl just needed some sun.
Finally, I cracked an eyelid and glanced at Kaga. He was staring at me with a strange expression on his face. Part fascination, part something else I couldn’t recognize.
“Yes,” I said. “All mermaids grow legs as we walk onto land. For you, we just take off the necklace. I’ll wear it, since it won’t affect me.”
Kaga grinned. Perfect.
From our spot above the volcano, we could see the outline of the island close by. I smiled. “At least we know where we’re going this time.”
We floated there for a minute, grinning at each other. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed my tail. My eyes widened, and I stuck my head under the water. A small red fish, the size of my hand, had its jaws firmly clamped around my fin. Its beady eyes glared at me as it shook its head, trying to take a chunk out of me.
“Caranthors!” I said, screeching. “Swim!”
We pushed against the water, and we raced toward the island. The nasty little fish lived in pods and ate any flesh they got their mouths on. They could devour merpeople in minutes. They stayed away from villages, but we carried a small metal disc to scare when we traveled. Only one gong kept them away from travelers.
Fortunately, they also gave up easily. We must have swum halfway to the island before I no longer was being nibbled on.
I’m bleeding, Kaga said, bringing his tail up behind him, twisting to look at it.
“Me, too. Let’s get out of the water before sharks find us.”
Before we knew it, we were almost to the island. I didn’t go farther, my face reddening as I peeked at Kaga. “Um. When you take off the necklace, you won’t have any clothes on. My magic can’t give you any.”
