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Wave Song
BY EMMA HAMM
Alys Fairweather has always loved the sea. So when her father gets the opportunity to build a city beneath the waves, she is the first in the submarine with him. She never expected to discover an entire species of merfolk living there. And she certainly didn’t expect to find one of them so captivating. But the song of the waves is one she has never been able to deny, even when that temptation comes in the form of a battle scarred merman.
Chapter
One
The sea breeze tangled in her hair, toying with the blonde ends and sweeping them into her face. Waves crashed against the sides of her submarine, one of the first designed by her father, and even though some of the salty water slid inside the vessel, she wasn’t worried. Alys Fairweather had never been afraid of the sea.
Her father had sent her out on this mission on her own. As this was the first time she’d ever piloted a sub without his careful gaze upon her, she knew this was an important mission to do well. If she was lucky, then she’d be the person to scout out the next area for their cities to be built.
Shielding her eyes from the sun, she glanced back at the mountain that had already spewed lava from its top. The volcanos were angry today, and soon the sky would be swallowed by dark ash. It was best if she got back underneath the water.
And yet...
She watched the billowing cloud extend toward her through the air. The madness of excitement coursed through her veins and she stood there, staring down death itself for a few more moments before disappearing into the sub. The top clanged shut behind her, and a small giggle of elation escaped her lips.
She shouldn’t toy with nature like that. Her father would be horrified to know she was taking so many risks when he had taught her to be careful in every way possible. Especially under the sea.
Sliding into her seat, she buckled herself in as the world went dark. Volcanic ash blocked the sun completely, which meant soon the water temperatures around her would rise.
The sharp click of her seatbelt echoed in the small sub. It was little more than a bubble. Just a circle that was filled with endless equipment and tools. There were hundreds of buttons on the walls, gauges and meters for every possible element she could control.
The front of the sub was made out of very thick glass. And the entirety of the ocean was laid out before her, like there was nothing standing in her way. She was in a pristine submarine that was made to survive almost any circumstance. Other than a small chip on the top right of the circular dome, but that had been a mistake when she’d been first learning how to drive this.
She was better now. And certainly didn’t run into that many rocks.
Grabbing the two control sticks in front of her, one for speed and one for direction, she plunged into the darkness of the sea. The lights on the front of her submarine helped guide her sometimes, but most of the time, it was just pure darkness down here.
Those were her favorite spots. Her father always scolded her about it, saying that she was a reckless young woman who would find herself sunk at the bottom of the sea if she wasn’t careful. But she lived for moments when all the world fell away and it was just her and the ocean.
Sometimes she got lucky, and there were deep-sea creatures that appeared in her lights. Giant squid. Whales. Strange fish with lights attached to their heads or bioluminescent bodies thatglowed the moment they realized there could be a predator in their midst.
But today was not one of those days. She couldn’t go into the depths of the ocean just to see how deep the structural integrity of her ship could take. She had to zip through the waters, farther and farther away from what she knew to be her home.
Leaning forward, she flicked a red switch that opened up the communication channel with her favorite droid friend. “Hello there, Beta Epsilon Iota.”
“Good morning, Alys.”
“Is it morning still?” She twisted one of the controllers, curving the sub around a pillar of stone, perhaps a little too quickly. A few panels in front of her flashed red, then calmed back down once she righted the sub.
“Your father has always said you are reckless in steering,” the droid grumbled. “I am certain anyone else would also agree with him.”
“I’m not reckless,” she said with a laugh, tilting the sub at another dangerous angle that flashed more red throughout the inner pod. “I’m just faster than other people. I know the limits of the machine.”
“And how much whale oil is left?”
Alys wasn’t sure about that. There were solar panels on the top of the sub that she usually relied on if she ran out of fuel. Of course... There was no sun today.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “How much farther do I have?”
“Approximately three miles.”
“And how far are we from Alpha?”
The droid paused for dramatics. “Sixteen.”
