A Twist of Tides: The Atlantis Trilogy

By Hannah Carter

Reanna glimpsed the depths of Atlantis, and now she must survive the consequences.

After Reanna's ill-fated attempt to stop Atlantis' war, the Council of Solis holds her life and the lives of her friends in their hands.

But amidst this turbulence, the legendary mermaid Thessalonike reappears with a guardianship offer. She takes Reanna and Co. to her underwater library, but her training is not what they expect. Nor is her end goal, which involves reconstructing the trident of Atlantis with the help of Reanna's long-lost cousin Marri and without the Council's sanction.

In the face of Thessalonike's tactics, the ever-growing danger of the war, and the weight of their own dueling desires, Reanna's found family must decide whether they will pull together, or if the twisted tides will rip them apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SnowRidge Press
• Release date: Jun 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227187901

Book preview

A Twist of Tides

Hannah Carter

A TWIST OF TIDES

The Atlantis Trilogy Book 2

© 2023 by Hannah Carter

Published by Snowridge Press

www.snowridgepress.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

This volume contains works of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by Miblart Design

Interior Formatting by Dragonpen Designs

Contents

Dedication

Trigger Warnings

Fullpage Image

PART 1

1.Thessalonike

2.Reanna

3.Trevor

4.Reanna

5.Reanna

6.Laile

PART II

7.Reanna

8.Reanna

9.Reanna

10.Reanna

11.Reanna

12.Reanna

13.Reanna

14.Laile

15.Adam

16.Adam

17.Laile

18.Reanna

19.Trevor

20.Adam

21.Trevor

22.Reanna

23.Trevor

24.Thessalonike

25.Reanna

26.Adam

PART III

27.Reanna

28.Reanna

29.Reanna

30.Reanna

31.Thessalonike

32.Adam

33.Adam

34.Adam

PART IV

35.Reanna

36.Trevor

37.Trevor

38.Trevor

39.Trevor

40.Reanna

41.Thessalonike

42.Adam

43.Adam

44.Reanna

45.Reanna

46.Reanna

PART V

47.Adam

48.Laile

49.Laile

50.Adam

51.Adam

52.Adam

53.Reanna

54.Reanna

55.Laile

56.Laile

57.Adam

58.Reanna

59.Reanna

60.Reanna

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

More from Snowidge Press

To Beka, Mariella, and Savanna— Thanks for always reminding me I am not a burden and I am not a bother: I am a beloved bloodthirsty vampire.

Trigger Warnings

A Twist of Tides deals with some subject matter that some readers may find disturbing. While these are real issues that people face, they can be upsetting. Please know that we have tried to portray these sensitively, but understand that everyone has different tolerance levels. As such, some triggers include—

A scene of implied rape, nothing explicit shown on page (Chapter 12 for those who would wish to skim/skip)

Fantasy violence/bloodshed

Death

Anxiety

Depression

PTSD

Child abuse from a parental figure (physical, mental, and emotional)

Kidnapping

War

Some people may also find Reanna’s intense self-loathing to be overwhelming. There are also some key moments from Reanna’s perspective in which the reader must be aware that these are her thoughts as she struggles with guilt, self-blame, and self-hatred. These sentiments are not the truth of the matter, and should not be treated as fact nor the opinion of the author or publisher.

We hope that you enjoy A Twist of Tides, and, if you have experienced any of these, know that you are not alone. Many people around the world go through the same things, but fear and shame often tell us that we are isolated, unique in our suffering. If you are struggling, please feel free to send a message to @mermaidhannahwrites on Instagram. If you need a safe place, we can find solace and community together.

Love,

Hannah

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PART 1

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1

Thessalonike

Gaia: Amatheia Sea

Thessalonike stared at her magic mirror as the proceedings drudged on for yet another day. It seemed to her that politics rarely solved anything; all those flowery orations did was cause petty squabbles. In the end, neither side would be willing to concede an inch, all in the name of pride.

And the girl, Reanna…What a conundrum. She sat on the stand with that soggy sleeve in her mouth once more; it was a wonder the child didn’t have a thousand diseases already with all the things she stuck in her mouth. And yet, she sat silent as the politicians hurled both accusations and plaudits her way.

A touch to the glass on the wall silenced the mirror, and Thessalonike took great satisfaction as the farce of a Council meeting faded away to her own reflection. She’d sent them a message weeks ago in which she expressed her intentions to join them. But by Poseidon’s temple, watching those proceedings made her drag her fins about showing up.

She turned away from the mirror and swam across the room to the rows of books, papyrus and lambskin scrolls, and strips of seaweed parchment that lined the opposing wall. Stopping before them, she addressed them aloud. Though some people might scoff at her, she regarded these tomes as her compatriots. Humans tend to be bumbling messes, and mermaids make a muck of things. Is it no wonder that both of them in one body together is a catastrophe?

Though her literary friends said nothing, she imagined their concurrence, if only because books were filled with heaps of bumbling, mucking catastrophes.

Thessalonike flicked her purple fluke to propel her closer to the door. For so long, she’d shunned any companionship of the non-literary variety. Who could blame her? Her last encounters with non-fictional beings had been so filled with despair and death that she had sworn never to bother with their problems again…until a mermaid showed up at her doorstep. An orphan with no shortage of her own messes, she was intelligent, intriguing, and—most of all—inventive. She knew how to solve her own problems.

She even proposed solutions for the entire continent of Solis’ problems.

So, the weary librarian had been drawn into her visitor’s schemes and could no longer turn a blind eye to the world’s suffering. Not when the enormity of the issues grew so severe that it threatened to crush the entire dimension of Gaia. And since Thessalonike still inhabited the world and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future—even after this batch of mortals passed away—she felt it necessary to intervene before they destroyed themselves.

Besides—

She’d run out of things to read.

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A few days later, Thessalonike—now clad in legs, which tended to be better suited on land—addressed the Council with all the authority she claimed through her birthright. Ever since her own son had tried to murder her over the throne, she’d cared little for politics and even less for politicians. The ones sitting in front of her seemed to be the decent sort, if long-winded. But years…no, centuries…perhaps millennia—she’d lost count somewhere along the line—had taught her to be shrewd in her interactions with people.

It has come to my attention that you cannot seem to decide on a fit punishment for Princess Reanna and her compatriots. Thessalonike stood on a raised platform and addressed the auditorium. It reminded her of an outdoor theater, like the one dedicated to Apollo in Delphi, with the Council performing as the audience and herself as their evening entertainment. An immortal mermaid fresh from her hermitage, and she knew her physical appearance did not match what they expected. After all, she was not a withered, gnarled crone with a hooknose, nor a hunched-over figure stricken with arthritis and covered in wrinkles.

It almost made her smile, to wonder what they thought of her. But in the same moment, she also could not be bothered to care.

We’re at an impasse, yes, one of the male Council members—Thessalonike did not care enough to keep them all straight, but the one that looked as ancient as Thessalonike sometimes felt—said. They butchered an undercover operation to rescue the elves, nearly got themselves killed, and caused the deaths of an innumerable amount of people—

But they had the best of intentions and did rescue some elves, another male representative—younger, swarthier, and more muscular than the one before—interjected. They did it with good intentions, so we shouldn’t be too hard on them.

You’re letting your paternal love cloud your judgment, Damien, one of the other members growled. Your daughter’s fate is on the line, and you can’t see fit to punish her as we ought. The law is clear on what we should do—

Thessalonike sighed. As this Council so adequately demonstrated, the only thing that politics did well was sever bonds between people. Turn the children over to me.

Whispers flew around the auditorium. Another downside to dealing with flesh-and-blood versus ink on paper: the fact people could talk back to her.

And talk back they did. A new Council member addressed Thessalonike this time—female, with bright, garish clothing. Pardon my insolence, but—

If you truly wanted to be pardoned for your insolence, then you wouldn’t speak. Perhaps we can skip the formalities and get to your real point?

The rebuked member had apparently lost either her point or her insolence and refused to speak. Thessalonike nodded, her one naysayer properly chastised. Perfect. Please send the children to me immediately. I am afraid that if we tarry, all of Gaia will die.

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2

Reanna

Gaia: District of Capital City

Reanna knocked on the front door of the apartment next to hers—one of the few she was able to visit under her house arrest—but didn’t wait for an answer. She turned the knob and crept into the dark kitchen.

From this vantage point, she could spy Laeserno slumped on a leather chair in the adjoining room. Melancholy violin music drifted from a phonograph that sat next to him. A few slats of light peeked in through the drawn curtains and illuminated the carpet in jagged stripes.

Reanna tightened her grip on the black azernos in her arms. The creature—Whisper—meowed in response. Reanna could imagine that, had the shapeshifter been in a humanoid form right then, she’d receive a good tongue-lashing for her rough handling. Azernos looked like the Gaian equivalent of a house cat, and this one possessed all the feline sass as well.

Laeserno? Reanna tiptoed through the kitchen to the family room. The elf seated in the wingback chair didn’t stir, but she could see his elbow as it rested on the armrest.

She hoped he wasn’t dead. She didn’t think she could stomach finding another dead body.

Reanna cleared her throat. Her voice wobbled a bit as she tried again. Laeserno, please. You’re alive, aren’t you?

Please expound upon your definition of ‘alive.’ His voice came out gravelly and low. Clinically, I assume so, as much as I wish it were otherwise.

Reanna dropped Whisper onto the carpet as she crept around to the front of the chair. There, she faced her friend and tried not to wince at how awful he looked. In the dim lighting, Laeserno’s unruly red hair seemed black-and-white. He sat in rumpled clothing, a loose white shirt and matching pants. His finger curled around his lips—these days, a thick layer of facial hair covered his chin and made him seem much older than he looked. Elf ages were hard to judge. Regardless, he had probably been alive some centuries, but still only looked in his late thirties or early forties.

His lifeless violet eyes stared right through her. But I assume you did not come solely to ask me that question.

It was one of many questions. Reanna glanced at the plate of food that sat untouched on the coffee table. For one, I wanted to make sure you ate today.

Laeserno grunted. His cheeks seemed sallow and gaunt, and dark bags resided underneath his eyes.

For a second thing… I didn’t know if anyone had told you yet, but the Council decided what to do with Laile, me, Trevor, and Adam. Reanna’s voice wobbled as she listed her friends.

A little over a month ago, she, Laile, Laeserno, and their wizard friend Gregory had attempted to rescue captive elves from a concentration camp. They’d managed to get a few hundred out, but their actions had almost exposed a Council spy and caused the genocide of thousands of elves—including Laeserno’s wife and child, the former of which had been murdered right in front of them.

Reanna swallowed. Sometimes, in her nightmares, she could still see Rosaelina’s dark, twisted veins as Violante used dark magic to destroy the elf from the inside out.

Reanna’s teeth started to chatter as a bit of panic set in, and she stuck one of her blonde curls into her mouth. There. That helped to control her nerves a little.

What did they decide to do with you? Laeserno asked flatly.

"They decided earlier today to send us to Thessalonike. The mystic mermaid librarian herself. She wants to train me and stuff so I know how to be a good queen when my mother’s finally dead, I guess. If I even get to be queen. I don’t know if people will accept the daughter of a homicidal maniac. Reanna mumbled this with her hair still in her mouth. We leave tomorrow. But I wanted to make sure you’re taken care of, too." At least if she focused all her anxiety on Laeserno, she didn’t have to acknowledge the fear that lurked just outside her subconscious for her own future. Thessalonike could be mean… She could hate Reanna… She could be secretly working for Arana—

No, Reanna had to stop thinking before she threw up. Laeserno. She needed to make sure Laeserno was okay.

She nodded her head to Whisper at her feet. Whisper’s not coming with us because the Council doesn’t know that he was a conspirator.

Whisper shifted between his forms in a second. Instead of an azernos, a tall, dark-headed man in a deep purple suit stood next to Reanna. He leaned against the window and flicked a strand of hair out of his face. Perks of being considered a loyal household pet with no one the wiser of my shapeshifting abilities: I can’t be prosecuted for any crimes.

Reanna rolled her eyes. Right. With that being said, I asked Whisper if he would watch you. She sucked in a fortifying breath and used her best British accent to channel her inner Lucy Pevensie. After all, you need him more than I do.

Whisper snorted. Was that supposed to be a Reggerian accent? That was the worst Reggerian accent I’ve ever heard.

What? Reanna’s face flushed. She’d not been to Reggeria, the spellcaster country on the eastern seaboard of Solis, mostly because it was currently the frontline of the war. But her friend, Gregory, had been sent there last month. No, it was supposed to be a British—oh, never mind. Stop ruining the moment with your sarcasm.

Whisper smirked. Sarcasm never ruins the moment, dear. It only enhances it.

Reanna sighed and chewed harder on her hair, turning to Laeserno again. Anyway, the point stands. Now this nuisance is yours, not mine. She gestured to the azernos. Cynerra said it’s okay, too.

In fact, Laile’s mother had been insistent. Though she and Whisper shared a special bond—he’d protected the water fairy since she was a teen, and now he looked after her large family as well—she’d been adamant that Laeserno needed protection more than she did.

Laeserno took a deep breath and shifted forward in his seat. He reached for a crumpled piece of paper, which lay beside the plate of untouched food on the coffee table. Slowly, his fingers closed around the page and he drew it back to him, each movement painfully slow and methodical. Did you know… He held the paper between two fingers, though Reanna squinted to make out the writing in the dim light. That Shaesia had a little sister?

Reanna flinched. Memories of Shaesia fluttered through her mind. For the longest time, she had viewed Shaesia as a savior because the elf had rescued six-year-old Reanna, switched her tail for legs, and sent her to live on Earth with a wonderful adoptive family, one much nicer than the abusive mother Reanna had grown up with.

When that same mother—Queen Arana—declared war on the elves around a year ago, Laeserno had betrayed Shaesia and turned her over to Arana to protect his wife and child, Rosaelina and Maesie.

But Laeserno’s family had ended up dead, and Shaesia stabbed Reanna the last time the two met. Still, the encounter seemed odd in Reanna’s mind. Shaesia had repeated something about Arana’s big plans and blood curses. To compound issues, the Council insisted that they had a spy in Arana’s court, which made Reanna hope that Shaesia was undercover instead of a traitor who had joined Arana to save her own skin.

I… No. I didn’t know she had a little sister. Reanna shifted her weight between her feet. She never told me.

I would have been surprised if she mentioned it to you, considering you lived with Shaesia eleven years ago, and this little girl is only six. Laeserno glanced at the letter before his gaze landed on Reanna. But she exists. Her name is Caermin. A delightful girl with a hearty knowledge of insults for such a delicate age. It seems she is living among the vampires because Shaesia feared some evil might befall herself and did not wish for her sister to be captured by Arana. Laeserno’s voice cracked. Little Caermin wrote to me. I do not know how she got my address, but it seems she has heard that I traded her last living family member to Arana. He cleared his throat. She wanted to make her hatred for me abundantly clear. I have never been so thoroughly insulted by a letter written in crayon.

Reanna reached out and snagged the letter. She winced several times while she scanned it. She seems—um—

Incensed?

I was going to say precocious. Reanna swallowed. Listen, Laeserno. Don’t let this get to you. Though she’d struggled to forgive Laeserno after she learned of his betrayal, she found it hard to remain angry after she’d witnessed his family slaughtered. After she’d seen how he took care of her and her friends on their trip to the concentration camp, how he’d restored her mermaid powers. She’s mad, but Shaesia is alive. And we can hope that one day, after this whole mess is over, the two of them can be reunited, and they’ll both forgive you.

Laeserno snorted. I do not deserve their forgiveness. I traded them to a sorceress who broke her word to me. I trusted her like a blind, ignorant fool.

You happen to be a living being caught in a war, Whisper cut in. No surprise, you made a mistake. But you had good intentions, and we all make mistakes. Whisper crossed his arms over his chest. Everyone deserves a little forgiveness.

I disagree. Laeserno’s jaw clenched. Violante does not deserve forgiveness. Rosaelina and Maesie did not deserve to die, and I will never forgive that sorceress for what she did.

Whisper cocked his head. All right. I might give you one point there.

Reanna sighed. Laeserno—please. I need to know that you’re going to be okay. Please eat while I’m gone. Maybe bathe. Look into a shave, I dunno. She leaned forward and squeezed his knee. Be here when I get back, whenever that is, okay?

Laeserno shrugged.

Reanna huffed and turned her attention to Whisper. You better keep him alive.

Whisper saluted with two-fingers. If I kept Cynerra safe from cannibalistic centaurs, I believe I can keep our elf friend safe from the demons of his own mind.

Reanna shook her head. She knew all too well how powerful demons inside the mind could be. They fought daily to drown her, and sometimes, they came very close to keeping her trapped beneath the waves.

She wrapped her arms around Laeserno’s neck. I mean it. Stay with me, okay? We need you. I want you to be here when I come back. Well—maybe not here, in this chair, as in you haven’t moved in months, but—you know. Here.

Laeserno grunted, but he returned her embrace nevertheless. I cannot make any promises, Reanna.

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3

Trevor

Gaia: Skies Over Kirova

Have I mentioned yet today that Solis looks like a kindergartener’s lucid dream? Trevor Spencer reclined in his seat in the dragon-ship— a dragon-ship. If Trevor had a bingo card for things he thought he’d see in his life, a dragon-ship wouldn’t have been on his first card—or second.

Or third.

But he sat in some kind of cross between an airplane and a pirate ship; it resembled the latter, except for the giant, metallic dragon wings that flapped to keep it propelled. And on the inside, it looked like a fancy train car: a pair of seats that faced each other with a table in between them and a giant chandelier suspended from the ceiling.

Adam East rolled his blue-gray eyes. You’re really great at respecting other cultures, you know that? He had claimed the window seat when they came in and, right now, rested his head against the porthole.

A porthole.

Trevor sighed. Listen, I’m just saying—I don’t even know how this thing stays in the air. It defies all known laws of aviation.

Yeah, well, so does the bumblebee, and it flies. Adam grinned and pulled his wiry legs up to his chest. When Trevor had first met the kid, he’d decided that the best way to describe Adam was a feral cat.

It was pretty apt.

Actually, it’s not that hard, Adam continued. It’s science mixed with magic. Gaia doesn’t have to sacrifice aesthetics for physics. Whenever natural laws won’t do, they just buy a packaged spell or have an elf or spellcaster enchant it.

Trevor shook his head. Right. Even after a little over a month, he didn’t think he’d ever get adjusted to Gaia and magic. Going back to the Earth—his world—would, quite frankly, suck after this. But with the existence of magic, what could he do besides exist? When he thought about it, he felt like the kid in The Two Towers movie, the one at Helm’s Deep being handed an ax and too-big chain mail before being thrust into battle. Which also sucked, because all Trevor really wanted to be was Aragorn, and in Gaia, he had the tiniest sliver of a chance.

Besides, he was stuck here, so he might as well make the best of it.

Above him, a chandelier swayed gently with the beat of the dragon-ship’s wings. Since his brain had failed to create a witty comeback to Adam’s little school lesson, Trevor turned his attention elsewhere. He swiveled in his seat and peeked over the edge to see his arch-nemesis—and unwitting enrollee in Trevor Spencer’s School of Hard Knocks—Reanna Cook. She stared off into the distance, her back to him. A smirk twisted his lips upward. Nothing like a little interruption to spruce things up a bit.

Hey. He poked the top of her head. You wanna switch seats with me? I know flight time is a prime time for making out. I’d hate to get in the way of you and your boyfriend swapping spit.

Reanna whirled around, the top of her head almost colliding with his chin. "Trevor Spencer, Adam is not my boyfriend!"

Trevor gestured toward the fourteen-year-old, who’d gone beet red. Are you sure? Seems like you guys have undeniable chemistry.

I wish you’d run away and join the ogres, Reanna hissed, her face inches apart from Trevor's.

Can’t, Trevor whispered back. You said so yourself. They don’t live on Solis.

I’ll gladly have this dragon-ship fly you where they do live. Reanna jabbed his arm. "Or better yet, I’ll show you some undeniable chemistry. How about spontaneous combustion? Go ahead. You can demonstrate."

Stop! Adam grabbed Trevor’s shoulders and yanked him down. You two have done nothing but pick on each other since Trevor and I got here. Adam sighed, and Reanna’s eyes drifted between Adam and Trevor.

A blush traveled over her cheeks, and she stuffed a blonde curl into her mouth. Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.

Yeah, well… Adam slouched back in his seat. Then just try to get along.

"We are getting along. This is our thing. Right, Re?" Trevor grinned. Nothing gave him greater joy than taking his job as headmaster at the School of Hard Knocks seriously. He’d invented a very rigorous training, and they couldn’t slack off just because they’d entered a new dimension. In fact, one might say that toughening Reanna up was even more important here. It was hard, being so good at his job and never taking a single day off.

Reanna rolled her gray-green eyes. You are such a child, Trevor. I wish we had a portal up and running so I could boot you back to Earth.

Yeah, I’m not sure if you can do that. It’s illegal to cross state borders if you’re in trouble with the law on Earth. I’m sure it’s illegal to cross dimensional borders if you’re in trouble here in Gaia. Trevor prodded her forehead. Which is so unfair, by the way. I wasn’t even there when the Council told you not to go, and I wasn’t there in the doomed battle of the concentration camp. I just had the bad luck to stumble onto your sorry, semi-dead tail after all the excitement was over, right before punishments were doled out.

Well, nobody asked you to save my semi-dead tail. Reanna shoved him away as a peal of thunder cracked outside. The chandelier swayed again, and Trevor noticed she curled her knees up to her chin and gripped her jeans hard enough to turn her knuckles white—so he flicked her shoulder. She whipped her head around and glared at him, which brought another grin to his face.

Beside Reanna, the fourth and final member of their little juvenile delinquent team had her dark head on the table, mouth agape, with her straight brown hair all askew. But even Trevor knew not to make a crack about Laile. Reanna’s former guardian had not only been kidnapped and tortured, but her best friend had been shipped to the frontlines of the battlefield. Trevor understood—if depression and an early morning weren’t enough to make her tired beyond belief, the pain meds would have knocked her out cold.

Another crack of thunder, and Laile still didn’t wake. Reanna leaned over and rested her head on the slumbering fairy’s shoulder.

And Trevor’s gaze slithered over to the warden—or, excuse him, guardian—that sat on the other side. Truth be told, she didn’t look like an Earth warden. In fact, she looked all of twelve and maybe seventy pounds. Her long, dark brown hair fell past her waist in curls, but her eyes were what made him shiver. Color-wise, they weren’t anything spectacular—a dark brown that bordered on black. But the way she stared at them all, like she wouldn’t mind murdering them, set him on edge. Trevor couldn’t help but feel that something sinister lurked beneath her childlike persona.

It didn’t help that Thessalonike—as the warden had introduced herself—was actually the immortal sister of Alexander the Great and probably knew how to kill all of them in hundreds of unique ways…most of which had more than likely been banned as cruel and unusual in the millennia since she’d ditched Earth.

Thessalonike crossed to a porthole and peered outside. Lightning illuminated her face for a moment before another clap of thunder echoed throughout the cabin. The chandelier swayed some more.

This storm is getting worse, Reanna commented. Should we land soon?

Yes. I had hoped to have the pilot take us right to my Library, but we may have to make an emergency landing on the beach and swim out. Thessalonike sighed. Your mother is throwing a tantrum it seems. As far as I can tell, the Council did a good job of keeping your survival a secret. If your story about being stabbed is true and Arana believes you are dead, we are going to use that to our advantage.

Reanna winced. Trevor noticed that her hand went to her stomach, around the spot where she’d been impaled a few weeks ago. He didn’t understand how she’d survived, but he could only assume that it’d been some freaky magic thing. Good thing she had, too—as the inaugural class in his School of Hard Knocks, it wouldn’t look good if he lost all his students before graduation. Zero percent survival rate tended to defer future applications.

Above, the lights flickered. Trevor glanced at Adam; the boy had twisted around in his seat and now stared at the girls on the other side. Rain splattered against the windows and metal ceiling, the sound echoing through the nearly-empty cabin.

Trevor had never watched a horror movie—he just couldn’t get into all the fake gore and stupid characters that made Reanna look like a genius—but the atmosphere right now sure seemed like the start of a good one to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if William Shatner materialized on the seat beside them and started ranting about creatures on the wings of the dragon-ship.

Hey. He shifted so he could lean over the edge and position himself right next to Reanna’s ear. You said ogres are on a different continent, right? Well…what about the Kraken?

Reanna swallowed. You know, I think that might be something my mother keeps as a pet.

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4

Reanna

Gaia: Amatheia Beach, Kirova

Rain beat against Reanna as the angry, frothing sea slammed against the shoreline. She held up a hand and tried to control some of the droplets, but when her magic proved too weak, she settled for using her hand to block the elements the old-fashioned way.

Thessalonike’s earlier prediction had come true; the dragon-ship couldn’t navigate in the storm to drop them off at the Library, so the pilot had deposited the group at the beach and left them to battle the squall on their own.

The wind crashed into Reanna and pressed her closer to Laile. The gem fairy had crafted a diamond cane for herself before the landscape had fully transitioned from dirt to sand, and she clung to both it and Reanna like a lifeboat.

You okay? Reanna raised her voice slightly to be heard over the rise and fall of nature’s cacophony.

Laile nodded, but her face twitched. The smallest hint of a frown betrayed the darker emotion that Reanna’s fairy friend must have been feeling. Yeah, I’m fine.

You sure? You didn’t sing a song on the way here. I’m a little worried. Reanna reached over and squeezed Laile’s chilly fingers, which were wrapped tightly around the cane. Are you still thinking about He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named?

Wait, who are we talking about? Trevor nudged his way in, jumping over a piece of driftwood along their sandy path. The rain plastered the quarterback’s brown hair against his tanned forehead. Voldemort, or the curly-haired boy you like? What was his name? Legolas?

Reanna pursed her lips and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Gregory, you nincompoop."

Right, Gregolas. Trevor nodded. What about him? You need to talk or…or anything?

Laile’s bottom lip trembled, and her face crumpled. The "my-best-friend-is-having-an-emotional-breakdown switch flipped in Reanna’s head, and she turned to open up her arms should Laile need a shoulder to cry on. Instead, Laile shrank into her crystalline form, which resembled a Thumbelina-sized diamond version of herself. Though Reanna hadn’t said it out loud, Laile must have taken the whole shoulder to cry on" expression literally, because she perched on Reanna’s shoulder and clung to the regular-sized girl’s ear, probably to keep from being blown away in the storm.

Way to go, Trevor, Reanna hissed. On either side of the path, tall seagrass whipped back and forth in the raging winds.

What? Trevor glanced around. What’d I do?

"You brought him up. Reanna huffed. Boys—chiefly Trevor—were utterly clueless. There’s a reason girls have codenames."

"Mmmm. Sorry if I haven’t read your little ‘girl code’ manual front to back yet. I got hung up on the chapter about going to the bathroom in pairs and—"

"Children. Thessalonike stood at the edge of the water. Her long hair writhed in the wind like snakes. Queen Arana may not currently know Reanna has survived, but that does not mean that you can have an hour-long tête-à-tête. We are still at war; time and secrecy are of the utmost importance."

Sorry, Reanna muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear. Her cheeks flamed, and her body suddenly felt too hot underneath her trusty Spider-Man sweatshirt. She tucked one already-soaked sleeve into her mouth and chewed on it. Inside her chest, she felt the tiniest pull of the Song of the Sea—the deadly inner melody that tried to get her to succumb to her siren nature and drew her to her homeland of Atlantis.

She really wished it’d shut up, because even though she loved the water, she did not want to feel some strange soul bond with her birthplace.

Hmph. Laile sniffed in Reanna’s ear, and the fairy’s voice wobbled as if she was struggling to talk past the lump in her throat. "That’s not the way a guardian should talk to their wards. I was a much better guardian than her, right?"

Reanna tuned out the Song of the Sea, something she was working on lately. But with all her attention focused on shutting out those verses, a few other voices slithered into her head.

You’re not good enough, they whispered, and Reanna’s shoulders stiffened. You’ve made a bad impression. Thessalonike is legendary. And you’re nothing.

No, no. She needed everything in her brain to shut up so she could focus on Laile. I mean…well…you know. We did save a lot of the elves thanks to your plans. Then the image of Laeserno slumped in that chair back home, unmoving, inconsolable, crept into Reanna’s mind. She couldn’t pretend his loss hadn’t happened, couldn’t push it aside even to assuage a friend. But we also lost a lot of lives and disobeyed the Council, so…

A pause. More sniffles. All right, fine. Still, seems like the only thing she’s learned to do in centuries is how to walk with a stick up her—

Laile! Reanna would have flicked her best friend if it wouldn’t send the tiny fairy spiraling to the ground. She glanced to see if Thessalonike had heard Laile’s almost-insult, but Reanna’s new guardian stood at the shoreline, resolute and with her back completely straight, a few feet ahead of the group. Despite the fact Thessalonike seemed caught up in her own world, Reanna dropped her voice to a whisper as a precaution. "I’ve read books about her. She’s a legend. After a beat, Reanna added: She’s nowhere close to being my best friend, though. You’ve still got that squared away, Lails."

Awww. Laile tugged Reanna’s ear as she leaned in to hug it. Thanks. And you’re doing a terrific job of being a best friend, too, Tails. Even if your magic does need some work.

Reanna smiled. Thanks. She turned her attention back to Thessalonike, who held her hands over the thrashing waves. Each time one came too close, though, she would back away. Just like Reanna, Thessalonike had to keep out of ankle-deep water, lest she wanted to be a beached mermaid in a storm.

Deep in her thoughts, Reanna must have slowed down, because someone rammed into her from behind.

Oh—sorry, sorry! she squeaked before she even turned around.

No, it’s my fault, Adam said, hastily stepping around her. I should have been watching where I was going. He fiddled with the bracelet on his arm. Some time ago, he’d confided in Reanna that it once belonged to his deceased mother, and he never took it off. He rarely spoke of his mother or the rest of his family; all she could gather was that his father was still alive—if a bit of a jerk—and he had one living sister and another who had died with his mother. Reanna had several theories about how they died, which ranged from violent mermaid attack to a mundane car crash, but no real evidence that pointed toward the truth.

Sometimes she felt that she was a little more obsessed about unwinding Adam’s mysterious backstory than she should have been.

How’re ya holding up? she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Adam glanced at her with a tiny grin. Well, the socially acceptable answer is that I’m fine, but in all honesty, I’m probably going to have blisters the size of extra toes when we’re done with all this walking. When Reanna gave a snort of a laugh, Adam’s entire face lit up with a fuller smile.

Reanna felt her heart constrict in a way it usually did toward characters in books or TV shows.

Until Trevor elbowed his way into their conversation, humming a familiar Lion King tune.

Reanna rolled her eyes upward and prayed for the strength not to slug the quarterback right in the face. Could you stop it?

What? I’m just setting the mood. Trevor held out his hand like a weatherman on TV. The rain’s not really cooperating, so I thought I’d add some ambiance to this pitiful display of flirting.

"I’m not flirting!" Adam crossed his arms, his face bright red.

Laile scooted closer on Reanna’s shoulder and whispered, "Are you trying to flirt?"

No! Reanna squeaked, hot from her head to her toes. Her muscles tightened as her internal awkward meter began to beep. Could she not have one normal conversation with Adam without someone butting in and ruining it? I’m not—

Reanna, am I not your teacher? Blessed relief. Thessalonike interrupted the bickering, her voice loud enough to be heard over the arguments and the whistling wind. Then why are you not over here? Though this storm is an inconvenience, we can use it as a learning opportunity. After all, we have no time to waste. You are already a pawn in Arana’s war, and you must learn to defend yourself from her.

Oh…um. Reanna cleared her throat as she joined Thessalonike at the oceanside. The boys lingered near the dunes, Trevor now humming Kiss the Girl while Adam yelled at him to knock it off.

You sure you don’t want to stay with the boys? Reanna asked Laile as she crossed the beach.

No thanks. The fairy clung to Reanna’s ear. I’d rather see what Ms. Stick-in-the-Sand wants to teach you than hear those boys bicker.

Reanna smiled. Thanks for coming with me. I’d hug you if you weren’t the size of my thumb right now. But all her warm, fuzzy feelings evaporated when she reached Thessalonike, who stood in the ocean foam left behind by a retreating wave. The immortal mermaid’s mouth was set in a straight line, her chin tilted up. Reanna curled her shoulders inward, the awkward meter spiking again. Um…what did you want to show me?

This. Thessalonike gestured with her hand to a half-formed ice sculpture that resembled the bow end of a boat; it’d been pulled out of the tides so that the waves couldn’t sweep it away. Crafting is a very useful skill for a mermaid to have. Ice can be a mermaid’s most versatile tool.

Reanna reached out to touch the slick surface of the unfinished rowboat. Yeah. I’ve tried to practice and make some stuff lately. It just…never turns out right. All…gloopy and stuff. She winced as she admitted it, half-expecting Thessalonike to berate her for not being a prodigy. But Thessalonike didn’t say anything, and Reanna glanced up at her mentor, who stared ahead with an impassive expression.

Reanna’s chest tightened up, which brought with it the uncomfortable feeling of needing to say something, anything, to try and loosen the pressure…so it all poured out in a gigantic mess. Are you sure you want me to help? What if we all get in it and then the part that I made melts? What if we fall into the ocean and get swept away by the tide, or eaten by a shark, or worse…we see a dolphin. Reanna shuddered. She’d never understood why dolphins got such good PR back on Earth. The stories she could tell about those vicious, terrifying creatures…

Thessalonike pierced Reanna with a deep stare, and Reanna squirmed. Why did this legendary mermaid have to be so unreadable?

Thessalonike held their stare far too long to be comfortable, too. Shall I explain to you the difference between having a mind open to learning and growing and one closed off by fear? Great leaders know that each day they are able to expand on the knowledge they have already obtained. It is not a capstone; it is merely an open cup, ready to be filled with more.

Reanna’s cheeks flushed hotter, and a few beads of sweat trailed down her