Ice Crypt (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai Book 2) Page 5

  Two mermen guarded either side of a gap in the ridge. They looked me up and down with the same scepticism as the guard at the border. Ladon handed the roll of rawhide to one of them before they could say anything. The guard unfurled it, scanned it, and waved us through.

  I swam as discreetly as I could, flanking Katus as though I could blend with him.

  As Katus unbound me, a few stares turned our way. Everyone fell silent. I kept my eyes down, but the change in the surrounding activity was palpable.

  By the time the rope was undone, the attention of the entire vicinity was on the three of us.

  Not us, I thought. Me.

  “A girl,” someone said. “What’s a girl doing here?”

  “You complaining?” said another.

  “Sugar, what’d you do to end up down here?”

  I dropped an arm to my waist, a habit I’d formed over the years to hide my iron scar. Being a girl was enough reason to stick out, never mind having—

  “Gross! Check that thing out.”

  “Bet she’s too ugly to lure humans so she had to come below surface.”

  “Whatever. I’d still get with that.”

  “You’d do a lingcod if it had blonde hair.”

  A ripple of laughter.

  “Shut it, all of you.”

  A slim merman with dark hair approached, fist wrapped around an axe with a large chert blade. His bright red eyes flicked between Katus, Ladon, and me.

  “What’s this?”

  “The king told us to bring her,” said Ladon.

  “Why?”

  “Whatever you need her for,” said Katus, shoving me towards him.

  “She should be fighting above surface,” said Slim.

  “She blew her chance at that.”

  Slim narrowed his eyes.

  I held my tongue, trying to read him. Though his face was a little beaten, hardened from battle, he had an aura of kindness.

  “You need to keep her here,” said Ladon. “King’s orders.”

  “She’ll be killed in the first battle.”

  I opened my mouth to defend my fighting skills, but decided against it.

  Ladon shrugged. “Not our problem.”

  Slim flicked his gaze between us as though searching for another argument.

  “We done here?” said Katus.

  “Yeah,” said Slim.

  Ladon sneered. “Enjoy the battle, babe. Been fun dragging you back to your cell every day.”

  I twisted and smacked him across the face with my tail. He raised his spear to strike back, but Katus grabbed his arm, and Slim grabbed me.

  “Save it,” said Slim.

  Whistles and laughter rose from the surrounding soldiers.

  Katus and Ladon turned away. I watched them until they disappeared into the blue. Then I looked at Slim properly. He’d drifted away a little, sizing me up.

  He softened. It was more compassion than I’d felt in a long time. I hoped I wasn’t imagining his kindness out of desperation.

  “Why the rope?” he said. “Were they afraid you’d try and escape?”

  When I said nothing, he turned and drifted towards the reef. Still feeling dozens of eyes on me, I followed closely.

  “I recommend you don’t try that here,” he said.

  I grunted. I’d already accepted that my escape would need to be carefully planned. I’d have leagues of open water and that patrolled boundary to deal with—not to mention capital punishment for deserting the army if I was caught.

  Around us, soldiers returned to their business and the grotto filled with chatter.

  At first I thought the loud conversation and grinding stone weapons muted the soothing crackle of the reef outside. But as we swam further in, the coral paled and the tiny creatures inside disappeared. The army was suffocating the reef.

  “The commander will need to assign you a position,” said Slim. “We’re heading south tonight.”

  I groaned. I’d hoped for a bit of rest.

  “What’s your name?” he said.

  “Lysi.”

  “You know how to fight, Lysi?”

  “Yes. I was in the Battle for Eriana Kwai.”

  He looked at me sharply. “You got hauled away?”

  I said nothing. He raised an eyebrow.

  After a beat, he said, “Even with those qualifications, the commander likely won’t give you a weapon. You’ll be destroyed in hand-to-hand combat.”

  “I know how to—”

  “You’re half the size of everyone else.”

  I frowned. The thought made me uncomfortable—not because I’d be pummelled in combat, but because I was the only girl in the entire unit.

  “We’ve got the injured repairing and sorting weapons in a cave.” He scanned me up and down. “But I don’t think he’ll waste your abilities on that.”

  “Good,” I said.

  His mouth twisted in a small smile.

  Behind us, someone said, “Coming through, Coho.”

  Slim pulled me aside in time to let a group pass. An enormous great white shark swam passively in the centre, guided by four ropes over her snout and tail. Between her gaping jaws, serrated teeth sliced the water in a way that made my skin tingle. She projected nothing but the desire to swim towards dinner. Like all sharks, her presence was basic, instinctive.

  I watched them go with my jaw unhinged. Then I turned to Slim. “What are they—how did they—what … Your name is Coho? Like the salmon?”

  “Yes. Have you had experience working with animals, Lysi?”

  “Uh …”

  I watched the mermen gently steer the great white into a corral, which was bounded by a familiar kind of enormous jellyfish.

  At least fifteen animals floated in adjacent cells. I saw a stingray, a mako shark, and two spinner dolphins. Below them were several billfish, including black marlin, sailfish, and the most enormous swordfish I’d ever seen. The billfish were no doubt here for their speed, which contended with that of a mermaid.

  “Can I have a dolphin?” I said, blurting it out before I could stop myself.

  I bit my lip, reminded of when I was four and asking my parents for a firefly squid for my birthday.

  “If you haven’t worked with dolphins before, then no,” said Coho. “They need experienced handlers.”

  The spinners turned circles in their corrals, chattering to each other. I’d always loved dolphins. They were the only animals whose auras showed as wide a range of emotions as a mermaid’s. The pair in front of me gave off an air of amusement, like they didn’t mind trading their service for food.

  “What are they for?” I said.

  “They’re trained in offense.”

  I considered making a case for how many wild dolphins I taught tricks to on a regular basis, but decided against it. I’d never taught them to be an assault weapon.

  Harnesses lay on the rocks below them, fitted with short spears on all sides. The dolphins must have looked like a pair of ballistic pufferfish with those on.

  “I’d swim the other way,” I said.

  “Most do. King Adaro’s tactics are more advanced than any other kingdom’s.”

  “How nice for him.”

  My tone made Coho glance sideways at me. I pursed my lips.

  Coho motioned to a cave as we passed it. “Weapons are made by civilians in the Moonless City. This is where we sort the delivery and repair anything broken.”

  I peered inside the dark cavern. Stone scraped against stone as nine soldiers laboured over a pile of broken weapons.

  My focus locked onto one merman in particular, hunched over a work surface. He was lanky, much leaner than the average warrior, with hair like he’d licked an electric eel.

  “… stole this one right off a dock,” he was saying. “I had to fight the fisherman bare-handed. He had one of those bazooka guns, you know? Iron core. I gave him a left hook and backflipped away. Got his legs out from under him and pinned him down.”

  “Spio!” I said, voi
ce high with surprise.

  He looked up. When he saw me, he blinked a few times, and turned to the guy beside him.

  “I told you not to let me eat any more of those pink anemones, dude.”

  “Spio,” I said. “I’m actually here.”

  His jaw slackened. I grinned.

  After another moment, his face broke into an expression of total glee. He dropped the club he was holding and shot towards me. We hugged.

  “You look awful,” he said, slapping me on the back.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, got them stuck in a knot of seaweed, and gave up.

  “I know.”

  I didn’t want to get into details with so many ears around.

  “You know each other?” said Coho with unmasked surprise.

  I smiled. “Classmates.”

  “Good. Stay here. I’ll go find the commander.”

  He left. Around us, the others continued their work, though I felt their attention on us. Waves gurgled against the cave walls. Deep inside a crevice, some creature I didn’t recognise clicked loudly.

  The wide, pointy-toothed grin never left Spio’s face.

  “Beating up humans wasn’t enough, huh? Gotta come down here for denser meat? I’m surprised, Lysi. I knew you were feisty but I never thought you’d get bloodthirsty.”

  “I don’t … I … yeah,” I said, not sure how to respond.

  I peered around him into the dim cave. The other mermen had a miserable, beaten air. I smelled blood.

  I scanned Spio’s lanky frame. “Are you hurt?”

  “No. I’m not supposed to be here. But I didn’t want to deprive these folks of my genius ideas.”

  He tapped a finger to his blond head.

  “Of course,” I said.

  The guy nearest Spio grimaced and turned away.

  “You hungry? Need anything?” Spio waved me deeper inside.

  I glanced around, both starving and exhausted, but I didn’t quite feel like eating or sleeping.

  Spio must have sensed my energy level because he said, “Best napping place is on the other side of the camp. Crawl up the ridge and you’ll see what I mean. The waves on this end will squash you like a jelly in a propeller. But on the other side … bliss. You’ll probably get a suntan. Hey, check this out.”

  He held up a stone club with a hook the size of my face tied to the end.

  “I call it the Iron Hook of Doom.”

  I gaped at it. The hook was solid iron. Its impurity prickled my skin.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I have certified experience in irontechnics.”

  “Iron what?”

  Instead of responding, he picked up a pair of wooden hooks. He used them to tighten the rope, carefully keeping his flesh away from the iron. His work surface was littered with rocks, bone blades, coral, and, perplexingly, a sea cucumber.

  Anyone who grew up with Spio knew he would end up destroying things professionally one day. He already had an iron-made gash on his shoulder from trying to slingshot himself aboard an American military vessel. He’d said he just wanted to chat up the female captain. When we were twelve, he singed his hair off trying to figure out a way to bring fire underwater. In school, he once stashed several days’ worth of lunches then used them to lure a salmon shark the size of a small whale into class. It was chaos. He got suspended, and it would have been worse if he hadn’t been so convincing in telling the teachers it was an accident.

  So I wasn’t surprised when he handed me the hook weapon and said, “I’ve got another.”

  I was about to thank him when a stiff presence closed in behind me, and a hand ripped the club from my grip.

  “Fascinating craftsmanship, as always.”

  I whirled around to see a square-faced merman holding my weapon. He wore a placid smile that mismatched his aura.

  “I see you continue to use materials outside the authorized list.”

  “Come on, dude,” said Spio. “Iron can’t be illegal if we use it on the enemy.”

  “I am sure His Majesty would be interested to know how you acquired the iron.”

  Spio said nothing. The others in the cavern froze, watching. I stayed quiet, trying to gauge this merman’s personality.

  He continued to smile faintly.

  “Now, did you trespass a human wreckage during a mission, or did you smuggle this in?”

  “Actually—” Spio said, and then seemed to decide silence was the better option.

  “I will ensure this is disposed of properly. If you have any more illegal—”

  “Look, I already committed this one to Lysi,” said Spio. “So you should probably hand it back to her before the theft detection device goes off and it kills all of us.”

  The guy nearest Spio shrank back in alarm. The square-faced merman wasn’t fooled. His expression hardened.

  “Perhaps, instead, you ought to fix this with your bare hands. It might remind you that His Majesty forbids such human filth.”

  Spio waved away the threat. “The king can fix it with his own bare hands if he cares that much.”

  For a heartbeat, the cavern stilled.

  I realised Spio’s mistake the same moment the merman reacted. With a pulse of fury, he spun the weapon and slammed the stone end into Spio’s chest, knocking him into the wall. A large bubble left Spio’s mouth. Before he could recover, the merman closed the distance between them and pinned Spio to the reef, forcing the air from his lungs. Spio seized the guy’s wrist, trying to pry himself free.

  I shot towards them. “Hey! Stop!”

  The merman raised the weapon to Spio’s face, almost touching him with the iron hook. “Never insult the king in my presence.”

  Spio seemed unable to speak. Air escaped his mouth in large bubbles.

  I snarled. This jerk might have been twice the size of me, but I couldn’t let him treat my friend like this.

  “I said, stop!”

  Without slackening his grip, the merman turned to me. He scanned me up and down like he was looking at a whale carcass.

  “Decide what company you wish to keep, girl. Here, your life might depend on it.”

  The bubbles leaving Spio’s mouth were diminishing. Real fear seeped from his pores.

  My eyes filled with blood. “Let him go.”

  The merman swelled, as though he thought he could intimidate me.

  I reached to pull the weapon away from Spio’s face.

  In an instant, the merman’s energy changed. I propelled backwards before he could act. He released Spio and swung the iron hook at me.

  The other mermen scattered, fear clouding the water like blood. But fighting against iron was nothing new to me.

  I snatched a bone blade off Spio’s work surface as the merman swung again. I shot beneath his arm. Before he could follow, I locked my arms around his neck and pressed the blade to his throat.

  The iron hook sliced through empty water.

  “Drop it,” I said.

  He chuckled. “Your skill speaks of the academy. How long ago were you in the Battle for Eriana Kwai?”

  His muscles tensed for another swing. I pushed the blade to his throat harder.

  “Darling, that would not even break skin,” he said. “What is it, a human leg?”

  I rubbed a finger along the bone, letting the density, oils, and minerals penetrate my skin. “Feels like whale to me. Care to find out?”

  He struck. I dropped the blade before the iron touched me and grabbed the stone handle with both hands. The force swung me around with it. I swiped him with my tail, using his own force to hit harder. He grunted at the impact. I took the chance to pry the club from his grip.

  I retreated, holding the weapon between us. He lunged for it, but I swung hard. The iron nearly grazed his cheek.

  He didn’t try again.

  For a moment, everyone stayed suspended. No one made a sound.

  “Ah, mermaids!” said a voice. “About time we had a few ladies around here.”

  I whirled ar
ound to find an older merman floating up, flanked by Coho. He had a long, dark beard flecked with rubies—the stone of a commander.

  “Thank you, Officer Strymon,” he said. “This is just what we need. Did I not say our assaults could use more speed, less force?”

  The blood drained from my head, dizzying me. I glanced to Spio for confirmation.

  “Officer?” I mouthed.

  Spio grimaced. I noticed, then, the emeralds braided into the merman’s blonde hair—the stone of an officer.

  “Sir,” said Officer Strymon, composing himself. “I was reprimanding these soldiers for possessing an illegal weapon.”

  My heart pounded. How did I louse up this badly in the first few moments of being here?

  The commander drifted further into the cave.

  Would I be sent back home? Punished? Imprisoned again?

  But as he glanced around, I caught an air of hopefulness.

  “What, just the one lady?” he said.

  “Yes, sir,” said Coho. “She needs a position.”

  “Commander,” said the officer more loudly. “She shows an unmanageable temper and a blatant disrespect for—”

  “Yes, well, she knows how to fight, doesn’t she?” The commander turned back to me. “Is that your weapon?”

  I looked down at the dropped iron hook.

  “Uh …”

  “If I may, Commander,” said Spio, with the sudden maturity of Coho in his voice. “Lysithea was in the Battle for Eriana Kwai and faced opposition deadlier than this. She has been battle-trained for longer than most of us and demonstrated proficiency in beating me up at the age of fifteen. If you observe the scarring along Lysithea’s waist”—he motioned with a flat hand, like I was a science exhibit—“you can see for yourself that we are dealing with one badass shrimp.”

  The commander leaned back, scanned me up and down, and nodded. “Very good.”

  Spio grinned.

  I let out some breath, and my skin reverted to my preferred, human-like shade. The webs between my fingers disappeared. The teeth pressing against my lips retracted.

  The commander picked up the iron hook, examined it, and passed it to me. “Hold onto this, Lysithea. It’ll fare better than the standard weapons.”