Two weeks earlier

  City of Nieufula, Underwater Kingdom

  “You do not know what I know.” Kamaria breathed, floating backwards. “Please, you need to stay away.”

  Thalia felt like her whole chest was pinned down to the weight, that would drag her to the bottom of the ocean if Kamaria continued this way. “Please…I do not know everything, but I know you doing this on your own is too dangerous.”

  Kamaria glanced upwards as the cavernous echoes reverberated longer for longer and longer intervals. They were coming, she had set them free. “I want to escape this hell we’re living. I cannot be here any longer, with him.”

  “There is nowhere else for us to go!” Thalia cried. “Mami Wata saved us from death to live this life!”

  “If I have to be his imprisoned daughter forever or no longer exist, I choose the latter.”

  Kamaria breathed.

  Thalia desperately grasped at her wrists. “This is madness! You will sacrifice the whole city if you do this.”

  Kamaria’s eyes blazed with a determination Thalia didn’t recognise, or understand. “This is unnatural, we should not breathe underwater, we should not be like this. I’m saving everyone.”

  “You are condemning us! If you do this, if you anger the gods, who knows where we’ll end up, we could bargain with Mami Wata, figure out another way…”

  “No,” Kamaria said. “My memories of my life on land is gone. My memories of my mother are gone. There is no time for bargaining, only action.”

  “My memories of my mother are gone too. This…this is entirely selfish, you could run away with me to my family’s house, there is always another option, Kamaria, please, please don’t do this,” Thalia pulled the other girl to her, so their forehead’s touched. “If you love me, if you love your people. Please don’t do this.”

  “Oh Thalia.” She murmured, her tone sad, her eyes empty and lifeless. “It’s already done.”

  ***

  Port Bastian, Jamacia

  Land

  Kamaria woke up on the sand in one of Port Bastian’s many coves. She had outswum the monsters, she had left Thalia behind. She was on land. She was free. She could feel the sun kissing her bronze skin as she looked down her body, two long lithe legs and feet stared back at her. She was human. The curse was broken and she was alive.

  Briefly, she thought of the fates of her people she left behind below. If she was alive, brought back from the near dead, she needed to find one of the gods. Get them to restore her memory, restore her memories of her mother. She had studied over and over the scrolls her father had used to summon the gods, memorized the spells and incantations. She just needed the materials, the objects of the spell to complete it to restore her memory.

  Now she was on land, no one had any control of her, she could work on her spell and the magic without her memory getting wiped over and over.

  She attempted to lift the upper part of her body off of the sand, but Kamaria’s arms strained, and she collasped back down. She needed to recover her strength, she needed to hide from the monsters she released she knew might be coming after her. She pulled herself into a sitting position. If they were all down there when the curse of immortality broke… She shut her eyes again against the bright sun, a weighing guilt starting low in her belly.

  They were never supposed to live after the raid anyway. Living on borrowed time endlessly, floating around as half versions of themselves with half the memories… This was a mercy, a gift that she had offered her people. She didn’t end their lives she saved them, from eternal misery and never getting a chance to have an eternal rest.

  And Kamaria knew that she would never rest until she remembered her mother’s face again. After how they killed her, she deserved that, to reflect on the beautiful life her mother had rather than how she died.

  But Thalia.

  Her chest throbbed with pain. Her mission was a suicide mission. Once she had all of her memories back, her restless soul would be at peace. She knew that was the only reason she remained on this earth. So Thalia could never come with her, her soul’s business was finished, she would have ceased to exist below the sea or above land. No matter what Kamaria did, they were always going to lose each other. And if she was being honest… She had no room in her heart to love Thalia.

  All their love had brought was pain for both of them, it was better this way. She repeated it over and over, not sure if she herself was believing the words.

  Thalia wasn’t strong enough to stop her, and Kamaria would be damned if she let her get in her way.

  ***

  The edges of Eva’s vision were a hazy white, and she could feel that she was laid in someone’s warm lap, soft humming gently landing on her ears, she could feel a steady heartbeat by the top of her head, and gentle arms around her. She looked up, Thalia’s dark brown round face coming into focus, her gorgeous brown eyes widened with concern. Eva remembered the sharp and blinding pain she had felt when she was hit by the monster and thrown overboard.

  Now she felt mildly sleepy, content and safe. Thalia was healing her.

  She stared up into Thalia’s eyes, she felt no more pain, and yet, she still felt everything. Like the world was now in colour, sunbursts behind her eyelids first, like an explosion of light, and everything had a thousand new meanings now the rustling of the palm trees, the lapping of the ocean waves and the cawing of seagulls.

  She’s not…this is…

  She’s delirious, she’s sleepy, and she’s never felt more alive. Eva might be waking up for the first time in her life. She almost died and she knows now. She knows it’s always been women, and it suddenly makes sense because she saw her life flash before her eyes and suddenly a marriage to a gender she isn’t quite, or at all attracted to, doesn’t seem worth it. Because she could have died and gone to the grave with this secret and the hiding isn’t worth it.

  She wants to live authentically and properly finally for the first time. She wants to let her friends know. Eva closes her eyes. But she’s tired. She’ll tell them all later. Thalia continues humming and stroking her hair.

  “Whoa.” Fisher said. “Like an actual mermaid.”

  “Yeah,” Sidney said. They had managed to steady the tugboat after the monster had sunk back into the water, the sea returning from choppy and rocky waves to a calm stillness. From here they could see Eva and Thalia sat on the sandy shore of the cove, Thalia rid of her battle armour, in a long dark brown embroided blouse, diamonds, dots and squares covering it in intricate fashion, at the end of her blouse was an iridescently shimmering tail, as long as her human legs, flicking absentmindedly in the rapidly darkening light of the sunset. Eva’s body had gone as limp as a dead fish in a crate, almost completely draped across Thalia’s lap. Her head was tilted up towards the other girl, fixated on her. Thalia’s gaze didn’t seem to leave Eva’s face either, holding her tightly.

  It looked like to them at that moment, no one else seemed to exist in the entire world but the two of them. Sidney looked at Fisher, they remembered what that felt like. “We need to get the boat around to them, see if they are okay.” Sidney said urgently.

  Fisher nodded, not seeming as worried. “I think she’s doing some kind of magic on her, healing her maybe?”

  Sidney started the engine, “We still need to get over there right away.”

  ***

  Thalia carried Eva as Sidney pulled the tugboat into the shore.

  “EVA!” Fisher took hold of the wheel as Sidney dashed forward, arms open, and Thalia carried Eva into the boat, and the other girl slid into Sidney’s waiting arms. Tears streaked down Sidney’s cheeks as they held her, Eva’s faint blonde eyelashes fluttering as she came into consciousness.

  “I’m…okay.”

  Sidney almost collapsed with relief.

  Eva seemed to gradually improve the longer they were in the boat.

  Fisher seemed to have a thousand questions for Thalia. “That creature was huge! how did you know what to do? Will all the creatures be that big?”

  Thalia winced. “Instinct, I think, but I definitely need to practice my powers so I can kill this beast when it resurfaces again, I would hope not that they aren’t all that big but they probably will be.” She turned back to look and see how Eva was doing.

  Eva’s skin was sheet white, almost translucent when she first rescued her, her lips blue. Now her skin was returning to its normal peach pink.

  Fisher spoke whilst steering. “You really did do some kind of healing magic on her, didn’t you?”

  Thalia stared at her palms, “Yes, I did. I must have more powers than I thought. This, power, inside me, it just responds to me when I need it.”

  “I’m so glad.” Sidney said. “Eva, we were terrified when you went over boat.”

  Sidney and Eva sat together on the bench nearer the back of the wheelhouse. Sidney had their arms around their best friend and was holding her tightly.

  “Yeah, Thalia dived and scooped you up before we could. " Fisher said, turning slightly to look at Thalia. “We’re so grateful.”

  Thalia took a deep breath. “You can’t be there next time, I have to do this on my own.”

  Sidney shook their head. “What if you get hurt? You can’t heal yourself, you need us here just in case something happens to you.”

  Thalia looked at her palms curiously. “Can I heal myself?” She wondered aloud.

  “Thalia!” Sidney retorted, giving her a don’t-you-even-think-of-trying-that-just-in-case-your-wrong look.

  Thalia looked sheepish. “Okay, maybe I can’t heal myself.But there has be a way to put some kind of protective shield around all of you.”

  Sidney looked determined. “I’ll check my book for spells. I have to admit we did rush in, but now, we’ll be more prepared.” Sidney watched Eva carefully as she slowly sat up. “We have to.”

  They arrived into the boat marina, night had completely fell. They tied and locked up the boat and walked back to the museum, , and Sidney called their grandma. Thirty minutes later she showed up.

  “Come on and get in the car now.” Sidney’s Grandma said. “We’ll drive you home.”

  It was now very dark. Eva’s heart was rattling between being terrified of her parents reaction to her missing curfew and this insistent pressure on her chest that she needed to tell her friends everything now. Everything she had been thinking in her delirious edge of life and death consciousness was now sharp and urgent in her mind. There was no time like the present and she had no more time to lose.

  Sidney was explaining everything to their grandma ,who tutted. “You kids are lucky to make it out alive! But you pickney are protecting the rest of us so I can’t tell you off too much.”

  Eva was going to get told off when she got home, it was going to be a bloodbath.

  Next to her in the car, Sidney squeezed her hand and her heart beat painfully, at least she could get one secret off of her chest. “I broke up with Daniel!” She blurted suddenly, and Thalia, Fisher and Sidney all turned to look at her curiously.

  “When?” Sidney asked, face crunched up.

  “At my birthday party.”

  “Four months ago?” Fisher exclaimed. “But Danny never said anything…”

  Eva swallowed. “I’ve been lying to you, I’m, not really straight… I think I’m a lesbian.”

  Sidney leaned across and hugged her tightly. “Thank you for telling me!”

  “You know we’ll accept you!” Fisher said, “We’re both bi and Sidney’s non binary.”

  “Good for you child!” Sidney’s grandma chimed in.

  “I knew you guys would accept me,” Eva looked at her lap. “It’s just scary, considering how my parents are, and admitting it to myself you know?”

  Sidney nods. “We know.” They locked eyes with Fisher but didn’t say any more.

  Eva continued. “At the party, after me and Daniel ended, me and Karlie, kind of kissed?” She buried her face in her hands. “We haven’t really spoke or hung out since?”

  Sidney’s eyes widened. “You need to talk to her! Do it, do it tomorrow talk to her.”

  Fisher agreed.

  Thalia said. “The girl in the charity shop?”

  Sidney’s grandma chuckled and started telling her a tale about how bold she’d been with dating when she was her age. Eva’s face burned, but a warm feeling settled in her stomach, knowing that no matter what happened at home, she had a safe place with them, always.

  Sidney squeezed her hand.

  “We’re just teasing.” They said smiling.

  Suddenly their phone beeped. “Hmmm.” Sidney said. “I have signal, my 5G has started working again.”

  Eva gave Sidney a sly grin. “Ooh its a text from Duke.”

  She peered over their shoulder.

  Hi just checking in, wanted to see how you were doing since the tsunami :)

  “Oooh an emoticon! Honestly all you’ve been talking about has been duke since that party where you guys—.”

  She caught Sidney’s Grandma staring in the rear view mirror, “Played cards together!”

  Fisher stiffened. Sidney swallowed. “Yeah, he’s on my mind a lot, can’t believe he reached out its such a sign.” Their face stretched with a fake smile.

  Eva clapped her hands together, “It absolutely is!”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  And Sidney didn’t say anything more, but they felt Fisher’s eyes bore into theirs for the rest of the journey.

  ***

  “Evelyn Katherine Whittaker!”

  Eva froze in her tracks. Here it comes. Instead, her Mum rushed to her, throwing her arms around her. “Where have you been! If you haven’t come home by morning we would have gone to the police!”

  “I was just with my friends.” Eva mumbled into the crush of her embrace.

  “We were so worried.” Her Mum looked her up and down. “What happened to you?”

  Eva gulped. Best to tell a little bit of the truth so she doesn’t seem too suspicious. “We were on a boat and I fell off.”

  “A boat? Oh god, you know there are tsunamis crashing into the coves and harbors without warning don’t you? Killed all those people? Why oh why can’t you ever think about your safety.” Her Mum wailed. “George! We’ll call a doctor right now!”

  “No Mum I feel okay, just a bit shaken. I want to go to sleep now.”

  Her Mum followed her up to her bedroom and helped her get out of her sodden clothes.

  “You can’t be going out anymore young lady, from now on we need to know about your whereabouts at all times.”

  Eva was too exhausted to fight back and argue. She did know this meant she would have sneak out tomorrow. She felt like she was split into two versions of herself, the dutiful daughter who went to her ballet lessons and was always polite and quiet; And the loud joyful, peace and love, selling tye dye t shirts to support marine life and animal rights charities girl with her friends.

  With Thalia here, and the importance of the threats to their island, it was getting harder to focus on keeping up pretenses. When her mother left the room and turned off the lights, she lay their staring into the darkness. Feeling completely separate from the large, nice empty politician’s house that she had grown up in.

  Fisher swept his cloth over the surface of the deck of his board, completely lost in his thoughts. He understood why Sidney had needed to lie, but it hurt, unexpectedly a lot, how easily those words about Duke had fallen from Sidney’s lips. Fisher’s chest burned, knowing he wasn’t like Duke, sophisticated, well spoken, and Fisher was the opposite. Messy, unruly, playful and silly. Sidney liked Duke for a long time, was Duke the kind of person Sidney wanted deep down?

  Fisher swept the cloth back in the opposite direction. He couldn’t just let Sidney go.

  Despite his absolute exhaustion with the pretense that everything was okay, there were some things to live for. Sidney’s smile when they bite into a steamed bun,. Sidney when he tried teaching them how to surf, them both on the board, wobbling to stay on, Fisher’s hands on Sidney’s hips.

  Sidney stretching out on his bed, mouth opening wide to grin, and Fisher moves forward, his body hovering over Sidney’s, capturing that grinning mouth in a kiss.

  Sidney’s kisses were what Fisher lived for.

  Sidney’s kisses and the sea.

  Sometimes when they were surfing, paddling lying on their stomachs on their boards between the next wave and Eva was far away on the beach and not looking, they’d sneak small kisses. Their eyes lighting up with that secret. They kept things between them quiet.

  Not when it meant being out meant Sidney might be homeless if their Dad found out. Fisher’s family didn’t care, but Fisher knew there was no safe place for Sidney if they ever came out.

  Could they ever be together openly?

  But the way Sidney looked when he kissed them, the way they felt in his hands. Fisher knew that he never wanted this to end.

  But it was going to.

  When Sidney left. Fisher didn’t know if he could leave what he had always known. Leave the sea. He belonged to it, and on those bright mornings, early when not a single thing stirred it belonged to him. Fisher couldn’t leave the sea.

  Plus Sidney had a bright future, they were smart, and got good grades. They could do anything they wanted, and if when they left, and they kept in touch with Fisher, Fisher would watch them achieve the great things they always said they would.

  Fisher would believe in them, always.

  But he didn’t believe in their relationship all of the time, not when the belief was shook with every lie told. it was like a blaring alarm to him that he wasn’t wanted. Somewhere inside his anxious thoughts he knew this couldn’t be true, but there was always the reality —being hidden like dating him was something to be ashamed of.

  “Fisher is here every morning,”

  Sidney said, as they made their way down the beach steps, Thalia in tow. “I think this is where we’ll find him. I know he’s mad, because he always texts me to join him in the water, every morning. This morning, no text.”

  “You need to sort this out between you.” Thalia said. “Leave too much unsaid and…” Her face darkened, and Sidney didn’t press her on what she meant.

  “Alright then, we are going to him,” Sidney uncertaintly said, inhaling deeply and rolling their shoulders back to try and look more confident than they felt. They knew Fisher was mad about Sidney lying to Eva about Duke, but they just didn’t know how to make it better. But also Thalia needed to train, and the earlier they summoned the spirit of violence the better, but Thalia had insisted that if Sidney’s mind was in this much of a mess there was no point summoning anything and Sidney was of no use to her.

  The further Thalia was from the ocean, the fainter the connection felt, more like a whisper than an insistent calling. Wisps of the salty sea on the breeze reaching her from a distance, making her back straighten and stand up taller. As they neared the beach, becoming closer to the sea, she could feel the ocean’s power thrum in her veins, she was itching to jump in. After yesterday’s failure she had everything to prove, she had to master these powers so she could protect Sidney, Eva and Fisher.

  From a distance they had seen a blob relentlessly go back and forth into the waves, then it became a figure, and then, very obviously Fisher.

  Sidney took in a sharp breath upon seeing him. Many words swirled in their brain, I had to lie to protect you, I wasn’t thinking, please, please, please. They turned to Thalia. “Do you want to start drawing the Veve in the sand and getting everything ready?”

  Thalia nodded, already bending down and starting to draw. “Go.”

  Sidney knew they also could have found any other strength of beach to train on, but they knew Fisher would be even more mad to learn that Sidney had put themselves in danger summoning another spirit without him.

  They waded in with their surfing board, hopping on when the water got up to their waist and swam further towards the wave Fisher was in. Fisher looked up at them, their face crumpling. “Hey,”

  “Look, Fish, can we talk?”

  Fisher sighed, and started swimming further across into calmer waters.

  Fisher leaned his arms on top of his board, his upper body propped up out of the water, Sidney did the same, so they were facing each other. The shark tooth necklace Sidney had made for their one month anniversary hung from his neck, bobbing against his bare chest and Sidney could see the blue beads in which they had painstakingly carved their initials, so small you had to be up close to see.

  Sidney just wore their simple wooden bead necklace, their wet suit top clinging to their skin reflective patterns catching in the sun.

  “I’m sorry.” Sidney began. “The text popped up as soon as I got signal again, Eva was right next to me i just said the first lie that came into my head.”

  Fisher sighed and looked away. “I know why we have to hide our relationship. I understand i wont ever want to put you in danger because of my ego.”

  Sidney held out their hand across their boards and the water and Fisher took it. “What hurts is that three months ago, that’s exactly how you felt about Duke, it wasn’t a lie.”

  Fisher’s voice cracked and Sidney felt their stomach sink. “You know how I feel about you Fisher, you know I’m not going away.”

  Sidney tightened their grip on Fishers hand. “I had feelings for you way longer than my crush on Duke, like actual years. And that party, I was upset because you were off with someone—.” It was always someone, a different someone at those parties.

  “And I was really drunk and so was Duke and it never meant anything.”

  Fisher squeezed his eyes shut. “And you know why I wont tell Eva about us she’s crazy protective of me because of how you used to be. You know she’s struggling to trust you. I think we should just give it time.”

  Fisher opened their eyes. “I know,” Fisher felt guilty for being so insecure, but with all these stolen moments, and the limited reassurance, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to think.

  “Trust me.” Sidney pleaded. “I’m not hiding you, you mean so much to me.”

  “You mean so much to me too.” Fisher said quietly. “I’m sorry for getting so insecure about it. I just want to hold you and for everyone to know I’m yours. Or at least our other best friend. I want to be able to hold you in front of her .”

  “With Eva, I just need a little more time, and once we’re out of here after the summer, we can be open about it, and just be together.”

  Fisher didn’t know how to say he didn’t know if he could leave, what he wanted to do when they did. “Once we’ve left.” Fisher agreed, not sure if he believed it.

  “Veve’s done!” Thalia shouted back on the beach.

  Sidney and Fisher looked at each other.

  “Showtime?” Sidney grinned. Fisher squeezed their arm. “Please be careful.”

  Sidney waded out of the ocean towards where Thalia was crouched by the veve cosmogram.

  “Have you talked things out?” She asked. “Are you ready to focus on my training?

  “I’m ready,” Sidney said. Their eyes flickered over to Thalia, the top and shorts she had bought from the charity shop with Eva was caked with sand. Sidney suddenly wished they could take Thalia along the beach, buy her an ice cream, take her and Fisher to the local arcade. Just enjoy the nice sunny morning. Thalia must have been through so much, Sidney just wanted to give her some of Port Bastian normal.

  “Hey,” They said, holding out their hands and pulling her up for the sand. “Why don’t you come surfing for a bit after training then we’ll all wait for Eva to come back from meeting Karlie.”

  Thalia nodded. “That sounds nice.”

  Sidney made their way to the veve and stood in the center, careful not to scuff any of the symbols with their feet. They had stood in the middle of the triangle, a long line leading from the top towards the ocean, inwards spirals branching off. Thalia had painstakingly copied every other detail, too many swirls and shapes for Sidney to keep track of.

  Sidney started chanting for Oyouo the warrior spirit, and suddenly a red impression lit up behind the veve on the sand, of a figure holding two sabers. Thalia was watching Sidney carefully, and their eyes pulsed red. “He’s here.” She murmured to herself.

  Thalia stepped closer to Sidney, and the warrior spirit responded to her movements. “Theophalia.” It said, it’s voice ringing with gravitas. “You seek my wisdom.”

  Thalia kept her ground, feeling the pulses of power emanating from Sidney rolled towards her pushing her back inch by inch on the sand in fierce waves.

  “Teach me how to defeat the inkanyamba.”

  Oyouo was relentless.

  He had her chasing an illusion of the Inkanyamba across the waves, throwing her back into the water when she failed. Any trace of Sidney was gone. Their body hovered over the ocean, following and instructing her from the air, their braids flying around their face, their expression blank. Their eyes as red as hot coals, and as smoldering.

  Fisher cowered behind his board, further away in calmer waves, eyes fixed intently on Sidney.

  They’d been going for hours. People were beginning to arrive at the entrance of the beach, too far way to see anything yet. From each attempt Thalia learns something new as Oyouo drills her on all the ways she could be bested. After a while, she thinks she might have found the Inkanyamba’s weak spot. But she is tiring. And if she was getting tired, an unwavering immortal water spirit, she couldn’t imagine what this training session was training session was doing to Sidney, a not-immortal human. Thalia had been thrown in the water by Oyouo for what felt like the hundredth time, when she finally noticed Fisher shouting at her.

  “Tell the spirit to let Sidney go! Let Sidney go!”

  Thalia whipped her head around to see where Sidney’s body was hovering over the water.

  She didn’t know how to end the possession this far from the veve—

  She dived into the water, bending the ocean current power herself more swiftly through the water. The spirit posessing Sidney powered after her, hot on her trail.

  It was going to try and stop her—

  She fell onto the sand, scrambling for the veve.

  Fisher was swimming like mad to get to Sidney now, Thalia swiped her foot through the design, and Sidney fell through the air. Thalia turned and screamed out, but Fisher had got there in time, catching Sidney then tumbling into the shallow surf.

  ***

  Fisher cradled his unconscious partner to his chest, and gave Thalia and glare. “You should have stopped it sooner.” He sighed. “I’m going to take them home, just go and meet Eva for coffee.”

  “I’m sorry—.” She had no idea, the spirit would make it that difficult to leave Sidney’s body, it wasn’t her fault.. Sidney knew the risks, they had even performed a few protection spells before they had left that morning.

  “Its…done.” Fisher sounded tired; he gave her rough directions to where the coffee shop was, and picked him Sidney’s bag and their shoes by the ruined veve.

  “The place you are meeting Eva is near here, you won’t miss it.” Fisher said. “I’m sorry for taking it out on you. I just hate feeling helpless.”

  Oh how Thalia knew, she knew what it was to feel helpless.

  ***

  “The tunnels are compromised.” The Queen said, her voice taut.

  “Mama what do you mean?” Kamaria said, clutching at Thalia. Thalia had never heard such fear coated in her voice.

  The Queen looked at them both grimly. “We’ll have to fight our way through.”

  Right now, Thalia’s life depended on Kamaria. She wasn’t supposed to be in tese tunnels, in dangerous emergencies, the protocol was for the servants to be protected last in limited less protected escape routes.

  “We need to create a defensive position!” Kamaria’s mother said, pushing Thalia to the front of them, facing the direction from where they had come.

  “Mother no!” Kamaria shrieked. “I can handle a weapon, I will protect Thalia.”

  “My dear, you are royalty, the servants put their lives in service for us, in all situations.”

  “Thalia has not been trained to fight, as soon as the invaders come through she will die.”

  “It is her duty to die!” The Queen narrowed her eyes at how tightly Kamaria was holding onto Thalia.

  “What is this? Do you love her?” The Queen laughed. “You cannot love her, you are to be married, produce heirs, nonetheless she is a servant and a woman.”

  “I love her.” Kamaria said, pulling Thalia behind her. “And I am protecting her.”

  “She should not even be in the tunnels with us—,”

  “Mother, I am going to say this and only say this once, Thalia will live because I say so, I want my best handmaiden with me because I say so. And there is nothing you can do about that fact and sacrificing her to buy us more time will not change our situation.”

  The Queen’s lips thinned into a line. “Very well.”

  She walked to the other side of Thalia. “Do not move girl.”

  The thundering footsteps got closer, and Kamaria drew out a small saber she always had strapped to her person. The Queen did the same. With two members of the royal family flanking either side of her carrying weapons, Thalia guessed she was the safest she could be. They came then, a relentless stream of invading soldiers. Kamaria and the Queen swirled around her with their weapons felling man after man. Every other moment, Kamaria grabbed her arm, as if to say I will not let anything happen to you. I have you.

  ***

  “So?” Karlie said, raising her eyebrows. “I’m here to talk, so talk.”

  Karlie said they could meet on her break, so they stood further down the street from the charity stop, down an unused side road.

  “I like you,” Eva blurted. Karlie’s face shifted into a surprised expression.

  “I’ve been figuring some stuff out with my sexuality and I just came out to my friends…”

  Karlie put up a hand to stop her. “Eva, we made out while we were drunk once, and it was literally the same night you broke up with your boyfriend. And you never said anything after that night. It’s been three months. I thought you were cute but—I’m over it. The moment has passed and honestly? It didn’t happen in the most ideal circumstances.”

  Eva went bright red. “Oh. Right—.”

  “I’m glad you’ve figured it out.” Karlie said. “But I’d rather just be friends.

  Eva nodded, embarrassed. “I have missed having you as my friend.”

  “And to be honest,” Karlie added, interrupting her. “I’ve kinda started dating this girl anyway.”

  Eva admitted, kissing someone drunkenly at the same birthday party she broke up with her boyfriend in was a bad situation. But Karlie had also refused to talk to her about it and by the time she’d let Eva explain, she was already dating someone else! Eva suddenly felt exhausted by this whole situation and wanted to leave. “I’m happy for you.” she said in a strained voice.

  “But I erm said to my friends that I would meet them at this coffee place soon. But I’ll see you in class okay?”

  Eva wouldn’t call it running away but she was almost at a sprint by the time she reached the street corner.

  She texted Sidney.

  Hey would it be okay if I borrow Thalia for tonight need magic mermaid healing for my heart lol x

  She then began the slowest walk over to the cafe where she said she’d meet the others, she was very early.

  By some miracle, Thalia managed to find the coffee shop, and Eva was sat waiting. Eva insisted they go back to hers for some food and a proper chat. “I asked Sidney if I could steal you away for a bit anyway. You must be exhausted from training you can rest in my bedroom if you need it.”

  Selfishly, Eva just wanted to see her. With Thalia, everything felt calmer, less chaotic.

  So a brief car ride, and some sandwiches from Eva’s kitchen later, they sat on her bed.

  “Is Sidney okay?” Thalia asked, her face scrunching up with concern.

  “Yes,” Eva said, “Fisher has been texting me how they are. I really wish you guys didn’t have to summon spirits that possess Sidney but I guess after literally getting thrown off a boat I don’t really have leg to stand on.” She sighed.

  Thalia made a sympathetic face and bit into her sandwich again.

  “How was meeting Karlie?”

  “We decided to just stay friends.” Eva said.

  Thalia reached across and took her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, its okay, everyone says your first sapphic experience is always very complicated.”

  Thalia nodded. Eva cleared her throat. “Seeing the exhibit in the museum yesterday must have been really difficult, it must have brought up memories of Kamaria.”

  Thalia felt a blank emptiness in her chest. “It was__”

  “I cannot for another second view you as a friend.”

  The other girl leaned forward, closing the distance to where they were sat on the garden wall, obscured by trees. Thalia’s heart beat so hard she was sure the whole kingdom could hear it, she had no idea what the princess wanted, and she hoped her own intentions were as clear as the obvious dark blush growing on her cheeks.

  Thalia couldn’t do this for much longer, trying to remember and also wanting to forget.

  “You do not walk away from me, I am your princess! You will love me! I may have to give up my kingdom and give up on my father, but I am not giving up on you”

  Thalia clutched at the bed covers to ground herself, curling the fabric around her fists, why was she remembering all this now, why were these memories crowing her brain, she couldn’t deal with this, she couldn’t…

  “I can’t choose, I can’t exist like this anymore, I can’t exist anywhere anymore. I just need to end it.”

  “Us? Or—.”

  “Everything.”

  “You are giving up.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I am.”

  Thalia gasped. That had been taken from her. That knowledge. That deep understanding of the betrayal Kamaria had made, against her. Against her family, against her kingdom. They were all gone.

  “Thalia! Thalia! Thalia!” It was Eva’s voice, bringing her back to the present.

  Thalia was shaking, and Eva immediately put her arms around her.

  One act and that was it. The whole fate of their city was decided just like that. Thalia couldn’t comprehend it. It was like the moment in the museum, seeing her whole life immortalised as a memory.

  Now the faintest traces of it, a conversation with her Papa, teasing her sisters was gone too. She had always thought she’d have the ocean to return to, but that had been a lie, obscured from her when she had returned to the surface.

  Why was she still here?

  Had the gods only kept her and Kamaria alive as punishment?

  Eva squeezed her tighter, as Thalia’s body racked with sobs. “I thought they were alive, the longer I’m human the more I remember, I remembered they are gone.”

  She lifted her face to look at Eva’s. “And they are gone because of her.”

  Eva inhaled sharply.

  “Why I am still here? Why am I still alive why did I try and find protect her?”

  Pointless, it was all…

  Eva took her hand. “Thalia.” She said softly, and Thalia stared at her even more brokenly.

  “People in Port Bastian are dying because of these monsters, and you, you’ve been saving us. I’m alive, because you saved me. We need you. Whatever force or will of the gods brought you to us… We are so glad to have you.”

  Thalia’s sob caught in her throat.

  “We don’t know what we’d do without you. So live to fight another day, to stop her, to save us, to avenge your family—.”

  “Eva.” Thalia was speechless and she took Eva’s other hand and suddenly she felt oceans— .

  Eva jerked forward, vicious red spirals bleeding through her skin. She shrieked, jumping off the bed. Thalia reached for her, grabbing her towards her, at the moment she came into contact with Eva’s glowing skin a sharp pain thudded through her fingertips. Touching Eva was burning her. Thalia felt a painful tug in her strum, even though they weren’t on the beach, the same whispers began to build in her head. The ocean was calling her. To use her powers. She tightened her grip on Eva and flashes of a sleek serpentine body and long sharp teeth flashed into her mind. “The Inkanyamba,” She gasped at Eva.

  “It’s marked you.”

  “Marked me?” She gasped, “maybe we can track it. Give me the necklace Mami Wata gave you.”

  Thalia tugged it off where it sat around her neck, and Eva put it on. It pulsed red.

  “We need to follow it!” Eva said, doubling over in pain.

  “You’re in no condition to—.”

  “Lets just do it!” Eva said. Thalia put her arms around Eva’s waist to support her, swivelling her to the door. “If I have to be a literal human beacon for you to find this monster so be it!” Eva barked.

  When she put it that way, Thalia couldn’t possibly say no. This woman meant business.