FATHOM INK PRESS

A Gathering Tempest
Copyright ©2017 by Catherine Jones Payne

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Published in the United States by Fathom Ink Press, Robinson, Texas.

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A Gathering Tempest

Alexander faced off against Julius, his fists clenched at his sides. “What did you just say?”

Julius smirked, and Alexander wanted nothing more than to push his face into a patch of fire coral. But he didn’t have the luxury of being irresponsible.

He glanced at the growing crowd of schoolkids gathering around them, ranging from little six- and seven-year-olds halfway through their first year of school all the way to the seventeen-year-olds who would graduate in just a few months.

Julius shrugged. “It’s not my fault your father’s a skub.”

Volcanic rage pulsed through Alexander’s veins, and his gills flared. “You don’t get to talk about my father that way.”

Julius’s smile overtook his whole face. “Or what?” He floated toward Alexander, the green coral school building looming behind him. “Oh, no. Your girlfriend isn’t here to defend you yet.”

“She’s not my—”

“Save it.” Julius snapped his fingers, and two boys lurched at Alexander from behind and pinned his arms against his back.

Alexander winced when the larger of them dug his fingers into a bruise he’d gotten the night before.

“What the depths?” a female voice screeched across the schoolreef. Jade hurtled over a stand of thin, branching coral, her bright hair billowing out behind her.

“Your girlfriend’s here,” Julius muttered, and the mer behind Alexander released their grips.

“She’s not—”

Jade shoved Julius back. “Get your hands off him, you skub.”

“Oooooooh,” exclaimed the other kids on the schoolreef.

“I didn’t touch him,” Julius sneered and raised his hands, his palms facing outward.

Jade folded her arms. “We’re fourteen. Stop acting like a child.”

“At least I’m not an ugly harpy,” Julius spat, straightening his spine.

Alexander clenched his teeth. It was one thing for Julius and his goons to insult his father, but Jade?

Oh, no you don’t.

He tensed his muscles to lunge for Julius’s throat, but Jade’s laugh—a melodic, lyrical trill—rang out over the schoolreef. Alexander stopped short. Everyone did. As one, even the kids who had ignored the fight turned to stare at Jade, and quillpricks ran through Alexander’s hands.

“Is that all you’ve got?” She stared at Julius, the corners of her lips turned up in mirth.

Julius shifted, opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

The schoolmaster poked his head out from the school building and announced that lessons were about to begin.

“Aww, what good timing.” Jade looped her arm through Alexander’s. “We wouldn’t have wanted to humiliate Julius too much now, would we?” She cast one final glance at Julius before they all swept over the dull seafloor into the dimly lit building.

Alexander blinked a few times to adjust to the light. The school needed to add more bioluminaries to the walls and ceilings, but, then again, there were a lot of things the school needed. He ground his teeth and wondered for the thousandth time why the nobles who sent their kids here wouldn’t put up the money to make sure everyone could see adequately or that the teachers had enough tablets and scribs.

Not that what the nobles did was his business.

“Rhea!” Jade squealed as they turned the corner into the corridor leading to their classroom. She let go of him and threw her arms around a dark-haired mermaid they’d been friends with since they started school as little kids.

Well, Jade had been friends with her, anyway.

Alexander and Rhea got along fine, but he always felt like she didn’t really want him around. She’d never told him that to his face, of course. Jade ruled their little clique, and she’d long since decided that Alexander would be part of it.

He and Rhea nodded at each other, and they all headed into the classroom. Six rectangular tables, each surrounded by five woven hammock chairs, stood in the center of the low-ceilinged room. They found seats at the same table as Kora and Caleb.

Professor Plutarchus floated at the front of the class, droning something about turning in the assigned homework. Alexander tightened his lips and hung his head. Heat flared in his cheeks, and he hoped no one noticed.

He’d known it was due today. But that didn’t mean he’d had the money for a tablet.

Jade reached for her cloth bag—an extravagance, in Alexander’s opinion—and pulled out her tablet, the whole thing carefully marked over front and back.

She glanced over at him. “Did you not do it?”

He shrugged. “Forgot,” he mumbled.

She rolled her eyes. “Alexander, you can’t keep doing that. You’re great with the verbal assignments, but you won’t graduate if you never turn in your tablets.”

He leaned back in his hammock chair. “I’ve turned in a few this year.”

She pursed her lips and passed her tablet up toward Professor Plutarchus.

Alexander closed his eyes and struggled to pay attention to the lesson. Jade was right. He wouldn’t graduate if he couldn’t get things turned in.

And then he’d end up a laborer like his father.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts. Laborer or not, he would never be like his father.

His eyes drifted to Jade, admiring the upturned tilt of her nose and her wide, expressive eyes. Her vivid hair—more purple than pink, he’d decided—cascaded down her back in waves, a startling contrast to her dark skin. He’d been in love since the day they’d met. Not that he’d ever admitted it to her.

Not that he ever would admit it to her. They came from different worlds. Even he knew enough to understand that he couldn’t be with her.

He hunched his shoulders and forced his attention back to Professor Plutarchus’s lecture on Thessaloniken history. They were studying the siren invasion—not that they hadn’t all heard that story since they were babies—and Alexander was pretty sure he could pass an exam on it even if he didn’t hear a word the professor said.

But he didn’t want to get cocky. He needed to graduate.

After school let out, Jade grabbed Alexander’s hand as they swam down the dim corridor.

“Let’s go get sweet puffs. You deserve it for putting up with Julius’s nonsense this morning.”

Jade turned to Kora, Rhea, and Caleb, who trailed behind them. “Anyone else want to come?”

“Are you kidding?” Kora’s brown eyes widened. “With the verbal exam in politics tomorrow? I need to study, and so do you.”

Jade shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Rhea and Caleb also elected to study, so Jade and Alexander floated out the door and wandered through the canals alone until they came to their favorite canal cart.

“A dozen sweet puffs, please.” Jade proffered a few coins and a small netting bag.

The seller scooped the puffs into the bag and handed it back, and Jade and Alexander continued to meander down the crowded canal, easing past dolphin-driven carts and countless merchants hawking their wares.

She handed him a sweet puff, and he popped it into his mouth, savoring its rich, creamy filling.

“How is it?” she asked.

“Sweet.” He shot her a grin. “But not as sweet as you.”

She giggled, and he felt a manta ray flop in his stomach. Why had he let himself fall in love with her? He clenched his right hand to keep himself from reaching for hers.

She peeked into the bag and wrinkled her nose. “I only gave you one, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“He shorted me one.”

Alexander reached for the bag and counted. “Want to go back and ask for another one?”

She shrugged. “More trouble than it’s worth. You know how that sort of thing makes me anxious.”

He stopped and studied her. “Have you been feeling alright?”

She nodded but didn’t meet his eyes. “Mother and Father have been so serious lately—with the liberationists causing trouble and all—and it’s been making me nervous.” She paused and, with a cheerful trill in her voice, said, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

He grabbed another puff and nodded. “If you say so.”

After a period of comfortable silence, he said, “I can’t stay too long. I need to study, too.”

“Psh,” said Jade. “You’ll ace the exam without even trying. You always do.”

“Well, I’ll need to ace it since I can’t ever remember to turn in my tablets.”

They passed a yellow-haired naiad lugging a pile of netting, and Jade handed Alexander another puff.

His gaze lingered on the naiad, who walked across the seafloor with short, jerking movements. Naiads had legs like overlanders rather than fins like the mer, but they could manipulate the water around them, and so they usually floated on currents of their own making.

“Do you think he’s injured?” He bobbed his head back at the naiad.

Jade glanced behind them. “The canal’s probably just too crowded to make current-casting practical.”

He gave the naiad a final look then turned back to Jade. “I think you’re right.” He resisted the urge to thread his fingers through hers.

“Hey, let’s go up to the second-story shops,” she said.

He rested his hand on her upper back. “Is the crowd making you nervous?”

“Not too badly. I’d just prefer not to be quite so closed in.”

“Your wish is my command.” He winked at her, and they floated upward, away from the thick of the crowd on the seafloor.

When they settled into a current, passing the second row of shops away from the teeming crowd of mer below them, Jade said, “I hope Julius doesn’t bother you too much.”

He shrugged. “It’s not the end of the world. He’s just a bully. I’ve had worse.” He rubbed the bruise on his arm. He stole a glance over at her, and her eyes were trained on him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Of course.” He flashed her a smile. “Just thinking about what you said about graduating. You’re right. I should work harder.”

A smile parted her lips, and his gills seized up. She’d never looked so beautiful. The ache he knew too well rose up in his throat, and he glanced at a tide glass on a nearby pearl shop. “Well, I guess I’d better go study—if I’m going to take this whole thing seriously and all.”

She blinked rapidly, and he wanted to slap himself for causing the disappointment on her face. He’d been doing it too often recently, but sometimes being around her just hurt too much.

So he withdrew. Like usual.

Bile rose in his throat, and he swallowed hard.

“Okay.” She offered a weak smile. “See you tomorrow?”

“Always.” He squeezed her hand and then turned around and swam away.

When Alexander arrived at a small dwelling made of dull brown coral, he wedged his hand against the doorframe to steel himself. Then he fished a key out of his pouch and let himself in.

“Father?” he called, swimming inside and closing the door.

An eerie stillness hovered in the stale water. Many mer left their doors open whenever they were at home to allow the water to circulate freely, with only a privacy screen in place to shield them from the eyes of their neighbors. In Alexander’s house, the door was always closed.

Maybe if he’d ever allowed Jade to visit his home—or meet his father—she’d understand. But he’d always made excuses, and eventually she’d stopped asking.

“Father?”

No response came, and with a building sense of dread, he moved back down the short, narrow corridor to his father’s room. He didn’t know what to expect.

He never knew what to expect.

When Alexander poked his head through his father’s door, he found him curled up like a sea urchin in his hammock. An empty vial lay tucked into the crook of his arm. Alexander swam to his father’s side and watched his gills move.

Shallow and slow, but constant. Good enough.

Even if his father had overdosed again, Alexander couldn’t do anything about it. They owed so much money to the physicians that he doubted they’d treat him anymore.

Alexander set his jaw and swam back down the corridor to the house’s common area, a square room about three tail-lengths across that served as their kitchen, dining area, and living space. When he opened the cupboards, his stomach growled.

Empty.

He floated up a little higher to peer all the way into the back and found a few pieces of seaweed tucked in the corner. He pulled them out and gnawed on them, wishing he’d eaten more sweet puffs.

He drifted back down the corridor and into his father’s room. His father still lay there, dead to the world, and Alexander rifled through his clothes until he found a coin purse. It felt light.

Too light.

His heart sank as he opened it. Sure enough, it held only a single copper coin. Not enough for a full meal and certainly not enough for any tablets for his schoolwork.

He toyed with the idea of going to Jade and finally explaining everything. He knew if he asked, she’d give him dinner and a whole stack of tablets without a second thought.

But no matter how many times he went over the conversation in his head, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t go beg from the rich girl he was in love with. He might not have dinner, but he had his dignity.

He sank down at the table and buried his face in his hands.

At least his father wasn’t awake. His fingertips drifted back to the bruise on his arm. Better that his father had gotten the puffer poison and knocked himself out. He could stay in his drug-induced dreamworld for the rest of his life as far as Alexander was concerned. Better than a violent rage.

Anything was better than that.

He tied his pouch around his waist and ventured outside onto the quiet culvert. With hunched shoulders, he made his way two canals over to where his Aunt Rhiannon lived, in a house smaller than his.

By the time he reached his aunt’s canal, Alexander could hear one of the babies wailing from inside her house. Guilt gnawed at his insides, but he kept going. When he arrived, he rapped on the door.

Aunt Rhiannon opened the door, a baby in each arm and a weary expression on her face, and nodded brusquely at him. “Hey, Xander.”

He glanced behind her into the two-room house and saw that the kitchen table was missing.

“Father’s out cold again.” He stared down at the seafloor. “There isn’t any food in the house, and he spent all his money on the puffer poison.” He raised his eyes back to meet hers.

Her eyes softened. “I’m sorry.” She glanced down at the infants, still so little they hadn’t yet lost their fine white baby hair. “Listen, I don’t have any money to give right now. We have to pay rent tomorrow, and we don’t have quite enough for that as it is.”

“Okay.” He ran his hand up his arm. “I understand. Don’t worry about it.” He turned around.

“Wait,” she said. He turned back, and she held up a finger and then ducked into the house. She re-emerged carrying a small pod stuffed with some kind of fish.

“Oh, no—”

“Shh.” She handed it to him. “We’ll be alright. We’re family, and I wish we could do more to take care of you. You’ve had to grow up too fast.” She bit her lip. “My brother’s a skub.”

Alexander chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah he is.” He hesitated. “Thanks. I … I really appreciate it. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She gave him a bone-tired smile. “You’re special, Alexander. You’re smart in a way none of the rest of us are. You’ll do alright for yourself. It’s hard right now, but it won’t be that way forever. Never forget that.”

“Yeah.” He glanced at the seafloor. “I won’t.”

He ate the pod as he drifted down the canal and then went from shop to shop asking if they had any jobs to offer. The tide-glass makers. The wrap merchants. The builders. Everywhere he asked, he got the same answer: “No jobs. Certainly not for someone so young. Focus on your studies.”

He’d known already. It was the same answer he’d gotten every week for the last year. But surely, one of these weeks, someone would offer him some work. He was nothing if not persistent, and he hoped that one of the shopkeepers would take notice of it.

He reached the end of the canal and glanced over the intersecting canals and into the naiad quarter. An idea struck him. Mer won’t hire an underage schoolboy, but maybe a naiad would.

He hesitated. Is it safe?

In recent months, a revolutionary faction of naiads calling themselves liberationists had begun attacking mer in the canals. Then he shrugged off the concern. Starvation wasn’t safe either.

He swam into the naiad quarter and down what looked like a major canal. He glanced this way and that, trying to make sense of the dull sandstone buildings and identify the shops—particularly the ones that might need help.

It all looked so different from the canals he usually traveled. Naiads jetted past him on the currents of water cast with their hands, and he felt out of place in the sea of ethereal, luminescent robes.

“Sir?” He swam toward a tall naiad with a serious expression.

The naiad furrowed his eyebrows and jetted in the other direction.

He bit his lip and tried again. “Very sorry to bother you,” he said to an older naiad woman whose white hair spilled to her waist. “I’m looking for work.”

She scowled at him and waved him off.

Finally, he caught the attention of a red-haired naiad girl who looked about his age. “Excuse me, miss?”

She turned toward him and gave a shy smile. “Yeah?”

“I-I haven’t been here before, so I don’t know where to go. I’m looking for work. I’ll do anything, and I’m a really hard worker. Do you know if anyone’s hiring?”

She cocked her head and stared at him. “A merman’s looking for work in the naiad quarter?”

He held her gaze. “Please. I’m desperate.”

She nodded slowly. “Come with me. I know someone who might be able to help.” She took off down the canal, and he flipped his fin and surged forward to catch up to her.

“I’m Alexander, by the way,” he said.

“Anna.” She stopped abruptly in front of a doorway with its privacy screen tied off to the side. “I’ll introduce you to Lucas. He’s sometimes hiring, and he knows everybody.”

They ducked inside the shop, and his gaze drifted over the wares for sale. Odds and ends spilled over every shelf—netting, rope, slabs of stone, dishes, shells. It seemed like the shop had a little bit of everything.

“Lucas?” Anna called.

“Be right there,” came a husky voice from the back of the shop.

A moment later, Lucas emerged and walked toward them. He was tall for a naiad, with a slim build. A cord tied back his long blond hair.

“Hi, Anna.” He nodded at them. “Who’s your friend?”

“Lucas, meet Alexander,” she said. “Alexander, Lucas. Alexander’s wondering if you might have any work, or if you know someone who needs help.”

Lucas rubbed his chin and studied Alexander. “Maybe. We don’t usually hire mer here.”

Alexander opened his mouth, hesitated, and then plowed forward. “I’ll work twice as hard as anyone, sir. I’ll do anything you ask me to. All the jobs that you don’t want to do. Just give me a chance, and I promise I’ll prove myself.”

Lucas nodded. “You still in school, kid?”

Alexander bit his lip. “Aye, sir. And I’d like to graduate. But I can come in before and after school. Work as much as you need me to. And all day on my day off.”

Lucas glanced from Alexander to Anna and back again. “I like you,” he finally said. “You’re hungry, and you’re not uppity. I’ll try you out for a week. Come by tomorrow as soon as school gets out, and I’ll give you three hours of work. It doesn’t pay great, but it’ll give you something. That sound good?”

Relief flooded Alexander to his core. “Aye, sir. I won’t disappoint you, sir.”

He ducked back out of the shop with Anna and turned toward her. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

She laid a hand on his arm. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I was happy to help. Really.”

They said goodbye, and Anna promised to meet him at the end of his shift the next day to find out how it had gone. His whole body felt light as he swam back home.

No matter what awaited him, he’d just changed his life. He’d finally landed a job and could earn his own money now. And as long as his father didn’t find out, he wouldn’t have to go hungry again. Maybe he could even afford those school tablets.

The next day, he arrived at school bright and early, not wanting to spend any more time than he had to with his father, who had woken up surly and impatient, as he usually did after a puffer-poison binge. But nothing was going to dampen Alexander’s mood that morning.

He swept onto the schoolreef. Only a few students had arrived, and Julius wasn’t in sight.

Thank the tides.

Jade arrived from the other side, holding the hand of her little brother, Benjamin. Alexander liked Benjamin. He was a cute kid who knew more about animals than anyone Alexander had ever met.

Jade hadn’t noticed him yet, so he set down his bag and took a quiet moment to watch her, unobserved. A tiny white dolphin carving swung from a cord around her neck. Alexander smiled as she ruffled Benjamin’s hair and guided him toward the other kids playing with shells in the corner of the schoolreef. When she turned around, she caught his eye and swam toward him.

“Hey!” she said. “Ready for the exam?”

“Are you kidding?” He raised his chin. “This exam’s going to beg for mercy by the time we’re done with it.”

She smacked her fin against his, and they went into the classroom together. As they swam, Jade prattled on about how she and her mother were scheming to throw her father an extravagant party to celebrate his birthday.

Alexander loved her. He really did. But depths, sometimes she was tone-deaf.

Just as Professor Plutarchus swam into the room, Alexander remembered that he’d left his bag on the schoolreef. He whispered to Jade, “I’ll be right back.”

He darted out of the room, down the corridor, and onto the schoolreef. His whole body relaxed when he saw his bag untouched, right where he’d left it.

Not that he had anything in it to worry about.

He scooped it up and turned to go back into the building.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder.

He whirled around to see a tall, burly merman with a jagged scar down the right side of his face. Fear churned in his stomach, but he maintained a calm demeanor. He’d had lots of practice.

“How can I help you, sir?”

“You Alexander Adrianopolis?”

“Aye, sir.” Alexander floated backwards, just out of reach of the scar-faced merman. “I really need to get to class. I have an exam.”

The merman sneered. “Your pa owes me a lot of money.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “My father owes a lot of people money.”

“Yeah? Well, I’d like to get mine back.”

Alexander bowed. “I have to get to my exam. Please take this up with my father. Go in peace.”

The merman lurched toward Alexander and grabbed him by the edge of his wrap. “Now listen here. You’re gonna make sure I get my money back, or I’m gonna make life … painful for you. Understand, kid?”

Alexander trembled with rage. “Do. Not. Touch. Me.” He jerked backward. “And don’t threaten me, or I’ll go the inspectors.”

“And tell ‘em what? That your old man’s a puffer-poison addict and a thief? I’m sure that’ll go over really well for you. Maybe I’ll visit ‘em myself.”

Alexander’s gills flared. “How much does he owe you?”

“A hundred and fifty drachmas.”

Alexander blanched. “A-a hundred and fifty drachmas?” he sputtered. “That’s impossible.”

“He borrowed a hundred six months ago. The rest is interest.” He pulled back the edge of his cloak, revealing a wicked-looking blade strapped to his side.

Alexander held his hands up. “Okay. Wait. I’m just starting a job. I can get you maybe a drachma a week. I don’t know how much I’m going to be making, but I need to buy food and school supplies.”

He grunted. “Three drachmas a week for a year and a half, and I won’t cut you into pieces.”

“That’s way more than a hundred and fifty!”

“You pay me off slowly, you pay interest.”

Alexander closed his eyes. “Two drachmas for two years.”

The merman tilted his head and then clenched a fist to his chest. “Fine. You got yourself a deal, kid.”

“And don’t lend my father any more money.”

The merman chuckled, revealing two rows of rotting teeth. “You don’t gotta worry about that. I’ll be back in a week for my two drachmas.”

He flipped his fin and darted away from the schoolreef and down a canal.

Alexander gripped his bag so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Exam. I have to take the exam.

“Alexander?”

Alexander whirled around again. Jade’s father floated near the school building with a net bag clutched in his hand.

“Lord Nico!” Alexander’s heart raced. “What are you doing here?”

Lord Nico glanced at the bag he was holding. “Benjamin forgot his lunch. George was going to bring it, but the school was on my way.”

“Oh.” Alexander would’ve given anything for George, rather than Lord Nico, to have stumbled onto his conversation with the scar-faced merman. “I see.” He bowed. “I must be going, my lord. I have an exam.”

“Alexander, wait.” Lord Nico’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m afraid I overheard your conversation a moment ago, and … I’m concerned for you.”

Alexander pressed his lips together. “Thank you for your concern. I’ll manage.”

Lord Nico nodded. “I’ll let you go to your exam, but we need to talk about this. Can I find you after school?”

“I’m going straight to my new job after classes are done.”

“For how long?” Lord Nico studied him.

“Three hours.”

“Come over for dinner, then, when you’re done at work. We’ll eat at low tide.”

“Oh, no. I—”

“I insist.” His steely eyes warned Alexander that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Alexander nodded. “Very well, my lord.”

“Go in peace.”

Alexander clutched his bag to his chest, muttered, “Peace be upon you,” and darted into the school building.

After his troubling conversations on the schoolreef, Alexander could barely concentrate on his exam.

“Doing anything after school?” Jade asked as they packed up their bags.

“Yeah, actually. Starting a new job, so I’m going to be pretty busy for a while.”

Jade wrinkled her nose. “Really? You’re going to try to balance school and work?”

“It’ll make things easier at home,” he said smoothly. “Money can get a little tight for us common folk sometimes.”

She tilted her head. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been tense all day.”

Maybe he hadn’t been quite as smooth as he’d thought.

He shrugged. “Everything’s just going to be busier, that’s all. Oh, I ran into your father on the schoolreef when I went out to grab my bag.” She’d find out he was coming to dinner sooner rather than later. It might as well be on his terms.

“Father was here?”

“Yeah. Benjamin forgot his lunch, so he came by to bring it. We got to visit for a minute. I’m going to come by your house for dinner after I’m done at work this afternoon.”

She brightened. “Oh, good. We can do schoolwork together after dinner.”

A smile played on his lips. “Yeah. That sounds great.”

With one last furtive glance at her, he left school and swam down back-canals to get to the naiad quarter and his new job. Thoughts whirlpooled in his head. How would he pay two drachmas a week? That would likely be most—if not all—of his wages unless he quit school so he could work more.

Frustration churned in his chest. He’d learned a long time ago that life wasn’t fair, but that didn’t stop the ache in his chest whenever he stopped too long to think about it.

His mother had abandoned him with his puffer-addict father when he was a baby, and the rest of his family meant well, but their own poverty kept them from helping him out as much as they wanted to.

Meanwhile all his school friends burned through their spending money on luxuries as if they’d never considered that some mer in the city went hungry.

He crossed into the naiad quarter and counted the canals one by one until he reached the one on which his new employer’s shop lay. He swam down the canal, too despondent to heed the strange looks the naiads were giving him.

He charged through the open shop door and pulled himself to a halt. Lucas stood by a pile of netting, talking to another naiad.

Lucas glanced over at Alexander and nodded. “Be right with you.”

Alexander rested his back against the wall of the shop and waited for Lucas to finish his conversation. The other naiad selected a long stretch of netting and handed Lucas a fistful of coins. Lucas counted the coins, nodded at the other naiad, and then turned to Alexander.

“Right on time,” he said.

“Aye, sir.”

“You ever repaired torn-up nets before, kid?”

“No, sir, but I’ll learn quick.”

Lucas chuckled. “I’m sure you will. It’s not complicated.” He strode toward the back of the shop, and Alexander floated after him. “You inspect each piece of netting carefully, hand-length by hand-length. Find any tears, and weave a new patch of netting into the tear. The important thing is that you not miss any rips. Are you ready for that responsibility?”

Alexander nodded. “Yes, sir.”

They entered a back room and came to a pile of netting that stretched almost to the ceiling.

Lucas said, “I just bought all this from a group of fishers who work the reef. They’re all busted in one way or another, some worse than others. I’ve been spending a lot of time fixing them so I can sell them out front.”

He jetted up to the top of the pile, gripped the topmost piece of netting, and dragged it down to the floor. It stretched about two tail-lengths long.

“This is a pretty small one.” Lucas bit his lip. “So it’ll be a good one to use as an example.” He eased back to the floor, laid out the net, and, working methodically from side to side, inspected the piece.

“Looks like two rips,” he murmured. “Here and here.” He pointed to each tear. “You’ll find patches on that shelf.” He gestured to the right, where a divot in the wall nearly burst with scraps of netting in all shapes and sizes. “If you don’t see one that’s close to the right size, trim a patch from off the edge of the net you’re working on.”

He walked over to the shelf he’d motioned to, and Alexander followed.

Lucas rifled through the pile and emerged with two pieces. “You’ll get better about eyeballing the right size for the patch as you work at it. It’ll take you a while to find the right match for your first few nets. Just keep going until it’s done.”

They returned to the net stretched across the floor, and Lucas lined up one of the patches with a rent.

“Now tie the ends of the patch into the edges of the tear like this. Make sure each knot you make is secure.” He made six knots in quick succession, securing half of the patch into the net. “Let me see you try the rest.”

Alexander bit his lip and grasped two strands of netting and started tying them together. “Like this?”

Lucas nodded and reached down to guide his fingers. “Just be careful that you don’t leave too much netting bunched around the edge. It’ll make it more likely to catch on something and tear again.”

After Alexander finished tying in both patches, Lucas nodded.

“You’re a quick study,” he said. “I’m going to go to the front of the store to wait on customers. Stack the finished nets in that back left-hand corner, and come find me if you have any questions or need help.”

Alexander folded the net in quarters, swam to the top of the pile, and grabbed the next piece of netting. He could do this.

Three hours later, his back ached like never before, and his fingers were so stiff he doubted he could grip a spoon at dinner.

Lucas emerged from the front of the store. “How’d it go?”

Alexander shot him a smile. “Great. I did that whole pile.” He gestured to a stack as high as Lucas’s head.

Lucas strode over to the pile and inspected the top three nets. “Well done.” He jerked his head toward the front. “Come on. I’m closing up for the day. I’ll pay you out there.”

Alexander cracked his knuckles and followed Lucas up to the front as Lucas opened his pouch and dug for some coins.

“There you go.” Lucas handed Alexander two small copper coins as they reached the door.

Alexander closed his hand around the money. “Thank you, sir.”

“See you tomorrow after school.”

Alexander bowed his head and turned around to leave the shop. As soon as the door closed behind him, he opened his fist and looked at the coins. Together they amounted to a quarter of a drachma.

He chewed his lower lip. That meant he’d earn a drachma and a half working after school every day. As long as Lucas would let him work a long day on his day off school, he’d earn enough to satisfy the loan shark but with only a negligible amount left over for tablets and food. Maybe Lucas would let him come in before school, too.

Not that it would matter that he had money for school tablets if he never had time to complete them.

He clenched his fists. It wasn’t Lucas he was angry at. There wasn’t a lot of money in the naiad quarter, and Lucas had warned that the job didn’t pay well.

But he was so frustrated that he’d finally landed his first job, and his wages were being siphoned away to pay for his father’s drug habit.

He glanced at the tide glass hanging on the exterior wall of Lucas’s shop. Almost low tide. He wanted to go home and tear into his father for his selfishness, but he needed to get to Jade’s house.

He hoped Lord Nico hadn’t already told her about the conversation he’d overheard on the schoolreef.

Alexander had known Lord Nico long enough to know he wouldn’t report his father to the inspectors. Lord Nico was a fair merman, measured in his actions, careful to consider how a course of action would affect others. But he was also open with his family, especially Lady Cleo.

And the tides knew Alexander wasn’t Lady Cleo’s favorite. It had been different when he was little, but over the last few years, she’d grown distant and cold toward him. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but he suspected she knew he was in love with Jade.

And she knew as well as he did that he and Jade could never be. The daughter of one of the most important politicians in the city couldn’t marry the son of a sometimes-laborer.

He glanced at the two coins in his hand and imagined, just for a moment, what it would be like to leave school—and Jade—behind. The thought seared his heart, but maybe it’d be better to leave sooner rather than later. The leaving was inevitable, after all.

“Alexander?”

He jerked his head up to see Anna, the red-haired naiad who had introduced him to Lucas, standing alongside two other naiads.

“Anna! Hi! You came.”

She grinned. “Of course. These are my friends William and Miriam. I thought we’d say hi.”

William reached out his hand in greeting.

Alexander tucked the coins in his pouch and grasped William’s forearm.

“Good to meet you.” William glanced Alexander over and tilted his head.

Anna stepped closer to William—very close. Alexander suppressed a smile. “We should all go grab something to eat. Rowena’s restaurant is nearby. Do you like grouper?”

Alexander glanced at each of them in turn. “Hey, I’d love to. Really. I … I’m supposed to meet a friend, though. Maybe tomorrow or next week?”

Anna’s shoulders slumped. “You have to go already?”

William made eye contact with her, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh, no. Not like that,” Alexander said. “I really do want to get to know all of you. I’ve just already arranged to study with a friend tonight. I don’t want her to think I forgot.”

“Ah,” said Miriam, a grin on her lips. “Don’t want to disappoint a lady?”

Alexander blushed. “I-uh-I … um, it’s not—”

Anna giggled, and Alexander decided to stop talking before he embarrassed himself further.

“Something like that,” he muttered.

“Well, we’ll let you go attend to your lady if you muuuuuust,” said Anna. “But you have a date with all of us tomorrow, and don’t forget it.”

He fought back a smile. “I won’t. Same time tomorrow.”

He waved at them and then moved down the narrow canal, passing a sea of naiads leaving the shops they worked in. As he drew closer to the border of the naiad quarter, the crowd grew even thicker as naiads who worked for noble mer returned home.

He crossed back into the section of the city he’d grown up in and tried to put the thoughts of his father, his new job, and the scar-faced merman out of his head. Canal by canal, he moved into the ritzy part of the city.

As he drew closer to Jade’s house, the gardens grew brighter and the homes loomed bigger. When he saw Julius crossing the canal in front of him, he shifted uncomfortably, but he squared his shoulders and kept swimming. Julius darted down a culvert without noticing him, and Alexander’s whole body relaxed.

Two more turns brought him to Jade’s canal, and he hesitated when he reached the lovely yet relatively unassuming home in the middle of a row of ostentatious houses. Cleo and Nico were rich as all get out, but they didn’t flaunt it the same way their neighbors did. Maybe that’s why he’d always felt more comfortable at Jade’s than at Rhea’s or Kora’s or Caleb’s.

He floated down the opalescent path that led to the door and rapped on the bright blue front door.

George—Lord Nico and Lady Cleo’s butler—opened the door and reached out to clasp his shoulder. “Alexander. Good to see you. Lord Nico mentioned you’d be coming.”

Alexander followed George into the house, now feeling awkward and self-conscious. He just wished he knew why he was here.

“Alexander!” Jade squealed, barreling down the vertical corridor that led to the second story of her house. She stopped short and crossed her arms when she reached the bottom. “It’s about time.”

He shrugged. “Had to work until the shop closed.”

She darted toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m kidding! Depths, you always take everything so seriously. Come on. Dinner isn’t ready yet. Let’s go sit down and start studying. Sit at the table, and I’ll be right back down?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

She darted back toward the corridor.

“Could you bring an extra tablet?” he called. “I didn’t have time to go home after work, so I don’t have one.” He winced a little at the lie, but it was better than admitting he hadn’t been doing his work because he couldn’t afford the supplies.

“Of course,” she called from the second level of the house.

He drifted over to the table and sank down onto one of the hammock chairs, suddenly conscious that he could overhear Nico and Cleo’s conversation one room over. He held as still as he could and listened, feeling vaguely guilty about invading their privacy but desperate to know whether Nico had revealed to Cleo what he’d overheard.

“I don’t like it,” Cleo said. “It’s dangerous for you to go broker a peace deal. And why would they want you to come alone?”

“Because,” Nico replied, his voice soft and reassuring, “they know I won’t renege on my promises and reveal them all to the inspectors. I’ve developed a good rapport with these kids. They’ve found themselves in a current too fast for them. They never intended for it to get this far, and I really think they want peace.”

There was a pause, and then Nico continued. “Come, my love. Don’t look at me like that. They’re kids with a vendetta—for good reason, I might add—not hardened revolutionaries.”

“It just doesn’t float right with me. That’s all.”

The naiad liberationists, Alexander realized. Was there hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict? He hoped so. Especially since he was now traveling to the naiad quarter every day.

“Alright!” Jade burst into the room and thunked down two tablets and scribs on the table. “I think we can get about half of this done before dinner.”

Alexander struggled to keep his attention on the assignment—summarizing the tactics that had allowed Queen Eliana and Prince Nathanael to outmaneuver the sirens—but he dutifully filled out one side of the tablet before George announced that dinner was ready. Jade cleared away the tablets and scribs, and Alexander filed into the kitchen to fill a plate with food.

“Lord Nico. Lady Cleo.” He bowed his head.

“Alexander.” Lord Nico smiled at him. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Lady Cleo nodded in his direction but only met his eyes for a fleeting moment.

“Thank you for having me,” he murmured, ducking his head. “It gave Jade and me a chance to get schoolwork done.”

Jade flounced into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”

George smiled. “Crab. Your favorite, Miss Jade.”

“Aww, thanks, George!” She squeezed his shoulder, opened a cupboard, grabbed two plates, and passed one back to Alexander. They each scooped three pieces of crab onto their plates, returned to the table, and sat down. Lord Nico, Lady Cleo, and George trailed behind them.

“Benjamin! Dinner!” yelled Lady Cleo.

Before Alexander had a chance to pick up a piece of crab, Benjamin shot through the bottom of the vertical corridor and hurtled past them into the kitchen.

Jade chuckled and shook her head. “Any word on the liberationists?”

Lord Nico and Lady Cleo glanced at each other, and Lord Nico answered, “We have high hopes for a peace deal soon. Obviously Tryphaena wants things to settle down as much as we do, and I’ve convinced the kid who’s styled himself the head of the liberationists to meet me to talk about what that might look like.”

“You mean you’re giving them something?” Jade asked between bites of crab.

Lady Cleo drummed her fingers on the table. “In a matter of speaking. To save face, they need to be able to say their little insurrection meant something. That it gave them leverage. But the king’s been wanting to improve conditions in the naiad quarter anyway, so we’re not really bending to them.”

“So.” Lord Nico turned his attention to Alexander. “How have you been, son?”

Alexander popped a piece of crab in his mouth to give himself time to contemplate his answer. When he swallowed, he said, “Quite well, sir. I just got my first job.”

“Wonderful. What are you doing?”

“Assisting a shopkeeper, sir. Right now I’m mending nets.”

Lord Nico nodded. “Good, honest labor. A decent job while you’re still in school. But remember that you’re far too bright to mend nets for the rest of your life, young man. I expect you’ll keep working hard in school. You have a real shot at a fine career.”

Lady Cleo shot Lord Nico a look. “We mustn’t get his hopes up, my love. You know as well as I do that, at least in this city, connections mean more than skill.”

Lord Nico smiled and grabbed a whole crab leg off his plate. “Good thing he has friends in high places, then.” He winked at Lady Cleo.

Benjamin came to the table with his plate piled high with crabmeat.

Jade snorted. “That’s bigger than you are, urchin.”

“It is not.” Benjamin stuck out his lower lip. “I’m growing.”

She reached out her hand and ruffled his hair. “Sure you are.”

“Tell us what you’ve all been learning in school.” Lady Cleo rested her chin in her hands.

Alexander, Jade, and Benjamin took turns summarizing their most recent lessons, and when they finished, Lord Nico nodded and pushed himself up from him hammock chair.

“You done eating, Alexander?” He hovered behind the table.

Alexander nodded.

“Let’s go for a swim for a few minutes, just you and I.”

Jade’s forehead crinkled. “Why do—”

“It’s high time I talked to him about his future in the city,” Lord Nico said without missing a beat. “I think he ought to start taking school a little more seriously with an eye toward an ambitious career. I can help him with all that if I get to know him a little better. Figure out where he might fit best.”

Jade’s face glowed, and she shot Alexander a grin. Alexander nodded back at her then floated away from the table, following Lord Nico to the door. But a sinking suspicion in his gut suggested that his long-term career options weren’t the primary reason Lord Nico wanted to talk to him.

When they had swum to the corner and turned onto the intersecting canal—lined with another row of sprawling homes constructed from brightly colored coral—Lord Nico finally spoke. “So what was all that about on the schoolreef?”

Alexander ground his fingernails into his palms. “How much did you hear?”

“All of it, I’m afraid.”

Alexander studied the sandy seafloor as they swam, searching for the right words.

“It’s okay,” Lord Nico said. “You can tell me.”

Shame burned hot in Alexander’s throat as he blurted out, “My mother didn’t really die when I was a little kid like I told Jade. She ran away from my father because he was too hard to live with. I don’t blame her for that. He’s … he’s awful. B-but…”

Lord Nico put his hand on Alexander’s shoulder. “Go on, son.”

Alexander screwed his eyes shut. “She left me with him. She left him because she couldn’t stand to live with him, but she left me with him.”

All of Alexander’s pent-up rage floated to the surface, and his eyes reopened.

“My father’s a puffer-poison addict. Half the days he’s passed out on his bed and doesn’t go to work. But those are better than the days he’s alert and awake.” He swallowed.

“I’m sorry,” Lord Nico murmured. “I didn’t know.”

Alexander shrugged off Lord Nico’s hand. “So no, sir, I wasn’t surprised when that merman said that my father had borrowed all that money for puffer poison. And it’ll take most of my wages to pay him back, so I’ll still be behind in school…”

Lord Nico made a gruff noise in the back of his throat. “So that’s why Jade’s been bringing back stories about how frustrated she is that you aren’t turning in your homework.”

“I don’t have tablets,” Alexander whispered. “Please don’t tell her any of this. I’d die if she knew.”

They turned another corner and headed down another canal that would loop around to the house.

Lord Nico made eye contact with Alexander. “Jade’s one of your best friends. She should know what’s going on in your life.”

“I’d be too embarrassed, sir.”

Lord Nico’s shoulders slumped. “Very well, then. I won’t tell Jade.”

Relief bloomed in Alexander’s chest. “Thank you.”

“But I must insist you let me supply you with food and tablets. It’s inexcusable that you’ve gone without.”

Alexander threaded his fingers together. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay in school at all. I’ve been thinking about quitting and focusing on work.”

“No.” The finality in Lord Nico’s tone brooked no argument.

“With all that’s going on—”

“Do you want to quit so you can make more money, or because you’re ashamed that you need to make more money?”

Alexander clenched his fists so tightly that one of his knuckles popped. “Excuse me, sir?”

“You’re a good kid, Alexander. I’m glad you’re friends with my daughter. But you’ll need to reckon with your mother’s legacy before you grow into a mature adult. Don’t run away from things—from people you love—because life gets hard.”

“It’s not that sim—”

Lord Nico held up his hand. “Let me finish. I’ve known you since you were a small child. I believe in you and want you to have a shot at making a better life than the one that’s been handed to you. Cleo is right that it’s hard to forge that kind of new life in this city, but I think you have as good a chance as any.

“To assist you in that endeavor, I’d like to give you six drachmas a month until you graduate school. It isn’t much, but as a supplement to your wages from the shop, it should allow you to stay in school and maintain adequate food and supplies. And I want to see about finding you another place to live. I’m not sure your father is fit to care for you.”

Alexander shook his head. “I can’t accept—”

“Don’t let pride be your death.” Lord Nico’s gills flared. “Accept the help you need, and extend it to someone else when you have the opportunity to give it.”

They arrived back at the house, and Alexander mumbled, “Aye, sir.”

Two days later, Alexander’s fingers still ached from the hours he’d spent weaving the nets at Lucas’s shop. His fingers trembled whenever he picked up a scrib, but he’d felt a sense of accomplishment when Lucas plunked more money into his outstretched hand. The evening he’d spent with his new naiad friends had been full of more joking and laughter than he’d experienced in years.

When he arrived at school exhausted, he dragged himself into class instead of waiting on the schoolreef for his friends. He sank into a hammock at their usual table.

When the students filed into the classroom, his spine tingled at the eerie, unnatural quiet. Rhea and Kora slumped in their hammock chairs and folded their hands so tightly their knuckles went white. Caleb just stared at the door.

Jade was nowhere in sight.

“What’s the matter?” he whispered to Kora.

She glanced up at him, her eyes wide, and hissed, “You haven’t heard?”

Terror pounded in his chest. Where’s Jade?

Kora’s chin trembled. “Nico was killed last night. They think the naiad liberationists did it.”

Alexander dropped his scrib on the table and stared at Kora.

Lord Nico. Killed.

He could taste the revulsion welling up in his mouth. All at once, he swept his tablet back into his bag.

Rhea gripped his arm. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve got to go see Jade.” Emotions rushed over him in quick succession—anger, horror, fear, loss—but one stood above them all: concern for Jade.

Rhea’s eyebrows arched. “I doubt they’re in the mood for company.”

“I need to see if she’s okay.” He yanked away from her.

“It’s alright.” Kora reached out and patted Rhea’s hand. “Jade will want to see him.”

Just as Professor Plutarchus entered, Alexander fled from the classroom and swam onto the schoolreef. He paused, and his whole body shuddered, his gills pulsating in shallow, rapid movements.

Then he pushed down his overwhelming emotions and hurtled down one canal after another until he reached Jade’s house. He drew himself up and knocked softly on the door.

George answered, fatigue etched on every line of his face. “I guess you’ve heard?” he murmured.

“Yeah.” Alexander shifted. “I wondered if I could help at all. If maybe Jade wanted to see me.”

A soft smile played on the edges of George’s lips. “I’m sure she will. Lady Cleo’s gone to discuss the matter with the king, so their Aunt Junia and I have been trying to cheer up Jade and Benjamin as best we can. Come on in.”

Alexander followed George into the house and stopped short in the front room. George held up his hand for Alexander to wait and disappeared toward the back of the house.

A horrible thought suddenly hit Alexander. Lord Nico’s death meant that he couldn’t count on the money he’d promised. He was sure Lady Cleo would honor it if he told her … but no, he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. The money didn’t matter. Not after this.

But maybe he’d have to quit school after all.

Jade appeared on the other end of the room, her chin trembling. She darted into his arms. “Th-thank … you for … coming,” she managed through her sobs.

He held her tight and kissed the top of her head. He’d figure out what to do about school and money and his father’s debt collectors later. For now, he just needed to be with his best friend.

When the tide glass showed that it was time for school to let out, Alexander left Jade’s house and began his trip to the naiad quarter for work. No matter what, he couldn’t lose this job. Especially now that Nico was gone. He needed to pay the scar-faced merman.

Tension roiled in the naiad quarter, and what was normally an awkward trip felt downright dangerous as the naiads in the canals shifted their trajectories to swim farther away from him. When he reached Lucas’s, he found the door closed and locked. He cocked his head and knocked on the door. When no answer came, he knocked again.

Lucas cracked the door open and peered at Alexander. “What are you doing here today?” He threw open the door and dragged Alexander inside. “Didn’t you hear the news? A big-deal mer-lord got killed. It isn’t safe.”

He bolted the door behind them, turned toward Alexander, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I-I knew it might be dangerous to come, but I can’t lose this job, sir,” Alexander stammered. “My father owes money.”

Lucas’s jaw relaxed. “Very well. Since you’re here, you may as well get to work on those nets. Probably not any better to send you home now than in three hours. We’ll just have to get you out of here before dark.”

The tension eased out of Alexander’s shoulders. “Thank you, sir.”

Lucas set a hand on Alexander’s head. “Please call me Lucas. And I’m impressed that you came in. Even if it makes you a little crazy.”

They moved back to the nets and began working on them side by side. Alexander held his silence. He didn’t have any words left.

“You’re a quick learner, aren’t you?” asked Lucas as he inspected a net Alexander had just finished.

Alexander shrugged.

Lucas chewed his lower lip and tugged at the patch. It remained solid. “Well done. How bad of straits is your family in, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Alexander’s gills flared. “Pretty bad. Father doesn’t work half the time, and one of his debtors is coming after me. I’m sure there’ll be others.”

“How’ve you liked the job?”

Alexander straightened his back and cracked his knuckles. “It makes me feel like I have a little bit of control over my life for the first time. Like I can control my own destiny now, and I don’t have to be pulled along by every broken tide.”

Lucas folded up the net and carried it to the stack of repaired nets in the corner. “I’ll take you on full-time if you’d like. A drachma per day, six days a week.”

Alexander dropped the net in his hands, and it floated to the floor. “Really?”

Lucas shrugged. “You do good work, and you’re responsible.”

Six drachmas a week.

An image of the scar-faced merman, his hand outstretched, imprinted itself on Alexander’s eyelids. Then he thought of Jade and the way she’d felt in his arms as she’d sobbed into his shoulder that afternoon. His chest ached.

But I can’t ever be with her.

Even if he stayed, it wouldn’t change anything. It would just prolong the eventual goodbye when she got married to some skub noble like Julius.

You’ll need to reckon with your mother’s legacy, Nico had said. Don’t run away.

But what did he have to stay for?

His internal struggle only lasted for a few more moments, and then he gave Lucas a half-smile. “Thank you so much. I’ll take it. Just … can I have a couple weeks first?”

Lucas’s eyebrows knitted together. “Sure, but why?”

Alexander pressed his lips together. “It’s about a girl. She’s going through a hard time right now. I don’t want to disappear on her this week.”

Lucas reached out his hand and grasped Alexander’s forearm. “We have a deal.”

Two Weeks Later

Jade’s whole body shook. “Come again?” she demanded, her voice tight.

Alexander gazed down at the sandy seafloor just beyond the schoolreef. “I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.”

“Father died two weeks ago.” Her voice cracked. “And now you’re leaving to take a job? What the depths, Alexander?”

“It’s a good opportunity for me, and my family needs the money. Besides, what am I staying in school for? Your mother’s right. In a city like Thessalonike, I’ll never land an elite career. Might as well start making money now. I’ll be a laborer for the rest of my life anyway.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “There’s nothing wrong with being a laborer.”

“But will the last two years of school make me better at it?” He traced a circle in the sand with the edge of his fin.

Her gills pulsed rapidly, and they stared at each other. Agony clawed at Alexander’s insides.

“You’ll still come over?”

His jaw tightened. “I’ll be working a lot. I’ll try.” He couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and caressing her cheek.

She grabbed his wrist and whispered, “Please don’t go.”

“I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat. “It’s for the best.”

From where they were hovering, Alexander could hear the schoolmaster call out to the students on the reef to come inside.

“It’s time,” he murmured.

She began trembling again. “I can’t.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll see you soon. I promise. But it’s time for me to go to work, and you don’t want to be late to class.”

He squeezed her hand, turned around, and swam away, wondering if it was possible to die from missing someone so badly. Then he turned the corner and found a gentle current guiding him down the canal in the direction of the naiad quarter.

“I’m sorry, Lord Nico,” he whispered as he passed the turn he normally took to get to Jade’s house. “I have to go.”

When he arrived at Lucas’s door, he started. He didn’t even remember how he’d gotten there. Lucas hadn’t opened the store yet, so he floated outside the shop and rested his hand on the door, mentally preparing himself for the day.

This was the right decision.

He’d had every reason to leave.

That world doesn’t have anything left for me. Time to start a new life. One where I control my own tides.

He raised his fist to knock.

“Alexander?”

Anna and William stood in the canal off to his right.

Alexander turned and dropped his hand to his side. “Hey, guys.”

“Are you excited to start your first full day?” William asked.

He faked a smile, but he knew his eyes gave him away. “Absolutely. I’m thrilled to even have the opportunity.”

Anna’s gaze searched his soul. “I see,” she said softly. Then she brightened. “I know the leaving is awful. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling about it all, but we’re really glad you’re here with us. Meet us after work? We want to introduce you to a couple more friends. Maybe take in a street show. Camford Canal has the most beautiful shows you’ve ever seen.”

The murkiness clinging to Alexander dissipated, just a little. “Yeah. I’d like that.” The beginnings of a smile turned up the corner of his mouth. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Jade and Alexander’s story continues in Breakwater.

A red tide is rising.

As the daughter of one of the mer-king’s trusted advisors, seventeen-year-old Jade has great responsibilities. When her fiancé murders a naiad, plunging the underwater city of Thessalonike into uproar, tensions surge between the mer and the naiads. Jade learns too late that the choices she makes ripple further than she'd ever imagined. And as she fights against the tide of anger in a city that lives for scandal, she discovers danger lurking in every canal, imperiling her family and shattering the ocean's fragile peace.

Can the city's divisions be mended before the upwelling of hate rips apart everything Jade loves?

Get Breakwater now!

Praise for Breakwater

“A compelling story about helping others at great personal cost. With artful world-building, skillful dialogue, and a powerful message, Breakwater is a book you can immerse yourself in with an ending you won't believe.”

— New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee

“Breakwater has it all: a lifelike merworld, political intrigue, emotional wreckage, and—of course—murder. My only disappointment is having to wait for the sequel!”

— Carol Award-winning author Nadine Brandes

“Action. Romance. Political intrigue. And it all happens underwater. In Breakwater, Catherine Jones Payne combines the courage of youth with the polish of a seasoned professional in this stunning debut.”

— award-winning author Ben Wolf

“Woven through with intrigue and a touch of romance.”

— Carrie Anne Noble, award-winning author of The Mermaid's Sister

A Note From the Author

Did you like the book? I’ll be forever grateful if you take the time to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or iBooks. Reviews are the number-one way you can help other people discover the authors you love, and each and every review supports us on our journey to bring you more stories. A review doesn’t have to be long or detailed—just honest! I’m so thankful for each and every one of you.

Go deep!

Catherine Jones Payne

Acknowledgments

To everyone who helped make this book beautiful—

My editorial team—Ben Wolf, Stephanie Monk Guido, Chelsea Tatum, and Grace DeBusschere: You are incomparable.

Kella Campbell: Thanks for your formatting magic and your willingness to accommodate my crazy deadlines.

Kirk DouPonce: As always, the artwork is perfect, and you are a genius.

My betas—Benjamin, Misty, Angela, Kelli, McKenna, and Kristin: Each and every one of you gave me helpful feedback, and I’m forever grateful.

About the Author

Catherine Jones Payne is a Seattle native who loves the written word, international travel, crashing waves, and good coffee. Her earliest memory involves pulling up a rolling chair to her parents’ old DOS computer—while wearing a tiara, naturally—and tapping out a story of kidnapped princesses. By day, she’s the executive editor of Quill Pen Editorial. She lives in Waco, TX with her historian husband, Brendan, and their cats, Mildred and Minerva.