Waterfire Saga, Book Four: Sea Spell: Deep Blue Novel, A (15 page)

S
ERA WATCHED as the death riders thundered out of Guldemar’s stables far below her. Each one was mounted on a powerful black hippokamp.

“They’re hunting
us
,” she said. “Mahdi sent them.”

“He had to,” said Yazeed. “If he didn’t, he’d have to explain why to Vallerio.”

Sera knew he was right, but it didn’t make the sight any less unnerving.

“They’re taking the direct route to the Kargjord,” she said, her eyes following the soldiers as they rode north out of Scaghaufen.

“We’ll have to take the long current back,” Des said. “At least the camp is on high alert now, after Vallerio’s last attack.”

Sera, Yazeed, and Desiderio were swimming up the wall of the west wing of Guldemar’s palace, searching for Mahdi’s room. Sera was certain he’d be there. When she, Yazeed, and some of her Black Fins had spent a night in the palace before their first audience with Guldemar, they’d stayed in the west wing.

“Two more minutes, Sera,” Yazeed said. “Then we’re gone. We’ve got to be out of Scaghaufen when the pearls wear off.”

Sera shot off, frantically swimming from window to window, peering in every one to see if she could spot Mahdi.

“I
need
to see him,” she’d said as they’d left Guldemar’s stateroom.

“That’s a very bad idea,” Desiderio had replied.

“Something’s wrong,” she said. “We have to find out what it is.”

The goblin guards who’d escorted them out of Guldemar’s stateroom had seen them out of the main doors to the palace’s front gates. The three mer had swum through them, then ducked into one of Scaghaufen’s winding streets. There they’d cast their transparensea pearls, and then they’d headed straight back to the palace.

Sera continued to search for Mahdi as time ran out. She saw goblins and death riders but couldn’t find Mahdi.

“That’s it, Sera,” Yaz said. “We’ve got to go.”

Sera shot up, desperately looking in one last window. “There he is!” she exclaimed. “Yaz, Des, where are you?”

“Right here,” the mermen answered in unison, swimming up behind her.

Mahdi was sitting at a desk, speaking into a conch. Sera’s heart swelled at the sight of him, but the love she felt was once again pushed aside by worry. He looked gray and exhausted.

She was just about to rap on the window when a death rider swam in with a sheaf of kelp parchments. Mahdi, still speaking into the conch, signaled for him to put the documents on the desk. The merman did so, then left the room. As soon as he’d closed the door, Sera knocked.

Mahdi’s head snapped up. An instant later, he was at the window, undoing the latch.

“Tell me it’s not you,” he said as he opened it. “Tell me you didn’t do this.”

“It is. And we did,” Yazeed said.

“Wait here,” Mahdi said. He swam to the door, opened it, and called for the soldier who’d delivered documents just a few moments ago.

“I’m not feeling well. Goblin delicacies don’t agree with me. I’m going to lie down for a few minutes. I’m not to be disturbed,” he instructed.

“Yes, Your Grace,” the death rider said.

Mahdi closed the door and locked it. Sera, Desiderio, and Yazeed swam inside. Sera sang a quick songspell to undo the effects of the transparensea pearl. She was in Mahdi’s arms as soon as he turned around. The two held each other for a few long seconds.

Then Mahdi released her. “How could you two let her do this?” he asked angrily.

“Have
you
ever tried to stop her from doing something she wants to do?” Desiderio asked.

Mahdi sighed. “Yeah, actually, I have,” he said. “No further explanation needed.”

“Mahdi, you look terrible. What’s going on?” Sera asked.

“Listen, Sera…I just—”

“Don’t give me any
Listen, Sera
silt. We don’t have much time. I want the truth.”

Mahdi hesitated, then said, “Lucia moved our wedding date up. It’s going to take place at the next syzygy.”

“My gods, that’s…that’s less than a moon away!” Sera said, stunned. “Why didn’t you get word to us?”

“I didn’t have time,” Mahdi explained. “I planned to send you a conch from here.”

“This changes things,” Desiderio said grimly. “We’ll need to get you out of there a lot sooner than we thought, and we don’t have an escape plan set up yet.”

Yaz ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll need to line up safe houses; stash food, clothing, and currensea for you.”

“Forget an escape plan,” Sera said. “You’re coming with us, Mahdi. Right now. We’ll all cast transparensea pearls and make wake for the Karg.”

“No,” Mahdi said.

“No? What do you mean
no
? It’s over. If you sing the marriage vows, they’ll know you Promised yourself to me. They’ll kill you.”

“I’m not hightailing it. Not yet. Not until I find out the identity of the spy in your camp. I’ve still got time.”

“Mahdi,
listen
to me,” Sera begged.

“No, you listen to me, Sera. You’re in danger. Way more than you know.”

“Because of the spy. I know that, Mahdi. I—”

Mahdi cut her off. “What you
don’t
know is that the spy’s also an assassin. When Portia gives the word, he’s going to take you out.”

A chill crept up Sera’s spine. “He can try,” she said defiantly.

“According to Portia, he’ll succeed,” Mahdi said. “He’s a good shot, and he—or she—is close to you.”

“From now on, you’ll have bodyguards with you around the clock,” Des said.

“We have
got
to find this sea snake,” said Yazeed.

“What’s Portia’s timeline?” Desiderio asked.

“I don’t know,” Mahdi said. “I do know that they want to keep the spy in place for now, though. He just told them that you intend to attack Cerulea.”

“Did they believe him?” Sera asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Mahdi replied. “Why wouldn’t they? Every piece of info he’s ever given them has been accurate. Vallerio’s pulling troops out of Atlantica and the Southern Sea as we speak and bringing them back to Cerulea.”

Sera and Des grinned at each other. They quietly slapped tails.

“Yes!” Yazeed whisper-cheered.

Mahdi looked at them as if they were crazy. “I just told you that Vallerio knows your plans. And that he intends to annihilate you. That’s hardly a cause for celebration.”

“It’s a fake-out, bro!” Yazeed said. “We’re going to the Southern Sea.”

For the first time since Sera, Des, and Yaz had swum into his room, Mahdi smiled. “
Awesome
move,” he said. “As soon as I get back, I’ll do everything I can to convince Vallerio to move even more troops out of your way.”

His words caused Sera’s smile to fade. “Mahdi, you
can’t
go back. If they find out about you…” She couldn’t bear to finish the thought.

“I have to, Sera. I’m your only source of information there, the only one who can warn you when Portia tells her spy to kill you.”

“Mahdi’s right,” Desiderio said solemnly. “He’s a lot more valuable to us in Cerulea than he is in the Kargjord.”

Sera nodded, though it felt like she was ripping her own heart out. “If anything happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“It won’t. I promise. I’ll be gone before the wedding,” Mahdi said. “And you three better get gone now.” He glanced at the door to his room. “I have to head to another meeting with Guldemar soon.”

Yaz nodded. “Dude, be careful,” he said, reaching for Mahdi’s hand. He pulled him close. The two mermen slapped each other’s backs. Then Desiderio did the same.

Mahdi dug in his desk drawer and pulled out a small box. “Here are some more transparensea pearls. Take a lot. Enough to keep you invisible all the way back to the Karg.”

Yaz and Des took some pearls and cast them. Sera didn’t.

“I’ll catch up,” she said.

She couldn’t leave Mahdi, not yet. It had been so long since she’d seen him, and during that time not a second had gone by that she didn’t think about him, long for him, and talk to him—if only in her head. Were a few short minutes with him so much to ask for?

“Sera, it’s too dangerous. You can’t—” Yazeed started to say.

Desiderio cut him off. “Come on, Yaz.”

Yazeed shook his head, clearly unhappy. “We’ll meet you just past the north gate. Don’t. Get.
Caught
.”

As soon as they were gone, Mahdi cupped Sera’s cheek. She curled her fingers around his wrist.

“I barely recognize you,” he said, his eyes traveling over her face. “Who
is
this fierce warrior in front of me? What happened to the merl with the long hair, and the gowns, and the conch glued to her ear?” His voice was teasing, but the pain in his eyes was real, and raw.

Sera knew that pain well. It mirrored her own.

“Where’s the merboy I once met who only wanted to play Gorgons and Galleons with my brother?” she asked. “The one who didn’t talk much. Who
definitely
didn’t want anything to do with the principessa his parents picked out for him. Do you think we’ll ever find those mer again?”

Mahdi shook his head. “We’ll find better versions of ourselves, Sera. Better than what we were, better than what we
are
.”

He gathered her into his arms then and held her close. Sera squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back her tears.

“
Mērē dila, mērī ātmā
,” he whispered, his cheek against hers. It was Matalin mer for
My heart, my soul.
“I’ll be with you soon, Sera, I promise. Until then, be careful.
Please
.”

“Swear to me that
you’ll
be careful. Swear it,” Sera said fiercely.

She had a terrible, unshakable feeling that something would go wrong, that she’d never hold him close or look into his beautiful eyes again. She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.

It was Mahdi who broke the kiss. “You’ve got to leave,” he said, his voice gentle but urgent. He touched his forehead to hers. “Good-bye, Sera. Never doubt that I love you,” he said, and then he let her go.

Sera cast a transparensea pearl. “I love you, too, Mahdi. Always.”

And then she was gone. Out of the window, out of the palace, heading for the north gate.

Desiderio and Yazeed were waiting for her there. Sera issued a series of dolphinlike clicks, and they clicked back. Then the three fighters swam fast, heading for open water.

None of them spoke until they’d left Scaghaufen far behind, then Des said, “I know you’re hurting, and I’m sorry. But it’ll be okay, Sera. Mahdi’s smart. He’s strong. He’ll survive.”

Sera thought about the long swim ahead of them, and the fact that Guldemar had given them nothing. She thought about the spy who was still in their midst, and the weapons and troops they lacked. She thought about the long, cold swim to the Southern Sea.

Then she laughed wearily and said, “Yeah, Des. But will
we
?”

“W
E’RE USING SCRAP METAL salvaged from wrecks to reinforce the supply wagons,” Becca explained to Sera, pointing to a pile of twisted steel. “The goblins heat it, then nail it to the sides of the wagons. The tough part is getting the metal hot enough to bend. Our songcasters are having trouble getting their waterfire to burn high enough,” Becca said.

Sera frowned at this. “No luck finding a lava seam yet?” she asked.

Becca shook her head. “No, but I’m still on it. I won’t give up. Come on, the actual building site’s this way,” she said, motioning to Sera to follow her.

The two mermaids were in the westernmost part of the camp, where wagons that would transport the Black Fins’ supplies during their swim to the Southern Sea were being built. Two burly goblins walked a short distance behind them. Ever since Mahdi had told Sera, Des, and Yaz that Portia’s spy was also an assassin, Des had insisted that bodyguards accompany Sera everywhere.

Sera had come to the edge of the camp to see how the work was proceeding, but there was another reason she was out here: she needed to get Becca alone.

Sera had noticed tension between Becca and Ling back at headquarters, and she’d asked Ling about it. Ling had admitted that things were strained between them. “We had a bit of a blowup,” she’d said.

As Sera listened to Ling’s explanation, her concern had deepened to worry. The Becca in Ling’s account, so defensive and touchy, didn’t sound like Becca at all.

“Something’s wrong. Really wrong,” she’d said to Ling.

“I know. Becca’s hurting. It scares me. And not just for her sake,” Ling had said. “Sera, what if…what if she—”

Ling didn’t have to finish her sentence; Sera took her meaning. “No way, Ling. I don’t believe it.”

“Don’t or
won’t
?” Ling had asked, giving her a penetrating look.

“Don’t. Won’t. Can’t.
Ever
,” Sera had said. “A little while ago, I lost faith in myself. It nearly did me in. You helped me swim back from the brink. Now it’s my turn to help Becca. Because if the six of us lose faith in one another, we’ve lost everything. Becca’s not the spy. I
know
she’s not. But something’s not right. And I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

Sera had swum through the camp to find Becca. Now that she had her, she was looking for an opening, a way to broach what was sure to be a difficult topic.