of merrows that won’t hesitate to destroy you. Because this is your home, just as much as it’s mine. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I ask you to stand behind us.”
They talk among themselves. Some call me crazy. Others call me worse things.
“We want to be part of the sea again,” Jesse says. He doesn’t consult them. He doesn’t let them speak. “We offer our support in exchange for yours. Our wish is simple.”
I hold my hands up. I can’t let him corner me. “Easy, isn’t it? Standing up here and telling them what they want to hear. Promises are easy. My dad, who is very much human, taught me a few things. Other than how to tie my shoes, that is.” Penny and the girls around her laugh, which is a comfort in the tension of the room. “He taught me that I’ll never get anywhere by making false promises.” Granted, I’m pretty sure he was talking about girls, but it stuck with me.
“Your lives have pretty much reached a level of suck that I will never know. Jesse’s right. I’ve lived my whole life with everything handed to me.
“But when my grandfather handed me this championship, I could’ve backed out. I could’ve gone right back to high school. I’d probably be with the girl I care about instead of wasting time with princesses who want to bite my head off.”
Ben pumps his fist in the air and shakes his head. “Been there, bro.”
“I’ve seen the kinds of things—punishments—that I would never want to see done to anyone. Especially people like me, because you guys are like me. Right now, the only promise I can give you is that your voices will be heard.”
“Hear my voice right now, land prince.” Jesse studies my face. “Will you restore me once you are king?”
Adaro steps forward. “This isn’t about kingships. This is about protection.”
But Jesse is thrilled. He turns to Adaro and says, “And what of you, champion of the Southern Seas? What will you give us?”
Adaro backpedals and Sarabell stands in front of him—like she’s his body armor—and I realize this is why she’s the only person he trusts. “Our family doesn’t negotiate with the banished. You can either acknowledge that you will need our guard to protect this shore, or not.”
The landlocked are up in arms despite my attempts at quieting them down. Jesse does that best. “Here we have it, two champions who will offer us nothing.”
He lets the words sink in and we don’t deny them. Adaro won’t and I can’t.
Jesse takes the dart in his hand and throws it at Adaro.
Adaro recoils and Sarabell stands in front of him. Everyone jumps out of their seats, scrambling for an exit, but Jesse claps his hands and laughs. The arrow has turned into a slick blue bird. It flies around the room in a swift circle and lands on Jesse’s open palm where, in a flutter of wings, it vanishes. There’s a regular old dart in his hand again.
“How did you do that?” I demand, resting my hand on the hilt of my sword.
“It was a gift from a very old friend.” Jesse shrugs, all, Who, me? “Nieve, the first daughter of King Erebos and true queen of the seas.”
The landlocked do everything from shouting and whispering to demanding explanations to storming out. The sisters with webbed hands are texting.
“She has come back for us,” Jesse says. “This time around, her power will be so great that she will cast a shadow over the sun.”
The landlocked watch us with anxious eyes. There are those who scurry out of the room. There are those who get up quietly and form a cluster behind Jesse. “What have you for us now?”
I unsheathe my dagger and point it steadily at him. “This doesn’t turn into a butterfly when I throw it.”
Jesse smiles with delight. “I think I can see why she likes you after all.”
Ben cocks his eyebrow. He shakes his head and rolls up his newspaper. “Screw you, Jesse. What about some glamour for the rest of us, huh?” He pushes his hair away and cups his hand behind his ear so he can make sure we get a good look at it. It’s iridescent and wiggles with him excited like this.
“In time, my friend.”
“I am not your friend, Jesse.” Ben picks up his briefcase and turns to the door. “You seem nice, Tristan. One piece of advice? Let the Sea People destroy themselves. It’s what they’re good at.