Daddy nods gravely. “In order for a separation ritual to work,” he says, running his finger along the paper, “both parties need to be present.”
“That’s dumb.” And a definite problem. I think about the missing portion of Doe’s mer mark and can come up with only one solution. “Wel , you’l just have to lift Doe’s exile for a day.”
“I’m afraid that is not an option.” He doesn’t explain whether it’s because he can’t lift her exile… or if he won’t.
The icy edge in his voices tel s me not to ask for clarification.
Like I said, I don’t want to know.
“Wel , then what?” I ask. There’s a human boy sitting next to me whose life wil permanently change without his permission if the separation is not performed by next weekend’s new moon. “It’s not like they can stay bonded.
They’re not in love, and Brody can’t become a merman.”
“Why not?” Brody asks.
I rol my eyes and ignore him. He doesn’t know what he’d be getting himself into. Besides the whole stuck-with-Doe-for-life thing—something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, except maybe the terrible trio—there’s the whole al ergic-to-chlorine thing that would make his swimming career pretty much fatal. Nope, even though Brody obviously loves the water and is enthral ed by Thalassinia, I can’t let him make that naïve choice.
“There has to be a way,” I insist. “I know. You can come to Seaview.”
Daddy can’t get away often because his duties are pretty much dusk to dawn. But surely he can be gone for just a day. It’s a pretty extreme situation.
“That is unnecessary. I have another solution.” Daddy turns to another paper in his stack. “An ancient transference of power ritual we located in the royal archives.”
“Transference of power?” I lean forward in my seat. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Daddy says, smiling, “that I can temporarily grant you the ability to perform the separation.” Huh. I never even knew that kind of thing was possible.
Daddy gets some of his power from the trident—al the kings and queens of the mer world have them—but a lot of it comes from within him, too. From the power bestowed on him in his ascension ceremony.
I know that if I were bonded right now and being official y crowned on my eighteenth birthday, I would receive some power of my own. I just never knew it could be a temporary thing, too.
But if Doe can’t get to Thalassinia and Daddy doesn’t want to get to Doe, then I suppose this is the best choice.
Plus, it’l be cool to experience the kind of power that makes chil ing my morning juice seem like a card trick.
“Okay,” I say, bracing my palms on the desk. “Tel me what to do.”
Brody and I make it back to Seaview flipper fast, and before I know it I’m standing at the pay phone, waiting for Quince to answer my cal . When he doesn’t, I hang up, get my coins back, and then dial Aunt Rachel’s number.
Before she’s even said hel o, I hear the chaos in the background.
“Lily?” she asks above the shouting and some squawking and what sounds like drumbeats. “Are you back, dear?”
“What’s going on?” I shout.
“Just a little— Stop trying to catch the seagul , Dosinia—
you’re only frightening the poor thing,” Aunt Rachel yel s, sounding exasperated. Then, back into the receiver, she says, “I’l tel Quince you’re ready.”
I start to say thanks, but I hear the click when she hangs up before I even open my mouth.
Joining Brody on the beach, I sink down on the sand and rest my forearms on my knees, mirroring his pose. He seems lost in thought, and soon I am, too. I don’t want to think about the chaos that is obviously happening back home—like I said, Doe causing trouble is never surprising.
Instead, I keep thinking about Tel in and what if. Would it real y be possible for the mer world and the human world to coexist? Without us getting locked away like dolphins in an aquarium?
Maybe we haven’t been giving humans enough credit?
Maybe it’s just movies that make us think that humans wil go a little crazy if they discover we’re more than myth. If only there were a way to find out.
“I wish I could go back,” Brody says.
I angle my head so I can see him from the corner of my eye. He is staring out over the ocean with the kind of longing I’ve only ever seen in him when he’s getting ready to dive into the pool. It’s a look that says he’s counting the seconds until he’s home, until he’s in the water again.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” I say quietly. “Doe just does things without thinking.”
I may not know Brody as wel as I used to hope, but I know he wil dream about his time underwater for the rest of his life. He comes alive in the water, just like I do, so I can imagine how he felt when he could literal y breathe it in.
I wish I could make him forget the whole thing, to wipe away the memory so he’s not haunted by it, but after giving me the separation powers and explaining the ritual, Daddy warned me against doing a second mindwashing. Twice on the same human can be very dangerous.
Only as a last resort, he said.
So, in other words, unless Brody’s about to go on the nightly news.
Stil , I wish I could. For his sake.
Brody’s lips melt into a wry smile. “I think she knew exactly what she was doing.” He forces a laugh. “And so did I.”