You got her! he exclaimed as Mahina deposited me gently on an empty table. I thought the plan was that we would go together to get her out. He looked at Mahina disapprovingly. Your mother is going to kill me when she finds out.
So don’t tell her. Mahina leaned up and kissed his cheek. Sorry, Papa. I saw an opportunity and I took it.
Rightfully so. We can’t have the merQueen of Coral Straits locked away somewhere, can we? He frowned as he looked me over. Go inside, Mahina, and have your mother call the doctor. We need to get Tempest some medical attention quickly.
I don’t think that’s a good idea, I told him.
That’s because you obviously haven’t seen what you look like. Normally, he was a little bit flighty. Mahina got her brains from him, and he was the epitome of the absentminded professor. But right now, at this moment, his eyes—and his attention—were laser-focused on me.
There’s no time, Papa. I think we were spotted, which means guards will be here any minute looking for her. We need to get her into Up and Away now instead of later. Can you help me move her?
I can move myself, I insisted, pushing into a sitting position. Where exactly am I moving to?
Just over there, Mahina said, pointing at the oddest-looking metal contraption I had ever seen.
What is that?
It’s a subbloon. Part submarine, part hot air balloon. My dad and I’ve been working on it for a while and it’s about time it took its maiden voyage.
I looked from the submarine that wasn’t really a submarine to Mahina to her father and then back again. You want to flee Sabyn and his guards in a makeshift underwater subbloon, and you don’t think that will attract unwanted attention?
Not if it goes as fast as I think it will. She watched me closely. So what do you think, Tempest? Are you in?
This was one of those moments where my decision, whatever it was, would change lives. Maybe just Mahina’s and my lives, maybe the lives of everyone we knew in Coral Straits and beyond. But as the clock on the wall clicked the seconds away, I knew there was only one right answer.
Hell, yeah. Let’s go!
Chapter 18
With the help of her dad, Mahina got me situated in the subbloon—which was embarrassing in the extreme. I wasn’t that great at taking help anywhere, but down here especially, I was used to being the one who did the rescuing. Having to rely on my best friend and her dad to take care of me, at a major risk to themselves, drove me nuts. But I’d already mentioned it to Mahina once and been shot down. If I did it again, it would seriously piss her off. And once she got mad, it took a while to get her back on track—something we couldn’t really afford right then.
After I was seated and strapped into the cocaptain’s chair, Mahina ran a series of quick engine and equipment checks, just to make sure the subbloon really was ready to go. While she did that, I had time to look around the small craft and check things out.
It was well built, I would give her that. But then, that wasn’t exactly a surprise. Mahina’s dad was one of the most famous merengineers in the Pacific, and his mad design skills had definitely carried over to the subbloon. On the outside it looked a lot like a submarine, except more spherical and vertical—so that the craft was actually taller than it was long. Mahina told me this was because of the fuel they were using, some homemade, ocean-friendly stuff that was completely biodegradable. But it needed room to rise in its storage tanks or the chance of explosion tripled. That’s when I cut her off. There were some things I didn’t need to know, and the fact that the vehicle we were going to be fleeing in might possibly explode was definitely one of those things.
On the inside, it looked more like a spaceship than a water-craft. There were dozens of controls, more panels than I could count with my spinning head, and three separate guidance systems. When I asked her why we needed so many, especially when under normal circumstances we could just get out and swim, Mahina told me she and her father believed in backups for everything. Since my safety currently depended on their obsession with detail, I certainly wasn’t going to argue.
As I waited for her, I laid my head back against one of the chairs and lightly dozed. When I awoke a few minutes later, it was to find Mahina standing over me, wiping tears from her eyes.
I’m going to kill him for what he did to you, she told me. I swear I am.Those were big words from Mahina, who was usually very peace-loving. But the times we were in were far from peaceful and I guess it was a brave new reality for all of us. Still, I didn’t want her to think I expected her to defend me. Again, that was my job.
You’ll have to stand in line if you want to get to Sabyn, I told her with a tug on one of the braids she always wore.
Don’t think I won’t, she answered. Then she took a deep breath, blew it slowly out of her gills. So, are you ready to light this baby up?
As long as we’re not actually setting anything on fire, I say go for it.
Mahina went over to the hatch at the bottom of the subbloon, started to close it, but her dad stuck his head in at the last minute. Wait one second, girls. Your mom’s getting some supplies together for you. And so am I.
You didn’t have to do that, Papa.
He gave her a look very similar to the one my dad gave me when I said ridiculous things. Then he thrust a large duffel bag into her hands. This is from me. It’s got a bunch of stuff that might come in handy in it—tools and other things. Take a look at it when you get a chance.
She nodded. I will.
She had barely finished stowing it before her mother climbed up through the hatch. Though the subbloon was small, it was big enough to seat four comfortably, and her mother grabbed a chair as she checked me out.
We need to go, Mom. Mahina looked at her a little impatiently.
I know. Believe me, I know. But I need to say this first. She turned to me. I know you’re injured and I don’t know how well you’re following what I’m saying or what’s going on.
I’m following.
Okay, then. You let Mahina get you to a doctor and you take your time recovering. She turned so that she was looking at her daughter as well as me. You two don’t need to be heroes. Not this time. Coral Straits is fine, and we will continue to be fine until this whole situation works itself out. I almost lost you both last summer and I am not ready to chance losing you again. I would be going with you if your father weren’t worried that the extra weight would deplete your fuel supply too quickly.
We’ll be fine. But Mahina threw her arms around her mother anyway.
You’re right. You will be. Because anything else is unacceptable. She leaned forward and hugged me super-gently, ran a soft hand down my tangled, blood-matted hair. Take care of yourself, Tempest.
I will. Thanks.
She skewered Mahina with the most serious look I’d ever seen from her. I packed a bunch of food for you two. Make sure Tempest eats something before she dies from malnutrition.
I’m on it, Mom.
Good. She sniffed a little, then wiped her eyes exactly as her daughter had a few minutes before. Stay safe. And I expect to hear from you as soon as you’re able.
Yes, ma’am, Mahina and I answered at once. Her dad might be the absentminded professor, but her mom was ninety-seven percent drill sergeant and three percent Betty Crocker. I loved her, but she scared the heck out of me most days. Today was no exception.
She hugged us both once more, then climbed out of the subbloon. The last thing I saw before Mahina’s dad slid the hatch into place was her mom burying her face against his chest. Then Mahina was locking it from the inside and sliding into the captain’s seat. You ready? she asked.