World of Aluvia 2 by Amy Bearce

curse, and his gaze snapped back to hers, eyes still wide.
    “How did you get down here? Did Mina bring you?”
    “No… no… no one brought me,” she stammered. She thought he might be pleased to see her initiative, happy to see that she came to him, of all people. But maybe not.
    “Then how did this happen?!”
    Was he angry? He didn’t sound happy. Phoebe recoiled, her stomach twisting. But urgency pressed her past hurt. He needed to listen.
    “I had to warn you. The thing I saw―Tristan, I found out it’s a water wraith, and your mother could be right about Baleros. It’s possible that merman skeleton wasn’t as old as we thought―the marks on it could be from that thing. You’re in danger!” She paused, then added, a little awkwardly, “Your people are at risk!”
    He raised his eyebrows. “The water wraiths are just a myth, Phoebe.”
    She shook her head, sending her hair spinning. She shoved the long locks out of the way and grabbed his arms. The muscles bunched under her hands. “So were dragons on land, Tristan. And they’re out there now, setting fire to whole sections of the mountains, causing all kinds of trouble not even the fauns can stop. We need to tell the elders!”
    “You’re serious,” he whispered to himself. Then looked again at Phoebe more closely. “By the shell! A mer-tear!” he gasped. “So that’s how you got down here?”
    She froze. “You didn’t leave it for me?”
    He shook his head, hair swinging wildly in the current.
    “It was left where you usually give me presents. If you didn’t send this to me, who did?”
    As white as she’d ever seen him―which was a feat, considering his pale skin―he pursed his lips and said, “I don’t know. We’ll need to tell my people. We’re forbidden to share mer-tears with humans. Whoever did it will be in serious trouble, but that’s not your concern. And you can share what you experienced. Maybe the elders will know what creature attacked you. Let’s go. But don’t sing. You called me straight to you. Who knows what else you might have called? Don’t forget sound travels far under the water.”
    Mute with surprise, she nodded.
    Then he smiled a little half-smile at her. Softer now, he said, “When this is all done, though, I hope you will sing to me again. I do love to hear your voice, Phoebe Quinn.”
    Phoebe looked down at her body, surprised she wasn’t glowing from pleased embarrassment. Fine, she could keep from singing out loud. What he didn’t understand is that the music rarely went truly silent inside her. Sometimes it was just a quiet tune harmonizing in the background. Other times it took the lead in her thoughts as she daydreamed. Right now, the music in her mind picked up its pace into a happy jig.
    Before she could reply, though, Tristan said, “I’ll have to take you to the village. You’ll need to see the elders.”
    Phoebe gaped at him. “
The
village?”
    “Yes. To Morgance, the home of the merfolk.”
    Her heart tripped in her chest. These days, humans were not permitted in Morgance at all. Mina might have broken the rules and secretly shown her the village, but never Tristan. He said Phoebe couldn’t understand the importance of cooperation among his people. If he defied the elders, he could be cast out. She definitely didn’t understand. Sierra had defied their father and came out on top, but Tristan insisted the merfolk were different. Community was like the ocean itself for them, impossible to live without.
    This was her chance to see the merfolk’s village, which was built along the line of the shallows and the twilight realm of the sea. Forget her exhaustion. Forget Sierra. For a moment, she even forgot about the water wraith.
    Tristan’s eyes were so close, she could see herself reflected in them, wild red hair swaying all around her like chaotic seaweed, eyes wide and round.
    “Let’s go, then,” she replied.
    “The elders won’t like it. Are you prepared for that?”
    She