AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The girls aren’t safe with me. I need to travel separately.
Milo studied the paper in the dim light, then looked up at me with an understanding in his eyes that assured me he agreed. I was surprised, as I half expected him to object. But he didn’t hesitate to nod and wake Katrina.
“I’ll explain it to her.” Turning back to me, he paused. “Who’s steering the ship?”
I tilted my head with a shrug and gritted teeth.
“Well go do that then!” He punched me in the arm a little too hard. I retreated, leaving Milo to sort out the situation with Katrina.
Back out on deck, I made my way to the wheel, in no rush at all. Serena rushed to greet me, still confused as to why I’d suddenly left her moments before.
“You aren’t safe,” I told her. “Not as long as he can track you through me.”
Her eyes darkened as she looked me up and down. “What are you asking?”
I reached forward to reassure her with a touch on the shoulders. I bit my tongue, careful not to say too much in case Bastian was tuned in. I pulled out the paper I’d used earlier and resorted to writing again, when Serena placed a hand over mine to stop me.
“I know what you want.” she said. “And I agree it’s the safest way.”
A bit taken aback, I didn’t question how she knew. I focused on keeping my thoughts bland and locked down, still paranoid of Bastian’s unrestricted access to them. It was everything I could do to help keep the girls from being lured into a trap. Bastian might’ve wanted us to believe he was patiently waiting for Katrina to waltz in ready to make a trade for her mom, but I didn’t trust him to do even that fairly.
I was surprised to see the look on her face—almost beaming with excitement as she looked out at the starry sky over the sea. “We’ll travel my favorite way. You boys can have the boat.” She grinned.
I hadn’t quite thought of how we were going to travel separately in my frantic rush, but now that my thoughts were settling, I thought I might have an idea, and I didn’t necessarily like it.
As if perfectly timed, Katrina emerged from the cabin, wiping sleep from her eyes. She hurried to us. “What’s going on?” She asked through a yawn.
Serena looked at her with a sly smile and led her away to the boat’s edge, I assumed explaining the plan to her. Judging by Katrina’s startled expression, I think I assumed correctly.
Milo joined us up on deck, taking up a spot next to me. “How exactly do we do this?” he asked. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit uneasy about this.”
“Same, mate.” I crossed my arms. “But only two of the four of us need a boat to travel through water. So what do you think?”
“I get it. But this is exactly what I meant earlier. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that we have to trust them, even when it feels like we’re the only ones who can protect them…because usually trusting them is how we protect them.”
I chewed on his words for a moment, despite the funny feeling rising in my stomach. Separating from Serena was the last thing I wanted, but if it kept her safe, I‘d do whatever I had to.
“Alright, boys,” A grin spread across Serena’s face as she and Katrina both turned to face us. “We’ll see you there.” Then she dove overboard.
Katrina turned to Milo and with a long kiss and embrace, assured him she’d be alright. “I’ll always find you, remember? This won’t be for long.”
“Not another two years, I hope,” Milo teased, but there was a heaviness in his voice. He had to be fighting every urge in himself to want to stop this. I didn’t blame him.
Katrina climbed over the hull and leapt into the water below. Both Milo and I rushed to look overboard, only to see the two girls fully transformed as sirens, glistening tails splashing up and down in and out of the water. I stood in awe, looking at Serena in her breathtaking siren form. It was unlike Katrina’s, which sparkled simple bluish silver with a single fluke. Serena’s tail was longer, grander, and the scales reflected every possible color of the spectrum, with dorsal fins and long, trailing caudal fins that danced like a cascade of ribbons among the waves surrounding her double flukes. It was truly a tail fit for a goddess.
“Be careful,” I uttered. “If you need us to slow down, let us know.”
“Don’t worry,” she smirked. “It’s you who might have a hard time keeping up with us.”
With that, she dove beneath the water. Katrina offered one last glance back at us before doing the same.
40
When Stars Speak
Katrina
“I’ve never swam this far before. What if I get tired?” I asked, flicking my tail to keep up with Serena in the water. I’d never spoken underwater before, but it was somehow possible here with her. Our voices carried through the water as clearly as on land.
