“Whoa,” Grayson whispered.
“Right? I always feel like I’m jogging on another planet when I come up here.” Tara stretched and arm out to the side then the other. “Ready?”
Grayson shook out his legs and did his best to recall his old warmup stretches. “Ready.”
Tara took off at a steady pace, her neon blue shorts and jacket leading the way. Grayson was impressed with himself as he ran behind her—he only felt a little like dying.
However, by the time they circled back south, Grayson could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and someone who looked like his great grandma waving him in.
“Tara, wait,” he gasped. He stumbled to a stop and planted his hands on his knees. “I need a minute.”
Tara grinned, jogging slow circles around him. “Honestly, I thought you’d keel over way sooner than this. You’re doing great.”
“Gee, thanks.” Grayson took a swig of water. His lungs were on fire.
They’d stopped in front of one of the Mer-style houses that seemed to rest on the surface of the ocean. There was a Mer out front, walking unsteadily toward the mailbox. She looked sick, with dull yellow scales and ragged fins.
The wind kicked up, blasting a blessedly cool breeze across Grayson’s overheated body.
The Mer’s attention snapped toward him, her orange eyes burning into his.
“Wai,”she rasped. Her face was twisted with rage, but her eyes were strangely unfocused.“Wai noa’yasie doak woguerwe zihu?”
“Sorry?” Grayson said, fear lancing through the exhaustion. “I can’t understand Loaish.”
The Mer’s lip curled.“Wai tyrneiae noa’yasi, huo? Yai woguerwe.”She took a step closer, claw-tipped fingers twitching.
“We’ll leave,” Tara said, palms in the air. “We’re leaving.”
Everything happened simultaneously.
The Mer lunged, and hot pain ripped through his cheek. Tara screamed from somewhere behind him, but the sight over the attacking Mer’s shoulder was what held Grayson’s focus.
Keld appeared in the doorway of the old home, his face a mask of horror. His eyes widened as they met Grayson’s.
“Jiei, vadhi!”he roared.
The spindly yellow Mer whipped around, her tail bashing into Grayson’s leg. He collapsed into the lavender grass, blood streaming down his face. Tara threw herself down next to him. She ripped off her jacket and held it to Grayson’s cheek.
“You’re going to need stitches,” she said shakily. “It’s deep.”
Adrenaline had flooded every molecule of Grayson’s body and he found himself unable to respond. He watched Keld hurl the much smaller Mer to the ground. Or was he watching his mother stomp Jameson into the floorboards? His cheek burned and stung, but he couldn’t remember what happened… Did his mother slap him? Was his dad on one of his rampages?
But…no, he was outside. The grass was the wrong color.
“Wai jindi tyrnei mek’po?”The female Mer’s words were punctuated with a hacking cough.
“Ais ka esion’yasi,”Keld spat. He raised a hand, fingers clenched into a fist.“Kas nois wai sorethae rif capuie’jo, yai asu’jo sorethalawe, Jiei.”
The frail Mer on the grass shrank back, a spark of true fear entering her dull gaze. Keld spun around and landed on his knees in front of Grayson.
“Aiu, are you okay? Let me see.” Keld gently removed Tara’s hand and the jacket to inspect the gash. “Tyr.You need to go to a clinic. Now.”
Grayson blinked up at him. “You’re here.”
“I’m here,” Keld agreed. He lifted Grayson in his arms.
Tara scrambled to her feet and pressed her scarlet-stained jacket to the wound once again. “Keld, hold this. He’ll bleed all over you.”
