Free Drowned by Nichola Reilly

open, because somehow I’ve swallowed lavender. It doesn’t taste as beautiful as it smells; in fact, it tastes rotten. “But, Your Majesty, I know nothing...” I begin, but then I realize what Tiam was doing. He wanted me to have this job for some reason. And I can’t let him down.
    “Tiam says you’re a clever person.”
    I shiver. The water suddenly feels icy against my skin.
    “I am always your willing servant,” I say dutifully, because I don’t know what else to say. I wonder how many tides will pass before I’m exposed as a fraud. “And you can trust me.”
    “Oh. And your dressmaking skills are required at once. I haven’t had a new dress in ages!” she says.
    My stomach drops even lower. “My— Excuse me?”
    She stands and wipes her hands on a cloth. “All done,” she says. “I told you it could be saved. There’s still sand in it, so dunk yourself a few times. Stay in there awhile and let the lavender soak into your skin.... I would get Burbur to bring you more water, but our reserves are low today. It hasn’t rained in so long.”
    She wrinkles her nose, and I think she must be able to see my stump beneath the water, but then I realize that nothing can be seen beneath the surface. It’s an oily, dingy brown.
    My scalp burns. I bring my hand to my head. The hair feels smooth, and when I look down, it falls over my shoulders quite nicely. Though it’s totally the wrong color, I imagine it shining in the sun like Star’s, adorned with pearl barrettes and ribbons, imagine everybody in the formation gazing at me with envy instead of disgust. I imagine Tiam unable to control his feelings for me and sweeping me into his arms right there, for all to see, the way the prince does to the princess in Sleeping Beauty. And then I shake my head and wonder when I’ll grow up and stop dreaming of things that don’t matter and can’t possibly happen.
    She drops the comb beside the tub and then disappears through the doorway.
    It’s comfortable in there, alone, almost too comfortable. I spend only another few moments in the tub. Not that I care about the dirty water; it still smells heavenly. But high tide is coming, and I’m afraid of falling asleep. Or of getting lost in this huge castle and not finding my way out in time. People have missed formation before and drowned, usually after small, careless mistakes. I don’t intend to be one of them, not now, when I’ll be inheriting space twelve.
    After I towel off my body and hair, I slip into the new garment. It smells sweet, like lavender, too, crisp and new. It’s prettier than the simple tunic that Burbur wears—this one is white and flowing and comes just above the knee, which is rather risqué and not at all practical. I look at the ribbons and barrettes and, not having any clue how to use them, decide to just leave my hair straight. I hope the princess won’t object to that. Standing there in front of the mirror, with my hair beginning to dry and puff out in soft waves on my shoulders, I feel a tingling sensation in my limbs. I look presentable, if not a little pretty.
    “Gathering!” someone is shouting down the hall. I hear a squeaking noise, coming closer. It’s Burbur. She pokes her head behind the curtain. Just when I expect her to say something pleasant about my appearance, she barks, “Gathering!”
    I turn to her. “Gathering?”
    She has a large metal thing on wheels, and it’s filled with square tubs like the ones I saw outside the rooms when I was being led to my quarters. “Yes. Before high tide. This room will be underwater in a bit. Put whatever you don’t want to lose in the tub outside your room, and I’ll take it to the stores in my cart.”
    “The stores? In the tower?”
    She seems annoyed. “No, underground. There are watertight compartments there. Surely you know that I am the manager of those stores? I daresay it’s the most important job in the kingdom.” She straightens, proud.
    Of course I knew this; this