Free World of Aluvia 2 by Amy Bearce Page B

case there was a time limit on how long the magic lasted.
    The water slid against her skin like satin, not chilly at all now. She wrapped her hand around the pearl and whispered a word of thanks. Then she summoned all her courage and swam into the dark waters as Tristan taught her long ago. Mina and Tristan needed her. And nothing would stop her. Not Sierra, not the ocean itself.
    The thought of Sierra made Phoebe hesitate, just for one heartbeat. Her sister was going to lose her mind. Well, Sierra would just have to understand. It was done now, anyway.
    Electric yellow fish darted away from Phoebe’s reaching hands as she pulled herself forward through the water. A sea turtle stared at her in what might have been surprise, but she kept going, smiling a little. Beneath her, a forest of tube worms fanned out, waving in the dim light, feathery red petals of gills slurping suddenly into their tubes as she passed by.
    The sea floor dropped away as she swam farther, and the light grew dimmer. She wished it were daytime. If only she could glow as her mer-friends did. Their steady light would be comforting about now. At least spots of light floated in the increasing darkness. The pale bluish lights around her looked like a carnival as glowing sea creatures rose from the twilight depths of the sea to seek food in the shallows under the cover of darkness. The sea was full of magic.
    Also full of danger
, she could almost hear Sierra say. A jolt ran through Phoebe. Pulling her attention from the surrounding beauty, she swam faster toward where she thought the merfolk lived. Fewer creatures lit the gloomy waters here, and a shiver of fear threaded through Phoebe. She was without her friends… and the water wraith might still be out there.
    She gulped and kept a close eye out for jellyfish and sharks. Kicking her legs faster, she picked up the pace, looking over her shoulders into the growing blackness behind her, watching the pinwheeling dots of lights spin. It was other-worldly, completely different than the ocean she knew along the coast. She felt incredibly alone.
    When Phoebe was scared, one thing she always did was sing. She hadn’t really ever sung underwater much before, but now she found herself singing softly as she went, the melody of a plucky, happy tune pushing past her stiff lips as she swiveled her head from side to side. The notes chimed like bells.
    For a moment her breath froze in her chest as a large shadow moved along the floor below her. When it turned out to be a giant school of sleek black fish, she almost sobbed with relief.
    Mina’s stories about the kraken octopuses crept through Phoebe’s mind. They were rare in these waters, she reminded herself.
But not unheard of
. Even regular octopuses were dangerous. The loathsome, many-armed, baggy-headed creatures made her want to curl into a ball and hide ever since one grabbed her when she was first learning to swim in the ocean with Tristan. It took days for the sucker marks to fade from her leg. Luckily, Sierra had been gone on another trip, or that would have ended Phoebe’s visits to the ocean right then.
    As fear rose, so did her voice, but just for a moment. Perhaps singing as she swam wasn’t the best way to stay hidden. She stopped, just as a hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her into a forest of seaweed. Another hand clamped over her mouth.
    “By the great shell, what on Aluvia are you doing, Phoebe? Trying to kill yourself?”
    Relief flooded her, leaving her weak-kneed like soggy kelp. She spun in Tristan’s arms to face him, her hair tangling around her neck and shoulders. Luminescence lit his skin all over. It wasn’t bright, but it was enough to see the green of his eyes, the first time she had ever seen their natural shade underwater. Those eyes grew rounder than sand dollars as his gaze traveled over her. He looked around and must have realized she was alone, as his mouth dropped open in shock. His lips moved in some sort of prayer or