Free Dangerous Depths (The Sea Monster Memoirs) by Karen Amanda Hooper

waiting for him to ask what Rathe and Harte were, but he didn’t flinch. “They couldn’t do it.”
    “Why not?” Joel asked.
    Pango shifted in his seat. The chair creaked so loud I worried his six-foot-five heavy frame might break the treasured antique. “Because.” Pango hesitated. “Because they have human blood in their genes, so they were unable to cross between two sea monster realms.”
    “Human blood.” Joel straightened his glasses. “How is that possible?”
    “We’d prefer not to elaborate on that detail,” Pango said. Joel nodded again. “Rumor has it you might be able to help us figure out a way around this restriction.”
    Joel tapped his fingers on the desk while he glanced back and forth between me and Pango. “To clarify, these,” he looked directly at me, “ individuals can’t cross because of their human blood. Only pure-blooded sea creatures can pass through the gate between Harte and Rathe?”
    “Correct,” Pango replied.
    “What about between Earth and Rathe? Could a human-blooded being cross that gateway?”
    Pango raised his head and squinted for a few moments before answering. “Not relevant.”
    Joel squinted too and leaned back in his chair. “You’re sure the only issue here is the human blood factor?”
    “What other factors could there be?” Pango asked.
    Joel folded his hands on top of his stomach. “Are you sure there isn’t fear or apprehension to enter Harte? I mean, it’s a very evil place.”
    “Of course there was some fear,” I interjected a little too defensively. “But they were going to do it anyway. They tried. They swam right up to the gate, but they were thrown back by a powerful force.”
    I didn’t know why I couldn’t be straightforward with him. Joel had obviously figured out I was one of the merfolk who couldn’t cross over, but I had promised to let Pango decide what we could and couldn’t reveal.
    Joel’s eyes darted between me and Pango. “I see.” He spun around in his chair, searching the overflowing bookshelves behind him. “I have a vague memory of my grandfather telling me about … well, hang on. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
    “What?” I asked. “Your grandfather told you about what?”
    Joel stood up and faced us again. “Give me a few minutes to search for an old book. I think it might be in the vault.”
    “Take all the time you need,” Pango said.
    Joel walked over to the corner of his office. He slid a couple of books from a shelf, reached through the opening, and grunted as he pushed on some kind of lever. A large framed map, which was actually a door, slid open and revealed a secret passageway.
    I stood up. “What the—? Where does that go?”
    Joel grinned at me over his shoulder. “We humans have secrets too.”
    Pango took my hand and pulled me back into my chair. “Sit, my curious crusader. It’s none of our business.”
    Joel ducked through the doorway, and the painting slid shut behind him.
    “Do you know where that goes?” I asked Pango.
    “Koraline says there’s a secret room full of his family’s prized possessions.”
    “Wow. I’ve seen that stuff in movies, but I didn’t know it really existed.”
    Pango chuckled. “You’ve discovered other realms full of creatures and magic, but a secret door to a hidden room is what boggles your mind?”
    “You know what I mean. I just didn’t expect there to be secret passageways and hidden rooms in what appears to be a regular old bookstore.”
    Pango flicked a strand of my brown human hair and winked at me. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
    Joel returned several minutes later. He seemed tense.
    “Did you find anything that might help us?” Pango asked.
    Joel sat on the edge of his desk, so close to us that his knees almost touched Pango’s. He stared down at us over his glasses. “My father’s journal confirmed something I remembered from a story my grandfather told me when I was a child. It could be of help, but I also worry it