Free Avenging (The Rising Series Book 3) by Holly Kelly Page B

okay, Marcos. I’m going to get you out of here.”
    When Triton removed the stone from the boy’s chest, he took in a whooping breath and blinked at Triton. “I knew you’d come.”
    “How did you know?”
    The boy looked surprised at his question. “Don’t you know? You’re my great-grandfather.”
    Triton was shocked. He knew that he probably had some descendants—his merchildren sometimes fraternized with Dagonians. But for any Dagonian to actually admit they were tied to the Mer was unusual. They usually wanted nothing to do with him.
    “Of course I knew,” Triton lied.
    The boy’s pained face gained a glimmer of light, and then the light dimmed as the child groaned in pain. “My tail really hurts. Am I going to die?”
    He focused and found that indeed, this boy did have his blood flowing in his veins. “No, you’re not going to die, but I need you to hold still.” Triton was not a healer, but with those of his own, he possessed the power to mend injuries, which was exactly what he did. He knit the boy’s broken bones and crushed organs back together, along with his mangled fin. His body straightened as the bones reset and flesh healed. Triton smiled as he finished and looked at his great-grandchild. “There. Do you feel better?”
    The boy nodded, beaming at him. “Thank you. I knew you’d help me. My mom told me not to believe all the terrible things everyone said about you.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t.” Triton’s heart swelled. It looked like Sara and Xanthus weren’t his only family. He looked up as Nicole let the mother go. She swam to them. The boy wriggled from Triton’s arms and embraced his mother. “It’s okay, Mom. King Triton fixed me. I don’t even hurt anymore.” His mother cried for a long while as the crowd dispersed.
    When they were alone, Triton spoke. “So, granddaughter…”
    She gasped and paled at his words. “He told you?”
    The boy turned to her and said, “Mom, he already knew.”
    With the boy’s attention on his mother, Triton locked eyes with Iris and shook his head. He reached out, ruffled the child’s hair, and said, “Of course I knew.”
    He looked back to the mother and asked, “Well, Iris and Marcos, how are the Dagonians treating my family?” He tried to keep the tension out of his voice, but he needed to know.
    At that question, a scowl settled over the boy’s face. “They’re okay when they leave us alone.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Triton asked.
    “Well, I mean, they let me swim wherever I want, as long as it’s outside the city, and they let us fish in the kelp fields at night, and once a month, I get a whole day to do what I want. Last month, I got to see the dolphins!”
    “What work do they require of a lone woman and her young child?” Triton asked, not quite masking his anger. His eyes pierced the woman.
    “I… you want me to speak?” she asked, her voice so low he could barely hear her.
    He sighed. “Yes.”
    “Well… I…” She looked down. “Sew. I make window coverings, bedding, and clothing. Abalone shells make for the most beautiful tail coverings. There’s a coral field not far from here. The shells have the most vivid colors.” Her voice grew in volume, and Triton could tell she took pride in her work.
    “Ew, I hate abalone!” the boy said.
    “You used to like it,” she said.
    “I don’t want to eat it every day!”
    “We don’t have much time to hunt. I need the shells for the coverings.”
    She looked up, meeting Triton’s eyes for a split second before looking back down at the sandy floor. Her face flushed red, and her voice lowered to a whispered. “That’s what I do.”
    “And what does your son do?”
    “He and the other boys are on clean-up duty.”
    “So all Dagonian children have to work?” Triton asked.
    Her eyes widened as she shook her head. “No, of course not. Just the ones that have no one to provide for them.”
    “But you work,” Nicole said, swimming