The Sea Witch (The Era of Villains Book 1) (17 page)

Hazel took it alright,
but she put an innocent smile on her face and feigned obliviousness.
The ugly, envious monster inside of Hazel was rearing its head more
and more often since Moira had started back with her daily malicious
jabs at Hazel’s inadequacy and her inability to live up to
family expectations, and had started the new game of acting like she
was a servant. When Athena had shown up and Hazel had seen the
threatened, panicked look on Serena’s face when she looked at
her, a wicked little thought had taken root in Hazel’s head.
Finally, she’ll know what it is to be outshined, to have
the person she loves most, whose approval she craves, look at her
like she will never be more than second best. She’ll finally
really know what it’s like to be me.

“I thought you
said you were going to be practicing in the cauldron room today,”
said Serena, a fake, sugary smile on her face that reminded Hazel
eerily of Moira. When Hazel put a thoughtful look on her face—eyes
turned upward, mouth pursed in concentration—and began to
shake her head, Serena added in a chilly voice, “Sea God knows
you need it.”

The insult took
Hazel’s breath away, but instead of crumpling and slinking off
as she did with Moira, Hazel’s turned her mouth into a
wickedly sweet smile that perfectly mimicked Serena’s.
Game
on, bitch
, she thought.

“No, I don’t
have any plans for today. I practiced my magic yesterday. I’m
not like you, Serena. Magic takes a lot out of me. I can’t
practice two days in a row or I just get frustrated. A picnic sounds
relaxing though.”

“Wonderful!”
said Triton. “Are your mother and Casius busy?”

“Oh no, not at
all. Mother doesn’t have any appointments today, and it’s
not a lesson day for Celine and Ariana. I just saw Casius chatting
with Maren in the kitchens. He’s not doing anything either.”

“We’ll
make it a party, then,” said Triton. “The more the
merrier, right, Serena?”

Hazel could have sworn
she saw blue sparks flash in Serena’s eyes, much like the
purple flames that sprung up in Moira’s when she was angry,
and bit her lip to hold in a triumphant laugh.

“Absolutely,”
said Serena.

Hazel watched Athena
flinch back from Serena’s disturbing smile.

“Why don’t
you come along too, Athena?” said Triton, like the idea had
just occurred to him.

“Oh, that’s
very kind, but I wouldn’t want to intrude on a family outing.”

“Nonsense.
You’re not an intruder here; you’re a guest. You can’t
stay here all alone.”

Athena looked away
from Serena and up into Triton’s face. Whenever she looked at
him, she got a warm feeling under her skin, like swimming over the
jet of a hot spring. Each time she looked at him, she felt both
afraid and invigorated. She knew that he belonged to someone else,
but she also knew that she was hopelessly, irrevocably smitten. At
times, she thought he felt the same. At others, she was sure he was
just being kind. Regardless, when she looked at him, Serena didn’t
scare her; in fact, Serena was entirely forgotten.

“Alright then,
I’d love to come.”

— — —

“Something must
be done, Serena,” said Moira.

Moira had dragged
Serena into the cauldron room as soon as they had all returned from
the picnic. Serena fiddled with the ingredients on the shelves,
straightening and rearranging them needlessly.

“About what,
Mother?”

She knew exactly what
Moira was talking about, but the idea that those around her could
also see what was going on, that Triton might be slipping away, was
embarrassing and painful. If others could see it, it must be real.

“Don’t
play dumb with me. That ugly, red-haired bubblehead is threatening
everything I…
we
have!”

“She’s not
a bubblehead, Mother,” said Serena, hating the truth of the
words. “She’s smart and she’s adventurous. And she
most definitely isn’t ugly.”

“All the more
reason to do something about her!”

“Why should I
have to?” shouted Serena. All the anguish and fear that she
had been feeling since Athena’s arrival overflowed. “He
should love me! After all these years, I shouldn’t have to
worry about chasing off other mermaids. I shouldn’t still be
wearing this locket around my neck. Every time I touch it or think
about it, it makes me want to scream! I hate it! I hate it!”
Serena tugged at her hair instead of the necklace—still
afraid, deep down, of casting it away and facing the outcome.

“Serena,”
said Moira, her voice a soft coo as she swam to Serena’s side
and put a hand on her shoulder, “darling, calm down. You see
what she’s done to you? You have to put a stop to this.”

“And what do you
suggest I do, Mother?” said Serena, her fury giving way to
tears. “The locket shudders more and more each day. He cares
for her. I think…I think he loves her, or at least he’s
getting close, even if the spell is still making him love me too. If
I send her away, if I’m cruel to her, it may finally break his
bond to me. I can’t lose him.”

“If you can’t
banish the problem, eradicate it,” said Moira, locking eyes
with Serena.

Serena turned away
from her mother’s gaze, a whirlpool raging in her head. It
would be so easy, and she would never have to worry about Athena
again. She would never have to worry again at all. If Athena was in
fact Triton’s “true love” (though Serena was still
was not convinced such a thing existed), then she would be the one
and only mermaid who could ever break the spell. No one else would
ever threaten Serena’s marriage if Athena was to die of a
strange and sudden illness. But perhaps merpeople would grow
suspicious. The disease that took Poseidon and Amphitrite had not
resurfaced and had not taken any more lives. If it were to suddenly
spring up again and kill yet another threat to Serena’s
happiness, perhaps someone would catch on. But even if someone did,
what could happen? She was queen. She was the law. But so was
Triton, and if he grew suspicious, if he connected the death of
Athena, or worse, his parents, to Serena, he might banish her or
divorce her (which seemed the worst option). But would he? If she
got rid of Athena before Athena got a chance to break the spell,
then the love potion would still be working. He wouldn’t
punish or leave her, maybe not even suspect her, if his judgement
was clouded by love. But did she even want the love potion to work
anymore? What sort of marriage was she in, really?

What ultimately made
her say, “No, Mother, I will deal with this another way. Don’t
bring it up again,” was the simple reluctance to commit such a
crime and destroy everything she had built for herself. She was a
just queen. A beloved queen. She was known as The Queen with the
Golden Heart. Could she truly be proud of that reputation, truly
deserve it, if she were to murder again? Because that was what it
was—murder. Whenever the thought surfaced, she always shoved
it aside, but it was the truth. And she would not do it again.

“Serena,”
said Moira, her mouth a hard line.

“No, Mother!
That’s final,” said Serena, holding herself tall, her
face smooth and stern as a marble bust.

Moira huffed and swam
from the room.
She’ll want to discuss it soon enough,
she thought.
That mermaid’s not going anywhere soon.

Serena’s posture
remained hard and determined as she watched Moira go. She had meant
what she said. There would be no poison brewed in her cauldron. She
would just have to keep a close eye on Athena and make sure there
were no opportunities for True Love’s Kiss to rear its ugly,
venomous head.

“
You
know what you should go look at?” said Hazel when Triton and
Athena told her they were going out for another mini-tour of another
area of the city. “There’s this gorgeous cave full of
crystal that’s just dazzling at this time of day. It’s
on the southeast side of the city, near the edge, just past the
urchin farm.”

“
That’s
right around where we first met,” said Triton, looking at
Athena with a bright smile. “I think we must have been right
by it, but I never looked inside. Too many other things to look at,
I guess.” His happy smile turned flirtatious, and Athena
blushed. Triton said, “What a wonderful idea, Hazel. Thank
you.”

“
Oh,
don’t mention it.”

Hazel
waved them goodbye with a satisfied smirk.
Now
off to sidetrack Serena until they get far enough away
,
she thought.
I’m sure she’s
lurking somewhere nearby.

“
Hazel,
have you seen Triton?” said Serena, appearing as if on cue.

“
You
know, I think I saw him up on the sixth floor looking for one of the
kids.”

“
Thanks,
Hazel,” said Serena, sounding out of breath. She shot up
through the water towards the sixth floor like a sailfish after a
tuna.

Finally,
something I’m good at
, thought Hazel
as she watched Serena go without a second thought, never guessing
that Hazel was lying to her, thwarting her attempt at thwarting
Athena’s vie for Triton’s heart. Serena would be stunned
to find out that Hazel had been doing her best to let Athena and
Triton be alone together ever since Serena had decided to be
relentless in her attempt to stop that very thing. Perfect Serena
wasn’t going to have everything she ever wanted anymore.
Perfect Serena should have kept her mouth shut about Hazel’s
magical ability. Hazel had always known that was how Serena felt
about her, but Serena was always trying to act like she cared, like
she truly believed Hazel could control her magic. But when she had
made that comment right to Hazel’s face a week ago, it
confirmed what Hazel had suspected all along. The words still rang
in Hazel’s head.
I thought you were
going to practice magic in the cauldron room today. Sea God knows
you need it.
Well soon enough, if all
continued as it was now, Serena was going to need Hazel’s help
to get Triton back, and Hazel was still debating how long she should
make Serena beg before she said yes, or if she would say yes at all.

— — —

“
Hey,
do you think we could meet up with Dariel and the other dolphins
after we explore the cave?” said Athena as they drew close to
their destination.

“
Oh,
well,” said Triton hesitantly, “that’s sort of
something Serena and I do together…like a tradition. I don’t
know if…I mean she’s been so…”

“
Oh,
of course, I understand,” said Athena, hanging her head in
embarrassment and disappointment, trying to ignore the sharp slice
of jealousy in her chest. “Forget I asked.”

Triton
hated seeing her lips pulled down in disappointment almost as much
as he hated knowing he had put the frown on her face. But he wasn’t
going to change his mind. It seemed wrong to share that special
ritual with Athena. His heart ached when he thought back to all of
those times swimming with the dolphins with Serena. She always had a
smile on her face, and her laugh warmed him up from the inside out.
He hadn’t heard that laugh in a while. Over the past
fortnight, Serena had laughed less and less. In fact, all of his
most recent memories of her contained sharp words and a hateful
frown. She was gloomy, and she was always following him around. He
used to love having her always at his side, but lately her presence
was like the dark, swirling waters right before a hurricane. He
found himself seeking Athena out more and more to escape Serena’s
terrible gloom. Athena was sunshine and gentle currents. Serena was
dark skies and choppy seas.

Of
course, deep down he knew that Athena was the one making Serena act
that way, but he tried to ignore it. He couldn’t just toss
Athena out. He was fond of her. She was a fun and intelligent
friend, and he enjoyed her company, that was all. Serena should be
able to see that. Athena was no threat to her.

“
There
it is,” said Athena, swimming faster.

Triton
sped after her. She looked over her shoulder at him and said, “Race
you!”

“
No
fair, you have a head start,” said Triton, feeling like a
child again, as he often did when around Athena.

Triton
reached out and grabbed her by the base of the tail and pulled her
back. Then he pumped his tail as hard as he could and shot over the
top of her head.

“
Hey!”
said Athena. “And you said I was a cheater!”

Her
laughter followed him into the cave. It was a rich laugh—high
and sweet, almost like a child’s giggle. He found himself
comparing it to Serena’s deeper, sultrier laugh and couldn’t
decide which one he liked better.

He pulled
up short just inside the cave, and Athena swam into him. Her torso
slammed into his back. She put her hands on his shoulders to push
herself back, and she did not take them off as she laughed.

“
Sorry,”
she said in between laughs, pressing her forehead into his back.
Then she looked over his shoulder, and her laughter was cut off by a
gasp of delight. “Wow! You said you didn’t know about
this place?”

“
I
can’t believe it either,” said Triton. He thought he
knew every inch of his kingdom. He had known there was a cave here,
but somehow he had never gotten around to going inside it. He didn’t
come to the southeast side often, at least not this close to the
city’s edge. It was mostly farm land.

The cave
was not a perfect dome; there was a large hole in the top, but that
was what made it so dazzling. The powerful summer sun shone down
through the water and into the cave, setting the millions of shards
of cave crystal embedded in the rock on fire. The entire cave
wavered like a mirage cast in rainbow light. The crystal reflected
the sun in prisms of every color, and the water seemed to glitter.
The cave did not go very deep, and it was only one chamber. It was
like a giant geode broken in half and laid crystal side down on the
sand.

“
It’s
absolutely gorgeous!” said Athena. She started laughing again
as she swam around the cave doing flips and spins in the water.

Triton
watched her move, unable to pull his eyes away, hypnotized by the
grace of her white tail as it caught the rainbow lights and
reflected them back. She caught him looking, and the exhilaration of
being alone with him in this beautiful place and the way her heart
pounded when she saw desire for herself in his eyes made her daring.
She winked at him as she pushed a strand of her vibrant red hair out
of her face. His blush egged her on, and she beckoned him with her
tail.

“
What
are you waiting for, Triton?”

Triton
swallowed hard. It was the first time she had not addressed him as
King Triton. His name sounded smooth and exotic on her lips. His
eyes lit up with an almost predatory hunger as they ran over her
from head to fins. He chased after her, and at first she fled,
laughing, but after a few laps around the cave, she turned around
suddenly. He swam into her outstretched arms before he could
backpedal—not that he wanted to. He wrapped his hands around
the smallest part of her waist and was delighted to find that he had
been right on that first day he saw her. His fingertips brushed one
another at her back. Her spun her around, holding her like that, and
she threw her head back and put her arms above her head, and from
her lips came the sound of pure joy.

He
stopped spinning, out of breath, and said, “You’re even
more beautiful than this place. If you were mine, I would have a
crown and jewelry made for you from these crystals just so that
everyone in the kingdom would look at you and say, ‘She is
more dazzling than any jewel.’”

Athena’s
breath caught, and she pulled herself closer to him. He felt himself
becoming mesmerized by her bright green eyes, but then Serena’s
face flashed in his mind. What was he doing? He started to pull
back, to push her away and tell her he could not see her again, that
she would have to leave and continue her travels. But before he
could do any of that, she whispered his name, and he froze as a
tingle of ecstasy raced up his spine. He wanted to kiss her, wanted
it so bad it hurt, but something held him back, like an invisible
but powerful hand pressed against his forehead, keeping him from
bending his lips down to hers. But she wrapped her fingers in his
golden hair and brought her mouth up to his. The water seemed to go
taut around them, as if a great power was surging through it,
thickening it. Both of their hearts sped up, sending a rush of blood
to their heads, and then they began to beat in time as one.

Everyone
in the palace heard Serena’s scream. Hazel jumped in surprise
and screamed herself. Moira clenched her hand around a potion vial
so hard that it shattered, cutting her hand and sending the potion
swirling into the water. Serena’s daughters were all gripped
with terror at the sound of their mother in agony. Servants all over
the palace dropped things and whipped their heads around and looked
at one another, their hearts racing with fear.

Casius
was with Serena when it happened. A cracking sound rent the water
and hurt his ears. Serena gasped in pain and surprise, and her hand
shot up to the locket. She yanked it from her neck, breaking the
chain, and looked down at it in horror as it lay in her palm. Casius
looked too. A pink wisp of liquid smoke puffed out of the jagged
crack that had appeared down the center of the golden heart and
disappeared with a small
poof
.

Serena
felt as though her heart exploded into a million knife-like shards
that ripped through her whole body. The locket was silent and cold,
no longer thrumming with power. That was when she screamed.

Casius
wrapped his tentacles around her and tried to soothe her, but he
could find no words. Serena sank to the stone floor with her tail
bent under her and threw back her head as she let out another
anguished scream. This time, Casius thought he heard rage in it. He
let out a quiet gasp as the first tear leaked from her eye. He could
see it; it did not blend in with the water. It was filled with blue
electricity. The pain and distress were so great that she was
leaking magic, unable to contain it in her shattered emotional
state.

“
Serena?
Serena! You must calm down! You’re going to hurt yourself.”

But
Serena just screamed—again and again and again.

— — —

“
Citizens
of Adamar!” Triton’s voice boomed against Serena’s
eardrum, magnified by the Trident’s magic so that the large
crowd of gathered subjects could hear clearly. “It is with
great pleasure that I announce that the royal family is about to get
bigger!”

Serena
watched, fighting back tears, as many of the merpeople’s
confused faces softened and began to smile. They thought Serena must
be having another baby. Others kept their eyes locked on Athena,
floating on Triton’s left, wondering what she was doing up
there if the announcement was about the royal family.

“
Though
it has not been done since the days of my great-great-grandfather’s
reign, Adamar shall soon have two queens,” Triton said. His
smile was so large it stretched his face. It was as though he was
trying to turn all of the puzzled and suspicious looks below him
into smiles simply by smiling extra forcefully himself. “I
present to you your future queen, Athena!”

A rumble
came from the crowd as the merpeople began to murmur amongst
themselves.

“
Two
queens?”

“
Poor
Serena.”

“
And
what about the princesses? Will they have to call her Mommy too?”

“
I’ll
tell you why it hasn’t been done for decades,” said one
old merman near the front. “No two mermaids can peacefully
share a man, much less a crown. King Triton’s calling down a
hurricane on his head.”

Serena
listened to the buzzing of the crowd with malicious glee. These were
still her merpeople. They would object to her being replaced. Serena
looked behind Triton’s back at Athena. Her upper lip curled in
a gleeful snarl when she saw that Athena was blushing, embarrassed,
her eyes downcast as the crowd muttered rather than cheered. The
hate rolling off of Serena was palpable, like a warm current flowing
from behind her, rolling over her shoulders, swishing her hair, and
reaching out to Athena, boiling as it went, trying to scorch her.
Just looking at Athena put a bitter, iron taste in Serena’s
mouth. She wanted to claw her face until she bled, rip out her
pretty red hair until she screamed, put her hands around her throat
and never stop squeezing.

Triton
was frozen, that massive smile still on his face, but his eyes
showed his distress—darting over the crowd, unsure, perhaps
even a little afraid. It made Serena was to laugh. Perhaps this
would teach him that Athena was more trouble than she was worth.
Perhaps this would knock some sense back into his head.