Chapter 26

The waves lapped greedily up her waist as Lyla slowly introduced her skin to the water. It wasn't very deep, but dark and daunting. If she hadn't been so nervous, perhaps the coolness might have even been refreshing.

Ari's head popped up a second later, and he shook his wet curls like a dog, spraying her with droplets. He beckoned for her to follow him, and Lyla softly kicked her feet, trying to be as quiet as she could while propelling herself through the ocean.

They swam towards the docks of the fish farm, only about twenty-five yards down, and approached the seal pen first. The whiskered animals flapped towards them curiously, poking their soft noses through the holes of the cage.

Lyla's job, she soon realized, was mainly to be quiet and hand Ari his tools as he furiously picked at the large chained padlock on the door. She watched his quick, deft hands as they twisted this way and that, and tried to identify a pattern in his movements so she could learn.

"They're going to make a lot of noise swimming out," he murmured, just quietly enough that the wind covered his voice. "So we're going to try to open all of the doors at once. And then we get the hell out of here. Got that?"

Lyla nodded, wondering how often it was that Ari and Aveline did things like this. A lot, if Ari's practiced movements were any indication. He moved onto the fish tank.

Their job was to unlock five pens, and Ari was on the third when they approached a large plastic tank filled with leaden algae water.
Lyla flipped wet hair off of her forehead as she peered into the tank; nothing alive was there that she could see. She touched a finger to the enclosure as Ari began working at the lock.

"What's in here, Ari?"

Ari lifted his head, his sopping curls dripping into his eyes. "Well-"

A pale face popped up right on the other side of the tank wall, cutting off Ari's response. Lyla nearly screamed, her hand shooting over her mouth to catch the sound before it could come out.

As soon as her mind registered that it was a mermaid, Lyla scrambled backwards.
She'd heard enough stories about the creatures to know that they were dangerous, but she'd never seen one this close before, and couldn't help but stare at the finned woman, whose violet eyes had locked onto hers.

Somehow Lyla had expected the mermaids to look evil, or darkly provocative, somewhat, but the siren's expression was only curiously pensive as she tilted her head to gaze at Lyla. A second later, two more materialized beside the first, their multicolored hair interweaving with strings of floating seaweed.
Their thick, iridescent tails caught onto slivers of moonlight and shimmered a million different colors. Each pair of eyes were huge and piercing, pictures of delicate, haunting beauty.

There was something about them that was familiar to Lyla, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

She put a soft palm to the divider between them, wondering if her hand looked the same.

"Don't," Ari cautioned sharply from next to her. Lyla jolted- she'd almost forgotten he was there. "The attention only encourages them."

Lyla opened her mouth, and then closed it, not quite knowing what she wanted to ask.

"It's unlocked," Ari informed her. His expression was unreadable.

"That's five?" Apprehension filled her, bringing her back to the present as she remembered what she was supposed to do next.

"Aveline's got the remaining two," Ari confirmed. "Remember, as soon as it's open, get out of the way."

The task was easy enough. Lyla took a breath and swam over to the seal pen. Ari would let the the mermaid and the fish out; all she had to do was open the door for the seals. It would be painless and quick.

Until the guards see and arrest us, Lyla thought miserably. Her fingers shook as they entwined with the metal wiring of the unlocked cage. The seals clustered around the door again, inquisitively sniffing at the intruder from the inside of their enclosure.

"I'm going to get you out," Lyla promised them, grateful that Ari was too far away to hear the tremble in her voice.

He was positioned next to the mermaids. As soon as he caught her eye, Ari held three fingers up.

On my count, he mouthed.

Lyla gave a small nod.

One... two....
Three.

Lyla took an enormous breath and ducked underwater. She braced her legs on the side of the cage while reaching for the handle with her arms. Finally she yanked the cage door open.

There was a sudden explosion of pressure and color as a millon marine bodies simultaneously pushed into the marina. Lyla gripped onto the cage to keep herself grounded, waves beating against her ears in the chaos. Suddenly she couldn't see Ari; she couldn't see anything in the flurry of motion and white ripples all around her. Something furry slipped past her legs.

There were bubbles everywhere, clouding her vision, and for a moment, Lyla panicked.

She was going to get caught, Ari and Aveline were gone, they had abandoned her, and she had no idea where she was-

A slender hand wrapped around her wrist, and Lyla screamed, letting in a mouthful of water. Her head burst above surface. She gasped for air, coughing and thrashing.

"Shh, It's just me." Lyla registered Aveline's voice and blinked saltwater away from her stinging eyes. Relief poured through her; Aveline and Ari were right next to her, seawater streaming in rivulets down their cheeks.

As soon as her ears cleared, Lyla heard angry shouts at the marina. The guards had seen the escaped animals and were running towards their side of the docks.

"Swim!" Aveline hissed.

Lyla didn't need to be told a second time. She pumped her arms furiously, kicking her feet harder than she ever had in her life. She wasn't nearly as strong as Ari, whose arms cut through the water as easily as air, and her splashing was almost embarrassing when compared to Aveline who was apparently an incredible swimmer and effortlessly twisted through the waves without making a sound.

It wasn't the time for Lyla to mourn her lack of swimming skills.

It was only a few moments before her toes brushed the sand beneath her as they reached land. Gasping, Lyla allowed Ari and Aveline to haul her to her feet. Evening air immediately latched onto her skin, raising goosebumps on her arms.

Lyla straightened as saltwater sloughed off of her limbs, but before she could catch her breath lights flashed on at the docks. Panic seized her; they'd been spotted by the night watchmen.

"Hey, what are you three doing?"
"Get back here!"

The guards started to run towards them, and Ari and Aveline immediately broke into a sprint. Lyla followed suit, her bare feet stinging from the tiny rocks on the shore.

Aveline quickly stooped down to pick up their forgotten cloaks that laid patiently in the sand, and threw Lyla's at her as she ran. Lyla just managed to catch it, her footsteps slapping along the pavement.

Her heart cried out in her ears as they ran back the way they came, looping around quiet town buildings; wet and half-dressed. Lyla briefly caught her reflection in the glass window once more; her hair was flat against her skull; her expression was one frozen into terror.

Wind whipped her hair into her eyes, and Lyla wildly flung it away. She glanced at her companions as they bolted across the village and was absolutely bewildered to find that Aveline and Ari, on either side of her, were laughing. Lyla herself was screaming, she realized, which only seemed to make them laugh more.

Lyla had never ran this quickly before, and her breathing was starting to become ragged when Ari and Aveline took a sharp turn around the records building. They each seized one of her arms and slammed up against the wall beside them. No one made any sound.

A moment later, the angry fishermen sprinted right past them, too busy in their indignant screeching no notice the three huddling in the corner. Lyla, Aveline, and Ari waited a moment until the irate cursing faded into the distance.

Finally, Lyla released her breath- she hadn't realized she'd been holding it this whole time. Her lungs burned as she gulped in air.

Aveline and Ari's apparent glee at the situation had finally abated somewhat; they both were panting as they slumped against the stone wall.

"Nice job everyone," Ari said between breaths, wrestling his shirt back over his head. "That was fun."

"Fun?!" Lyla shrieked. They could have gone to prison! Or worse!

Ari chuckled. "They're gone. Shall we walk back?"
Lyla's adrenaline gradually wore off as they made the quick trek back to the ship, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so exhausted. She wanted to collapse on her bed and sleep for the next two days.

"I don't mind the seals as much, but those slimy fish are going to give me nightmares," Ari remarked to Aveline. "Next time let's do the breaking in on land."
"Deal."
They paused as they reached the cove where they had docked the ship.

"I tried to let the mermies out first. Did they give you any trouble?"

"No," Aveline said quietly.

"They kept staring at Lyla; I was almost worried they were going to grab her and swim off."

"I had never seen one that close," Lyla admitted. Now that she had, it seemed almost silly to be afraid of the creatures; they didn't look frightening.

Aveline peered at her curiously, her eyes flashing amber in the blue evening. "What did you think?"

Lyla had no idea what to say. "They're very pretty." Strange, but pretty.
"They give me the creeps," Aveline announced, and Ari laughed.

The moon was high in the sky by the time they reached the loading ramp, and the muscles in Lyla's biceps quaked as she hoisted herself over the side.

"You alright, Lyla?" Aveline questioned, mopping her face with her now-sandy cloak.

"I can't believe I just did that," was Lyla's only response.

"Now the seals can return to their mothers," Aveline reminded her in that sensible, comforting way of hers. "I found them trapped in another cage on the other side. You did good today, Lyla."

"I suppose I did, didn't I?" A warm feeling flooded Lyla- endorphins, or late adrenaline, perhaps- as she perched on the railing and peered up at the evening sky. "And now we rest?"

Ari had dimples; Lyla had never noticed that before. "Sure. Good night, Lyla."

Nothing sounded better to her at the moment than her cozy cabin, with the lilac covers and pretty-smelling candles. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, about to retire to her room before something prompted her to turn back.

Ari was draping Aveline's cloak back around her shoulders, affectionately pulling her hair out from under her collar. Aveline suddenly seemed very tired, almost lost as she let her chin drop to her chest, and Lyla remembered what she wanted to say.

"You two aren't as bad as everyone says, you know that?" Lyla felt stupid as soon as the words came out of her mouth. The pair looked up simultaneously as pink infused itself into her cheeks. But then a smile crossed Aveline's face, and Lyla was grateful to see it. "Good night."

Fighting back embarrassment, Lyla scurried down the stairs to her room before they could respond. Tiredness overtook her. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and go right to sleep.

And so, she did just that.

-

Lyla skipped breakfast the next morning to sit outside on the docks by the ship and watch the sun rise. She set her elbows on her knees and watched the decrepit streaks of light play off of the tide underneath her, wondering where their rescued sea creatures were now. Hopefully speeding off to freedom.

Eli and Jamie joined her shortly after, looking well-rested as they stepped off of the ship. Lyla waved as they approached.

"Good morning," Eli and Jamie chorused back. They both opposite sides of her on the dock. Eli was munching on an apple.

"Hey Lyla," he greeted between bites. "You want the rest of this?"
Lyla took the apple from Eli. It was bright red, and crisp. Probably from Kibet, they had the best produce.

"Where are Ari and Aveline?" Said Jamie, tipping forward to dip her toes into the water.

"Out here. Running," Lyla said with a shudder, gesturing to the beach where she could see Ari and Aveline's distant figures jogging down the strip of sand. At first she'd been concerned, but they had assured her that they had each slept for twelve straight hours before coming outside for some exercise.

Lyla herself was done with exercise for a while, at least that's what her sore muscles were telling her. It was no wonder Ari and Aveline were so athletic, if events like last night were often how they spent their free time. Lyla had dutifully brought out water for them to have when they came back.

Ari had finally given Henry permission to take the children out. Currently they splashed about in the ocean with Inez, spraying each other with saltwater and looking the happiest Lyla had ever seen them. Even Inez was smiling, and Lyla was tempted to join them herself. The pink sunburn on her skin didn't hurt anymore but had turned into a light beige color.

Lyla giggled when she thought of what her mother would say when she returned with a tan and wearing shorts. It was much too hot here to wear anything else, anyway. Aveline had promised to take her shopping later to buy her own lighter clothes— it was so relieving not having to carry around a bulk of skirts everywhere she went.

"Where'd you three go last night?" Eli asked as he yawned.

"Swimming." Lyla thoughtfully scratched her chin. "I think I was coerced into doing something illegal, but it turned out alright in the end."

"What?!"

Ari and Aveline returned before Lyla could respond, and the children surged out of the ocean to chase them the rest of the way back, their tiny dripping bodies hurtling through the air faster than Lyla would have expected.

Ari and Aveline slowed their jog as they approached, their skin glistening with perspiration. Ari was grinning and Aveline was bouncing on her feet as if she was aching to do another lap around the island. Lyla wished she could look that lovely while red, panting and half-dressed. Perhaps it was confidence that made all of the difference, Lyla thought.

"You're all sweaty," She greeted, handing them both the glasses she had brought. Ari promptly poured the liquid over his head, spraying his companions with it. Jamie yelped.

"Stop wasting it!" Aveline scolded, pushing at her friend's shoulder, and for a moment Lyla closed her eyes, lifting her face to the summer sun. They still had a mystery to solve, Tristran to save, and a lot more ahead of them. But for now, she could enjoy the warmth and contentedly listen to her friends bicker while the children swam happily together in the ocean. It was a luxury that she wouldn't have expected— not being lonely, perhaps. Being a part of something.

In a lot of ways, she realized, stealing onto Ari and Aveline's ship perhaps hadn't been such a terrible decision after all.

**hope you guys enjoyed the extra part today!! LMK what you thought of it! Next week we're getting back to the royal mystery. There's going to be some revelations, and by the end of the next chapter, our lovely characters might just have a theory on who the kidnappers are... See you on Tuesday!**