World of Aluvia 2 by Amy Bearce Page B

people locked up in a pen under his fortress; Tristan risked the deaths of those merfolk by aiding you.”
    “We’ve got to convince the elders the wraith is real, and the beast might be rising. They have to fight!” The answer was clear to Phoebe.
    Mina gave a soft laugh, one devoid of humor.
    Then Tristan’s voice cut through the cave.



he elders would never be that reasonable.” Tristan’s voice was rough. Phoebe couldn’t see him in the dark cave, but just the sound of him sent adrenaline sparking through her. His tail fin moved so slowly that he simply drifted into view, rather than swam.
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” Phoebe cried, swimming over to her friend. He had no glow left shimmering from his skin at all. She couldn’t stay angry, not at him.
    “I made a sacred promise to your sister. It was the only way she’d permit us to keep seeing you. I’m sorry to have kept our troubles from you, Phoebe. More than you know.” He sagged to the cave floor.
    Mina cried in dismay, grasping her brother by the shoulders. “What did they do?”
    “They asked many questions in their fury and made ugly accusations. Especially Elder Seamus.” He paused and raised an eyebrow. “He used to wrestle sharks, you know.”
    “I feel sorry for the sharks. Well, what do we do now?” Phoebe asked.
    “The elders want to speak to you, but they won’t do it in the village. They worry that a land walker isn’t to be trusted and want to question you in a way that they will know you’re telling the truth.” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a deep sigh.
    They thought she was lying? Phoebe’s heart sank like a battered ship. She’d told them everything she knew, hadn’t she? Didn’t spare a single detail. Telling them should have been enough to goad them into action. She’d even showed them the huge handprint on her leg. And they still weren’t doing anything. She’d done her best and failed.
    But what if the water wraith came at Tristan and Mina? Or someone from their family? She’d have to keep trying to convince them, even if they looked at her like she was a sea slug. And if she proved she was right, maybe then they’d stop being furious at Tristan for bringing her.
    Then a thought occurred to her. “Don’t they believe Liam? He’s a merfolk.”
    “Unfortunately, Liam isn’t known for his truth-telling. His father drank jellyfish liquor too often, wandering off and telling crazy stories. Though it’s unfair, they think of the boy as untrustworthy too.”
    Mina scowled. “Liam would never lie about something like this. He’s a good pup. He tells tales just like all seawees do at times, but it’s obvious when he’s doing it. He was petrified today.”
    Phoebe couldn’t help agreeing. The shrill terror in his voice had rung with sincerity.
    “They don’t want to believe wraiths are real at all, Phoebe, much less that you’ve seen one. They’ll cling to any possibility that allows them to stay buried in the sand like a sea frog, even if it means calling you and Liam liars. If we must fight against these wraiths, our whole culture would be forced to change. If Baleros
has
risen, which even I find hard to believe, don’t expect the merfolk to react well,” he warned.
    She could understand that. The merfolk’s response was much like the way she usually reacted, compared to Nell or Sierra. Phoebe had never wanted to fight. Until now.
    “Okay, what do the elders want me to do to prove myself?” she replied.
    “They wish to take you to an old place,” he answered. His gaze swept over to Mina as he said, “We’re going to the ancient city. To Lyr.”
    Mina gasped, hand rising to her throat.
    “I don’t understand. Why does Mina look like that?” Phoebe said
    They didn’t respond for a long moment. “Tristan? Mina? Talk to me!”
    Tristan explained. “Lyr is a mystical place for our people, the original home of the merfolk, in the deepest part of the twilight realm. Our time there was