By Elizabeth Jane Shelton
I floated nervously, trying to hide my twitching tail. To my left, my twin brother Ellion swam proudly, confident—perhaps too confident—that he would be the next Master of the Tide, King of the Merpeople. His soul-bonded shark swam in menacing circles beneath him.
My soul-bond, Mobula, brushed one of her massive manta ray fins against my shoulders, and I remembered to take a deep breath. In with the tide, out with the tide. Our mantra to stave off my panic attacks, the reason many believed me unfit to rule. At least Mobula believed in me, often more than I did.
“My beloved children.” Mother beamed, opening her arms wide. The Crown of the Merpeople was conspicuously missing from its usual spot atop her braided cyan hair. “As you know, only one may wear the crown. And speaking of that crown, I have hidden it.”
Ellion stiffened.
In with the tide, out with the tide.
“The task before you is simple. Find the crown, and you will be the next ruler of the Merpeople.”
I nearly choked, my gills fluttering. She was trusting the fate of our people to a scavenger hunt?
Ellion scowled, evidently agreeing. “Do we at least get a hint?”
“I have placed the crown somewhere that is held in reverence by all.” Mother swam to her throne and sat, still favoring us with a warm smile. “Good luck.”
Ellion immediately raced from the room, followed closely behind by his soul-bonded shark. How could he be so confident? I was still remembering how to breathe.
“Come, Ellurie,” Mobula whispered, nudging me toward the door. “We must go.”
I managed to hold in my panic until we were safely out of the palace and hidden within the kelp forest, but by then, my breath came in gasps and my heart pounded too fast within my chest. “Mobula—”
“Breathe.” I rested on the expanse of Mobula’s back, listening to her heartbeat. She rocked me gently, as she often did during my attacks. “You can do this.”
“How?” I wheezed.
“You’ll get nowhere if you don’t breathe.”
I breathed in for four counts, held my breath for seven, then exhaled for eight. And did so again. And again. Until my heart beat in time with Mobula’s and my thoughts cleared. I sighed, relaxing on Mobula’s back. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Mobula flapped her wings, gracefully moving us through the water. Of all the creatures to which I could soul-bond, I was grateful I met Mobula. Since my childhood, her comfort and guidance have led me through many difficult decisions and hard seasons.
And I needed her desperately today.
“What should I do?” I hugged myself, tail curling.
“Do you want to be Queen?”
“Would they accept me? Ellion is so strong, and everyone knows about my panic attacks—”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I sighed. “Yes. I love the Merpeople with my whole heart. Ellion is skilled at war and tactics, but he loses sight of what makes a people thrive during peacetime. I have ideas to make things better, to change lives.” I swallowed past the knot in my throat. “But it’s so much pressure,” I whispered.
“You’ve never let pressure break you before.”
“Aren’t I already broken?”
“No,” Mobula said sharply. “Feeling overwhelmed does not make you broken any more than needing to sleep makes you broken. It may happen more easily for you, but you choose to keep going.” Her voice softened. “And so what if you are broken? Everyone has chips and cracks. Nobody gets to go through life unscarred.”
I stared at the sunlight far above me, filtering down through the water. I watched the kelp forest sway in time with the current, tasted the clarity of the water in the open sea. In with the tide, out with the tide.
If Mobula was right… If there was a chance I could do this…
I needed to find the crown before Ellion.
I remembered him screaming at the servants as we left. “My brother will tear our palace apart to find that crown,” I murmured.
“Then what do you want to do?”
I closed my eyes. Somewhere held in reverence by all. What kind of place did all revere? Plenty of people were opposed to the monarchy, so why would the crown be in the palace? And many were split over the worship of the gods, so not at a temple. What was powerful enough to unite all of the Merpeople in mutual respect?
I gasped, and my eyes popped open. I pushed myself off Mobula’s back and zipped through the water. “Follow me!”
***
The burial grounds of the Merpeople were empty this time of day, so it was easy to navigate the shell-lined paths to a massive marble tomb.
“Why here?” Mobula asked.
A kelp package sat on top, and I retrieved it, hugging it to my chest. “We’re divided over so many things. But no one escapes death. Life and death are held in the highest respect by all.”
“I thought you might figure it out.”
I whirled to see Mother swimming toward me, smiling. “Mother!” Then her words registered. What advantage did I have to deserve her faith? “Why me?”
“Because you understand the heart of our people.” She regarded me soberly. “But the choice is yours. Will you take up the crown and rule?”
Anxiety surged, but this time, my heartbeat kept time with Mobula’s instead of racing ahead.
Mobula gave me an encouraging nod. I took a deep breath and unwrapped the kelp package, then placed the gilded crown of diamond and pearl on my head. I wasn’t perfect, but I was strong in my own way, and I knew my people. I would be Master of the Tide—the tide without, and within. “I will.”
Mother hugged me tightly. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered. Then she pulled back with a mischievous smile. “Now, let’s return to the palace before Ellion destroys it.”
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