A New Oshea #2
White, spiraling buildings twist upward from the ocean floor, each one unique and beautiful. Some of them are connected by coral bridges, but all are covered in glowing strands of algae.
There’s a massive school of silver fish weaving between the structures, just high enough not to disrupt the Mer traveling below. Beside them is a group of children. They dart through the water, laughing as they chase tiny, glowing creatures that look a little like jellyfish.
“Would our children have tails?” I ask. They’ll be three-quarters Mer, so it only makes sense.
Kyros goes strangely still.
“Our children?”
My face heats. “Hypothetically.”
Kyros raises a brow. “Maybe.” He fights back a smile. “I’m honestly not sure.”
“There are no cases of it?”
“Hybrids are rare.” Kyros lets out a quiet hum. “And it’s been a long time since Tideborn has welcomed one. There are a few cases, but they’re conflicting. Some of the children had tails. Some did not.”
A woman down below swims past carrying woven baskets filled with bright-blue fruit. Two men argue near a cluster of coral stalls while an elderly Mer lounges nearby, entirely uninterested in whatever dramatic dispute is unfolding. He picks off a plate, his gaze aimlessly flickering between the two.
It feels so normal.
Kyros points toward a distant cluster of structures near the edge of the city.
“That’s the artisan district. Most weapons, fabrics, and carvings are made there.
” His gaze shifts slightly upward. “And near the upper ridge are the kelp fields. We’ll begin restoring them now that the Great Current has returned. ”
I let myself take it all in.
Kyros turns and points toward a spot of darker waters. “That’s where—”
His voice dies off, and he draws in a sharp breath as he stares out into the open ocean. I follow his line of sight, but it’s too dark to see. Whatever it is has Kyros trembling, though. He swallows, his throat bobbing.
“What?” I ask.
The shift is subtle at first. A sudden warmth brushes across my skin, followed by a strange heaviness in the current. The water thickens around us, turning almost syrupy. It smells different, too. Sweeter.
I look at the Mer down below.
Every single one of them has frozen.
What’s happening? Is it the Coveborn?
Kyros makes a quiet noise in the back of his throat, drawing my attention. I spin back toward him, once again looking out into the open ocean.
Oh. I can see it now.
A mushroom cloud of red is coming toward us. Quickly.
“The scouts were pulled in for the ceremony…” Kyros mumbles to himself.
His head snaps toward me, his eyes wide. He’s panicked. Visibly so.
“Sadie—” He shakes his head. “It’s too soon. You’re not ready. I haven’t had time to explain everything to—”
Crimson explodes through the water.
Gasps erupt around us as clouds of glowing, red pollen overtakes the city. There’s a patch of coral up ahead, and I watch in horror as pollen bursts from it, unfurling into the current like smoke. It joins the already existing pollen, thickening it even further.
Red spreads rapidly through the city, staining the water.
Nearby men stiffen almost instantly, their tails going rigid as glowing color flickers violently beneath their skin. One man grabs a coral wall hard enough to crack part of it. Another shuts his eyes, breathing unevenly.
The atmosphere changes so fast, it’s terrifying.
Kyros grabs my hand, his grip borderline painful. His pupils have blown wide, and the crimson specks in his eyes glow brighter beneath the spreading red pollen. Every muscle in his body is locked with visible strain, and he’s staring at me in a way he never has before.
Around us, women begin hurriedly pulling their men away from the main currents. Others retreat into nearby structures.
They’re running.
There was no warning.
The city dissolves into chaos within seconds.
“Kyros?” My voice cracks. “Are the women in danger?”
I don’t ask my real question, but I’m sure Kyros understands it. Just how potent is this red bloom?
Kyros blinks, then roughly shakes his head. “No.” He shakes his head again, like he’s struggling to clear his thoughts. “Women are faster than men. They’re meaner, too, when they need to be. There are no recorded histories of violence during the red bloom, even when it takes us by surprise.”
I visibly relax.
Kyros doesn’t. He looks like he’s hanging on by a thin thread.
“…but mated males…” He shakes his head again. “Sadie. I can’t—” Another shake of his head. “You are not fast, and you are not mean.”
He sounds tormented. Panicked. Completely out of his element.
I harden my spine and lift my chin. I understand what the red bloom is, and I’m not afraid.
“Will you hurt me?” I ask.
“Never on purpose.”
“And if you hurt me accidentally?”
Kyros smacks the side of his head. “I will notice, and I will readjust,” he says through gritted teeth. “But I will not stop.”
I look Kyros in the eyes, needing him to understand that I mean every word of what I’m about to say.
“I’ve chosen you, Kyros,” I say, speaking slowly. “You have my permission. I’m not afraid of this, or of you.”
He smacks his head again, still looking terrified. I have no choice but to do this the hard way, then. I sigh, then shove my fingers into the gills on the side of his neck. Hard.
Kyros goes down.
He shrieks, his hands flying to my wrist as he sinks, dropping like a stone to the ocean floor. I go down with him, making sure to really dig in my fingers. I count to four, then release.
Kyros practically shoves me away from him, his chest heaving as he clutches at his neck.
“What the fuck, Sadie!”
I offer a smile. “I’m not fast, but I can sure be mean. You’re not going to do anything to me that I don’t want.”
Kyros glares at me through narrowed eyes.
In hindsight, assaulting a merman in the middle of the red bloom may not have been my smartest decision.
He lunges.