Coquina's Arc

Chapter 7 of 7

Coquina held the pearl tight and swam through the open door. The hall opened into a bright shop. Shimmering tails hung in rows along the walls. Delicate jewelry glinted on shell stands. A cherry tree stood in the center, its branches strung with pearls and small bubbles. The fisherman crouched behind it. And the flower-crowned mermaid stood between Coquina and the far exit, her tail bright with scales. This was the woman who ran the whole operation. The one who protected the fisherman. The one who let the pearl be stolen while Coquina's reef went silent. Coquina's chest went hot with anger. "You took what keeps my coral alive," she said. "I'm leaving with it." The mermaid didn't move. Flowers crowned her purple hair, and her blue eyes flicked from Coquina to the glowing pearl. "He said you'd come," she said. Her voice was calm, but her hands stayed still at her sides. "He said you were a thief." "He's the thief," Coquina said. She lifted the pearl. Its white light spread across the mermaid's face and lit the hanging tails. "This came from a living reef. Your shop sells dead reef things. Coral. Shells. Now this." The fisherman stood. "Take it back from her, Marina. She broke in. Call the guards." But Marina's eyes stayed on the pearl. Something shifted in her face. She looked at the shelves of stolen reef things, then at the old man. "You told me these came from empty reefs," she said. "You told me nothing died." "They didn't," he said, too fast. Coquina heard the lie in it, and so did Marina. The mermaid's jaw tightened. She looked at Coquina again, at the burning gills under her mud, at the pearl she clutched like her own heart. "Go," Marina said. She swam aside and cleared the path to the exit. "Take it. Before I change my mind." The fisherman shouted and lunged. Pearl darted from behind the tree and yanked a strand of hanging beads loose. It swung down across his path. He caught his arm in it and tumbled into the pool below the cherry tree. "Now, Coquina!" Pearl cried. Coquina swam hard for the exit. Cove was already there, holding the way open. She shot through into cool water, the pearl warm against her chest, Pearl and the cub close behind. Behind them Marina blocked the fisherman, her arms crossed, guarding the door she had just opened. The old man screamed for guards. But the guards answered to her, and she said nothing. Coquina broke into open river beyond the castle wall. The pearl glowed steady in her hands. She had it, and no one chased her now. But the water ahead was still fresh, her salt still thinning under the mud, and her reef lay a long swim downstream.