Tides of Betrayal

Chapter 1

I shut my book with force, enough that I am surprised I didn't crack the spine - watching Nerida, the elder who works alongside me at the library, glaring daggers at me. I try my best to match her stare, but end up smiling from amusement; a small beam of light shines through the window, and I squint. I love to make Nerida mad, it is one of my greatest pleasures in life.

"I know you haven't trained in a couple of weeks, but can you at least take your pent-up energy elsewhere - perhaps far away from the library?" She mutters.

I laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Ligeia told me she is coming back tonight. Thank the gods."

Ligeia has been my trainer for the past twelve years, I consider her family. Not only does she train me, but she gives me solid advice - or at least I'd like to think so. She works for the palace, and though technically I shouldn't trust her, I can't help doing so. She hasn't given me a reason not to.

"Good, you were starting to irritate me. You know your shift was over an hour ago, right?" Nerida raises her slate-blue eyebrow at me. Though she's centuries old, she looks young enough to be my sister. It's sort of horrifying.

"Mhm. I was looking through some books, trying to find something to read. No luck, I've read almost every interesting novel we have."

"Perhaps it's time to find a new genre, then." She suggests. I crinkle my nose in disgust, I don't venture very far from fantasy and romance. Bonus points if it's both.

"Are you coming to the feast tonight?" I ask her, silently pleading that she'll say yes.

"I can't, I have to watch my niece."

I sigh and roll my eyes.

"I hate doing these events by myself. I disassociated after an hour, Nerida." She laughs and shakes her head as if I'm being ridiculous.

"Have fun, hang out with Thornius. Make the most of it." She suggests.

I finish putting the books away that were strewn about the cart and tell her to have a good night. I leave the library to find Thornius, my best friend since forever. He smiles at me and I can't help but admire the dimples that form quite frequently. He is never not smiling- something that I came to envy.

Even though I live in the palace, and he is on the other side of the kingdom, he always ventures over to me when he can.

"How was work?" He asks, fixing his perfectly fine blonde hair by running a hand through it. I think it's one of his nervous tics. "It was pretty good, I did the usual - putting books away that were just thrown wherever. I even found Fifty Shades of Grey in the Mo Willems section!" I giggle. He does, too. Even though in Lyrithia, we have authors of our own, we merfolk tend to enjoy human literature... maybe a little too much. Humans are very creative beings, inspired by a multitude of various mythological legends.

"Eliana?" Thornius says, trying to regain my attention, I didn't even realize that I zoned out completely. I turn my head and look at him, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was saying I will meet you in the throne room tonight, then we can suffer the night together." He smiles.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, I don't want to torture you. I have to be there, you do not." I have orders from King Altis himself to be in the throne room for a feast. We are celebrating Lyrithia's triumph 50 years ago over rebels who, I guess, grew tired of the monarchy. They thought killing the king's mortal girlfriend would be a grand idea, but it created an unfortunate domino effect. Two kingdoms fell because of it, belonging to that of Thetis and Phorcys. I scowl at the thought of the trio.