When the Ocean Calls

Chapter Four | Dining in the Depths

An auburn wreath of hair circled my head as I followed the mermaids and mermen to the castle's front entrance. My energy waned with each stroke that pulled me forward. Perhaps I really wasn't strong enough to make it home today. Frustration burned inside me, along with the fatigued muscles in my arms and legs. Why did this have to happen to me?

Two of the strange half-man half-crab creatures opened the arched double doors of the castle.

"What are those, uh, creatures?" I whispered to Catilli.

"They're Sracceants," Catilli said. "They're half-human, half-crustacean."

I nodded, stunned into silence. Who would have guessed that such strange creatures existed? Then again, who would have guessed that mermaids existed? I stole a glance at them as I entered the castle, forcing my jaw to not gape in awe and my eyes to not linger too long.

A gasp escaped my lips. I floated into a grand foyer, its spacious borders marked by a shining ring of golden flowers. Light sparkled along the sides of the domed ceiling, a bone-white chandelier hanging in the center. Vines crept up the banister of a spiraling alabaster staircase on the left side of the room.

"Whoa," I breathed.

"What do you think?" Lira said.

"It's...stunning." My eyes traced pastel blue swirls that marbled the walls. "Are all homes this extravagant down here?"

"No," Catilli said. "Lira and Nitov live in such a large house because they are part of the Oamaren Monarchy."

Every muscle in my body froze. I shifted my gaze between the mermaid and mermen. Lira's lips wore a smirk, and Nitov's eyes sparkled in the light.

"You two are the prince and princess?" I said.

"Yup," Lira said. "Come on, let's go to the dining room."

I trailed after them. Despite the chill of the water, heat rose in my cheeks. Of course they were Royals. Who else would live in such a fancy home? I should've guessed that they were important.

Now I just hoped my behavior was appropriate for being around a prince and princess.

At the end of a short corridor, another Sracceants stood in front of an open wooden door. Lira and Nitov headed in first and glided to either end of an oval table. Ayil and Catilli took up their spots on either side of Lira.

"Come float by me," Catilli said. She motioned to the empty space between her and Nitov. I joined her as a mermaid entered the room, her gaze trained on the floor and her arms weighed down with an enormous turtle shell. Her tail flickered a dim, gray light, a stark contrast to the brightness from Catilli, Ayil, and the Royals. She placed the green and black shell on the table before slipping back into the shadows.

"Why is her tail so dim?" I asked Catilli in a low voice.

"It's because of the food she eats. Our tails give off more light because we eat certain types of glowfish," Catilli answered. "The lower classes, like the servants, can't afford it. They mostly eat a plant-based diet."

"Oh." I didn't really know what else to say. Part of me felt bad for the servant. "Is she...healthy?"

"Of course. Phytoplankton and cheaper types of fish can supply all of the nutritional needs of a mer-person. We only eat glowfish because we like having bright tails. Other than that, it provides no additional nutrients."

Lira dragged the turtle shell closer to herself. It contained six smaller shells that were set in front of each person at the table. I stared down at the conical dish, the opening packed with green algae.