Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)(54)

Above her, floating on the surface, were clumps of tasty-looking red algae. Cautiously, she poked her head up, peering around for any danger. There was a large ship close by, and many more off in the distance, but they were no cause for alarm. Their presence was nothing unusual, and a confuto would keep any gogg who saw her from telling another.

She ate her fill, then dove. Half an hour later, she and Ooda were at the outskirts of Matali City. She smiled as she spotted the shining domes and turrets of the palace. She’d never noticed how gracefully the sea grass swayed along the Royal Current. Or how the palace’s center dome turned from gold to silver in the late-day rays of sun. Her home looked more beautiful to her than it ever had before.

Maybe because I came so close to never seeing in again, she thought, remembering Hagarla’s cave. She was so happy to see her city, and so relieved to be in a safe place after days in the open water, but as she gazed at the palace, her smile faded. She sensed something. The way Ava sensed things.

Ooda gave her a What? look.

“I don’t know. Something’s different. Something’s wrong.”

Neela’s gaze drifted over the myriad of buildings, the turrets and spires, archways and porticos. She remembered the attack on Miromara. She’d seen the terrible destruction caused by the death riders. In only minutes, Blackclaw dragons had brought down huge sections of the city walls and flattened buildings. Nothing like that had happened here. Everything was intact. The flags were fluttering. And yet, she was uneasy.

Probably because my parents are going to kick my tail, she thought. Imagining the reception she was going to get when she swam into the Emperor’s Chamber was almost enough to make her head straight back to Kandina.

Her father and mother would be angry. They would want explanations. And she would provide them, but she would not stand for being told she was crazy. Not anymore. She’d taken the precaution of having Kora send her father a conch, telling him everything that had happened and asking him for troops to patrol her waters and prevent more raids.

Neela had done what she’d set out to do. She found the moonstone. And she’d found a new way of doing things—her way.

“It must be me, Ooda,” she finally said, shrugging off her uneasiness. “I’m the thing that’s different. Come on, let’s go.”

As she swam under a soaring archway that led to the main current and the palace, Neela rehearsed what she would say to her parents. As soon as she’d spoken with them, and had placed the moonstone safely in the royal vaults, she would send word to Serafina and the others that Navi’s talisman had been found.

It was weirdly quiet as she continued on, past shops and restaurants, embassies and government offices. Not many people were out. The current had picked up, and she could hear the flags snapping in it. There were so many of them flying tonight. Had she forgotten a holiday?

Neela was so preoccupied by her thoughts, she didn’t realize at first that Ooda was nipping at her hand. It was only when the little blowfish swam right in her face and threatened to nip her nose that Neela stopped short.

“What is it?” she asked. She didn’t see what could be upsetting Ooda. A school of butterfly fish? A few jellies? The flags?

“Cut it out, will you? We’re here. I have to go inside now and deal with my parents.”

Visibly upset, Ooda streaked off.

“Come back!” Neela shouted.

But Ooda didn’t listen. She swam high above Neela’s head, to the top of one of the flagpoles. Then she swam around and around the flag itself at a dizzying speed.

“Come down right now!” Neela demanded. “Ooda, I’m serious! Ooda, I said…” Her words trailed away as she saw what the fish had been trying to show her.

“That’s what’s different,” she said, staring at the flag.

It was red, like the old flag, which was why she hadn’t noticed. But it didn’t have the crest of the Matali royal family—the Razormouth holding the moonstone—in its center. Instead, it had a huge black circle.

“What is that?” she said. “Why has my father changed the flags? You don’t change your realm’s flags unless…”

Someone forces you to.

Traho.

The scales on the back of Neela’s tail rose. “He’s here, Ooda. He’s taken over the city,” she whispered. “Those must have been Mfeme’s ships I saw. He must’ve transported Traho’s troops.”

But that made no sense. Traho was working for Admiral Kolfinn. If he’d taken over Matali City, he’d be flying Ondalina’s flag, not this one, wouldn’t he?

Maybe Kolfinn doesn’t want it known that Traho and Mfeme are working for him, she reasoned. Or maybe the flag is intended to mislead people.

Neela didn’t know the answer, and she didn’t have time to puzzle it out. If Traho was here, he’d know that she’d left the palace and he would have guessed why. The moonstone was in her messenger bag. Once he found her, it would take him all of two seconds to find it.

“Sudden change of plan, Ooda,” she said. “We’re out of here.”

Just as she turned to swim away, someone clapped a hand over her mouth.

She never had the chance to scream.





“CAN’T FAIL…can’t die out here…Neria’s Stone…have to get it back…”