Fathom L. Standage (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📖

didn’t have flowing golden or even red hair. They didn’t wear seashells or starfish. In fact, they resembled regular humans—albeit athletic, pretty ones—and much younger than I expected. Both their bodies were lithe, tall, and muscular. Both had huge, close-set eyes and chocolate brown hair. Their smooth, dewy skin looked somehow translucent, like they had more moisture under their skin than humans…which they probably did.

They wore simple clothing that looked as if they had just bought it from the nearest Gap. Cordelia wore khaki pants and a blue boat neck tank. Her face had a stately, lean bone structure. Her lips were seashell pink and heart shaped, her nose long and slender, and she had a slight cleft in her chin. She appeared older than her male companion—early thirties, I would guess. Seidon wore khaki slacks with a white button-up shirt rolled up over his forearms. His face looked similar to Cordelia’s, but brawnier, with thinner lips and a rounder nose. And though he bore light stubble of one day’s beard growth, he couldn’t have been a day over twenty.

“Again, Your Highness, it is an honor. And to you, Captain,” said Eamon as he sat. I found my chair and sat down with all the grace of a drunken giraffe. Next to me, Samantha shook.

I knew it was rude to stare, but I couldn’t help it. I was afraid Princess Cordelia would bust out her knives again.

“My thanks, Eamon,” she said in a rich, authoritative voice that didn’t match her exterior. Though I’d heard her speak last night, I half-expected her to have a light, sing-song sort of voice like the kind portrayed on Disney movies. She turned her gaze on me.

Eamon noticed. “You’ve seen each other before, but allow me to make formal introductions,” he said. “Captain, Your Highness, this is Olivia and Samantha.”

Cordelia looked at me. She could have been looking right through me and sensing the apprehension clawing at my stomach. I shrank in my chair, intimidated by the confident curve of her jaw. She raised one corner of her mouth imperiously, then reached for her water glass and took a deep sip. Was she entertained by my fear? I didn’t like it. Seidon, on the other hand wasn’t looking at me. His enormous, pacific blue eyes instead fixed on the other strange new human in this party—Samantha.

“We’ve had the pleasure of these young ladies’ company since yesterday,” Eamon continued. “Olivia, Samantha, this is Cordelia, Captain of Queen Hydria’s royal militia. And Prince Seidon, of Zydrunas.”

So she was the captain. Not that a female captain was unheard of—just odd for this young, runway model of a woman to be the captain of anything. She sure knew how to handle a weapon though, so I wasn’t about to question her job qualifications. And Seidon. A prince. I gulped down a sudden rush of inferiority.

“Olivia is the one who brought back the vessel,” said Eamon. I slouched even more in my seat as both merpeople stared at me with apparent surprise. Cordelia scrutinized my appearance like she would a painting by Picasso.

“I suppose that warrants a fair amount of congratulations,” she said with a haughty smirk. Was she complimenting me or insulting me? She also didn’t seem very apologetic for threatening us last night. I scowled. She took another drink of water.

With her hand wrapped around her water glass, I noticed a curious, dark purple tinge to her fingernail beds. Seidon’s were the same. I looked at my own. Pink. Were they cold or did mermaids have blue blood?

“The place appears secure,” said Uther as he came and sat down. I started at his appearance. I didn’t even notice he had been gone. He continued. “But don’t get too comfortable. I don’t like the look of that waiter in section two. Shifty.”

Shifty? I looked over my shoulder to try and see the “shifty” waiter. What made someone “shifty?”

“Were you able to complete your errand?” Eamon asked Walter as Uther settled in. Walter and the two merpeople nodded.

“And what brings you to shore, Your Highness?” Uther asked Seidon.

“He has accompanied me to help retrieve the vessel,” said Cordelia. “The king wanted him along.” Couldn’t Seidon speak for himself? He was a prince, wasn’t he? Cordelia wasn’t his boss.

“And…Delfina?” asked Natasha.

“Her body has been interred.” Cordelia spoke with the expressionless control of a professional soldier.

“I feel it necessary to inform you both—” Eamon paused as a waiter approached. Uther put one hand inside his jacket.

“Good afternoon, folks,” said the waiter. “Can I start you out with a drink? Maybe some bruschetta, fried calamari?” He smiled roguishly at Cordelia.

“Another mineral water, if you please,” she said, unaffected by his, uh, charms.

“One water. Anyone else?”

“Mineral water,” she said again.

“Two waters,” said Seidon.

“I’ll make it two. And for the rest of you?”

I hadn’t even touched a menu. I sat across from merpeople, for crying out loud. Eamon on the other hand, ordered a round of waters, a veal marsala, an extra baskets of breadsticks, a shrimp scampi (Cordelia and Seidon both made a face at this), a lasagna, an extra-large plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and a chicken Caesar salad.

“And what would you two like?” Eamon asked Sam and me.

“You must eat here a lot,” I said, for the menus sat untouched. He shrugged.

“We like Italian food.”

“Oh. I’ll just stick with a salad.”

Sam, like me, didn’t appear to have an appetite. She still stared at the two people across the table.

“Now then,” said Eamon when the waiter left. “Olivia, do you still have the vessel?” he asked me. I gave a jerky nod, reached into my purse, pulled out the seashell, and held it out to Cordelia. She looked at it, then at my face, then took it without a word and held it in her lap.

Eamon continued. “Olivia has informed me that Doran Linnaeus has seen what is contained within it.”

“Did he touch it?” Cordelia asked. Eamon looked at me.

“Um. Yeah. He did,” I said. What a weird question. Cordelia nodded and stared