Read Online Pretty in Pearls: A Forgive My Fins Novella (HarperTeen Impulse) by Tera Lynn Childs - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tera Lynn Childs
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overwhelming. But I resist. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
I want to turn the tables.
Reaching up behind my neck, I start to unhook the chain. Riatus’s hand is around my wrist before I can even locate the clasp.
“Don’t.” His voice is low and urgent.
I suck in a breath. His jaw muscles twitch and his eyes spear into mine. A moment passes between us, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is.
Like I said, complicated.
“Do you two know each other?” Lom asks.
“No,” I say.
At the same time, Riatus says, “Yes.”
I wrench my wrist out of his grip. “I’ve been buying pearls here for years.”
The tension in the water snaps, like the spark of an electric eel. Lom drifts backward a little. Riatus’s demeanor shifts and warning bells chime in my mind.
“Caught her stealing once,” he says with a smirk. “Would have turned her over to the police if she hadn’t begged so prettily.”
I slap him. Hard. My hand just lashes out without a second thought.
Lom gasps.
Riatus doesn’t jerk back or reach for his cheek. His eyes don’t even waver from mine. It takes me a moment to realize he wanted to get a rise out of me. He was goading me and I stepped right into his trap. Maybe he didn’t expect me to hit him, but he was trying to make me mad.
Well, I don’t like being manipulated.
Scowling, I grab Lom’s wrist and swim away. I won’t even dignify Riatus’s behavior with a response. And I ignore the feel of his eyes on me until we’re out of sight.
7
U sually King Whelk presides over all royal affairs. But when he’s out of the kingdom—like this week, when he’s attending a pan-kingdom summit in the South Pacific—Lily takes over his role in overseeing audiences with the crown. She spends the whole day—at least until there are no more citizens seeking an audience—listening to complaints and mitigating minor disputes.
Thalassinia doesn’t have a court system like they do on the mainland. The crown hears grievances, confers with advisors and other experts if necessary, and makes the final rulings. Only the largest disputes require the entire royal council to get involved. For most things, arbitration by the king or crown princess satisfies all parties involved.
Lily is getting better with every session.
As her emissary, it’s my job to have information about any relevant laws or statutes on hand to help her make her decisions.
Since most of the audiences are about minor squabbles, I’m usually on standby. It gets pretty boring—for both of us—and by the end we’ve often deteriorated into silliness.
Not today.
Our first hearing is a dispute between a pair of sea-slug famers about the upcoming races at the Sea Harvest Festival.
“Every year!” Mr. Moorella shouts. “Every year, he cheats and wins the sea-slug race.”
Mr. Phidian scoffs. “I do not cheat.”
“Then explain it to me,” Mr. Moorella barks. “How do your slugs come in first at the festival every year ?”
“My slugs are obviously faster,” Mr. Phidian replies coolly.
Mr. Moorella dives for Mr. Phidian, and soon they’re swinging and swishing, sending waves of water across the room. Mangrove, the king’s royal secretary who coordinates and documents all court proceedings, dashes between them and pushes them apart.
“Gentlemen,” he exclaims.
“Please,” Lily says, swimming off the throne and down to the meet the farmers at ground level. “I’m sure we can find an agreeable solution.”
She glances back over her shoulder at me and I nod. I grab the binder that contains all the relevant rules and regulations about the Sea Harvest Festival and start flipping through. When I get to the section about the slug races, I quickly skim over the official rules.
In the third paragraph down, I find something that might help.
“Are your slugs the same breed?” I ask, looking up from the binder.
“No,” Mr. Phidian replies, smoothing down his jacket after the
I want to turn the tables.
Reaching up behind my neck, I start to unhook the chain. Riatus’s hand is around my wrist before I can even locate the clasp.
“Don’t.” His voice is low and urgent.
I suck in a breath. His jaw muscles twitch and his eyes spear into mine. A moment passes between us, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is.
Like I said, complicated.
“Do you two know each other?” Lom asks.
“No,” I say.
At the same time, Riatus says, “Yes.”
I wrench my wrist out of his grip. “I’ve been buying pearls here for years.”
The tension in the water snaps, like the spark of an electric eel. Lom drifts backward a little. Riatus’s demeanor shifts and warning bells chime in my mind.
“Caught her stealing once,” he says with a smirk. “Would have turned her over to the police if she hadn’t begged so prettily.”
I slap him. Hard. My hand just lashes out without a second thought.
Lom gasps.
Riatus doesn’t jerk back or reach for his cheek. His eyes don’t even waver from mine. It takes me a moment to realize he wanted to get a rise out of me. He was goading me and I stepped right into his trap. Maybe he didn’t expect me to hit him, but he was trying to make me mad.
Well, I don’t like being manipulated.
Scowling, I grab Lom’s wrist and swim away. I won’t even dignify Riatus’s behavior with a response. And I ignore the feel of his eyes on me until we’re out of sight.
7
U sually King Whelk presides over all royal affairs. But when he’s out of the kingdom—like this week, when he’s attending a pan-kingdom summit in the South Pacific—Lily takes over his role in overseeing audiences with the crown. She spends the whole day—at least until there are no more citizens seeking an audience—listening to complaints and mitigating minor disputes.
Thalassinia doesn’t have a court system like they do on the mainland. The crown hears grievances, confers with advisors and other experts if necessary, and makes the final rulings. Only the largest disputes require the entire royal council to get involved. For most things, arbitration by the king or crown princess satisfies all parties involved.
Lily is getting better with every session.
As her emissary, it’s my job to have information about any relevant laws or statutes on hand to help her make her decisions.
Since most of the audiences are about minor squabbles, I’m usually on standby. It gets pretty boring—for both of us—and by the end we’ve often deteriorated into silliness.
Not today.
Our first hearing is a dispute between a pair of sea-slug famers about the upcoming races at the Sea Harvest Festival.
“Every year!” Mr. Moorella shouts. “Every year, he cheats and wins the sea-slug race.”
Mr. Phidian scoffs. “I do not cheat.”
“Then explain it to me,” Mr. Moorella barks. “How do your slugs come in first at the festival every year ?”
“My slugs are obviously faster,” Mr. Phidian replies coolly.
Mr. Moorella dives for Mr. Phidian, and soon they’re swinging and swishing, sending waves of water across the room. Mangrove, the king’s royal secretary who coordinates and documents all court proceedings, dashes between them and pushes them apart.
“Gentlemen,” he exclaims.
“Please,” Lily says, swimming off the throne and down to the meet the farmers at ground level. “I’m sure we can find an agreeable solution.”
She glances back over her shoulder at me and I nod. I grab the binder that contains all the relevant rules and regulations about the Sea Harvest Festival and start flipping through. When I get to the section about the slug races, I quickly skim over the official rules.
In the third paragraph down, I find something that might help.
“Are your slugs the same breed?” I ask, looking up from the binder.
“No,” Mr. Phidian replies, smoothing down his jacket after the
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