Getting Salty to cooperate was the most difficult part of the plan. They wrapped the mammal and the merboy side by side, bundling them tightly so that only their fins peeked out. The coverings reeked of seawater and kelp—common enough to avoid suspicion. With luck, they’d pass as sick fish in transport. It was a longshot, but might serve to get them into the city where Kyle could make his statement.

  But the city was suddenly on high alert. Alarms blared, and the merboy and his pet writhed in agitation.

  “Never you mind that,” Mr. Albi said calmly, “those noises won’t hurt you.”

  The merboy looked somewhat calmer, the dolphin not so much. But both lay there side by side, so the subterfuge might actually work.

  “Just a city-wide warning,” Marla said.

  “Yes, but warning them of what?” Headmaster Oliver asked.

  I know the reason, thought Kyle. My people gather. They fight the invaders. They come to city for me.

  “Will they come all this way, risk the exposure of their world and everything?” Headmaster Oliver asked, his incredulous tone betraying a skepticism tinged with fear.

  Legged ones risk everything, not us. Coming into our world with machines and danger. Rulers afraid. They make war if too afraid.

  “Alright now, don’t you worry about that,” Mr. Albi coaxed, “you just relax and let us get you into the city. We’ll get you there, and you can say what you have to say and we’ll get this mess straightened out. There won’t be any need for war on anyone’s part.”

  The headmaster nodded in agreement with his colleague as they continued getting the mammal and the merboy ready for transport.

  “They’ll expect us to be heading out of the city, you know. Not in,” Oliver said, his concern mounting.

  “Not if we play it right,” Albi said. “Animal rescue bring stranded one in every now and again. Ones that get stuck in the pipes, injured by the gate mechanisms. That sort of thing.”

  It was true. Bringing them into the city rather than out through the sentinel gates could have raised suspicion if their careful wrapping and concealment hadn’t made them look like part of a veterinary transport. Having two of them further supported the illusion—perhaps they had been trapped in the city together, one tending to the other in distress. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility in a place like The Shallows.

  The group could only hope no one would notice the contrast—Kyle’s shimmering green fin beside Salty’s duller, more natural one. But then again, Mr. Albi was constantly pouring water on them so it was hard to get a close enough look. At least that was the hope. If the aquasentinels got their hands on the boy before he reached city center, there’d be nothing more that could be done for him, or any of them, so this trick had to work.

  * * *

  “You really mustn’t leave, dear,” Ms. Terri said to Khrystal, ignoring the fact that the girl was ignoring her. Since the shock of seeing Calistya get swept away, she was beyond reason, insisting that she was going to mount a rescue.

  “There’s too much danger of additional breaches, Khrystal, and who knows when they’ll strike again.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “What makes you think it’s anything to do with them?” Khrystal shot back. “Sammel and Sara were good to us! Maybe it’s just a regular seaquake. You don’t know.”

  “Even if it’s just a seaquake,” Terri said, “it’s still dangerous. You can’t go.”

  “How do you know it’ll happen again?”

  “I don’t,” Terri admitted.

  “Well, I do!” Khrystal shot back, startling her. “And I have to get Cali back before they do!”

  “What makes you think they’ll strike again? After just saying they were good people. I’m sorry dear but you’re confusing me now.”

  “I just know, okay?” Khrystal’s hands clenched into fists. “I can feel it. They’re gonna do bad things to Kyle, and his people are gonna attack the city. I just know it. I can’t explain how. But it’s gonna be bad, and I’ve got to get Cali back. She can stop it.”

  “Stop it how, exactly?” Ms. Terri asked, genuinely curious.

  Khrystal stared hard at her teacher, willing her to understand. She couldn’t explain it herself, but there was something going on out there, and Calistya was somehow in the middle of it. That’s why she’d been swept away, and Khrystal couldn’t believe her friends do that without protecting her somehow. Couldn’t believe Cali was really gone.

  “Ms. Terri, could you just get word to Marla, please? We’re going to need her help. Please, Ms. Terri, just listen to me, and trust me. I can’t explain it any better, but I know what I need to do. I need to meet up with the merpeople when they arrive. And they’re going to be here soon.”

  Ms. Terri looked back at her with a mix of confusion and compassion. She honestly wanted to believe her student, but she struggled to find a way to do so.

  Khrystal made a final plea. “Ms. Terri, I need to go. You’ve got to believe me. I’ve got to get Marla and get out there. Please.”

  Ms. Terri hesitated, searching for any sign of doubt. But there was none. With a sigh, she relented. She agreed.

  “But only if I come with you.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Khrystal nodded. The two of them went to find Marla, Ms. Terri not quite knowing what she’d gotten herself into.

  * * *

  But why now, Marla?” Headmaster Oliver asked. They’d only just gotten underway with their ‘operation doublefin’ mission, and they needed all the help they could muster.

  “I can’t say,” Marla said, “Ms. Terri was just insistent that the girls needed me. I suppose it must be important, or else she wouldn’t have asked me to tear myself away. I made it clear we were in the middle of something important.

  “Well, if it’s an emergency, it’s an emergency. You’d better go.”

  Sentinel Marla made quick goodbyes and headed for the school, while Oliver, Albi and their charges continued making their way through the clang-bang of a city on alert.

  “So far, so good,” Mr. Albi said, but he spoke too soon. Not ten seconds after he uttered those words, the first of a aquasentinel patrol rounded the corner and demanded to see their identification.

  It was an unfortunate stroke of luck that they’d just lost their sentinel. Having an official like that tended to grease the clams in a tight spot. But they’d expected to deal with patrols, so Headmaster Oliver presented ID for both of them and then stepped forward to do the talking.

  “Where are you taking these animals?” the aquasentinel challenged.

  “To the marine mammal rescue aquarium,” the headmaster fudged. “It’s downtown,” he added, altogether unnecessarily.

  Oliver started to explain, but Albi’s glare shut him up mid-sentence. He swallowed, realizing he’d said too much. The aquasentinel’s eyes narrowed.

  “I take it you work for the aquarium?”

  “Yes.”

  “And this can’t wait? You do realize the city’s on alert at the moment.

  Could anything be more obvious, Oliver thought.

  “Nope. Can’t wait. Sick animals. Mammals, I should say. For they’re not precisely, ouch—”

  The subtle kick delivered by Mr Albi wasn’t one the aquasentinels would notice, but it was painful enough to shut the headmaster off.

  “Alright, move fast and stay inside. We’re expecting trouble.”

  The aquasentinel hesitated, then added, “More than usual.” His partner shot him a sharp look, cutting him off.

  Fortunately, the subterfuge held. The aquasentinels never looked under the wrappings, and the floundering flippers they had caught sight of looked perfectly ordinary. But this was only the beginning of the journey, and once they got further in they wouldn’t be able to use the water channels. They were unfortunately still out of order thanks to Kyle’s antics. So they’d have to make their way to the pools above, and it would be harder to conceal the pair without much open air to work with. Their ordeal was just beginning.