Real Mermaids Don't Need High Heels (14 page)

But Serena was the only mer paying attention to what I was saying. Everyone else swam past us like drones returning to the beehive to wait on their queen. Luke's eyes were glazed over again, and he just brushed past me when I tried to get his attention. A determined scowl creased his forehead as he swam. It definitely wasn't just the saltiness of the ocean water—something else had gotten hold of him.

It's like the noise has hypnotized them or something. How are you feeling?
I asked Serena.

I'm totally fine,
Serena said.

This
way,
Portagus said blankly to everyone as he shot off to the base of the stony ridge.

What
about
the
plan?
I called out to him.
You
know? The Freshies? Strength in numbers and all that?

And what about the part where I volunteered to stay behind to look after Petra while everyone else took care of overthrowing the Mermish Council? I thought to myself.

But everyone followed Portagus like a conga line of ants. Left with no choice, I did, too, but I grasped Serena's arm for us to hang back because I couldn't help but feel like we were being led into a spidery web.

My spidey senses must have been tingling, because waiting for us at the base of the ridge were none other than the Mermish Council sentries with long, very pointy-looking spears.

Welcome
home,
the sentries called out to our group.
Dame
Council
will
be
thrilled
to
hear
of
your
return.

Like
aliens
to
the
mother
ship,
I rang to Serena, just like Bridget had said.

Only I wished the Smart People had invented space teleportation already, because I would have loved to zap my molecules out of there just then. In fact, I planned to get Dad working on teleportation as soon as I made it back home.

Correction:
If
I ever made it back home.

I tried to grab Luke and Serena to hightail it out of there, but Luke struggled against me with his freaky blank-eyed stare, and one of the sentries urged us toward an opening at the bottom of the ridge with his spear.

This
might
actually
be
good,
Serena rang in my ear.
Hopefully
they'll lead us straight to Mother and Father. And Bridget, too.

If
you
say
so.
I wasn't quite sure how following a bunch of armed sentries was going to help us overthrow the Mermish Council, but with everyone else in our group acting so weird, I didn't know what else to do.

The clanging noise grew even louder as the sentries led us through a series of caves at the base of the underwater mountain ridge, which opened up into a gigantic valley. And
no
wonder
it was so loud—the mountain ridge encircled a giant space several miles wide, and the sound seemed to reverberate against the ridge's walls like a huge amplifier.

The last time I'd been to the mer village, the whole place had been on lockdown because Cori and Trey were in the Martins' boat,
The
Lady
Sea
Dragon
, several hundred feet overhead and everyone had been hidden in their little hidey-holes to make sure they weren't discovered. Little did the mers know that they didn't need to worry since Eddie (our resident mer expert) had figured out that mers gave off a constant ring that blocked boat sonar and radar signals, making them invisible.

This time, though, the mer village was buzzing with activity. Hundreds and hundreds of mers swam from place to place—up, over, and around mossy grottos, swaying seaweed, and barnacle-covered structures—going about their business as the early morning light shone through the water. They cowered and darted away as the sentries escorted us to the middle of the village about a mile or so into the valley.

I managed to swim up alongside Luke as they led us toward an underwater town square. Stalls surrounded the square like at Port Toulouse's farmers' market, but these stalls were stuffed with shellfish and braided seaweed twine and other Mermish merchandise.

Mer-chandise?

Ha! But how could I be making jokes at a time like this? I needed to focus. So did Luke!

Will
you
snap
out
of
it?
I asked, shaking his arm as we swam.

We're here to serve the Mermish Council,
Luke said blankly as the bonging rang all around us.

What
the
heck
are
you
saying?
I cupped his face with my hands and turned his head my way to get his attention.
Luke!

Luke glanced at me and a flash of recognition crossed his face, but it wasn't long before he pushed my hands away, and his eyes glazed over again while the sentries continued to urge our group toward the square.

I spotted Luke's little sister, Petra, at the outer edge of our group.

Mother?
Petra tugged on Pollinia's arm, but her mother's dazed gaze was focused straight ahead.
What's happening, Mother? Father?
She swam to her dad, but he was just as spaced out. Petra looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Petra,
I rang to her. It wasn't safe for her here. Another reason we should have stuck to the plan! She turned my way, and I waved for her to swim to me and Serena.
It's going to be okay. Come!

What's wrong with Mother and Father and the others?
Petra rang in a worried tone as she stuck close to me while we swam.

We're not sure, but Serena and I are fine, so whatever you do, stay with us okay?
I rang.

Petra nodded, and she stayed at the back of the group with us.

They're all under some sort of trance,
Serena said, looking from Luke to the others.
I
think
it
has
something
to
do
with
that
clanging
noise. Mother told me how all mer-babies are put to sleep to the sound of a bell. Now they're using it to control them, I bet.

That's like what my mom told me, too! Like Pavlov's dog.
I remembered Dad telling me about the scientist who used a bell to train a dog to know when it was time to eat.
But
where
would
they
get
a
bell?

That's when I saw a rusted, barnacle-covered ship's bell in the middle of the town square. It was hooked onto a craggy piece of petrified wood and it swung in the swaying water, ringing at regular intervals.

Bong. Bong. Bong.

And
why
isn't Petra affected?
I hugged her close to me and tried to keep her away from the rest of the group.
Or
you
and
me?

Petra
and
I
weren't born here,
Serena said.
Neither
were
you. I don't ever remember falling asleep to the sound of a bell.

The sentries motioned for us to wait in an open space in the middle of the town square with a group of other mers. Many, many others were arriving, all sporting the same spaced-out look. I held onto Serena's and Petra's hands, and we worked our way away from the group to the outskirts of the crowd so Petra wouldn't get crushed.

But
Mother
and
Father,
Petra rang.

They'll be okay,
I whispered.
But
I'm not sure what's about to happen, and I know they'd want you to be safe. Just trust me, okay?

Petra nodded and bit her lower lip just as a thunderous sound filled the air. I turned to see five or six sentries blowing into large conch shells. They accompanied a group of very familiar-looking mers.

It's the Mermish Council,
I whispered to Serena and Petra. The control freaks who'd sentenced Luke, Serena, and me to Talisman Lake to rot in its scum-infested waters with the rest of the Freshies.

The first was a guy I remembered as Jowls, with his thinning hair and sagging, jowly face. He'd been the most vocal of the group, and I was sure he would have preferred to boil us in a fish chowder instead of imprisoning us in the lake. There were others I recognized, too, like the older lady with the seashell necklaces who was the only one who hadn't voted against us.

Leading the pack was Dame Council with her sharp features and cunning eyes. She was accompanied by her ever-present minion. Everyone on the Mermish Council looked bright eyed and non-zombied. Why weren't they being affected by the bell?

Finally, our plan is complete!
I heard Dame Council ring as she swam among the group.
Assemble
everyone
so
we
can
put
a
stop
to
this
nonsense
once
and
for
all.

I saw Luke make his way through the crowd and present himself to Dame Council.

At
your
service, Dame Council.
Luke swam toward her and bowed his head.

Oh, puh-lease,
I muttered from my vantage point across the square. What the heck was Luke doing? Had he forgotten what a jerk Dame Council had been to him last time when she sentenced him to a life of drudgery in Talisman Lake?

Hmm…
Dame Council surveyed Luke's short hair, but without seeing him with his T-shirt on, she couldn't quite place who he was. She was probably so used to banishing and imprisoning mers that she'd lost track of them all.

I looked down at my own T-shirt and Petra's, too. Thankfully, the mers around us were too spaced out to notice that “one of these things is not like the others,” but what if the Mermish Council saw?

We
should
hide.
There was no way I was taking off my shirt just so we could go incognito.

I pulled Serena and Petra toward me and ducked behind a stall in the market so we could watch what was happening without being seen.

Oooh,
Serena rang.
Flip-floops!

I noticed then that the marketplace stall was decorated with sea-worn flip-flops, just like the cart Reese's friend Renata had been pulling when she brought food to the sentries at the tidal pool. I hunted around the stall and there she was, perched behind the counter with her eyes closed.

Renata?
I asked but it was no use—she didn't answer. Was everyone under the Mermish Council's control?

A large crowd of spacey-eyed mers was already gathering in the massive square. What the heck were we supposed to do? I tried to focus so I could keep track of where everyone was.

Okay, so my mom and Coach Laurena are in Talisman Lake, and we have me, you, and Luke accounted for. No sign of Bridget yet, but have you seen your mom and dad?
I asked Serena.

Serena pointed toward the square and put a hand to her mouth.

A couple of sentries arrived with two mers attached to stakes like pigs ready for roasting. They were tied and gagged, struggling against the seaweedy-looking twine. Finalin and Medora—prisoners of the Mermish Council.

Wonderful! Yes!
Dame Council rang as they were brought to the middle of the square.
Gather, everyone! I have a very important announcement to make.

Meanwhile, the large iron ship's bell swayed in the current, ringing with the swirling water. The sound filled the village and echoed against the massive canyon's walls. No wonder we could hear the clanging all the way to Port Toulouse.

Soon a crushing crowd of hundreds and hundreds of mers was floating around and above us. At the very middle of the group was Dame Council, flanked by the rest of the Mermish Council and surveying her pod with her sharp eyes. She fiddled with something in her ear and smiled evilly.

What
does
she
have
in
her
ear?
I rang to Serena as I held Petra close to me.
It's like she has earplugs or something.

I
might
know
the
answer
to
that
question.
I jumped at the voice and turned to see a familiar teenage mer's chubby face and friendly smile.

Reese!
I rang over the noise of the gathering crowd. I hadn't seen Reese since we said good-bye at the mouth of the canal leading up to Talisman Lake when the Mermish Council imprisoned us there.

Serena threw her arms around him in an excited hug. It knocked him back through the water, and he braced himself against the market stall to catch his balance. Petra gripped me tightly.

It's okay, Petra,
I rang.
Reese
is
a
friend. Actually, Reese is your cousin.

Reese, this is Luke's sister.
Serena took Reese's hand and gripped it tightly to pull him through the water toward us, but Petra turned away and played with one of the flip-flops hanging from Renata's stall.

You
like
those?
Reese rang quietly and reached into his homemade satchel.
Well
then, I have something for you.

He pulled out a colorful girl's flip-flop he'd no doubt scavenged from one of the nearby beaches. Petra took it from him timidly, touched the pink plastic flower, and broke out in a huge grin.

Why
can
you
talk
to
us
like
this?
I asked.
The
rest
of
these
mers
are
like
mindless
jellyfish.

Same
reason
Dame
Council
can.
Reese pulled his long hair back and pointed to pieces of rubber flip-flop he had stuffed in his ears.
I
tried
to
make
some
for
as
many
mers
as
I
could, but it's dangerous.