When the Ocean Calls

Chapter Six | Visit to the Market

The only saving grace to my stay in Oamer were the tarew flowers Raehle gave me. They provided enough strength to endure a full day of mermaid games and chatter. Though I never joined their play, conversation alone wore me out—definitely not my definition of relaxing.

The next morning, I floated beside Catilli at the table, enjoying the sweet flowers while Catilli devoured her raw fish.

"Are you sure you don't want some?" Catilli asked me for the third time. "I have plenty of extra shrimp."

"I'm good, thanks," I said. I suppressed the annoyance rising inside me. She was just trying to be polite, and it wasn't right to fault her for it.

A sudden surge of water shoved me forward. I braced myself against the table so I didn't fly into the wall.

"Hey, Kiara."

By now, I recognized that voice. I turned around to see Lira. She wore a pink band of fabric tied around her torso, sparkling stones sewn along the bottom hem. Pearls interlaced with tiny braids that lined her short hair.

"Ooh, Lira, you look so nice!" Catilli squealed. I glanced back at the girl, taking in her tight yellow top streaked with blue. It was more on the simple side, though the bright colors complimented her personality.

"Thanks. One of the imperial tailors just made this top for me." Lira spun around in the water. "They plan to make it a new fashion trend in Oamer."

"They plan to?" Catilli snorted. "You're the one who sets the trends."

"I know, right? I don't know why they're always saying that. They're not the ones going around displaying the latest fashion. And I get the final say on what becomes a trend or not. Like, remember when they were going to make seaweed dresses a thing?"

"Oh my currents, that was such a terrible idea. Seaweed is for eating, not dressing in."

"Yeah, and I stopped it by not wearing it." Lira rolled her eyes. "Whatever, everyone in Oamer knows that I'm trend setter, not some dumb tailors."

I refrained from reminding her that the tailors made all her clothes based on what they thought looked nice, so technically, they were setting the clothing trends. I had no desire to lose the Princess' favor. Besides, it didn't even matter.

"So, what are we doing today?" Lira asked. She stole one of Catilli's shrimp from her shell and popped it in her mouth.

Catilli laughed. "Hey! That was mine!"

"It's my stomach's now." Lira's gaze turned to me. "What are you in the mood for? The grand tour of Oamer? Messing with the maids in the palace?"

"Ooh, that's fun!" Catilli exclaimed.

"We can also hang out with the other mermaids again," Lira continued. "Though I'm sure you want to see as much of Oamer as possible before you go."

"How about the marketplace?" Catilli suggested. "There's lots to see there."

"That's a great idea," Lira said. "The vendors come from all over Oamer, so you can get a taste of our entire city-state."

Out of the options she listed, it seemed to be the least energy consuming.

"That sounds like fun," I said.

"Yay! Let's go!" Catilli squealed. As she seemed to have a habit of doing, her hand squeezed my wrist, and I was dragged into the open sea.

***

Yellow and orange coral glowed in front of us, reaching upward in the dark ocean and curving into a bony arch. Beyond, hundreds of lights bustled around rocks and coral, talking and haggling while vendors shouted into the din. Fish drenched the air, so pungent I could taste it.