Just for Fins Read Online Free PDF

approach.
    â€œYour highnesses,” Mangrove calls out as Tellin and I swim into the chamber, “Crown Prince Tellin of Acropora and Crown Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia.”
    In my most elaborate late-night imaginings, at the announcement of my entrance the entire chamber turns and stares at me, curious about the girl who dared call them to a council meeting. I imagined a mixture of anger and annoyance, and a lot of impatience.
    In reality, as the echoes of the herald’s announcement fade and I float into the room, no one seems to notice.
    Seriously, the thirty or so merfolk seated around the council table—a wide stone slab the size of my bedroom in Aunt Rachel’s house—don’t stop chattering in their various groups. Eight of them are kings and queens of other mer kingdoms, while the rest are their advisers and attendants. Even Daddy is so engrossed in a discussion with jolly King Bostrych of Trigonum, Thalassinia’s neighbor to the north, he doesn’t realize I’ve arrived.
    For a moment, I relish the invisibility. I scan my gaze over the chamber’s occupants. Some are familiar to me; the leaders of the kingdoms nearest Thalassinia have been frequent guests at our royal events and celebrations. Others, from the more distant kingdoms, are only faintly familiar. I must have met them at state affairs once or twice, but I barely remember them. A couple are new rulers. I remember Daddy sending me notice of the death of the old king of Marbella Nova a couple years ago. One of the unfamiliar faces must be his daughter, Otaria, now the queen. And the queen of Rosmarus retired last fall, after a reign of nearly one hundred years, leaving her nephew as king. I can’t remember his name.
    It is a little exhilarating to be in a room with so many powerful merfolk.
    â€œLily,” Tellin whispers, releasing my hand and nodding toward the head of the table.
    I nod back. I know what he’s trying to tell me, that I should stop gawking and get on with it.
    I swim around the edge of the room, past the arguing king of Desfleurelle and queen of Costa Solara—the two kingdoms are neighbors and notorious rivals, so it’s not surprising that they’re arguing—and around the queen of Antillenes, who is in a hushed conversation with two members of her retinue.
    As I pass her, my fin kick must disturb her hair, because she glances up. Her attendants look up, too, and I feel their gazes on me as I continue, taking my place at the end of the table.
    Their attention must catch the notice of the other monarchs and attendants, because as I turn to face the gallery of assembled kings and queens, every single eye in the room is fixed on me.
    I suck in a sharp breath.
    And I thought delivering a speech in English class was terrifying.
    Tellin passes behind me, taking his place at my side. One pair of eyes in the room shifts to Tellin. His father, King Gadus, does not look pleased. Tellin was not even certain if his father would be here to participate in the council. Not only because Acropora’s king is ill, dying from the effects of ocean warming that are slowly but surely destroying his entire kingdom, but also because he resisted calling a council of kings and queens for so long. Until recently, he was too proud to allow even his son to ask for help. It seems he’s still not entirely thrilled at the idea.
    I haven’t seen King Gadus for several years, but he looks decades older than the last time. His salt-and-pepper hair is thinning, his cheeks are hollow, and his skin is looser than it should be. But he’s here and—if the simmering look in his brown eyes is any indication—ready for a fight.
    I grip the stone table with both hands, squeezing tight to give my nerves a way out. It’s not enough. My mind freezes as I confront all the faces awaiting my words—if not eagerly, then with annoyed anticipation. Everything Shannen taught me about public