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“As they entered the cave’s opening, the two young girls gasped in unison: the water inside was a radiant sapphire color. Once she had the gozzo situated toward the back, Mari leaned over in the boat and plunged her hand beneath the blue depths, feeling for the cave wall. She touched something spongy and soft, bringing it to the surface. It was a clump of sea algae. She held it out for Lia, pointing to a cluster of tiny spheres, resembling yellow bubbles, hidden among the algae. Fish eggs. “How many?” Pippa asked, leaning forward. Mari squinted in the low light, counting. “Hundreds,” she said, feeling pleased. “Because of the incantesimo dell’elemento?” Lia asked, fumbling over the words. “The one where we use the dried-up fish snout?” “Close,” Mari replied, “but not quite. For this, there is no need to change the composition of the water. Only the temperature of it, which is the incantesimo raffreddare.” Such cold-water spells resulted in good conditions for breeding. It also attracted tiny organisms, which meant food for larger fish. “Do you remember which tool that spell requires?” Lia frowned for a moment. “The mermaid’s purse.” “Right.” Mari nodded. “The shark egg-sack.” — Sarah Penner