History Literature / TheVazulaChronicles

* SwitchingPOV: Merletta narrates odd-numbered chapters, and Heath narrates even-numbered chapters, both in the third-person limited. Rekavidur also becomes a narrator in ''A Kingdom Restored''.

* SuperSenses: All dragons have this ability. When Heath calls to Reka, Reka can hear him no matter how far away he is. Heath has unusually good eyesight, which his family thinks is a sign of magic.

* XRayVision: The earliest real evidence that Heath has magic comes when he shoots arrows at a target while blindfolded. He can see the target perfectly through the blindfold, but he can't see anything else.

* ProtectionFromTheElements: Merpeople have adaptations to survive the cold at the bottom of the ocean. Merletta finds the cold uncomfortable and prefers the heat of the surface, but she's not in danger of hypothermia like a human would be. [[spoiler:When she and the guards transform into humans on the coast of Valoria during winter, they feel truly cold for the first time in their lives.]]

* OnlyFriend: Merletta's only friend at the charity home was Letitia, who became an apprentice shellsmith after she reached the age of majority. After Merletta leaves the charity home, she gets so caught up in training and her romance with Heath that she almost never visits Tish, which she feels a little guilty about.

** In ''A Kingdom Submerged'', someone tries to serve Merletta poisonous pufferfish, which merpeople normally use as rat poison. Sage recognizes it before Merletta can eat it.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In ''A Kingdom threatened'', Merletta goes to Wyvern Rocks to look for Reka. [[spoiler:Many dragons think mermaids are abominations -- monsters created when a dragon commits suicide by expelling all its magic into an animal's body -- that must be destroyed. Her visit alerts the dragons to the existence of the triple kingdoms, and despite Reka's attempts to persuade them that mermaids aren't abominations, the other dragons decide to find the triple kingdoms and kill everyone there.]]

* KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: At the end of ''A Kingdom Submerged'', some guards from the triple kingdoms see Heath. When they get back to the triple kingdoms, the villains feed them a kind of bream that causes hallucinations and blame the resulting illness on "land sickness," a made-up disease that afflicts anyone who goes near land, in order to discourage other merpeople from visiting Vazula. [[spoiler:Three of the guards survived, escaped the triple kingdoms, and have been moving from one hideout to another in the open ocean ever since. [[DeathFakedForYou The government still told everyone they died.]] When Merletta starts showing signs of land sickness, Sage and Emil take turns watching over her to prevent murder attempts.

* MagikarpPower: At the beginning of ''A Kingdom Discovered'', Heath is believed to be a MuggleBornOfMages. The only unusual ability he has is good eyesight. Over the course of the series, he discovers that he has a number of powers related to seeing or knowing things. He has farsight, the dragon ability to spy on familiar people or places from afar. He can also detect people's emotions and mental traits and, eventually, see through concealment charms that are impervious even to dragons. Reka tells him he has some of the most powerful magic Reka has ever seen in a human.

* FoundingDay: The merpeople's only holiday is Founders' Day, which is near the winter solstice and celebrates the establishment of the triple kingdoms. The charity home celebrated the holiday with games and a special meal. The Center of Culture hosts a much more lavish banquet and various athletic contests.

* BeardOfSorrow: In ''A Kingdom Restored'', Heath grows an uneven beard because of the stress of dealing with both [[spoiler:Percival's impending execution]] and Merletta's persecution by the government of the triple kingdoms is causing him to neglect to shave. After the situation improves, Heath decides to keep the beard.

* UnderwaterRuins: At the beginning of ''A Kingdom Discovered, Heath is puzzled by the sight of underwater ruins just off the coast of Valoria. It turns out they were built long ago by merpeople who tried to settle outside the triple kingdoms, but were wiped out by dragons.

* XRayVision: Heath thinks of himself as a MuggleBornOfMages. The strongest evidence that he has magic comes when he shoots arrows at a target while blindfolded. He can see the target perfectly through the blindfold, but he can't see anything else.