The Mermaids Madness

Gustan?”
    “Would you rather I let her die?” Morveren snapped. “Gustan was a cruel man, and he deserved far worse.”
    “But Lirea loved him,” Lannadae protested.
    “Lirea will die if you don’t help us,” Talia said. “If Snow can’t free Beatrice, they mean to destroy the knife.”
    “You can’t!” Morveren pulled against the chains. “She’s queen of the undine. Through Lirea, we will restore what we once were and take our rightful place in your world.”
    Talia leaned against a barrel, trying to read Morveren’s expression. Her gills were open, exposing the red lines along her neck. The fins on the side of her tails kept opening and snapping flat again. “You wanted Lirea to lead the undine to war.”
    Morveren didn’t answer.
    “Why would you do that?” Lannadae backed away. “I don’t understand.”
    Morveren closed her eyes. “I see no reason to explain myself to a child and a human servant.”
    Talia stabbed the knife into the barrel. “I am Princess Talia Malak-el-Dahshat.” Merely stating her true name brought back memories of her childhood. Her chin rose, and her hands came together in preparation for the ritual bow. She could almost hear her mother chastising her for venturing out with her hair unbraided, like a common harlot. “You will explain, and you will help my friend, or I will finish what Lirea began with your tails.”
    “You’re a princess too?” breathed Lannadae. “Really?”
    “Princess or no, you have no authority over me,” said Morveren.
    Talia pulled her knife free and flicked it at Morveren. It thudded through one of her fins, pinning it to the deck.
    Morveren squealed. The sound made Talia flinch, but if there was any magic to the sound, Snow’s circle and the plugs in Talia’s ears blocked it. Talia had aimed for one of the smaller fins near the end of her left tail. There didn’t seem to be any blood, but the wound obviously hurt. Morveren grabbed the knife with both hands, trying to work it free.
    “I have more knives,” Talia said. “Explain yourself, mermaid. Lirea asked to be human. You twisted her into something else.”
    “She can’t be human.” Morveren gave up on the knife and sagged backward. “None of us can.”
    “Why not?”
    “To be human requires a soul.”
    Lannadae grabbed Morveren’s arm. “Grandmother, you can’t believe those horrible tales.”
    Morveren slapped Lannadae’s hand. “They’re more than tales, you silly child. We were created incomplete. More animal than human. I’ve studied souls for two centuries. You could stab Lirea’s abalone blade into my chest, and it would kill me as dead as anyone else, but I would not join Gustan and your queen. Nothing of our people survives beyond our death. We are monstrosities, formed of seafoam and magic, but we can be more. Through Lirea.”
    There was an intensity to her words that made Talia take a step back. If not for Snow’s circle, she would have believed Morveren’s words carried magic. “So you wanted to give Lirea a soul. Gustan’s soul.”
    “Not only Lirea,” Morveren said, lunging forward until her chains and the knife in her fin stopped her. “Her children. And her children’s children. A new line of undine, one with the ability to live on land or sea. She will unite the tribes and save our race.”
    “And her war against humans?” Talia asked.
    “That was unplanned,” Morveren admitted. “Gustan was both aggressive and ambitious. Traits Lirea needed. That’s one of the reasons I pushed them together. I suspect it’s his influence turning her against the humans.”
    Trying to reclaim the glory of the Hiladi Empire, Talia guessed. If not for Beatrice, she would have killed Morveren right then.
    Lannadae was shaking. “No wonder Lirea hates me. She thinks I helped you to murder Gustan.”
    “You didn’t know.” Talia crouched in front of Morveren. “Tell me about the storm that drove Gustan’s ship against the rocks.”
    “I was stronger back then. I managed to influence his pet spirits long enough to arrange matters.” Morveren lay back. “I don’t care about your people. Give me the knife. Let me complete my work and save my granddaughter. I’ll make sure she leaves Lorindar in peace.”
    “That’s why Snow said the magic in the knife was incomplete.” Talia reached down to tug the knife loose. “Killing Gustan trapped his soul and sustained Lirea, but you weren’t finished. You need to force that soul into her