The Mermaids Madness

would be indebted to you.”
    “When your brother lay dying, if there was one who could have saved him, would you have sent that one away?” Danielle folded her arms. “Beatrice is more than my queen. She’s my friend and my family. Should I let her die so you can have your vengeance?”
    Varisto started to speak, then shook his head. His shoulders sank, and his voice softened. “No. But after, then. When Morveren has worked her magic. You will give her to me then.”
    Danielle looked at Trittibar, standing behind Varisto. Trittibar’s face was sympathetic. Ever so slightly, he shook his head no.
    “I captured Morveren, as you said.” Danielle swallowed and hoped this was the right response. “I promise she will be punished for what she’s done, both to Lirea and to your brother. That’s the most I can offer you.”
    Varisto’s hand moved toward his ax, and his face clouded. “You expect me to accept a woman’s idea of justice?”
    “I expect you to remember you are a guest of Lorindar,” Danielle said, fighting to keep her voice steady. This was more than simply standing up to her stepsisters. She spoke for an entire nation. “Remember also that men died when you joined Lirea’s war and attacked our ship. Do their souls deserve justice as well, Prince Varisto?”
    He bowed slightly. “I loved my brother, Princess. I would give my own life if I could bring him back.”
    “Some of those men had brothers, too.”
    “I . . . I know.” For a moment, his facade slipped and Danielle saw not a Hiladi prince but a young man struggling against his own doubts. “But I took a vow to protect Gustan’s wife.”
    Across the courtyard, Danielle spotted Talia leaving the chapel. Danielle tensed, but Talia was moving with her normal purposeful stride. If something was wrong, she would be running. She turned back to Varisto. The man’s arrogance annoyed her, and she couldn’t forgive the deaths of her people, but the pain on his face was genuine. Her instincts told her he deserved the truth. Praying she wasn’t making a mistake, she said, “Varisto . . . your brother never married Lirea.”
    Trittibar stepped forward. “Perhaps this isn’t the time for such matters, Princess.”
    “I’ve seen his air spirits come to Lirea’s aid,” said Varisto.
    Danielle shook her head. “Gustan was a prince of Hilad. Do you believe he would have risked his future to wed a mermaid? Would your people ever have accepted her as their queen?”
    “I wouldn’t have believed, but I was wrong.” Varisto gripped his ax. Both Armand and Trittibar tensed, but Varisto didn’t try to draw the weapon. “I thought he was only—I misjudged him.”
    Danielle watched his face, the way he stared at the earth as he spoke. This was guilt as much as grief. “You thought he was using her. You know how he treated her, don’t you?” Danielle thought back to what Lannadae had told them. “That’s why you argued with him about Lirea.”
    “He liked to fight, to prove himself stronger than all others. There were times in our youth when he would beat me for some unintentional slight,” Varisto said, his gaze distant. “Lirea was a pleasant child, but she didn’t know our ways. Her words were often impertinent or disrespectful. I told him—” He stiffened, and then he was a prince once more, calm and formal. “These matters are none of your concern, Princess.”
    “The air spirits don’t obey Lirea.” Danielle could see Trittibar’s apprehension. Even Armand appeared tense. Varisto was young, angry, and unpredictable. But he was also Gustan’s brother. It was wrong to keep this from him. “They obey Gustan.”
    Varisto whirled to face Armand. “What is she saying?”
    “Morveren created that knife to trap your brother’s soul,” Danielle said. “To bind him to Lirea. It’s through that bond that the spirits follow her will. That same knife now holds our queen as well. We entered Hilad in order to retrieve that knife and save Queen Beatrice.”
    “You lie.” He drew his ax.
    Danielle started to grab her own weapon, but that would only guarantee a fight. Instead, she folded her arms and said, “I trust you have more honor than to attack a defenseless opponent, Prince Varisto.”
    “Think, boy,” said Trittibar, circling Varisto. “You stand alone in Whiteshore Palace.”
    “He’s my brother.” Varisto’s voice shook.
    Talia stepped past Danielle, her stance low as she moved inside Varisto’s reach.