The Mermaids Madness

Beatrice only laughed. “Talia distrusts everyone in the beginning. Even yourself, if memory serves.”
    “I’ve never been good at reading people,” Snow said. “Everyone else knew my mother was evil, too. Everyone but me. When I was young, I’d hear the servants whispering. They made me so angry. I thought they were ungrateful and spiteful, filthy little commoners who didn’t understand how great and powerful she really was.” She rubbed her eyes.
    “Talia expects to see the darkness in people, and thus she’s more likely to find it,” said Beatrice
    “I wonder sometimes if the reason I couldn’t see who Morveren really was is because—”
    “You are not like her.” Bea brushed Snow’s hair back from her face. “Nor are you your mother. I trust you.”
    Snow closed her eyes, thinking of how she had reached into Talia’s mind, manipulating her thoughts. “I don’t.”
    “I know.” Bea kissed her cheek. “Now go. Your friends need you. Particularly Danielle, judging by her shade of green.”

    Most of the night passed without incident, once Danielle had imbibed an entire pot of Snow’s ginger tea. Snow used magic to chill the glass, and the tea tasted surprisingly good at that temperature. Of course, that much tea had a price, and Danielle awoke several times that night to visit the head.
    Once she stopped to check on Beatrice, who remained on deck. When the queen wasn’t at the helm, she slept in a hastily rigged hammock, staying close to the wheel and Captain Hephyra. Talia remained with her through the night, bringing her food and drink, though she took little of either. Beatrice smiled at Danielle’s concerns and shooed her back to bed.
    It was still dark when Danielle woke again. Men were shouting, and she could hear footsteps thudding across the ship. The door creaked open and Talia peeked inside.
    “Good, you’re awake. Get out here.”
    Danielle glanced at Snow, who had kicked her blankets to the floor and lay sprawled with one arm hanging off the cot. “What’s going on?”
    “The watch spotted debris up ahead. Looks like a wrecked ship.”
    Danielle grabbed a cloak and hurried out after Talia. “Where are we?”
    “We crossed into Hiladi waters a short time ago. Looking at the charts, we should be in position to intercept Morveren by midmorning.”
    The crew had lit oil lamps along the sides of the ship. Danielle hurried to the rail, peering at the water. Wooden planks, barrels, and other wreckage bobbed on the surface. “What can I do?”
    Talia jabbed a finger at the water. “Those sharks you summoned are still with us, and there could be survivors out there. You might want to tell the sharks not to eat them.”
    Danielle leaned out. There are people in the water. They’re my friends. Show us where they are, but please don’t hurt them.
    A scream made her jump. Two sharks circled a man who clung desperately to a broken door. More cries followed as the sharks sought out other survivors.
    “Have someone feed them,” Danielle said.“The sharks, I mean. I don’t know how hungry they might be.”
    “That ship was Hiladi.” Talia pointed to a broken yardarm. “You can tell by the knots in the lines. They rig their sails more tightly than we do.”
    “We should wake Varisto.” As the cold air swept the last of the fatigue from Danielle’s mind, she realized those men who weren’t helping to rescue the wrecked sailors were gathering weapons. “Lirea’s tribe did this, didn’t they? They’ve turned against Hilad.”
    “They’ll do worse when they find us,” said Talia.
    A breeze caught Danielle’s cloak. She spun, heart pounding. After her encounters with the air spirits, the gentlest wind was enough to make her jumpy. Talia didn’t seem to notice. Her jacket appeared untouched by the wind. Danielle frowned, studying her more closely. “How many weapons do you have weighing that thing down?”
    “That depends on how you define ‘weapon.’ ”
    Before Danielle could think up a response to that, a man near the bow shouted, “Captain Hephyra! Kelpies sighted to the port side.”
    Moments later, six kelpies leaped from the water. Undine clung to their harnesses, dozens on each mount.
    “I didn’t think they’d find us so soon.” Talia tugged Danielle back from the railing. “They must have seen us approaching. You’ll want to talk to those sharks again.”
    The crew doubled their efforts to pull survivors from the water. Captain Hephyra crossed the