The Mermaids Madness

Flowering vines were molded into the breastplate, accentuating the curves of her chest. Heavy pads covered the shoulders, and a series of leather strips hung down to shield the thighs. Danielle still didn’t understand how all of the straps and buckles fit together, but if it helped protect her from undine spears, she wasn’t going to complain.
    “Captain!” From the crow’s nest, the watch cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, “We’ve got another ship coming up behind us to the port side.”
    “Stay ahead of it,” Hephyra shouted.
    “Morveren,” Snow whispered, reclaiming the soul jar.
    Captain Hephyra tossed one more barrel, which Talia quickly speared. As the ringing of the explosion faded, Danielle saw Hephyra running toward the port guns, ordering the men to ready the cannons. The gunners worked quickly, packing powder and shot, then hauling the cannons into position at the edge of the deck.
    Danielle reached for the queen. “We should get you out of sight. Let me help you—”
    “No. The ship needs me here.” Beatrice’s voice was strained, and she clung to the wheel as though she would collapse without its support.
    Danielle glanced at Snow, who was concentrating on her stolen soul jar. Snow sucked her lower lip as she watched the distant ship. “This isn’t going to be fun.”
    The wind picked up, splashing water over the deck. “Secure your lifelines,” Hephyra yelled.
    Talia was half-running, half-sliding toward them. “What kind of ship is that?”
    “A dead one,” Snow said, her eyes half-shut. “That ship sank over a hundred years ago. Morveren’s using the spirits of the crew to sail her. It’s their memories keeping the ship afloat.”
    A low, mournful song swept over the ship. Danielle tensed. “Can you block Morveren’s song?”
    “That’s not Morveren,” Snow said.
    Danielle turned toward the cutter. Lannadae sat on the middle bench, hands gripping the ropes as she sang. Her voice was weaker than Morveren’s and uncertain, like a child still learning to sing. But Danielle could still feel the fear and the desperation in her voice.
    “I’m trying to warn the tribe about Morveren!” she said.
    Danielle moved to the edge of the ship, leaning out to see if the undine would answer. The kelpies had raised their heads from the water, but they still pursued the Phillipa .
    We have an undine on this ship, a royal, Danielle said, adding her voice to Lannadae’s. The people on that ship behind us mean to kill her, and then they’ll destroy your queen. If the kelpies heard, they gave no sign.
    The wind grew stronger. One of the topsails ripped free of the yard and flapped like a flag.
    “Furl the thrice-damned sheets before the masts snap,” Hephyra shouted.
    Lannadae stopped singing.
    “What’s wrong?” Danielle made her way toward the cutter.
    “My voice isn’t strong enough. Not in this wind.” Lannadae watched the other ship approach, her eyes inhumanly wide.
    By now, Morveren’s ship was close enough for Danielle to make out the broken masts and a large gash in her hull. Barnacles and seaweed covered most of the wood. Gray ropes trailed through the water behind the ship. Morveren lay at the bow, resting against the splintered stump of the foremast.
    “She’s not alone,” Danielle said, spying another form beside Morveren. She soon counted more. Close to twenty figures moved about the ship.
    “That looks like Nilliar,” Lannadae said. “The one with the crossed spears on her back. She was Lirea’s spearbearer.”
    Danielle shook her head. “She looks human. She can’t . . .” Her voice trailed off. The shapes were still dim, but she could see the glint of scales protecting Nilliar’s body. “Morveren changed them, like she did Lirea.”
    “They abandoned their queen to follow Morveren,” Lannadae whispered, staring at the other ship.
    A gust of wind knocked Danielle against the cutter, which creaked from the strain. “We have to get you out of there.” She reached up to take Lannadae’s arms, helping her over the side of the boat.
    Another wave crashed over the side, knocking them both down. Lannadae twisted away from Danielle and crawled toward the edge of the ship.
    “What are you doing?” Danielle shouted.
    “The tribe can’t hear me from here. They don’t know what’s happening.” Lannadae grabbed the rail and pulled herself up. “I need to get out of the wind.”
    “Lannadae, you can’t—”
    “They’re my people.”