The Mermaids Madness

wood.
    Talia reached down to grab her wrist, hauling Danielle on board. “If you have to fight, remember these undine aren’t used to legs. Sudden movements will throw them off-balance, and they don’t know to protect their knees.”
    A quick search showed no sign of Morveren. She must have retreated below. Talia had cleared this part of the ship, so Danielle made her way over the broken deck, peering through jagged holes into the darkness below. Seeing nothing, she grabbed a crossbeam and swung down.
    Talia followed, grimacing as she landed in the ankle-deep sludge. “Morveren could be anywhere.”
    Danielle drew her sword. This section looked to be in slightly better shape than the upper deck. Slime and silt covered the floor. The wind was quieter here, whistling through the gaps in the hull. She slashed her way past more seaweed until she reached a round pit.
    “This is probably where the capstan sat,” Talia said.
    “Snow said Morveren was using the crew’s memory to keep this wreck afloat.” Danielle turned toward the back of the ship. “She’d want to keep those soul jars below, where they would be safe.”
    Talia nodded and climbed down through the hole. “I don’t suppose Snow lent you an extra choker for light?”
    Danielle pushed back her sleeve and studied the bracelet with Snow’s mirror. Snow had said she could use it to talk to Jakob or Armand. Would it also reach Snow herself? She closed her eyes and imagined Snow, concentrating until she had a clear image in her mind. Bringing the mirror to her lips, she planted a quick kiss on the glass, as though she were kissing her friend’s cheek.
    “I’m a little busy right now!” Snow’s voice was strained. “Air spirits, remember?”
    “We need light!”
    “And I need a massage and a bottle of gnomish ale,” Snow shot back. But a warm light began to shine from the mirror.
    The light was dimmer than Snow usually produced, but it was better than nothing. Danielle climbed down after Talia.
    The sludge was thicker here, covering the wall to the left as well as much of the floor. Danielle could see tiny crabs and other creatures scurrying in the muck. Water dripped from the ceiling, and Danielle tried not to think about what else might be falling into her hair and clothes.
    “Do you think she’d give us Gustan if you offered to clean the place?” Talia asked.
    Danielle shook her head. “Even I have limits.”
    The ship rocked to the side, groaning as though it would shatter. The sound of the two hulls grinding together raised bumps along Danielle’s skin.
    “Over here.” Talia waded through filthy knee-deep water toward a rope curtain.
    Danielle splashed after Talia. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness beyond the makeshift curtain. A gentle swing of her sword severed the ropes, allowing the light of Snow’s mirror to penetrate into a smaller storage chamber.
    Two undine sprang from the water, lunging with short forked spears. Talia pushed Danielle to the side, moving both of them away from those spears.
    Remembering Talia’s advice, Danielle parried one of the spears with her sword and jumped forward. The merman arched backward as though he were trying to swim away. Instead, he overbalanced and fell.
    The merman tried to stab her from the ground, but the angle was bad, and his spear slid off Danielle’s armor. Danielle pressed her advantage, knocking his spear away.
    A crooning wail made her stumble. Morveren bobbed in the back of the room, only her head visible above the water that lapped the broken edges of the floor. Danielle’s body grew heavy, as it had back when they first encountered Varisto’s ship.
    The light from Snow’s mirror flickered. “Brace yourselves,” Snow said through the glass. Moments later, the room seemed to explode.
    Danielle clutched her head, fighting to remain standing. This must be what a cannonball heard as it shot from the cannon. The undine fell back, and even Morveren appeared stunned. Morveren tried to sing again, but her voice was distant.
    Talia threw the spear she had taken from her opponent, but the wind knocked it aside. “I’m getting tired of those things!”
    Danielle barely heard. She grabbed the edge of the doorframe, pulling herself closer. The wind wasn’t as strong as she expected. Perhaps Morveren had kept only one or two spirits to defend her, sending the rest to speed her ship along. Danielle took another step, and then her chest cramped as though a giant were