The Mermaids Madness

you think they won’t come after the Phillipa ? It’s too dangerous for you to—”
    “As dangerous as searching half of Fairytown to rescue a captured prince?” Danielle answered.
    Armand’s eyes widened, and the king coughed to cover what might or might not have been a smile.
    “You found Lannadae,” Armand said softly.
    Danielle didn’t answer. “Lirea may come here in search of her sister. We should make sure the docks are well watched.”
    “For all the good it will do in these storms,” Hays said. “A man can barely see his own—” He glanced at Danielle. “His own hand.”
    Snow stepped forward to stand beside Talia. “The spells on Lirea’s knife are strong. If we can find the mermaid who created it, she might also have the skill to find its wielder.”
    “Why would she help us against her own kind?” Trittibar asked.
    Talia’s chin rose ever so slightly. “We can be very persuasive.”
    “Let me go.” Armand turned to the king. “I can take the Phillipa to find this mermaid.”
    “Because somehow this is less dangerous if you go instead of me?” Danielle demanded. She folded her arms. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll stay here where it’s safe if you promise to do the same.”
    “It’s my duty as prince—” Armand began. His shoulders drooped slightly, and he gave her a rueful smile. “You’re about to turn that argument back at me, aren’t you? Don’t expect me to be happy about this, Princess.”
    “No more than I am.” She gave him a quick kiss, trying to ease the moment. “You think I wouldn’t rather be here with you and Jakob? It tears my heart to leave him with Nicolette again so soon. Sometimes I think he knows her better than his own mother.” She swallowed hard, refusing to lose her composure in front of so many people, but Armand saw. He reached for her, and she rested against him. “But if I stay here where it’s safe, and Beatrice . . . I have to, Armand. We both know a mermaid is more likely to listen to a princess than a prince.”
    James cleared his throat. “I’d like to come too, with your permission.”
    “Are you sure?” asked Danielle.
    He bit his lip, but he nodded. “I’ve spent most of my life at sea. I won’t let the merfolk take that away from me.”
    The king had been quiet, listening to their argument. Now he nodded to James. “Your experiences could be helpful if the undine attack again. If you’re sure, you may accompany the princess on the Phillipa .”
    James bowed his head, but not fast enough to conceal look of apprehension. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
    “A single ship would be too obvious a target,” Armand said. “An escort—”
    “An escort is precisely what will mark us as a target to Lirea and her warriors,” Snow said. “Even with the hurricane bells, you’ll still have individual ships seeking to escape the storms. Fishermen need to eat, and the cargo ships lose money every day they delay. Most will obey the warnings, but a few will not. The Phillipa will be just another ship sneaking away to try her luck against the storm . . . unless you draw attention to her.”
    Armand whirled. “So you think I should send my wife out unprotected?”
    “Unprotected?” Talia repeated, raising an eyebrow.
    “I won’t be,” said Danielle. “An escort is a good idea.”
    Armand stared. “Perhaps I’ve fallen prey to some spell, but I could have sworn your friend just finished arguing against sending additional ships.”
    “Who said anything about ships?”
    Danielle had only taken a few steps down the tower stairs when she heard the door open again behind her. “Armand?”
    It wasn’t her husband, but the king himself. Theodore pulled the door shut behind him. “I won’t keep you. But if you could spare a moment?”
    Talia took Snow by the elbow.“We’ll grab something for you from the kitchen and meet you in your chambers.”
    Danielle almost called them back.While she had grown close to the queen over the past year, she hadn’t spent much time with King Theodore. He might be her father-in-law, but she still saw him first as ruler of Lorindar.
    Danielle waited until Snow and Talia vanished down the stairs. “Armand is angry at me, isn’t he?”
    “No. Not at you, at any rate. Mostly he’s scared.” The king leaned against the wall, showing the fatigue he had struggled to hide before. “He’s already angry that he couldn’t protect his mother, and he hates the idea of you putting yourself in danger.