The Mermaids Madness

into a smaller space than Danielle would have thought possible.
    By the time Danielle and Talia settled into the boat, it sat so low in the water Danielle feared it might capsize. Danielle tried to adjust her sword to keep the cross guard from jabbing her in the side. She didn’t know how Talia carried so many weapons on her person without bruising herself every time she moved.
    Talia squeezed onto the bench beside Snow, taking one of the oars. They rowed together, pulling the boat toward the Phillipa .
    The Phillipa was smaller than the Glass Slipper . She was a two-masted ship of unusual design, with a narrower beam than most of the ships Danielle had seen. Her hull was unpainted, the wood oiled to a rich brown. Even in the cloudy morning light, the furled sails gleamed as though they were woven from silver threads. A carved swan was mounted at the bow, her long head extending beneath the bowsprit.
    “She was a gift from the fairy queen.” Snow pointed to the mainmast. “The spars are freestanding, which means she has a broader range of motion. The sheets are much lighter than canvas but just as strong. The rigging was woven from—”
    “She’s fast and she’s strong,” Talia snapped. “We get that. Now would you mind paying attention to what you’re doing before you completely turn us around?”
    “I want to see,” said Lannadae.
    Danielle pressed gently on her shoulder to keep her down. “You will. We’re almost there. Stay down until we reach the far side of the ship.”
    “We’ll secure the lines to the boat before we board,” Snow said. “Lannadae, you’ll be alone when they raise it from the water. Too much weight makes it harder to hoist their dinghy.” She smirked. “Stay out of sight until we get you. Captain Hephyra knows you’re coming, but I’m not sure how the rest of the crew will feel.”
    “I understand.” Lannadae’s breathing was faster than normal, and her scales were puffed outward. A sign of fear, Danielle guessed. This was the first time Lannadae had been out of her cave since the past fall.
    “Captain Hephyra had no objections to taking an undine passenger?” Danielle asked.
    Snow grinned. “If anyone will take a mermaid on board, it’s Hephyra.” With that odd proclamation, Snow stood up in the boat and waved to the crew.
    Once Snow and Talia had finished knotting the ropes to the front and back of the dinghy, one of the crew lowered a rope ladder. Danielle followed the others onto Queen Beatrice’s personal sailing ship.
    The Phillipa was a madhouse. Rain splashed against the deck as the crew rushed to secure the last of the supplies. She spotted James helping to haul several barrels up from another boat and waved. James returned the greeting. He appeared nervous, his bruised face grim as he turned back to his duties.
    “Captain?” Danielle called, shouting to be heard over the storm.
    “Princess Whiteshore?”The speaker was a tall woman perched on the platform near the top of the mainmast. The maintop, if Danielle remembered the terminology correctly.
    “You’ll be wanting to back up,” said a passing crewman.
    He hurried on before Danielle could respond, but she did as he suggested. Moments later, the woman leaped from the platform. She landed in front of the three princesses, one hand hitting the deck to help absorb the impact.
    Danielle stared. For an instant, the woman’s bare feet had sunk into the boards of the deck. The woman straightened. “Snow. Talia. Nice to see you both again.”
    “Captain Hephyra,” Danielle guessed, still staring. Not even Talia could have made such a jump without breaking her legs.
    Hephyra was easily a head taller than most of the crew, dressed in a fashion that might have come straight from the more risqué section of Snow’s wardrobe. The rain had soaked her white shirt, and a dark green bodice did little to preserve her modesty. Auburn hair hung nearly to her waist. Her sleeves were tied back above the elbow, revealing a slender gold tattoo around her wrist in the design of a chain. Her trousers were a style Danielle didn’t recognize, dark brown and tied at the knee to reveal well-muscled legs.
    Her eyes drew Danielle’s attention, being a deeper green than she had ever seen before. They reminded her of new-budded leaves.
    Captain Hephyra tugged a bandanna from her belt and tied her hair back from her face. “You’re welcome to hide out in your cabin while we prepare. Personally, I prefer the rain.”