The Mermaids Madness

farther over the railing. “But I can’t say for certain. Without tasting the water, feeling the currents . . . how do you people keep from getting lost all the time?”
    “We use maps,” Danielle said. “You’d have to ask Snow for the details.”
    “The position of the sun and stars give you a general location, so long as you adjust for the seasons,” said Snow. “I can show you how to read the charts in the map room if you’d like. I’ve been plotting out our route as we traveled.”
    “Maybe later?” Danielle interrupted gently.
    Lannadae was searching the water. “Are the sharks still with us?”
    “Two of them.” The rest had left earlier this morning when they ran out of food. These two would depart soon enough. Danielle called to them often, thanking them for their help and asking them to stay just a little longer, but eventually they would grow hungry and need to hunt.
    Lannadae smiled and pulled her body up onto the rail.
    “What are you doing?” Danielle grabbed her arm.
    “Tell them to protect me. I need to make sure we’re still going in the right direction.” Lannadae moved one tail over the railing.
    “They’re sharks, and they’ve got to be hungry by now. They might—”
    “They’ll listen to you. You’re Cinderella!” With that, Lannadae pulled free of Danielle’s grip and dove into the water.
    “She certainly trusts you,” Snow commented.
    Danielle leaned out, trying to find where Lannadae had gone. She dreaded what she would see. Please don’t eat her.
    The mermaid surfaced a short distance ahead of the ship, giggling like a child. She dove again, then leaped from the water. Her leaps were smaller than the ritual greeting of Lirea and her tribe, but what Lannadae lacked in strength and form she made up for in sheer joy.
    Both sharks swam over to investigate, but a combination of shouting and begging convinced them to turn away. By now, several of the crew had come to watch Lannadae frolic in the water. Even Captain Hephyra chuckled as Lannadae skimmed the surface, crossing to and fro in front of the Phillipa.
    “We’re close,” Lannadae shouted. Her gills were red slashes along the sides of her neck. Even though Danielle knew what they were, the sight still shocked her. “I know this place. Morveren is that way.”
    Hephyra turned to shout, “Steady a-starboard!” The Phillipa turned slightly, following Lannadae’s directions. “Steady!”
    “Captain, do we have any meat to spare?” Danielle asked.
    “I’m sure we could find something. Why?”
    “To thank the sharks for not eating our mermaid.”
    Hephyra grinned and ordered one of the men down to the galley.
    “Forget the sharks,” Snow said, her forehead wrinkling as she studied the sky. “You’ll want to throw her a line.”
    “What is it?” Danielle asked.
    “Another storm.” Snow pointed ahead.
    “Captain!” The cry came from atop the mainmast. One of the sailors leaned out from the crow’s nest, ropes twined around his wrist and hand for balance. “Rough seas ahead.”
    “Rotted hell. We’ve barely dried out from the last one.” Hephyra cupped her hands to her mouth. “Secure the ship. Reef the sails, and keep her on course. And someone get that mermaid out of the water.”
    “I wanted to stay,” Lannadae was saying as two men hauled her up. She had managed to catch a large silver fish, though she had at least been smart enough not to start eating until she was out of the water and away from the sharks. Her nails had to be sharper and stronger than a human’s, the way they pierced the fish’s side. She sat down on the deck, water puddling around her, and began to eat. Between bites, she said, “I’ll be safer beneath the waves. My tails have been so dry. The scales are already starting to chip.”
    “Your scales won’t matter if those sharks grow nervous enough to take a bite out of you.” Danielle started to take her hand, but Lannadae waved her away. She stuck the whole fish in her mouth and crawled along the deck.
    “Not the cabin,” said Snow. She tugged Danielle toward the map room at the very back of the ship.
    The masts bowed as the crew hurried to furl the sails. Danielle glimpsed Captain Hephyra taking over at the wheel, fighting to keep the ship turned into the wind. Talia met them in front of the map room, taking Danielle’s hand and helping her inside. When the door opened, the wind created a miniature storm of paper. Lannadae slid in after her, and Snow