The Mermaids Madness

long. Morveren can’t sing forever.”
    Danielle was next up, and then Talia reached over to take the rope. She yanked her knives from the ship with a scowl, tucking them back into their sheaths before scrambling up the side.
    The crew weren’t moving. Many sat on the deck their heads bowed, weeping. A smaller group stood at the edge of the ship, peering longingly toward Morveren. They wore typical Hiladi garb in fiery colors. Beaded black cords secured billowing sleeves at the elbows and wrists. Broad, flat hats protected them from the sun. Snow grabbed one and tried it on, then tossed it aside. Too sweaty, and far less stylish than her tricorn back on the Phillipa .
    Splintered wood covered part of the deck, proof that the Phillipa had fought back despite her disadvantages.
    Snow turned slowly, fingers brushing her choker as she drew on the mirrors to enhance her vision. There was magic on this ship. Not as strong as the enchantments on the Phillipa, but still respectable. There . . . a spell carved into the mainmast to protect it. Another woven into the wheel to enhance the strength of the helmsman.
    Talia and Danielle were arguing about what to do first, but Snow was more interested in the ship’s spells. She had never studied Hiladi magic before. Most appeared to be runic in nature, like the characters embroidered along the edge of the sheets to give them strength. To undo the spell would require hours of careful work, but there were alternatives.
    “What are you doing?” Lannadae asked.
    “Playing.” Snow smiled as she traced new symbols in the air. Painting them directly onto the sails would have been better. Casting with only her fingers meant the spell would be easy to remove . . . but first they would have to find it. How long would it take for the Hiladi to realize their sails had a flavor, one the rats should find particularly appetizing?
    “Come on,” Snow said. “Let’s see what we can do with their navigation equipment.”

    Having reached the ship, Danielle wasn’t sure how to best disable their attackers. Talia had no such problems. Knife in hand, Talia approached the closest sailor.
    “Wait!”
    Either the plugs of wormwax in Talia’s ears kept her from hearing, or else she simply chose not to. Danielle hurried to catch her arm.
    Talia spun, nearly cutting Danielle before she stopped herself. “Sorry,” she mouthed.
    “They’re helpless,” Danielle shouted, pointing to the crew. “You can’t just kill them.”
    “They meant to kill us, remember? Your duty is to your people, Princess.”
    Between the wormwax and Morveren’s song, Danielle had to watch the shape of Talia’s mouth to make out what she was saying. “Not like this. We can cut the ropes and disable the cannons.”
    “We don’t have time to be civilized.”
    Snow had already wandered off. She appeared to be casting some sort of spell on the mainsail. So far, the crew hadn’t even acknowledged their presence. A few glanced up, but not one managed so much as a frown before Morveren’s voice lured them back under the mermaid’s spell. Some were barely more than children, the soft fuzz on their chins the closest they could come to the beards worn by the older men.
    “No,” said Danielle. “Cripple the ship, but leave the crew alone.”
    Talia shook her head, but put her knife away. “If Morveren’s song fails, they’ll kill us all.”
    “And if you start killing them, that might be enough to break Morveren’s hold.” Danielle drew her sword. The enchanted glass blade cut easily through the ropes behind her. A few more swings sent lines snapping back across the ship. She crossed the deck and raised her sword.
    Talia caught her arm and pulled hard enough to throw Danielle to the deck.
    “Do you even know what you’re destroying?” Talia pointed upward to a yard that now hung at a dangerous angle. “Cut those ties, and you’ll likely kill us both when the topsail yard comes crashing down.”
    Danielle stood, her heart pounding. She brushed black sand from her palms and clothes. The sand covered most of the deck. “Thank you.”
    Talia was already storming toward the ladder to the gundeck. A man stood enthralled beside the ladder. Talia knocked him out of the way, bloodying his nose before dropping him to the deck, unconscious.
    Talia had never been a cheerful woman, but Danielle had never seen her like this. She was hurting, that much anyone could see. She was still punishing herself for what had