The Mermaids Madness

losing their footing in the blood.”
    Danielle swallowed and moved toward the closest of the wounded crew, a man whose legs had been crushed when the cannon tore free. “Snow?”
    “I’ve got him,” said Snow, stepping past.
    “They’re moving out of range,” shouted one of the gunners.
    Hephyra snatched the linstock from his hand and fired another cannon. The shot fell short, splashing in the water behind the retreating ship. “Get back here, you miserable cowards! I’m not finished with you yet!” Hephyra’s breathing was hoarse, and she limped as she walked toward Danielle. “Seedless bastards came upon us without warning. I hope you found what you were looking for.”
    “Morveren is with Lannadae down in the boat,” Danielle said. “Are you all right?”
    “They hurt my ship.” Hephyra dropped to her knees, pressing her hands to the deck. The contact appeared to bring her strength. “Iron shot tears right through the wood, but we’ll be all right.” She looked up and shouted, “Bring the cutter on board, and get this ship ready to sail! Anyone with nothing better to do can haul themselves down to the bilge pumps.”
    Danielle returned to the rail, trying to stay out of the way as the men prepared to bring the boat on board.
    “Where will you be putting the mermaids?” Hephyra asked, coming up beside her.
    Morveren lay sprawled in the bottom of the cutter, her head in Lannadae’s lap. She was still panting for breath, and her skin was flushed. James and Douglas remained in the boat, securing the ropes in preparation for hauling the cutter back on board.
    “Morveren needs rest,” Danielle said. After living alone for so long, the mermaid would probably need time to acclimate to so many people. “Somewhere quiet and wet.”
    Hephyra shook her head. “Unless she means to sleep in the bilgewater, I’ve got nothing for her.”
    Below, Morveren stirred and pulled herself upright. “Don’t worry about me, Princess. I’m used to sleeping on rock and mud, remember? Tell your crew to sail southwest until you clear the rocks and the mist. Then northwest.”
    “Why northwest?” Hephyra asked. “What do you hope to find there?”
    “My home. If you want to find my granddaughter, there are things I’ll need.” Morveren lay back. “Food would be nice, too.”

    The royal cabin in the Phillipa was smaller than Danielle’s chambers back at the palace, but even the closet was more luxurious than anything she had known in her childhood. The room was at the aft of the ship, and it even boasted a glass window looking out at the sea. Stub the cat lay sprawled on a leather-padded bench in front of the window, basking in the sun. Large cots took up both walls, and a trunk sat to one side of the door.
    Morveren studied one of the cots. Her body was longer than a human’s, but the amputation of her fins meant she should be able to curl onto the mattress without too much discomfort. She grabbed the side and pulled herself up, bending her tails and tucking the stumps beneath the rumpled covers. For warmth or from shame at her deformity? Danielle wondered.
    Morveren’s nose wrinkled. “This smells like birds.”
    “The mattress is stuffed with down,” Danielle said.
    Morveren settled back with a long, satisfied groan. “I’ll make a new deal with you. I’ll give you anything you want, and in exchange you’ll provide me with one of these beds for my own.”
    Lannadae sat beside the head of the cot, her tails tucked beneath the mattress. “Will those Hiladi come after us again?”
    “Probably,” said Snow. She waited for Talia to enter, then pulled the door shut behind her. “The captain of that ship was no mercenary.”
    “A Hiladi ship with red sails?” Talia asked. “One that attacks without warning, firing upon a ship flying Lorindar’s colors? What else could they be?”
    “Their captain was a Hiladi nobleman,” Snow said.
    Danielle stared. “You said that before. How do you know?”
    “I was born in Allesandria,” said Snow, digging her little finger into her ear and scraping out a chunk of wormwax. “Our kingdom borders Hilad. In my great-grandfather’s time, we were a part of the Hiladi Empire. I saw the man you fought. The honor of wearing gold is reserved for Hiladi royals. No mercenary would violate that rule.”
    “Why not?” asked Danielle.
    “Fear and honor. But mostly fear.” Snow sat down on the bench and scratched Stub’s neck. “The punishment for