The Mermaids Madness

impersonating a member of the Hiladi imperial family takes a full month, as various parts of the offender are removed and fed to different sea creatures.”
    “Is that where Lirea got the idea to do that ?” Lannadae asked, staring at Morveren’s tails. “From her Hiladi prince?”
    “Who can say?” Morveren pulled the covers higher. “Lirea is sick. I doubt she even knew what she was doing when she crippled me.”
    “That doesn’t change what she did,” said Talia.
    “If my magic hurt her in this way, then is it any less than I deserve?” asked Morveren.
    Talia turned away. “Maybe not. But Beatrice didn’t deserve it.”
    Stub stretched and stood. His ears flattened when he spotted Morveren and Lannadae. He trotted over and hopped onto the cot, sniffing Morveren’s tails.
    “When I was a child, a minor prince of Hilad attacked one of our border towns,” said Snow. “My mother seared the flesh from his body, then used gold wire to lash his bones into a birdcage. She hung the cage in her throne room when the Hiladi ambassador arrived a week later. She even captured a little songbird and cast a geis to make sure he would spend the whole time whistling, just to draw the ambassador’s attention to the cage.”
    She sighed. “Afterward, she gave the bird and cage to me. He used to sing every morning to wake me up.”
    Silence filled the room. Eventually, Morveren said, “You had an unusual upbringing, child.”
    Talia snorted. “You have no idea.”
    “This makes no sense,” said Danielle. “Lirea killed a Hiladi prince. Why would another royal help her?”
    “His name is Varisto,” Lannadae said, her voice quiet. “I met him once. He was Prince Gustan’s younger brother. It was springtime, and I had gone with Lirea to meet her prince. Varisto was arguing with Gustan. He left when he saw us.”
    Danielle silently scolded Stub, stopping him from trying to take a bite out of Morveren’s left tail. She sent him back to his sunbeam on the bench, then asked, “Why would he attack the Phillipa ?”
    “You wouldn’t ask that if you had been raised noble.” Talia paced along the carpet. “Gustan’s death put him in line to inherit the empire. He might feel indebted to Lirea for helping him toward that goal. Hiladi are fanatical when it comes to repaying debts.”
    “But Gustan was his brother.” Danielle knew her protests were naive. She had seen enough squabbling at court to know how far people would go for power, but knowing and understanding were very different things.
    “He wants to kill me too, doesn’t he?” asked Lannadae. She had grown quiet, curled at the head of Morveren’s cot. “Lirea killed his brother, so he’ll repay her by killing her sister.”
    Morveren reached over to comb her fingers through Lannadae’s hair. “I’ll never let that happen, little one.”
    “I hated her for what she did to me.” Lannadae bowed her head. “I hated being trapped in that cave. Having to stay hidden, feeling afraid every time a ship passed by and wondering if each day would be the day Lirea found me. When I went to sleep in the winter, a part of me hoped I wouldn’t wake up. I just didn’t want to be afraid anymore.”
    Morveren’s eyes had filled with tears. She wiped them away with one hand. “I’ll find a way to save you both.” She looked at Snow. “But I’ll need help.”
    “I’ll do whatever you need if it helps Beatrice,” said Snow.
    “Good.” Morveren studied Snow. “How skilled a witch are you?”
    “Sorceress, not witch.” Snow grinned. “I was skilled enough to chase off Lirea’s air spirit, wasn’t I?”
    For the first time since returning to the ship, Morveren smiled. “You’ll have to show me what you can do, once I’ve rested. For now I hope you’ll excuse me. That song took a great deal out of me.”
    “Let me know if you need anything,” said Danielle, rising to leave. The others followed, even Lannadae, who appeared troubled. “What is it?” Danielle asked.
    Lannadae waited until the door was closed behind them. “She wants to save Lirea. I know I should too, but I don’t. She killed Levanna. She killed our father. How am I supposed to feel safe while Lirea still lives?”
    Only hours before, Lannadae had been leaping and splashing in the water like a child. Now she appeared lost, haunted by fears and memories no child should have to face. Danielle searched for words of comfort, but found none.
    “Did you ever fear your stepsisters