The Mermaids Madness

would kill you?” Lannadae asked.
    “Once, yes.”
    Lannadae looked up at her. “What did you do?”
    “I fought them,” Danielle said. “And I found friends to help protect me.” She managed a smile for Lannadae’s sake. “The same friends who are protecting you. We’ll keep you safe, Lannadae. I promise.”

    Snow sat in the cutter, flirting with James as she finished off a second peach-filled pastry from dinner. One hand rested on the ropes securing the front of the boat to the deck. She smiled at James, then licked the crumbs from her fingers. He was supposed to be swabbing the rest of the sand and water from the ship, but for some reason he appeared to be having trouble concentrating.
    Snow sucked a bit of fruit from her index finger. If poor James clutched that mop any more tightly, he would snap the handle. She stretched, then lay back to rest against the canvas folded over half of the boat. When that didn’t work, she crossed her legs on the edge.
    James dropped his mop.
    Victory! Snow fought to keep from smiling. Never underestimate the power of bare feet and a little ankle.
    “So this is how a sorceress spends her time?” Morveren climbed the chocks and grabbed the edge of the cutter, grunting in pain as she pulled herself inside. She straddled the bench, resting her tails in the puddles on the bottom of the boat.
    “Are you all right?” Snow asked.
    “Too much time out of water,” Morveren said. “Our bones aren’t as strong as yours. We’re built for the lightness of the sea. Up here, I feel as though my bones have turned to rock.”
    “I could mix up a willow tea that might help,” Snow offered.
    “It’s no less than I deserve.” Morveren sank down, resting on the bench. “My magic isn’t what it once was, and I spent most of that strength protecting you and your friends. When we reach my home, I’ll need you to help me unravel the defenses I left behind.”
    Snow glanced at James, but Morveren’s arrival had clearly reversed the effects of Snow’s charms. He was hard at work, though his face remained slightly flushed. “What kind of defenses?”
    “Nothing as powerful as Lirea’s air spirits,” Morveren said. “What type of magic do you practice?”
    Snow shrugged. “I use mirrors a lot, but I’ve studied a little of everything.”
    “A dabbler, you mean.” Morveren snorted.
    Snow reached down to touch the water puddled in the bottom of the boat. She whispered a quick spell, and frost spread across the surface. Morveren yelped and yanked up her tails. Bits of ice rimmed her scales.
    “Not bad,” Morveren said, rubbing the ice off. She turned around, searching the ship. “That cat. Can you command him to come to us?”
    Stub was trotting along the starboard rail, a bit of fish clutched in his teeth. “Command him?” Snow repeated. “You haven’t known many cats, have you?”
    “Magic is about strength of will. If yours is no stronger than that of a ship’s cat, how can you hope to overpower my old spells, let alone subdue my granddaughter?”
    “Talia usually does most of the subduing.” Snow brushed her fingertips over her choker. “Mirror, mirror, shining bright. Bring that cat into the light.”
    Glimmers of sunlight danced along the railing, guided by her mirrors. Stub’s tail lashed as he watched the lights jump down to the deck. He shifted his weight, then pounced. The lights raced away, Stub in pursuit. Moments later, Stub stood on the side of the cutter. He sat and lifted one paw, then the other, searching for the lights, which had mysteriously vanished.
    “I told you to command him, not trick him with your mirrors,” Morveren said.
    “He’s here, isn’t he?” Snow said, more sharply than she intended.
    “True enough. You did well, considering your youth.”
    Snow stopped herself from touching her hair. Her appearance made her look older than most of the people on this ship. “My youth?”
    “I’ve been practicing magic for over two centuries,” Morveren replied. “You’ve spent perhaps twenty years? Thirty?”
    “Perhaps.”
    “You lack subtlety. If your spells were songs, you would be shouting at the top of your voice. I noticed it before, when you wove your shield against my voice.And your mirrors make powerful tools, but you use them as a crutch. Whoever taught you should never have allowed you to become so dependent on—”
    “Nobody taught me.”
    Morveren leaned back, studying Snow as if for the first time. When she