The Mermaids Madness

“You’ll need to escort me to the bottom. Have you ever tried shapeshifting?”
    Her stomach tightened. “I’ve tried, yes.” The books she had inherited from her mother included spells for changing the body. That was how her mother had fooled Snow into taking a poisoned apple. Snow would have seen through mere illusion. Her mother had physically transformed herself to lull Snow’s suspicions. But Snow had never been able to master that trick. She had tried a great many times over the past year, usually with insects. The most she had managed to do was change a living beetle into a dead beetle.
    “I should go,” Lannadae said. “There’s no need for more magic. I can help you through the plants.”
    Morveren smiled and kissed Lannadae’s hair. “Thank you, Granddaughter. But you lack the skill to help me. Don’t worry about your friend. She will be—”
    “Don’t worry?” Talia asked, moving to stand between them, facing Morveren. “Look at what happened to the last person you changed with your magic. If you think you’re going to lay that kind of curse on Snow—”
    Morveren scowled at Snow. “How do you tolerate such ignorance?” To Talia, she said, “The spell I cast on Lirea was meant to last forever. Such a change carries a much greater cost. Snow will be undine for less than a day. She can cast that spell herself once she learns how, and with far less exertion than she used against your Hiladi friends.”
    Talia looked ready to toss Morveren overboard, but Snow spoke up first. “I want to learn this, Talia.”
    “She destroyed Lirea’s mind,” Talia said. “You can’t risk—”
    “She didn’t mean to,” Snow countered. “Morveren tried to help her. It’s not her fault Gustan betrayed her.”
    “My parents tried to use magic to ‘help’ me, too. Remember?” Talia’s voice was cold. “There’s always a cost.”
    “Then I’ll pay it,” Snow said. “Wouldn’t you do the same to help Beatrice?”
    “There will be pain,” Morveren said.
    “I’ve eaten Talia’s blackened nadif chicken. I can handle pain.” Snow grinned at Talia. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”
    “That would be a first,” Talia muttered.
    Snow stuck out her tongue.
    “I’ll tell Hephyra what’s happening,” Danielle said.
    “She knows.” Snow patted the railing. “This ship is her tree, remember? You think she hasn’t heard every word we’ve spoken?” With that, she handed her hat to Talia, tugged off her shoes, and jumped overboard.
    Even here on the edge of the seaweed the plants tangled her legs, slowing her plunge. She could feel Morveren’s enchantment within the ropelike stalks, trying to pull her down, but the magic was weakest here. She kicked to the surface and tugged her feet free just as Morveren dove into the water beside her.
    “Hurry back, Grandmother,” Lannadae called.
    From the rear of the ship, Captain Hephyra waved at them both. “I’ll bring her about and anchor in clearer water, where the chain won’t tangle in the weeds. Try not to get yourselves eaten.”
    “That’s the least of our worries,” Morveren called out. She swam to Snow. “Tell me what you know of shapeshifting.”
    Snow’s heart pounded. “I know the theory. Runes traced on the skin to shape the desired form, and then—”
    “Undine don’t spend a lot of time drawing,” Morveren said dryly. “Runes are only one way of shaping the magic.” She reached down with one hand, flinching as she twisted a chipped scale from her hip. “Unless you want those trousers bonded to your flesh, you should probably be rid of them.”
    Snow held her breath and bobbed beneath the waves, kicking her trousers and undergarments free. There was something delightfully wicked about floating half-naked in the sea. She adjusted her belt, tightening it higher over her shirt. The sunlight reflecting off the surface should preserve her modesty from anyone on the ship.
    Snow bundled her things into a ball and pressed them against the side of the ship. A quick spell spread a patch of ice from her clothes, freezing them to the hull to await her return.
    “If you humans weren’t so skinny, maybe you wouldn’t need all those clothes,” Morveren muttered. “It’s a wonder you don’t freeze to death come winter.”
    The seaweed tickled Snow’s skin behind the knees, making her giggle.
    “Stop that.” Morveren pressed the scale into Snow’s hand. “Cut a line down the inside of each leg, deep enough to