The Mermaids Madness

moment. “The air spirits threw her against the tower wall.” She could still see the surprise on Snow’s face as she flew back, just as she could still hear the horrible thump of Snow’s head striking stone. “She didn’t wake up until we were almost back to the ship.”
    “She will get better, won’t she?” Lannadae looked from Morveren to Danielle, her eyes wet with tears. “She’s Snow White. She has to get better.”
    “Maybe.” Morveren adjusted her tails, tucking them both to the side. “Depends on how hard she was hit. She needs rest.”
    Outside, the kelpie bellowed again. The answering calls were louder than before.
    “Your pet is leading his friends right to us,” Talia said.
    Danielle shook her head. “They know which way we went. They would have found us anyway.” She could see the kelpies in the distance, but right now Snow was more important. “We should get her inside the cabin.”
    “I don’t want to go in the cabin,” Snow protested as Talia picked her up.
    “Can you go with them?” Danielle asked Lannadae. “Snow’s hurt, and she’ll need someone to watch over her.”
    “You should go too, Princess,” said Hephyra. “We’re going to have enough trouble without you getting in our way.”
    Danielle shook her head, trying to focus. “Do you have anyone else on board who can tell those kelpies to return home?”
    Hephyra looked out at the kelpies. “Do what you can. Try not to get killed.” Drawing her weapon, she turned around to shout, “I want every gun loaded and ready to fire. Hold her steady. Any man who looses so much as a single crossbow bolt before my order gets fed to the sea monster.”
    Danielle moved to the edge of the ship, holding her blanket closed with one hand. “Thank you for saving us!” The kelpie should be able to hear her without words, but between the noise of the crew and the honking of the other kelpies, it couldn’t hurt to shout. “Now go, quickly, before Halaka’ar finds you. Tell your friends to follow. You should be safe back at shore.”
    The kelpie’s answering warble sounded confused. He bobbed his head, splashing hard enough to spray Danielle.
    “Go!”
    Waves rocked the ship as the kelpie disappeared into the water. Danielle watched his shadow retreat through the water, heading directly toward the approaching undine.
    “Here.” Talia tossed Danielle a long, dark green tunic. Talia had donned a similar one, along with a pair of knee-length trousers. She’d rolled her sleeves up, exposing the knives on her forearms. She must have rearmed herself while Danielle was talking to the kelpie.
    Talia reached out to hold the blanket while Danielle changed. “I thought you might want your dignity back.”
    “Thanks.” Danielle yanked the tunic over her head. She was just buckling her sword belt over the tunic when a cheer broke out among the crew. Another kelpie had turned to follow the one Danielle had sent away. She could see the riders shouting and slapping the kelpie with their spears, but it made no difference. Soon a third kelpie began to retreat.
    “Well, squeeze my taproot,” Hephyra said. “We might survive this thing after all.”
    Their triumph was short-lived. Another kelpie reared up from the water and called out. This one was a deep yellow color, spotted with green. Danielle could feel the vibration of the call through the ship’s hull. The rest fell back into formation.
    This new kelpie carried only a single two-tailed rider. Lirea guided her mount closer to the Phillipa . Undine warriors dropped from their kelpies, spreading out through the water. They kept their distance for now, no doubt waiting for the order to attack.
    Danielle turned to Morveren. “Can you try to control Lirea?”
    “I’ve tried before, remember?” Morveren pointed to the stubs of her tails. “She knows me, and her hate is too strong. I had hoped an unfamiliar mind would have better luck.”
    Danielle tried again to send the kelpies away. A few shifted in the water, but none moved.
    “Can the guns hit them from here?” Talia asked.
    Hephyra shook her head. “It would be like shooting a fly with a longbow at fifty paces.”
    “No guns!” Morveren said, crawling toward them. “You promised to help me save my granddaughter.”
    “We tried.” Talia didn’t bother turning to look at Morveren. “She stabbed Beatrice. She nearly killed Snow. I’m not giving her another chance to hurt anyone.”
    This time, Danielle was in complete