The Mermaids Madness

agreement. “If you want to protect her, help us find a way to stop her.”
    Lirea raised her spear in one hand and began to sing. It was a harsh, grating sound, barely recognizable as song. The rest of the undine soon joined her, their voices rising like a hundred flutes trilling in unison.
    “A war song,” Morveren said. “She orders the tribe to fight until death. Ours or their own.”
    “Target the leader,” Hephyra shouted.
    Morveren moaned, but she said nothing. She simply crawled away, back toward the shelter of the cutter.
    The undine disappeared into the water. The kelpies appeared to leap forward, sinking deeper as they charged the ship. Lirea held back, still singing.
    Hephyra pointed her weapon. “Somebody shut that bitch up.”
    Four guns fired in quick succession. One lucky shot hit Lirea’s kelpie in the neck. It was a glancing blow, but the animal reared back, squealing in pain.
    “Ready the nets,” Hephyra yelled, running toward the back of the ship.“Your crossbow bolts will lose their speed in the water, so don’t bother shooting unless your target’s near the surface. Don’t forget to watch the port side!”
    The gun crews were already reloading. Danielle had seen the process before on the Glass Slipper, but never with such grim-faced urgency. Young boys ran fresh powder cartridges up from below while others hastily swabbed the inside of the cannons, cleaning out any embers that might prematurely ignite the next charge.
    As the undine approached the ship, Danielle heard another sound. Morveren had begun to sing. The sound was like a blanket that grew heavier with every passing moment, pressing Danielle down. She tried to step back, but her legs wouldn’t obey.
    The first wave of undine leaped from the water to hurl their spears. The crew made no effort to dodge. Danielle saw four men fall, dead or dying.
    A crossbow clattered to the deck. Another followed. One man tumbled out of the yards, cracking his arm and shoulder when he landed. Even Captain Hephyra stumbled against the mast, clinging to the wood as though she would fall without its support.
    Though Morveren’s song wasn’t identical to the one she had sung against the Hiladi, it was similar enough for Danielle to recognize the magic. This song was more emotional than the last, driven by fear and anger and desperation. This one also sounded stronger to Danielle’s ear.
    “Grandmother, no!” Lannadae crawled out of the cabin. She paused to shake a fallen crewman, but with no effect. “No more magic! Lirea will kill us all!”
    “I won’t let that happen.” Morveren worked the words into her song, never missing a note. “I’ll find a way to protect you both.”
    “Lannadae, stop her!” Danielle’s voice was nothing against the power of Morveren’s, but Lannadae turned toward her. “Please!”
    The Phillipa trembled as one of the kelpies rammed her hull. Fainter thuds followed, probably caused by the undine trying to splinter the ship from below.
    “I can save her,” Morveren said. “I can save us all. Get off the deck and go somewhere safe!”
    “These people tried to help us!” Lannadae grabbed Moveren’s arm.
    Without breaking her song, Morveren struck Lannadae on the side of the neck. Lannadae’s gills flared out, and she fell back, weeping. She lay there for a moment, gasping for breath.
    “I’m sorry,” Morveren sang. “Now go!”
    Even Danielle could feel the power in that command. Lanndae crawled away, still crying.
    Help us, Danielle pleaded, concentrating on the kelpies. She could still see Lirea’s kelpie circling the ship at a distance. Blood dripped from his neck, but the wound obviously wasn’t a crippling one. Neither he nor the other kelpies acknowledged Danielle’s plea. She closed her eyes to try again, this time directing her request somewhere closer.
    The scrape of claws on wood marked Stub’s arrival. He scrambled up from below, then raced across the deck in a streak of dark fur. For days he had reluctantly obeyed Danielle’s request to not stalk these strange half-fish visitors. Now, with Danielle’s blessing, he pounced, sinking teeth and claws into the exposed skin at the stump of Morveren’s left tail.
    Morveren shrieked and twisted about. Stub scrambled up Morveren’s side, claws raking her skin and tangling in her hair.
    Danielle pushed herself up, trying to reach her sword. She had to get to Morveren before the mermaid recovered, but her body felt like