The Mermaids Madness

arm was broken. The undine must have cut the line to the rudder.
    “Talia, are you ready?” Hephyra climbed onto the deck, another barrel in her arms.
    This explosion was even closer to the ship. Once again undine floated to the surface, but still they obeyed Lirea’s commands.
    Danielle concentrated on the kelpies. I warned you. That horrible sound is the call of Halaka’ar. He comes to devour all in his path.
    Two of the kelpies fled. Even Lirea’s mount reared higher, head twisting about to search the water. A blue-tailed mermaid was climbing up the side of Lirea’s kelpie. They appeared to be arguing.
    “Fifty crowns to the gunner who takes that bitch down,” Hephyra said.
    The men raced to reload and fire, but Lirea was too far from the ship. Their shots splashed harmlessly in the water. Lirea’s kelpie sank from view. Peering down, Danielle saw the last of the undine swimming away.
    “We should go after them,” Talia said. “Chase them back to land and take out Lirea for good. I counted at least four more barrels in the magazine. That’s more than enough to—”
    “The Phillipa ’s taking on water.” Hephyra leaned against the rail. She appeared weary. “The undine know their work. Another explosion like that will sink us.”
    Danielle stared out at the water. Patches of rust-colored foam littered the sea. Blood, she realized, bubbling up from the undine’s wounds. “Get us home,” she said, fighting a bout of nausea that had nothing to do with the movement of the ship. So many dead, human and undine alike. “The faster we get that knife to Beatrice, the better our chances of saving her.”
    Talia looked back at the main deck. Morveren was groaning and clutching her stomach. Blood and tears marked her face. “What about her?” Talia asked. “I suppose you’re going to tell me she was only protecting her granddaughter. That we should forgive her and pretend she didn’t almost kill everyone on board.”
    Behind Talia, the crew was gathering the dead and wounded. Undine spears had killed at least eight men.
    Danielle’s throat tightened when she spotted James. He lay unmoving, a spear pinning him to the deck. He still clutched his crossbow in his hands.
    “No,” Danielle whispered, staring at James. “I mean, yes, she was trying to protect Lirea. I don’t believe she’ll try to hurt us again. But I won’t risk being wrong, either.”
    Hephyra laughed as she limped toward them. “You talk like it’s your choice, Princess. Royal or not, this is my ship, and if you ordered that mermaid left free, I’d have tossed the whole lot of you overboard.” She shoved her hair back from her face and shouted, “Lock that witch in the hold, and make sure she stays gagged. Anyone not on the sheets or tending wounded had best get down to the pumps.”
    “How bad is it?” Danielle asked. “Will we make it back to Lorindar?”
    Hephyra’s grin was more than a little wild. “Ask me in a day or so.”

CHAPTER 11

    L IREA SANG A COMMAND, drawing her kelpie to a halt. She relaxed her grip on the harness, allowing herself to fall into the water. Her surviving warriors spread into a circle around her.
    You’ve failed yet again.
    She screamed to drown out the whispers in her head, then returned to the surface. “How many did they kill?”
    Nilliar swam toward her. “At least twenty, with twice that number wounded.”
    You underestimated them. You should have taken every last undine and swarmed that ship until nothing was left but splinters and blood.
    “They can be replaced,” Lirea said. “Have our scouts found the nesting grounds of the other tribes?”
    “Two more tribes have been found,” Nilliar said. “We’ve collected enough gold to destroy one of them. Once the humans have poisoned their waters and killed their queen, any survivors will be free to join the Ilowkira.”
    Murderer! Conspiring with humans against your own kind! Lirea held her breath, trying to shut out the condemnation. It was the only way to unite the tribes and restore her empire. The other queens would never willingly surrender to Lirea. She had to kill them.
    She would be sure to kill the human alchemists as well. If they could poison one tribe, they could poison the Ilowkira.
    “Forgive me,” said Nilliar. “I doubted you when you told us of Morveren’s return.”
    “Lannadae led the humans to Morveren, and Morveren brought them to me.” Tears streamed down Lirea’s face. She felt so tired, and her arm