The Mermaids Madness

of her. Lirea followed, her confusion plain. Gustan grabbed her by the throat and flung her to the side, cursing.
    Lirea climbed back onto him, pressing her body to his and renewing the ripping sensation within his body. Snow recognized Morveren’s magic, a barely heard melody reaching deep into Gustan. With a snarl, he struck her face, knocking her aside. He drew back to hit her again, and Lirea drove a knife into his chest.
    Snow gasped, feeling the impact as vividly as if it were she on that beach with Lirea. She opened her eyes, but the memories didn’t fade. She could still feel the blade grating against her ribs, and she could still see the shock on Lirea’s face. Shock and the slow realization of what she had done. Rather, what had been done through her.
    Snow tried to separate herself from the memories, but the knife’s grip had grown stronger. She pried back her fingers and dropped the knife, but its power clung. How much blood had she given it? Or was it that she had gone willingly, reaching into the enchantments to try to find Beatrice? She could feel the knife’s magic fighting to pull her in.
    Her mouth was dry, and her lips stuck to her teeth as she whispered.
    “Gray stones, gray stones, hear my call.
    Gray stones build a great big wall.”
    Slowly, she raised a shield between herself and the knife, weakening the bond between them.
    Snow?
    She had never heard fear from Queen Bea before. But Snow wasn’t strong enough to help. If she stayed any longer, she would lose herself. With a shudder, she wrenched free. “I’m sorry, Bea. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
    Snow leaned over to retrieve the knife. Best to return it to Talia’s trunk before she returned. She bent down, and the blood rushed to her head. The room went dark. The world felt like it was tumbling around her. The last thing she heard was a distant voice, singing from Gustan’s shattered memories.
    “Oh, pixie farts,” she said, and passed out.

    Danielle sat on the cot, studying the broken door. The edge was splintered at the latch, as was the frame. Captain Hephyra had already expressed her displeasure about the damage, but Hephyra hadn’t been able to overcome whatever magic Snow had used to seal it. Talia, on the other hand, had always been good with locks. Most she could pick as easily as if she had the keys. As for the rest . . .
    “Did you injure yourself?” Danielle asked.
    “Just bruised. Hephyra has a tough tree.” Talia stopped massaging her foot and glanced over at Snow. They had moved her from the floor onto the other cot. “What I can’t decide is whether to kill her the moment she wakes up, or if I should give her a chance to explain what in the six hells she thought she was doing. And then kill her.”
    “After Lirea attacked Beatrice, you were ready to dive in after her.” Danielle kept her voice gentle, trying to ease Talia’s anger. “If we’re killing people for foolish choices, should I be going after you, too?”
    “You’re welcome to try.” Talia jumped to her feet and began to pace. “I’m used to Snow taking stupid risks. That’s why I never would have left her alone with that knife. But I did. The next thing I knew I was climbing in the rigging watching for undine. Snow used her magic on me. She had to. How could she do that to me?”
    “She’s scared.” Danielle studied Snow’s face. She appeared to be frowning, her eyebrows pushed low by the bandages around her head. The room was dim, but Danielle could still see the shadows beneath Snow’s eyes. Her breathing was slow but steady.
    “She played games with my thoughts.” Talia stopped in front of the single lamp, her shadow falling across Snow’s form. “With those of the crew, too. Amusing herself by tugging their strings, making them obey whatever silly whim struck her fancy.”
    “She needed to learn that magic to try to control Lirea. She wasn’t hurting anything.”
    Talia’s face darkened at the mention of Lirea’s name. “Not yet.”
    “Snow will be all right,” Danielle said. Snow was dreaming, judging by the way she twitched and mumbled to herself.
    “You don’t know that.” Talia twisted on the balls of her feet. Lirea’s knife hung at her hip, with several lengths of twine securing the weapon in place. “You can’t know that.”
    Snow rolled onto her side. “I’m sorry my cat ate your spider, Mother.” Her muffled words dissolved into a sleepy giggle.
    Danielle blinked and turned to Talia,