The Mermaids Madness

scraps? I was mopping up the last of the jelly when it finally occurred to me that they might have put something in the food.”
    “Beatrice wouldn’t—”
    “I know that now,” said Talia. “But back then . . . I assumed they were planning to turn me over to the royals back home. The only reason to hold me prisoner was so they could negotiate a better price for my return. They hadn’t left anything to use as a weapon, so I broke the tray and took the longest, sharpest piece I could find.
    “They had put me in the northeast tower, in the room with the sunrise tapestry on the wall. The one with the window facing out over the cliffs.”
    “Jakob loves that tapestry,” Danielle said, smiling.
    “I was more interested in the window. I thought about trying to climb down, but I didn’t know if I was strong enough to reach the sea. I swore I’d throw myself onto the rocks before I let them send me back. And then Snow unlocked the door.”
    Talia tipped back the flask, swallowing loudly. “Her first words to me were, ‘You’re Sleeping Beauty? I always imagined you as a blonde.’ I still had my makeshift wooden knife, so I pointed it at her and asked who and what she was. She flashed that perky smile and said, ‘I’m Snow White.’ ”
    Talia shook her head. “I thought she was mocking me, so I punched her in the face and ran. Beatrice was waiting for me in front of the stairs. I raised my weapon and told her to get out of my way.
    “She didn’t answer right away. She stood there frowning, until I started to squirm. Then she said, ‘I expected better manners from a princess. Still, given what they did to you, you have every right to your anger.’
    “Beatrice pulled out a knife of her own. I didn’t want to fight her, but I wasn’t going to be anyone’s prisoner. She wasn’t trying to fight me, though. She held the knife out and said, ‘If you stay, I can protect you. I can give you shelter and perhaps someday a home. But if you choose to leave, you’ll need something better than a broken dinner tray.’ ”
    Talia returned to her trunk, pulling out a knife and handing it to Danielle. The hilt was smooth ivory, and in the faint light she could just make out the blue jewels inlaid in a flower pattern at the hilt. The blade was mottled steel, curved back at the tip. “It’s beautiful.”
    “It’s Arathean. Beatrice set it on the ground between us, then stepped aside, saying, ‘If you do choose to stay, I hope you’ll do me the honor of teaching me to use that. I’ve never been strong with the knife.’
    “She knew who and what I was,” said Talia. “What I had done and what had been done to me. And there she was, inviting me into her home. I started to answer, but then Snow came out of the room, holding a bloody cloth to her nose. I expected her to be angry, but she just said, ‘If she stays, we have to make a rule against punching me in the face.’ ”
    Danielle returned the knife. A part of her envied Talia her years with Snow and Beatrice. They had all welcomed Danielle into their fold, but sometimes she could still sense the deeper bonds between them, the time they had spent together before Danielle arrived.
    She pushed such uncharitable thoughts aside. “Both of them will be all right, Talia. We have Lirea’s knife, and we’ll be back in Lorindar tomorrow.”
    Talia stared at Snow. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
    “You won’t have to find out,” Danielle promised.
    Talia shook her head. “Sorry, Princess. Just because your story had a happy ending doesn’t mean everyone else’s will.”

CHAPTER 12

    T HE PHILLIPA MADE GOOD TIME despite the damage inflicted by the undine. Hephyra had ordered barrels lowered into the water on either side of the ship. By manipulating the ropes to the barrels, they could be tilted up or down. Tilting the barrels on one side of the ship so the water rushed into their open mouths would turn the Phillipa in that direction. It was clumsy and slow, but it worked.
    The sun rose above the horizon, turning the waves to flame just as the cliffs of Lorindar came into view. Danielle yawned and rubbed her face as she watched the palace grow.
    Snow appeared to be sleeping normally, and neither Talia nor Danielle was willing to wake her. Rest would help her to heal more than anything else they could do.
    Danielle glanced around to make sure nobody was watching, then kissed the mirror on her bracelet. Armand soon appeared in the