“What are you doing in here?” My voice, strong with an unexpected protectiveness, bounced off the prison’s walls. The reverberation skipped along the ancient stone surface until it found an escape through the gaping hole in the wall opposite my attention.

Myrtle floated outside a holding cell, her face pressed between the bars. “Trying to talk some sense into my sister,” she answered before releasing an unsteady breath. “Why won’t she speak to us?”

I inched forward until I could see inside… to the crumpled heap of a mermaid curled up on the floor. Expecting to see a proud, resentful former queen still clinging to her royal roots, I gasped at what I found instead. The filthy, pitiful being in front of me couldn’t be my mother. 

No severe bun twisted on her head; instead, her silver hair was matted to her face. She stared past us, as if we weren’t even there, her black eyes empty. The figure shivered, then tucked her blue tail under herself. Queen Calypso no longer existed; she was too far lost inside her own tortured mind. 

“Oh, Mother.” I whimpered, extending my thin arm through the slot. “Come back to us.” 

Nothing. 

“Do you think it’s the crown?” I wondered. “Its powers deflect the wicked, remember? If we move it back to Atlantis, maybe she’ll snap out of it.” 

Myrtle shook her head. “Removing the crown from our kingdom would leave us too vulnerable. We need its protection.”

“Perhaps just the bracelet, then?” I gestured to the magic-absorbing trinket wrapped around my mother’s wrist. 

“Assuming it is the crown keeping her from regaining her mind, that would suggest she still hasn’t found a way out of the darkness. If I removed the purging bracelet, the consequences could be disastrous.”

“We have to do something.”

“There isn’t anything we can do, Angelique. Calypso must find her own way.”

My fingers curled around the cold metal separating my mother from me. I closed my eyes, concentrating all my energy on sending her a message. Telepathically, I begged her to search out the light. To find some way to return even a little love to her heart.

Of course, she responded with nothing more than a dead stare. “It seems senseless to keep her locked away at this point,” I pointed out. “She’s hardly a threat in her condition.”

Myrtle groaned, her guilty conscience evident in the sound. “Angelique, please try to understand. I hate seeing her in such a way, just as much as you do. She is your mother, yes, but Calypso is my sister. This situation is devastating to me. Considering what power she is capable of wielding, I have little choice in the matter. These precautions are necessary to ensure the safety of the entire ocean, not just Atargatis.” 

“I know. You’re right, I know. It’s just… so terribly sad.”

“Indeed it is. Perhaps one day, something will awaken in your mother. We mustn’t give up on that possibility.”

“I won’t.”

My aunt blinked back tears as she straightened her tiara. “You saw your sisters? How was your visit? Are they getting along well?”

“Very. They seem rather happy with the current arrangement.”

I didn’t miss the way her lips gave way to a frown for just an instant. I knew Myrtle too well to miss even her subtlest gestures. If I had to guess, she longed for them to miss her the way we missed them.

“Good,” Myrtle offered with a nod. “Very good.”

“I’ve met someone.” She arched a suggestive brow, and I quickly recanted. “No, no. Not someone in the romantic sense, just someone. His name is Lennox, and he’s from Finfolkaheem. He says you sent for him.”

Myrtle sprang straight up from her slouch. “The King of the Finfolk is here?”

“Not quite. Lennox is more of a messenger. An ambassador, if you will. And quite the pain in the tailfin if you want my opinion on him.”

She hissed her disapproval. “Angelique, you shouldn’t say such things.”

“You wouldn’t have me speak the truth?”

“There’s a time for truth and a time for silence. You would do good to learn the difference.”

“Even you would find it difficult to bite your tongue around such a crass piece of whale dung.”

“Angelique!”

“You have no idea how infuriating he is, Aunt Myrtle. He was even so bold as to suggest that all my mother’s descendants should be put to death.”

Her jaw dropped. If I didn’t have her attention before, I certainly had it now. “He said that? To your face?”

“That’s right.”

“That doesn’t sound plausible. He had to have known uttering such a threat to the princess would come with a penalty.”

I bit my lip before admitting, “He may not have known about my title when he spoke to me.”

“How could he not know given your… where’s your crown?”

“Fawna has it. She thought it might be easier for me to fit in if I left it, and what it represents, behind.”

“You would cast aside your heritage for popularity?”

“What? Of course not. I only thought it might be less intimidating to the other merfolk if I… Wait a minute. We’ve drifted out of the current, here. What difference should it make if Lennox knew who I was when he threatened my head? He said it—that’s what counts. He even alluded to his king coming here and making war with Atargatis because we’re ‘underdeveloped’.”

“But he holds no authority to declare war.”

“He’s an advisor. The suggestion alone could—”

“Did you ever think he was just trying to impress you? Make you believe he holds more power than he honestly does?”

“That’s absurd.”

“I don’t think so. He finds himself a pretty little mermaid in the middle of the ocean. What better way to attract her attention than to make himself seem important? None of my subjects, present company included, hold so much rank I would attack another clan at their word.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and inclined my chin. “He’s not smart enough to come up with such a ruse. The human-footed mutant is just as stupid as he is lacking in manners.”

Myrtle’s lips twitched, threatening a smile. 

“What’s so funny?” I demanded, my fists digging into my hips.

“I’ve known you to dislike a great many merfolk, Angelique, but none have rattled you so. Are you sure it’s his threat you fear?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think you’re afraid of something he makes you feel, not the words he says.”

I threw an exaggerated eye roll her way. “Why does everyone think I’m so taken with this parasite? This isn’t about my hormones, Aunt Myrtle. We’re talking about the safety of everyone in our kingdom.” The queen blinked at me, as if the danger didn’t register at all. 

“I heard you,” she answered aloud to my unspoken question, reminding me of her special gift.

“That’s it! Your telepathy. You can use it on him. You’ll see for yourself.”

“If I think he’s hiding something, I will, but I won’t invade his privacy on a whim.”

“But you—”

“That’s enough. Angelique, I’ve heard your concerns and I’ll take them to heart. You must understand that we will never undo the damage your mother has done if we approach every newcomer with suspicion and assumed ill-intent. This Lennox is not the king, and so his opinion means very little as far as I’m concerned. I’m looking to restore peace to these waters. I will speak with this young Fin-man with an open mind, and I expect you to do the same.”

With some reluctance, I digested what my aunt asked of me. Perhaps she was right; Lennox had probably grown up hearing gruesome stories about the bloodthirsty queen of Atargatis and as such spearheaded this potential treaty with a healthy skepticism of his own. It was possible that, without him even realizing it, his bitterness toward our former dictator tainted his opinion of our entire society. The seed had been planted, and it could certainly be considered that he didn’t know how to stop the sprout of hatred from growing.

Of course, there was also the possibility that Aunt Myrtle was making a horrendous mistake.

“Put that fire out,” she warned, reading my mind again. Funny, she took no issue with invading my privacy. “I’m asking you to trust me. If I suspect we’re in danger, I’ll call the meeting off. I promise.”

“Will you keep my identity a secret? At least until I’m satisfied he wishes us no harm?”

Myrtle thought for a moment, but then headed toward the door. “I don’t like deceit in the slightest, Angelique. However, if it is your wish to remain an unknown to this Fin-man, I will respect your right to anonymity. You will attend council meetings, even if it must be under the guise of my servant. It’s crucial you are kept directly abreast of any happenings between the other clans and us.”

“Thank you,” I whispered through an exasperated breath. 

Just as I began to follow my aunt through the doorway, a slender hand slid through the prison bars, snatching my wrist. I yelped in surprise and pain as Mother’s dirty fingernails dug into my flesh. They burrowed in deeper as I tried to yank from her grasp.

With one swift kick of the tail, Myrtle was back at my side, trying in vain to pry the mad mermaid off me.

“Let her go,” she demanded, but Mother’s colorless eyes bore into us with a vacant evil clouding the centers. The blackness devoured her soul. There was no mistaking the tragedy when so close to it.

An immeasurable strength overtook the frail frame of this fallen queen. She dragged me until my face and torso collided with the bars. I screamed at the impact, but Mother’s whispers drowned out the sound.

“He’s calling to me,” she mumbled with a hoarse voice. “I can feel him close by.”

My body trembled, fear chasing any coherent thought from my mind. Myrtle asked the question for me. “Who is he?”

Mother reached down with her free hand, grabbed a section of scales on her own tail, and ripped them loose. She held the bloody pieces out to her sister, but kept her eyes strictly on me. “Give this to him. Tell him it is all he gets of me.”

When Myrtle didn’t take the offering, Mother dropped the shimmering blue chunks to the ground. She cocked her head at me, observing my terror with twisted humor. Queen Calypso cackled at the way my spine shivered, then sucked in a ragged breath.

“Our destinies, they are about to meet.”

I swallowed, trying to regain some control. “What do you know of my destiny?” I meant it to sound condescending, but in truth, I was curious.

“They’re going to dance together.”

“Our destinies?”

She nodded. “They’re going to fight together.” A bloodstained fingertip traced the outline of my face while Mother studied my features. “My dear, they’re going to burn together.”

Her touch became scorching hot as she uttered the last words. The moment the heat started to scald my skin, she collapsed again, this time right at my feet. Out of a habit of obedience, the ocean took care to lower her gently to the ground.

Breathless, I turned to Myrtle for explanation. The twisted, horrified expression told me I wouldn’t get much of one. “What in Poseidon’s name was she rambling on about?”

“I…I don’t—”

“And how could she conjure heat?” My fingers flew to my cheek. Beneath the sticky residue of blood, sensitive, rough nerves were exposed.

“It’s little more than a singe mark,” Myrtle assured me. “It won’t scar.”

“That isn’t the point. She wasn’t supposed to be capable of magic at all, isn’t that so?”

“Theoretically.”

“A theory? The fate of Atargatis depends on your theory?”

“I’m certain it was just residual magic she had stored. That’s probably why she was so comatose; Calypso was reserving her energy, holding in the last bit of sorcery until just the right time.”

“Let’s hope that’s the case. As much as I despise seeing her caged and helpless, you’re right about it being for the best. It pains me to say it, but Mother is far too temperamental to chance any leniency. We could find ourselves at a serious disadvantage if she finds a way around her bindings. As powerful as her hatred was before, I don’t think it could even compare to the contempt she feels for us now.”

Myrtle’s eyes flitted between Calypso’s lifeless body and my face. She cleared her throat, then said, “You should clean yourself up. Later, I’ll research the ancient scrolls your mother stockpiled and see if I can find anything out. In the meantime, we have a visitor to entertain.”