A fin-curling scream of agony pierced my eardrums as soon as I entered the prison. Mother threw herself into her confines, a clank filling the room as her skull collided with metal. Blood started to trickle down her forehead before dissipating in the water around us. Red welts stained the skin on her chest and arms. Imagining the bruises that were sure to take their place made me shudder.

“Mother,” I yelled as I dropped my spear and pushed hard against the water to make my way to her. “You’re awake!”

She flinched at my voice, then winced as the skin on her forehead pulled tight. Her head whipped from side to side, taking in the sounds of war coming from her window. “What’s happening? I can hear them. The clan needs me!”

“I can’t believe it.” I gaped. “You’re back, all of you. How did you escape King Odom’s binding?”

Calypso’s face went blank as she thought about my question, as if conjuring up the memory. Mother’s black eyes darkened a shade, and she drew her lips between her teeth. Her bony finger trembled as she raised it to point at me. “You were there. I remember feeling your presence. That merrow you spoke to…”

“Margaret!”

“The green one…”

“That’s right. Margaret. The former high priestess of the merrows.”

Mother pinched the bridge of her nose and squinted her eyes. “She came back once you left and took the book, the one Odom mumbles at day and night.” 

“You could see her?”

“Almost. It’s more as though I could sense her and what she was doing. Sometime later, she returned once more and spoke in a strange tongue, a language I didn’t recognize. The longer she chattered, the farther I drifted away. I wandered around in a world of nothing for what seemed like an eternity before I woke up here.”

“Thank Poseidon!” I slumped forward, leaning into the bars between us. “Margaret and I were going to find a way to free you, but tragedy has befallen us. King Odom has attacked Atargatis.”

Calypso’s back straightened, and her fingers curled around the metal cylinders caging her in. A grinding sound skating off her teeth raised the hair on the back of my neck. “You have to let me out,” she demanded in her regal voice.

“I can’t, Mother. It’s for your protection. Believe it or not, the Fin-man doesn’t come in search of treasure. He demanded we put you to death. We refused, of course, but now he has come to do the deed himself.”

“The lousy disfigured human! Even more reason to open this door.” Taking hold of the cage with both hands, she rattled the enclosure with all her might, but it did not give in to her strength. “I’m a sitting octopus in here, Angelique. All he has to do is burst through that door and I’m as good as dead. Who’s going to protect me? You? You’re still a merling compared to him.”

“Aunt Myrtle is going to take care of him, Mother. She won’t let him get to you.”

“Release me,” she commanded in a shrill, penetrating tone. She lifted her arm, pointing to the bracelet on her wrist. “And remove this thing so I may defend myself. That sniveling throne thief can’t protect any of us. Odom exercises the forbidden arts—a world Myrtle wouldn’t stick her fin if it was her own life on the line. We’re all doomed if you don’t open this damned door!”

Out of habit, I shrank back, prepared to honor her mandate. Years of training played in the back of my head, shaming me vehemently for not complying to begin with. Muscle memory brought me to the opposite wall, next to the window, where the keys to her freedom dangled on a hook. Before I took them, I glanced out the opening in the wall, and immediately wished I had refrained.

A bloody combat raged on below. Mermaids and Fin-men alike littered the seafloor, oozing red plasma into the sea. My lips went numb as I scanned the battlefield, eager to catch a glimpse of just one of my friends. 

Lennox caught my eye first, clutching his sword as he lunged toward an opponent with an animalistic, raw ferocity. His dagger caught the belly of the Fin-man who dove at him, and the blade sliced through his gut with incredible ease.

Ainsley didn’t stray far from his companion. He dutifully defended against any aggressor who approached his comrade, as if Lennox’s life meant more to him than his own. A terror-inducing battle cry left his lips each time he kicked against the ground, throwing his full body weight into the same Fin-men who only a day ago he’d called brother.

In the center of it all, Myrtle sat with her tail folded beneath her, her eyes closed in meditation. The space surrounding her remained undisturbed, as if an invisible dome protected her from intruders. Jewel stood guard at her side, spear drawn and at the ready. A nearby mermaid shoved a Fin-man in their direction. As he crossed an unseen threshold, his body caught fire, his skin melting from his bones in a short but gruesome instant despite the water around him. 

The scene made my stomach queasy and my face burn with rage. This had to stop. Now. And Mother could put an end to it in an instant. I reached out, grazing the circular keyring with my fingertips.

“That’s it,” she urged, but the desperation in her plea brought me back to my senses.

As much as I wanted an immediate cease fire, releasing Calypso would be like letting a giant squid loose on a school of rebellious, orphaned whales. Chaos would give way to complete pandemonium, and I had little doubt not one of the beings, merfolk or Finfolk, would be spared.

“No,” I said with finality. “You’re a detriment to every mermaid in Atargatis. I beg for peace, and Mother, I don’t think you even remember what tranquility feels like.”

An angry, fury-filled scream left her lungs, filling the room with a cloud of bubbles. Calypso smashed her tail into the bars, not so much as flinching at the crack that sounded when the impact shattered her bone. Her tail, now jutting out at a disfiguring angle, still managed to hold her up as adrenaline spiked through her veins.

“Fine,” she shouted, making me jump. “I’ll do it myself.”

I watched with curiosity as she pulled on the bracelet. Myrtle’s magic was strong, powerful enough to prevent even the ocean’s most prevailing sorcerer from casting even the tiniest hint of a spell. Part of me wondered, however, if it could withstand said sea witch at her most desperate and determined.

The clasp held tight. Mother snarled at its resistance, but remained undeterred. The band’s magic fought back, zapping the former ruler with a jolt of electricity that singed the keratin on her nails. She held them up, shocked at the black residue the assault left behind.

“You don’t give Myrtle enough credit.” I sneered. “It looks like her magic is stronger than you thought.”

Mother’s eyes misted over. She fell back, sliding down the wall inside her cell. “They’re dying,” she sobbed. “My clan is out there dying, and I’m powerless to stop it.”

A jab of sympathy tugged at my heart. The queen had spent her life leading the mermaids of Atargatis, charged with their safety and their keep. Even though she ruled with self-centered interests and a domineering trident, the sense of responsibility endowed on her couldn’t be erased. When I looked at her, I noticed the imprint of her crown still pressed on her silver hair. Calypso was a matriarch down to her core. She didn’t know how to be anything different.

She was also a master manipulator, and I couldn’t be certain the shimmering tears welling in her eyes were sincere.

“Oh, Mother.” I sighed, sinking to her level. “I understand you’re suffering. But you must remember, we bring about our own destiny. It isn’t predestined for us. When you, by your own choices, crossed the boundary of decency and self-control, you sealed your fate. A clan will only accept being beaten down, devalued, and degraded so long before they rebel.”

Calypso sniffled, then wiped her nose with the back of her arm. “I’m doomed to a lifetime of confinement because of past deeded? Angelique, you know I can’t accept that. I’ll find a way out of here.”

“You aren’t doomed to anything. Your fate has been sealed up until now, yes, but you have the power to change it. There’s goodness inside you somewhere, I know it.” Even if I didn’t believe my own statement with my whole heart, perhaps speaking it would make it true.

“What a foolish thing to say.”

“Not at all. You know how I know there’s a spark of hope for you? Because I found mine. Remember, dear Mother, I was your protégé for a reason. I dribbled evil and deceit from every part of me. But look at me now. I’m good, Mother. It took me a while to realize it, and even longer for others to accept it, but I’ve changed. And so can you.”

“Impossible. You’re asking a shark to morph into a cuttlefish.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m only asking a queen to humble herself a bit. To put herself in the tail tracks of the mermaids she treated like krill and ask herself what she would do if put in that situation. Would you stand for it, Mother?”

She looked away from me, ignoring the question but noting, “You called me a queen.”

“That’s what you are. A queen. Nobody in the ocean or on land can take that away from you. Right now, however, Myrtle is the ruler who will best serve this kingdom, and you must have faith in her and her abilities.”

“How is she faring against the tyrant, anyway?” Mother inclined her chin toward the window.

“I haven’t seen King Odom yet. He must be waiting for his army to clear the way for him first.”

Calypso sat up straight, her wide eyes darting across the room. “You must leave. Get to my secret chamber beneath the throne and lock yourself in. Don’t come out, Angelique, not until—”

“I’m not leaving you, Mother. If his army does force their way into the palace, I will protect to you ‘til death.”

“Don’t be stupid, merling, don’t you see? The army isn’t coming after me. King Odom has declared war on Atargatis, and his soldiers are nothing more than a set of pawns used for distraction. While Myrtle is preoccupied tending to the insignificant pests he sends over first, he’ll come for me himself.”

“You’re being paranoid,” I claimed. “I’ve met King Odom. He’s a coward who hides behind his subjects and their daggers.”

Mother’s eyes moved past me, her nostrils flaring as a shadow cast from the window filled the room.

“As I said before…” The booming, masculine voice wafted through the water, sending my heart into a frenzy of erratic beats. “You’re just as insolent as your mother.”

I pivoted my tail and spun around, bending over to pick up the spear I dropped when I came in. King Odom crashed through the window, bursting into the surrounding brick until it crumbled. A whirlwind of salt-and-pepper hair reached me first, flying into my face and blinding me. Thrusting my weapon forward sightlessly, I tilted forward as he ripped it from my grip. Large, calloused hands seized my arms and threw me to the ground.

“Leave her be,” Mother ordered, a hint of maternal desperation apparent in her voice.

King Odom laughed, and I could only imagine the mirthful smile he sported at my expense—as if he’d just conquered the entire world by disabling me. His knee dug into my spine, shooting pain through every nerve in my body, but I resisted the urge to scream. This bloodthirsty tyrant would get no such satisfaction from me.

“Odom,” Calypso shouted when he pushed against me harder, “this is between the two of us. Leave my daughter out of it.”

“Wrong, witch. Your daughter involved herself in this dispute when she trespassed in my kingdom to beg for mercy on your account.”

“Angelique is just a merling. She doesn’t—”

“Scratch that! This mermaid set herself in my crosshairs the day she refused to allow my messenger to make off with your head.” A sharp blade stuck in my back, just barely piercing the flesh. King Odom sank his fingers into my brown curls and yanked my head back, wrenching my neck so I faced my mother directly. “Tell me, Princess. Is Mommy worth all this?”

“Yes,” I announced without hesitation. “Go ahead and kill me, you spiteful scoundrel, because that’s the only way you’ll get to her.”

A soft groan of excitement left his mouth at the challenge before he hauled me upright. I pulled at his clutches, struggling to break free, when the blade bit into my neck. A trickle of blood seeped from my jugular, the burn providing an escape from the deranged mess of a man in front of me.

“All right then,” he said, his eyes filling with a spark at the sight of red leaking into the water. Bloodlust lifted his cheeks into a wide grin. “Oh, how I shall enjoy this.”

“Stop,” Mother begged, and I couldn’t help but move my gaze to her. 

Humble and distressed, the face she wore was unlike any I had ever witnessed on her. As much as it wrenched at my heart, I couldn’t help but relish in it. To know she was capable of such sadness, of feeling anything so deep for any creature other than herself, reignited a spark of hope for me. 

Mother could change, I realized with conviction. She could evolve and learn to love. Knowing the image of the mother I’d always known deep down could exist would be my final sight filled me with a peace I’d never thought imaginable. 

“It’s okay, Mother,” I lied softly, seeking to ease her pain. “Everything will be okay.”

A hardness returned to her features, and determination gleamed in her black eyes. Her hand lifted to her wrist again, and she tugged hard at the bracelet. In one swift motion, she managed to rip the trinket from her skin, a red, bumpy rash left in its place. The magical band didn’t fight her this time, somehow channeling the dire need of its assent.

Without missing a beat, Mother conjured a ball of fire in her palm. King Odom went stiff for a moment before pulling me in between them as a shield. In that instant, a part of me feared she would revert to her old ways. That she would burn me along with him just to satisfy her need for revenge. Instead, Mother lowered a trembling hand, the effort it took to control the urge clear.

“I’ll ask one more time” she warned. “Let my daughter go.”

King Odom looked to me, then back at my mother before shaking his head, unsteady and unsure of his own decision. “Not a chance,” he rebutted. “Not until you put that thing back on your wrist.”

With a wave of her hand, Mother’s magic unlocked the cell door and slid it open. A flick of her fractured tail freed her from the prison, and she approached us with an eerie calm that rattled even me. Odom pressed the blade against my neck harder, an unspoken warning of what was to come if Calypso didn’t stop advancing.

She didn’t.

A blackness clouded my mind as he shoved the dagger deep into my throat. Blood gushed from the wound, and my hand flew to the gaping slice just as Mother threw the king against the wall with an invisible force. With his support gone, I tumbled to the floor, woozy from blood loss. 

My consciousness came and went. Visions of the massacre in front of me focused and blurred again and again. Clouds of blood filled the room, the redness fogging over the scene. Somehow, through my haze, I managed to realize it wasn’t just my blood I drowned in.

Mother tore the king to pieces. Dismembering his humanoid body chunk by chunk without ever once laying a finger on him. Black magic at its darkest played out before me in snippets and snapshots. 

King Odom’s screams for mercy were my lullaby, and the last sound I heard before drifting off into a deep, cold sleep.