The Mermaid's Madness (34 page)

Read The Mermaid's Madness Online

Authors: Jim C. Hines

“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 glass.
“Danielle! Where are you?”
The urgency in his tone burned away her fatigue. “What’s wrong? Is Beatrice—”
“She’s still alive.” The image jogged about, presumably while Armand found a more private place to talk. “I’ve tried to reach you, but your friend neglected to tell me how to make this mirror work. Prince Varisto of Hilad arrived in Lorindar last night. He says you invaded his land? Are you all right?”
“We’re fine,” Danielle said. “We should be home in less than an hour.”
Armand lowered his voice. “Danielle, he’s threatening to declare war against Lorindar.”
“He attacked us! He would have sunk the
Phillipa
if Morveren hadn’t helped us.”
“He’s saying Morveren is an enemy of the Hiladi Empire.”
From behind Danielle, a tired voice said, “He’s right.”
Snow grimaced and adjusted her hat to block the worst of the sun. She kept one arm around Talia’s shoulders for support. Shadows swelled the skin beneath her eyes, and she hugged a heavy cloak around herself for warmth.
“Varisto is demanding we surrender Morveren to him,” Armand said.
Danielle shook her head.“She helped us find Lirea.We need Morveren’s help if we’re going to save Beatrice.”
“Where is Morveren?” Snow asked.
“Down below.” Talia’s words were as stiff as her posture, and she wouldn’t even look at Snow. “Captain Hephyra wanted her locked away for the rest of the journey.”
“I’ll meet you at the docks,” Armand said. “I don’t believe Varisto will try anything here, but I’ll have guards ready just in case.”
“Thank you.” She kissed the mirror again, then turned to Snow. “How do you feel?”
“Foolish.” Snow gasped in pain as she rested her forearms on the rail. “Also a little sore.”
Danielle started to reach for her. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“You know how your whole body aches when you get sick?” Snow asked. “It’s kind of like that, with the added pleasure of blurred vision, a cracked skull, and memories that aren’t actually mine.”
“The knife?” Danielle guessed.
Snow started to nod, then winced. “I heard her, Danielle. I heard Bea’s voice. She’s in there. She’s scared, but she’s still . . . still
her
.”
Danielle smiled, and even Talia relaxed slightly.
“I heard . . . I
felt
Gustan, too. What’s left of him. He’s in bad shape. Fragmented.” Snow closed her eyes. “I watched Lirea kill him. I saw the expression on her face when she realized what she had done.”
“What do you mean?” asked Danielle.
“Morveren created the knife to complete her spell and save Lirea’s life. But Lirea refused to use it. She had chosen death rather than kill the man she loved.”
“Stupid,” Talia said.
“Young,” Snow corrected. “He was her one true love. Without him life wasn’t worth living, and woe was her. Weren’t you ever young and foolish?”
Talia scowled but said nothing.
“I saw her face.” Snow bowed her head. “When she stabbed Gustan, she didn’t know what she was doing. Any more than Talia did when I made her leave the knife behind last night. I could hear Morveren’s song in Gustan’s memories.”
“You’re saying Morveren used magic to force Lirea to kill Prince Gustan.” Talia’s voice was taut as the lines running to the mainmast.
“That’s what destroyed Lirea,” said Snow. “Morveren warned me that struggling to control a mind could damage or even destroy that mind. This was no gentle nudge. Morveren used magic to rape Lirea’s mind. When Lirea regained control and saw Gustan dying in front of her, you could see the horror in her face. She covered her ears and fled, screaming.”
“Morveren wouldn’t allow her granddaughter to die,” Danielle whispered. “All along, she’s wanted to save Lirea. It’s the only thing she seems to care about.”
“That’s why I couldn’t control Lirea.” Snow turned to Talia. “She might not be trained, but some part of her recognizes the touch of that magic and remembers what happened the last time.”
Danielle nodded. “Morveren said Lirea was gifted.”
“She said the same of me.” Snow’s voice was so quiet Danielle barely heard. “Talia . . . I’m sorry.”
“It’s not the same thing,” Talia said, shifting uncomfortably. “You didn’t force me to kill anyone.”
“Not to kill, no. But I did force you. Because I could.” She laughed, though there was little humor in the sound. “You’d think I would have learned better than to trust witches by now.”
“Morveren helped us find Lirea and that knife,” Danielle said. “We still need her.”
“No.” Snow took a slow breath. “I want no more of her help. Leave her locked in the hold, or give her to Varisto. I can help Beatrice on my own.”
Talia snorted. “You can barely walk on your own.”
Snow pulled away from Talia and turned back toward the cabin. “We’re docking soon, and I’m still wearing the clothes I slept in. I have to change.”
Talia followed, catching Snow’s arm. Talia’s anger was obvious, but she handled Snow as though she were porcelain.
Danielle turned away, watching as Lorindar slowly grew in the distance. She stared at the docks until she spotted the fleck of red that marked Varisto’s ship.
Talia had wanted to kill the crew of that ship. Danielle was the one who ordered them left alive, and now Varisto was threatening war against Lorindar.
“I’m surprised they made it, given the damage we did,” Talia said, walking up behind her a short time later.
“Do you think they’ve fixed their guns yet?” Danielle asked.
“Don’t worry. He wouldn’t dare attack us again, not with a good twenty ships of Lorindar to either side.”
Danielle looked down, watching the waves break against the
Phillipa
’s hull. “If Morveren forced Lirea to kill her prince, that would explain why Lirea attacked Morveren so brutally and why she wouldn’t trust Lannadae, but . . .”
“What is it?”
“Lirea ambushed the
Glass Slipper
. She’s begun an offensive that could cripple the naval power of every nation around. At the same time, she’s brought new undine into her tribe, expanding her numbers beyond anything we’ve ever seen. Do those sound like the actions of a woman with a broken mind?”
“Princess Whiteshore, is that
suspicion
I hear in your voice?” Talia shook her head. “I’ve fought Lirea twice. She’s strong, but she has no strategy, no tactics beyond rage and pain.”
Danielle turned toward the cabin. “It makes me wonder exactly how closely Gustan’s soul is bound to Lirea.”
 
Like the
Phillipa,
the Hiladi vessel still bore the scars of battle. Bright planks had been nailed into place and tarred to cover the worst of the damage. Armed men worked on the deck, replacing lines and mending sails. They had lowered one of their boats into the water at the back of the ship, where two men had been inspecting the rudder. Now they stood watching the
Phillipa
glide closer. Even from this distance Danielle could feel their anger.
“I think they remember us,” Talia said, coming up beside her.
The docks were packed more tightly than Danielle had ever seen. High tide was normally a busy time, but not one of these ships appeared ready to leave. Nor had the
Phillipa
passed any traffic on their way in, save for a pair of three-masted naval ships patrolling beyond the harbor. The storms had departed Lorindar with the
Phillipa
. Only fear of the undine kept these ships docked now.
Captain Hephyra stood balanced on the bowsprit, one hand raised in an obscene gesture toward the Hiladi. Glancing over her shoulder, she shouted, “Lower anchors!”
The deck vibrated beneath Danielle’s feet as the anchor chains played out. The
Phillipa
jerked once before dragging to a halt.
By the time the crew had readied the cutter, Snow had emerged from the cabin wearing a green jacket trimmed with gold cord over a low-cut white shirt. A polished leather belt gleamed at her waist, matching her knee-high boots. She had kept the tricorn hat, though it didn’t really match the rest of her finery.
“Are you up for climbing?” Talia asked.
“I’ll be fine.” Snow waved them away and climbed down the rope ladder into the boat. She moved slowly but reached the cutter without incident. Danielle wondered if anyone else noticed the sheen of sweat on Snow’s face.

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