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  “But then that brat, Panopea, got in the way. She came to me with news that she was learning to speak Eriana from her cousin, who learned it from a human. When I discovered what was happening, it was too late. She had made an attempt to kill you and blamed the runt—and all my work to solidify your friendship was ruined. I killed Panopea and arranged it to look like a suicide. She was scarred and bloodied half to death, anyway, after you had finished with her.”

  Tears blurred my eyes so Adaro became a pale blob against the dark backdrop. Was my entire life a setup? Even the first mermaid I’d ever killed—or thought I’d killed—was another of Adaro’s victims.

  “My plan to use your new best friend to make you hand over the Host met its demise. So I thought. Ten years later, I could not believe it. My young friends had reunited—and their bond was better than I could have imagined. They were in love. I was able to use Lysithea to manipulate you, after all. You got me the Host at the threat of her life.”

  I gritted my teeth, blinking back tears. All these years, I had assumed fate had brought Lysi and me together. But everything, from the day I’d met Lysi to the day I’d woken the leviathan, had been a part of Adaro’s plan.

  What about the rest of my life? My father and Nilus? How different would everything be had they not been forced on Massacres?

  “But you didn’t know I would be on the Massacre.” My words came out strangled through gritted teeth. “You didn’t know my people would retaliate so hard. You didn’t know I would be here, a mermaid, and that I would be the one to kill you in the end. My Massacre training put me here with a crossbow. You’re the reason I spent years learning to shoot it.”

  My own words gave me strength. He could try to make me another victim, but I would fight to my death to avoid that. This was still my life, and starting with the crossbow in my hands, I could control how it played out.

  Something like fear flickered across Adaro’s face—but then a blast of air sounded outside the hull. Adaro sneered. She was coming.

  “As amusing as it has been to contrive your love story,” said Adaro, “the time has come for it to end. I hope you said a proper goodb—”

  “Love? You’re cowering inside a shipwreck, hiding from everyone. You built your life and your kingdom on hatred. Don’t pretend you understand love.”

  He failed to take it into account, again and again. It was the most important part of life, as Lysi had said. Here was the girl in front of him, who had become a mermaid and gotten to this island because of it. Here was the girl willing to sacrifice her own life for those she loved, and with those she loved ready to do the same. As I would always be there for Lysi, she would always be there for me.

  That was a kind of love Adaro had never understood. He’d never learned to trust anyone. Did he even trust himself? How could he, if he hated himself so deeply?

  “The great King Adaro,” I said, “too weak, desperate, and scared to tell anyone what he is. This is how you’ll be remembered. Your Majesty.”

  Inexplicably, pity seeped through my veins. I felt sorry for the crippled man in front of me. Since birth, he’d learned through rejection and cruelty that he could not trust humans. He’d grown up to hate a significant part of himself and the world he lived in—and he let that hatred become his downfall. He would never experience self-acceptance or peace.

  A high wave splashed over the hull, drenching us both. I felt the serpent’s presence, angry and drawing nearer.

  It was time to end all the horrors Adaro had brought to this earth.

  And for once, instead of being driven by anger, I felt calm. This was the only way forwards. It was almost tragic to think Adaro had spent his entire life suffering in hatred.

  Adaro snarled. He raised a muscular arm, calling the serpent.

  A wave slammed into me at her arrival. I held my ground, letting the deluge wash back down the rocks.

  After years of practice, aligning my aim felt natural. I held the crossbow firmly, not taking my eye off my target.

  Adaro grabbed at whatever he could reach to pull himself further into the hull.

  The sky darkened as the serpent raised a massive head. There was a wet, cracking sound of her jaws opening. The back of my neck prickled.

  Adaro was scrambling away, but not fast enough. Bile crept up my throat at the thought of shooting this man in the back.

  I exhaled. “For Eriana Kwai.”

  For the protection of everyone back home, for Lysi, for merpeople—and for myself—I pulled the trigger.

  A hot breath of air washed over me. I dove sideways, catching a fleeting glimpse of the bolt leaving my crossbow.

  The serpent’s snout slammed into the rocks where I’d been and snapped closed over nothing.

  The bolt plunged into Adaro’s ribcage.

  The serpent drew back to lunge again. The remains of the fishing net fell from her jaws, scattering over the beach.

  Adaro fell, bolt protruding from his side. Crimson blood oozed from the wound. But he was still alive.

  “No,” I whispered.

  I needed something to act as a second bolt. A rock, or a branch.

  The serpent was too quick. The other set of jaws opened overhead with a wet crackle. The beach darkened further. I rolled to the side, but I was helpless out of water. A tooth caught my arm, knocking me flat. I dropped the crossbow.

  The serpent’s breath engulfed me. My fingers found a sharp rock.

  I lunged for the crossbow, stretching, reaching. I slammed the rock against the shaft. It was too short and fat, but there was no time.

  I aimed at Adaro’s crumpled body, teeth gritted. My makeshift ammo wasn’t going to leave the weapon properly.

  A drip of hot saliva hit my shoulder. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger a second time. The crossbow vibrated as the sinew snapped.

  I waited for the pain of those fangs sinking into me, thinking of Lysi.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Lysi

  The Liberation of Utopia

  The Nereid Peaks cascaded into the distance, each underwater mountain higher than the last. I stopped to get a feel of the landscape. The prison could have been anywhere in these peaks and valleys. It would take days to scour the whole range.

  Maybe the mountains broke the surface to form islands. It would be a good place to keep a lot of merpeople. Was I looking for a good place, though? Or was I looking for something miserable? The vista of coral felt too close to paradise for it to be a prison.

  No matter what happens, keep going.

  Spio’s words looped in my mind with every stroke. I’d done what he said, expecting him to catch up. But I kept going, and going, and the sun changed positions, and still I swam alone. I forced myself to keep a quick pace, fighting the urge to turn around and search for him.

  Panicking would do me no good. I had to keep going. If I didn’t find Queen Evagore, how were we supposed to make a peace treaty with the humans? We needed a reformed kingdom, and for that, we needed our queen.

  I’d shouted to Spio as he turned in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to be headed. “Where are you going?”

  “To get proof!” he’d shouted back.

  Proof. That would imply Meela had succeeded in killing Adaro. I needed to trust that she had. I needed to be convincing when I told the guards Adaro was dead.

  I couldn’t help thinking that if Adaro was alive, it meant one thing for Meela—in which case I would have nothing left to lose. So I would believe with all my heart that Adaro was dead. If that was a lie, I would deal with the consequence when it came.

  This place was a medley of wildlife. Given that this mountain range was in the middle of nowhere, it must have been untouched by both humans and merpeople; the plants and fish grew to enormous proportions.

  Keeping a fast pace, I dove and skimmed the ocean floor, trying not to think of the others. Then everything became cold and dark. I jerked to a stop, looking around, an unsettle
d feeling washing over me. The landscape was strangely naked. The coral was gone. Entire chunks of rock were missing, as though they had been blasted away.

  Meela said the humans had dropped something over the prison. Was this the result of an explosive?

  The desolate hush sent a chill down my spine. I had to be close.

  I’d spent the journey both wishing I had an army behind me and feeling grateful I was alone; I would be less of a threat to whomever guarded this place. Now, I wished for at least a friend.

  I would have to play the role of a messenger from Utopia, here to deliver news of Adaro’s death. Revealing I was there for Queen Evagore might put her life in danger. The guards could bar my entry and kill her. I would have to tell them their order was to free all Nereid prisoners.

  I chewed my lip. Was this a dumb plan? After spending so long avoiding Adaro’s armies, even fleeing them, it was hard to convince myself to simply swim up to his prison guards. Plus, what if they recognised me as a traitor to the crown, as Thetis and Nestor had? Even if they didn’t, what were the chances they would believe me?

  Maybe I should try to sneak in.

  The idea was comforting. But this prison was supposed to be high security. I doubted I’d be able to get in, set free their most valuable prisoner, and make it out alive.

  I was so immersed in coming up with a plan that I nearly missed it when something odd hit my senses from below. I could feel a vast opening in the earth, yet there was only rock and sand.

  I plunged into the darker depths.

  There was a presence on the current, but I couldn’t tell where it came from. It seemed to be beneath the rock. Was it inside the peak? I felt the auras of what must have been a hundred merpeople.

  This had to be it. I hovered, casting for signs of a break in the floor. How was I supposed to get to them?

  I wondered if I should wait for Spio and whatever proof he was getting. Whether I tried to sneak in or pretended to be a messenger, I wanted his help.

  Under a nearby boulder was a gap just big enough to fit. I would wait there until Spio arrived.

  I’d barely pulled myself inside when something tightened over my hair and yanked me out.

  “Ouch!”

  I found myself face-to-face with the point of a stone blade. Behind it was a merman, teeth bared.

  “Trespasser,” he said. “Who are you?”

  “I’m from Utopia! I was sent to deliver news,” I blurted, then grimaced. Guess we’re going with the first plan.

  He leaned back, studying me. “You were?”

  “Yes. The government—”

  “Why were you trying to hide?”

  I opened my mouth, struggling for an explanation.

  Behind the merman, a female voice said, “Who is it?”

  “Someone from Utopia.”

  “Utopia?”

  “Says she’s here to deliver news.”

  “What news?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out!”

  I winced at his firm grip on my hair.

  “Where’s Guenevere?” said the mermaid.

  She whirled around and disappeared.

  “Come on,” said the merman, following her. He gave me little choice, pulling me along by the hair.

  I stayed quiet, deciding compliance would be my best course of action.

  “Get me Guenevere,” shouted the mermaid.

  We crested the top of a hill and I let out a soft, “Oh.”

  I found myself facing an army of at least a hundred mermaids and mermen. They held their weapons up, ready to defend—what, exactly? Behind them was more rock and patches of dead coral.

  A murmur passed through the crowd. A brunette with a stone mace came forwards. My gaze landed on the rubies in her braid—she was their commander.

  “What is it?” she said.

  “Found this one hiding,” said the merman. “Says she was sent to us from Utopia.”

  They all looked at me expectantly.

  Spio or not, I had to persist.

  “The government’s fallen, Commander. King Adaro is dead. You are to abandon your post and release your prisoners.”

  Tension swept through the crowd. A whisper seemed to pass over them, though none moved their lips.

  “This is treason,” said Guenevere. “This is exactly the lie His Majesty warned us about.”

  I cast my senses through the guards, finding contempt. “What lie?”

  “That His Majesty is dead. What proof do you have? None have come close to defeating him or the serpent.”

  Hurry up, Spio.

  “The serpent is no longer under his control,” I said. “It’s in the hands of the revolutionaries.”

  Guenevere snarled. “You’re lying.”

  I knew this would happen. Adaro would have warned his armies against news of an assassination. He had been bitten by this lie when Spio, Nilus, and I had taken part in the attempt on his life. He would have taken precautions since then. More than proof, we needed Meela here with the serpent. My fear over her fate was betraying me. I shouldn’t have listened to her. I should have insisted we stay together.

  “Surely you’ve heard of the coup in Utopia,” I said.

  The guards exchanged glances.

  “We heard rumours,” said Guenevere.

  Interesting. Was this why they were so keen to listen to someone who said she had news from Utopia? They could easily have turned me away. Instead, I was here in front of them.

  “The rumours are true,” I said, summoning confidence. “I’m here to tell you that the Pacific Kingdom is no longer under Adaro.”

  Everyone was silent—listening to me. The grip on my hair loosened, but the merman didn’t let go.

  “It was a revolution. There’s going to be an election. We decide who’s in government.”

  The guards shifted, unease rippling through them.

  I understood their dilemma. If I was lying about Adaro’s death, and if they abandoned their post to join me, they would become traitors to the crown. As someone who once served under Adaro out of the same fear, I empathised.

  I was about to speak honestly about this when a clamour drifted down the current.

  Everyone turned towards the roar of voices coming this way, the noise echoing in the mountain range, slow and distorted. I strained my ears to figure out what was happening.

  This couldn’t be Spio, could it?

  “Who are you with?” Guenevere said to me, a fierce look on her face.

  Everyone raised their weapons. The grip on my hair tightened painfully.

  “No one!” I said. “I came alone.”

  Guenevere scowled, but said nothing. We waited. I wished I had something, anything, to defend myself.

  Then a horde of merpeople came into view, and my jaw fell open. It was a wall of Utopians, led by Dione, Ephyra, and the others I remembered from Kori Maru. They dragged with them a line of four mermaids and three mermen, gagged and connected by rope. I recognised the hostages from demonstrations and ceremonies during training. These were the faces of Adaro’s government—most of it. Nemertes was missing.

  My heart raced. This was the result of the coup. They’d rallied all these civilians. They’d found out where Evagore was, and they were here to get her.

  The roar became clearer. They were chanting.

  “Not my king! Not my war! Not my king! Not my war!”

  Invisible ropes around my chest seemed to loosen. We had more allies than I’d dreamed.

  Dione’s voice rose above the masses as they advanced. “Adaro’s government is no more! We are here from both the South Pacific and Utopia, and we ask you to release your prisoners, and join our new kingdom.”

  Guenevere raised her mace. Around me, the guards tensed, ready for a fight.

  I cursed inwardly. If I’d had another moment, I was sure I could have convinced them to drop arms.

  “If you surrender, we wil
l welcome you as allies,” said Dione, unfazed. “We will join together and fight the tyrant Adaro.”

  “What are you on about?” said Guenevere. “First you say Adaro’s dead, and now you’re here to fight him?”

  The crowd drew to a stop in front of us.

  “Dead?” said Dione. “We never said he is dead.”

  Ephyra spotted me and said, “Oh!”

  Dione’s gaze snapped to me. Her expression changed to one of bewilderment.

  “What are you—?”

  “He is,” I said. “I’ve just come from him.”

  Gathered in a valley between two peaks, the mounts on all sides acted as a sound funnel. My voice carried with unusual clarity.

  A hush fell. Then, excitement and fear flew through the crowd at these words.

  “Dead. He’s dead. The king is dead!”

  “How?” whispered Dione.

  “King tide,” I said. “We followed him. Meela killed him. We need to meet her—”

  “She did? Where is she?” said Dione, peering through the guards.

  “And where is the serpent?” said the white-blonde mermaid from Kori Maru.

  “Traitors, turn away from this place or we will be forced to fight,” shouted Guenevere.

  The guards raised their weapons higher. The merman gripping my hair let go so he could face his opponents.

  “Look at the numbers before you,” said Dione. “We are peacefully asking you to surrender and join us, along with the prisoners you keep.”

  At the mention of the prisoners, Guenevere’s eyes reddened.

  We hung suspended, two armies facing each other—Dione’s several times larger, Guenevere’s better armed.

  Those behind Dione examined the mountainside the guards protected, possibly seeking out an entrance.

  Though they were my allies, I wished I could have done this alone. I worried what plans Dione had for Queen Evagore.

  “Dione,” I said, hesitating. She needed to know how vital it was to get the queen to Eriana Kwai—but I was still reluctant to mention Evagore outright in case the guards did something drastic.