Ice Crypt (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai Book 2) (27 page)

It’s okay,
his energy said.

But it wasn’t. True, Strymon had not specified that we were the secret detachment—but what about the commander?

Spio drifted back towards the army, pulling me with him.

He was right: Adaro’s focus was on the commander and Strymon. He had no reason to suspect anyone other than the Moonless City group.

The other guys caught on and followed us backwards.

Could we sink deep inside the army? Maybe someone could lie for us, claim we were here the whole time despite what Strymon said.

Good luck finding someone who will lie to the king’s face
, I thought.

Adaro turned to Katus and Ladon.

“Ensure this fish gets the same treatment our rebel group did.”

I caught the meaning before the commander did. I bit my tongue to stop myself from making a sound.

Katus and Ladon didn’t hesitate. After years of obeying Adaro, the order to kill was an ordinary assignment.

The commander shouted and tried to bolt. Katus grabbed him by the tail. With a broken arm, he struggled to hold the older merman. But Ladon was fast. He sliced the commander across the tail with the argillite blade, immobilising him. Blood spilled.

A soundless bubble escaped the commander’s mouth.

Tears sprang in my eyes. I turned to see Pontus grab his brother by the arm. Junior seemed about to dive in. But we could do nothing. With the king in front of us and his loyal army behind, protecting a traitor would mean the same fate.

Ladon wrapped a fist in the commander’s hair and wrenched his head back. Without hesitation, he drew the blade hard across the commander’s throat.

Life drained from the merman’s eyes. His aura vanished.

As the stench of blood reached my nose, Adaro said, “I commend your actions, Officer Strymon. Or should I say, Commander Strymon.”

Junior hissed. The blood drained from my face.

How had this plan gone so awry?

Strymon stuttered his thanks. He turned back to the army, as though to take in everything he’d just inherited.

His eyes fell on us.

We’d reached the army, but still hovered on the outskirts.

“Your Majesty,” he said. “Regarding the soldiers involved—”

“I have already dealt with them.”

Strymon glanced between the king and us, eyes narrow. “In punishment?”

“I assure you, they will not be able to try again.”

Strymon opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

My teeth bit into my lip. I glanced down. My skin had turned into a demon’s. I couldn’t calm down enough to revert to normal. I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling. Was this grief, rage, or terror?

Adaro peered around Strymon to the army. His eyes flicked over the guys and me, and then continued on.

“Most of my guards perished in the blast, Strymon. I require ten of your best soldiers to accompany me on the way back.”

“On the way—where are you—are you returning to Utopia already, sir?”

“I am going to the Moonless City. I have business with their government.”

“But—”

“Soldiers, Strymon. I do not have much time.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Strymon faced the army, looked us over again, then turned back to Adaro.

“Sir, are you certain you apprehended all rebels involved in the plot?”

Adaro’s mood flared. “The rebels were a part of the Moonless City allied council. Why do you think I am going to the Moonless City?”

Strymon didn’t move or reply, his mind obviously reeling.

“
Soldiers, Strymon!
”

“I—yes, sir. Right away.”

When Strymon turned towards us once more, his eyes blazed dangerously. An uneasy feeling rippled over me.

Someone jostled beside me. Coho shot forwards.

“Your Majesty. I request permission to be in your guard.”

Adaro considered. “Yes. This is your husband, is it not, Ephyra?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Very well.”

“Sir,” said Strymon. “I advise …”

He trailed off as Adaro’s temper flared.

“I will choose a few more for your guard, sir,” said Strymon. “In the meantime, soldier, you should arm yourself with something more lethal than a crossbow.”

“Yes,” said Adaro, leaning back to size up Coho. “What a poor choice of weapon.”

“Yes, sir,” said Coho.

He hesitated, holding Ephyra’s gaze, and then spun around.

Seizing the opportunity, we followed him into the unit.

Adaro turned back to Strymon. “I presume you will stop over at the military base tonight, now that you are this far north.”

“I—yes—certainly,” said Strymon, struggling to compose himself.

Spio placed a hand on my arm. Determination bled from him to me.

“Remember what the commander said,” he whispered. “If it goes awry.”

I shook my head. He’d said to keep our identities hidden, and try again, and again, and again.
We owe it to those we are fighting for.
But all I could think was that he was dead. He had been murdered because we failed to execute the plan.

“Lysi,” said Spio. “This was nobody’s fault.”

“I know,” I said, not looking at him.

The weapons hold, made from the ribcage of a whale, travelled in the centre of the unit and was carried on four sides by manta rays.

“Let’s make a quick plan,” whispered Pontus. “We can use Coho from the inside. He’ll be our—”

“Uh, look, guys,” said Coho.

Brow furrowed, he didn’t meet our eyes. He stared at the enormous grey wings of the nearest manta ray.

“I, uh … I thought Ephyra was killed back there.”

At our silence, he continued.

“I knew we were risking our own lives, but I … I didn’t know I was risking my family’s. I need to take responsibility. If I’m involved, I make it too easy for Ephyra and my kids to become targets.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Spio squeezed Coho’s shoulder.

“I get it, dude. It’s okay.”

I nodded. “Your family should come first.”

The other guys nodded, too. They clapped him on the back.

Coho relaxed.

I was relieved, somehow. One less casualty.

He grabbed a spear—whalebone, double-pronged at one end, serrated blade at the other.

“I’ll be wishing for a victory,” he said. “But I can’t … I’m sorry, I …”

He lingered on the goodbye.

I wanted to hug him, for some reason. In the short time I’d known him, I felt more comfortable around him than I usually felt around others. I wanted to tell him I hoped someday we could hang out, all of us, back in a free Utopia. Maybe I could take the guys to Eriana Kwai and introduce them to Meela.

I didn’t say any of this. I settled with a nod, like the others.

“Sir, it was a pleasure doing business with you,” said Spio.

“And you,” said Coho with a slight grin.

He turned to leave.

“Hey,” I said. “Is Ephyra going to be all right? With …”

I motioned to the place on my tail where Ephyra now bore the fresh burn. It had bothered me since I’d seen it.

For most mermaids, when allure meant so much, the unsightliness of an iron scar was worse than any physical pain. And by Ephyra’s perfect hair and graceful demeanour, I knew she prided herself on her beauty.

“She’ll live with it,” said Coho. “She’s tough.”

I nodded once. For the sake of Coho and their children, I hoped he was right.

“If she needs—I mean—I know what it’s like,” I said.

“Thanks.” His arm jerked towards me, like he almost hugged me, but he turned away. With a final glance at the others, he left.

The rest of us stayed put, hidden deep inside the army. My chest tightened.

Coho was about to be reunited with his wife, and that was what mattered. Wasn’t that the motivation for all of us? The desire to be reunited with those we loved?

A jolt of determination shot through me. We had to try again. This was about more than my need to go home. I was doing this for the families who’d been ripped apart by Adaro’s reign.

All the mermaids fighting above surface and the mermen fighting below had loved ones. The commander’s family would never see him again. He was one victim of countless. All because of Adaro.

I faced the guys. They had already grabbed new weapons. Spio scrubbed his Trident of Terror clean with an urchin.

I sorted through the weapons hold for the sharpest blade I could find.

“So,” I said, “how are we going to do this?”

Spio turned over his trident, examining the prongs.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I have a plan.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ravendust

In my dream, Lysi had been so vivid, so real, that I opened my eyes wondering why I felt so warm and dry when I had just been on the beach.

Could people experience smell in dreams? I swore it lingered in my nose, that sweet scent of Lysi’s breath, like herbs or fruit.

I let myself stay in a daze as I ate breakfast, reliving the feeling of being with her again. But with every bland spoonful of porridge, reality crashed down on me.

I checked the clock. The others would be waiting if I didn’t hurry. I stuffed a water bottle, a few carrots, and a sweater in my backpack.

I stepped onto the porch and closed the door without saying goodbye to my parents. A chill had descended between us since I stormed from the house the day before. I supposed I hadn’t helped matters by getting caught snooping for my father’s book.

Starting down the driveway, I clung to the comfort of the dream. Lysi and I had been alone on the beach, sitting side-by-side like when we were kids. She told me to stop moving my legs so it would be easier for them to turn into a tail. When nothing happened, she grew frustrated, saying she’d swim away without me if I didn’t hurry. Her eyes blazed red, and her teeth grew long and pointed, but I wasn’t afraid. I told her to try kissing me to trigger the transformation. Her anger faded, then, and I was left staring into two intoxicating, sapphire blue eyes. I leaned closer—

“Mind if I join you?”

I whirled around to find Tanuu at my shoulder. He threw his arms up in jest, as though to protect his face from my reflexes.

“Stop doing that!” I said.

He dropped his arms, smiling apologetically.

“I thought we were going to meet at the cliff top,” I said.

“I know. I thought we could walk together.”

“Oh. All right.”

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and kept walking, pretending to be oblivious to the way he grabbed for my hand. Wispy clouds drizzled on us, leaving droplets in my hair.

This dream had been blissfully different from usual. I’d dreamt of her a few times since returning from the Massacre. Usually they were violent, nightmarish reminders of that month at sea. They always ended with Lysi lying dead in a pool of blood. The face of her murderer varied among Dani, Adaro, Annith, myself, my father, or even the mysterious shadow of the Host.

This time, I had woken up with my heart pounding for an entirely different reason. It left me with a deep longing, curled on my side, trying desperately to go back to sleep and finish—

“Did you tell your parents yet?” said Tanuu.

I looked at him sharply. “Excuse me?”

“Did you tell them you’re gonna use your blood to free the Host?”

“Oh.” I forced my mind back to the present, watching my feet as we wandered a deer trail. “They think I’m wasting my time. I don’t even know if I’m a descendant.”

The bitterness in my voice was thick. I’d wanted an extra day to try again, but with the Massacre departure looming the next day, we had to search for the crypt.

“Man, they still don’t believe you?”

I shook my head. “My mother just gets mad when I bring it up.”

A fallen hemlock blocked our path. Tanuu hopped over and offered a hand to help me. I accepted out of politeness.

“So they really think the Massacres are a better idea,” he said.

“I don’t know. I don’t get it. Nobody seems to understand that mermaids can think. Everyone’s going on like they’re an infestation.”

“I think they do understand. They’re too afraid to admit it. They can’t accept that we’re not the only intelligent creatures.”

We continued in silence for a few minutes, padding over the dirt and twigs until we reached the meadow.

“Wanna come over tonight?” said Tanuu as we traipsed through the grass. “My parents are out. I’ll make you dinner. It’d be nice to spend time just the two of us, you think?”

I concentrated extra hard on the grass at my feet. “What are your parents doing?”

“It’s cribbage night or something. I dunno. Whatever old people do on a Monday. Does it matter?”

We stopped at the edge of the beach. The lava rock swelled below, dark and sinister. The rising tide crashed through the divots, sending sprays higher than our heads. A cold, salty mist sprinkled my face.

I met Tanuu’s hopeful eyes. I thought of Annith’s words, and how terrible it was that I kept dragging him along, letting him think I’d come back to him one day.

“Tanuu, I don’t think it’s a good idea that I come over.”

His smile faltered. “Why not?”

I took a breath, opened my mouth, but no sound came out.