If so, then it was Orfeo’s black pearl that was in the maelstrom off the coast of Greenland. Navi’s moonstone was in the dragon breeding grounds of Matali. And Merrow’s talisman—Neria’s Stone—was somewhere on the coast of Spain. Lady Thalia hadn’t had time to tell Sera and Ling what the remaining three talismans were, but Sera was willing to bet that Nyx’s—whatever it was—was in the Mississippi swamps, Pyrrha’s was at Cape Horn, and Sycorax’s was in the Great Abyss.
Sera was excited that she’d learned so much, but dismayed that she still didn’t have all the answers she needed. It made sense that she should search for her own ancestor’s talisman, as it was hidden in her own realm’s waters—but where should she begin? Baltazaar had mentioned no specific hazard in connection with Neria’s Stone. He’d only stated that Merrow had been wounded by a fisherman along Spain’s coast, and that her hippokamp had been stranded. But Spain’s coast was hundreds of miles long. It would be impossible to search every inch of it.
Serafina groaned in frustration. What she desperately needed to know was right in front of her, in her notes. It had to be. Why couldn’t she see it?
She picked up her pen and doodled a picture of a large diamond on her parchment. She drew it as Lady Thalia had described it—in the shape of a teardrop.
“Come on, Merrow, help me out here,” she whispered. “Please. Where is Neria’s Stone?”
The trapdoor to the bunker suddenly opened. Niccolo and Domenico swam in, agitated. Serafina soon saw why. They had found a baby. A little merboy. Only two or three months old. He was howling. Niccolo was holding him. Domenico was babbling like a lunatic.
“We found in him in the fabra. We heard him crying. I can’t believe the death riders didn’t. He was hidden under some coral. We don’t know how he got there. He’s a baby, Magistro! What do we do?”
Before Fossegrim could answer, Alessandra swam to Niccolo and swept the baby out of his arms.
She tried to quiet him. “Oh, povero piccolo infante!” she cooed. She was from the Lagoon and often lapsed into Italian. “Dolce bambino! Poveretto! Dolce infante!”
Infante.
“Oh. My. Gods,” Serafina whispered. “I know where the talisman is.”
SERAFINA JUMPED UP out of her chair so fast, she knocked it over.
“Magistro!” she shouted.
“My goodness, child, what is it?” Fossegrim asked, startled.
“Where can I find conchs on shipwrecks in Miromara?”
“Level Eight,” he said. “Why?”
Serafina grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She headed to the door.
“Principessa, wait! Where are you going? It’s not safe outside,” Fossegrim protested.
“I have to go, Magistro. I’ll return as soon as I can. Hopefully in a few days. Tell the others good-bye for me. Can I borrow a compass?” she asked, grabbing one from a shelf.
“Yes, of course. But why?” Fossegrim asked.
“I’ll tell you when I get back!” Serafina said. She hugged the old merman, grabbed a lava globe, and swam out of the bunker. A few minutes later, she was on Level Eight.
Infante.
The word had triggered a memory—an image of a painting that had hung on the wall of the duca’s library before it was stolen by Rafe Mfeme. It was a portrait of one of the duca’s ancestors, Maria Theresa, an infanta of Spain. Around her neck was a magnificent blue diamond—a jewel that had been passed down through generations of Spanish queens. Was that why Merrow had gone to the Spanish coast? To give her very own talisman to a human?
The more Serafina thought about it, the more sense it made. Merrow chose a human because there was nothing more dangerous. That human must have been an ancestor of the infanta’s, which is how the infanta had come to own the diamond. And Rafe Mfeme had stolen the infanta’s portrait to show it to Traho, so he could see exactly what the talisman he was searching for looked like.
The only thing Sera couldn’t figure out was how Traho had made the same connections without having seen Merrow’s bloodsong in the Iele’s caves, or talking to Lady Thalia. Once again, he was one stroke ahead of her.
Sera found the shipwreck section easily. She remembered that the duca had said that the infanta sailed to France in 1582 on board the Demeter, and soon located a conch containing information on the ship, including where it sank—twenty-five leagues due south of the French town of Saintes-Maries. The pirate who’d attacked it was from Cathay. His name was Amarrefe Mei Foo. Contemporary sources believed that Mei Foo did not obtain the diamond, but no one knew what actually happened to it, only that it was never seen again.
“Hopefully because it’s still around the infanta’s neck,” Serafina said aloud, putting the conch back.
She slung her bag over her shoulder. She had what she needed. Dawn was still hours away. She’d leave Cerulea under cover of darkness. Later, she’d contact Neela, Ava, Ling, and Becca to tell them what she’d learned.
“Where are you going? Can I come with you?” a voice said.
Serafina nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around, reaching for her knife, but it was only Coco. And Abelard.
“Don’t do that! You scared me half to death!”
Coco eyes traveled to the bag slung over Serafina’s shoulder. “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you? Take me with you.”
“No, it’s much too dangerous. And besides, who would take care of Fossegrim?”
The little merl threw her arms around Sera’s neck. “Promise me you’ll come back. Promise me,” she said fiercely.
“I promise,” Serafina said. She hugged her hard, then said, “I’ve got to go now, Coco. Get back to the bunker where it’s safe.”
Serafina said good-bye, then swam away. Time was not on her side. Traho also believed that the infanta’s blue diamond and Neria’s Stone were one and the same. Plus he had the portrait. He knew what the diamond looked like. He probably knew about the Demeter, too, and that the infanta had gone down with it.
Serafina could only hope that he didn’t know the wreck lay twenty-five leagues due south of Saintes-Maries.
NEELA YAWNED. Another day had passed. The waters outside her windows were growing dusky. She’d lost track of how many days she’d been confined to her room now. Five? Six? Did it matter? Did anything?
There were zee-zees and bing-bangs nearby. Bags of them. Their wrappers littered her floor. There were kanjaywoohoos. And pink, lots of pink. Pink saris. Pink bangle bracelets. Pink scarves. Was pink really so bad? Maybe she should do what they wanted. Maybe she should give in, a little voice inside her said. Before she truly lost her mind—from boredom.
“No way,” she said out loud, countering the voice. “I won’t.”
Giving in was impossible. Not because she’d have to surrender her swashbuckler clothes, though she’d miss them greatly, but because Kiraat wanted promises of good behavior. That meant she wasn’t supposed to talk about Abbadon or swim off to find Sera the first chance she got.
Neela rose from her chair. She was just about to pour herself yet another cup of tea when she heard a tapping at her window. Startled by the noise, Ooda puffed up in alarm. Neela swam to the window and saw that a pelican was swimming back and forth outside it. He tapped again.
“I can’t open it!” she told him. “I’m sorry!”
Kiraat had enchanted her windows so she couldn’t swim out through them, but he’d left one open a crack, just wide enough to allow fresh water in. Or a conch.
As Neela watched, the pelican nudged a white shell through the space.
“Thank you!” she said, taking it. She unwrapped a few zee-zees and pushed them through the crack. Pelicans, she knew, were partial to them. He caught them in his pouch, then headed back to the surface. Neela held the conch to her ear excitedly. She recognized the voice inside it.
“Hey, Neels,” Serafina said. “I made it home. I hope you did too. Are you okay? Ling and I tried to convoca you, but we couldn’t get through, so I sent this conch. It
’s a risky move, I know but I instructed the pelican to crack it if any death riders came after him. I can’t explain everything now, but I think my theory about Merrow was correct: she hid the talismans during her Progress. What’s more, I think she hid all but one in waters near each mage’s original home. A vitrina told Ling and me that Navi’s talisman was an egg-shaped moonstone. I think it’s somewhere in Matali’s dragon breeding grounds. If you go searching for it, don’t go alone. You’ll need soldiers with weapons or you’ll be eaten alive. I’m setting off after Neria’s Stone. Wish me luck. It’s hard here in Cerulea. We’re really in trouble. And I don’t know how to do this, you know? I miss you. A lot. But I’ve got you with me, kind of. Because of the bloodbind. I throw a mean frag now, and I can speak to eels and silverfish. I think the vow gave each of us some of everyone else’s magic.” There was a pause and then, “Mahdi’s alive. He’s okay. That’s all I can say for now. We’re trying to find out anything we can about Yaz. Don’t give up hope. We’ll find him. I know we will. I love you, Neels. Smash this when you’re done listening to it, okay?”
Neela laughed out loud, so happy to know that Sera and Mahdi were both okay. She wished Sera could have told her that her brother was too, but she would keep hoping. Knowing Yazeed, he would turn up in a nightclub somewhere.
She thought about what else Sera had said—that Navi’s talisman was a moonstone and that it was in dragon breeding grounds…but which ones? Matali had dozens of them.
Dragons were the main source of Matali’s wealth. Its temperate waters provided ideal breeding conditions for many types, including the Bengalese Bluefin—gentle, calm, and good for pulling wagons and carriages; the Lakshadwa Blackclaw, huge, powerful, and used by the military; and the Royal Arabian—a creature so dazzling, and so costly, that only the wealthiest mer could afford them. There were many more, all bred and exported. All, that is, except the Razormouths, who were feral and murderous. In centuries past, attempts had been made to domesticate them, but they’d always ended badly. The Razormouths nonetheless served an important purpose. They bred in the Madagascar Basin, in western Matali, near Kandina. Attempts to invade Matali via the Basin always ended badly, too, because no invaders could slip by them. The Razormouths’ importance to the realm’s defense was the reason their image was on the Matalin flag.
Neela swam back and forth now, trying to figure out which breeding ground Merrow would have picked. The Razormouths’ was the obvious choice, but other breeds could be vicious, too. She stopped at her windows and stared out, biting her lip. The sun was almost down now. Its last, weak rays were fading in the water and a strong westerly current was rising. It was tearing at the Matali flags, making them flap. Neela looked at the national symbol—the Razormouth queen holding her “special” egg—the only one that wasn’t an ugly brown. As she continued to stare at the flags, Neela’s tail fin began to twitch and her skin started to glow bright blue. Something had just occurred to her.
“Ooda!” she said aloud. “Navi’s moonstone was egg-shaped too. That’s what Sera said. Maybe it’s not an egg that the Razormouth queen is holding…maybe it’s the moonstone! What if Merrow gave it to the reigning dragon queen—because there’s nothing more treacherous than a Razormouth, right? And the queen passed it down to the queens who came after her. Whoever made the first Matali flag must’ve seen the dragon queen with it. He didn’t know it was a moonstone…why would he? He probably just thought it was an egg. It’s there, Ooda! The moonstone’s with the Razormouths. I know it is.”
You’ll need soldiers…Serafina had said.
Yes, Neela thought, thousands of them. With spears and shields and lava launchers.
“How am I going to do this? It’s impossible,” she said out loud. “Even with soldiers, I may as well hang a sign around my neck that says Lunch.” She paused for a minute, thinking, then said, “Maybe Kora can help. Do you remember her, Ooda?”
Ooda quickly shook her head.
“Yes, you do. You just don’t want to go.”
Neela had met Kora during the many trips she’d taken with the royal family to the western waters. Kora—nineteen now—ruled a sizeable portion of Matali as a vassal of the emperor. When Kandinian teens came of age—at sixteen—they were required to prove themselves by swimming through the breeding grounds of the Razormouths. Those who made it to the other side were welcomed into the community as adults. Those who did not were mourned.
“If anyone knows about the Razormouths’ breeding grounds and how to negotiate them, it’s Kora,” Neela said. “I’ll leave for Kandina as soon as I can. There has to be a way out of here. There just has to be.”
Ooda, looking worried, started to inflate. Soon she’d risen so high, she bumped the ceiling. Neela was annoyed with her. She had no time for the little fish’s antics right now. She had much bigger problems to worry about.
“Ooda, stop it!” she said. “Come down right now! Don’t make me come up there after you! Oh, Ooda! You are so…”
Neela stopped talking. She stared at the blowfish, then said, “…brilliant!”
She swam up to the ceiling, kissed the fish on her lips, and brought her down.
“I think I just figured out how to get out of here, Ooda,” she said. “And you’re going to help me.”
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Neela heard the key turn in the lock of her bedchamber door. She’d barely slept all night.
“Here she comes, Ooda. Get ready!” she whispered.
Ooda darted under the bed.
Suma entered the room, carrying a tray. She put it down on a table, then swam back to the door and locked it. The key was on a silver ribbon. Suma dropped it into the side pocket of the long, flowing jacket she was wearing.
“How are you, darling Princess?” she asked. “Did you sleep well?”
Neela stretched, blinked sleepily and said, “I did, thank you, but I still feel tired. I think I’m coming down with something. Do I feel warm to you?”
Suma hurried to Neela. As she felt her forehead, Ooda swam out from under the bed. The end of the silver ribbon was hanging out of Suma’s pocket. Ooda bit down it and started swimming backward.
“My goodness, child!” she said. “You’re burning up!” She sat down on the bed, yanking the ribbon out of Ooda’s mouth.
Oh, no! Neela thought. “My cheeks are warm, too,” she quickly said. “Don’t you think?”
As Suma felt one, Ooda rooted for the ribbon. The key had slipped deeper into Suma’s pocket and the little fish had to delve for it.
“Feel the other one, too, Suma,” Neela said, stalling.
Ooda finally got hold of the ribbon again and tugged with all her might until she’d pulled it out of Suma’s pocket. She was so pleased with herself that she hovered behind Suma, beaming, the key dangling from her mouth.
“We, um, have to get the fever down,” Neela said, shooting Ooda a look.
Ooda darted under the bed once more, dragging the key with her.
“Could you bring the bottle of nettle elixir from my grotto?” Neela asked. “It’s on one of the shelves in the cabinet.”
“Of course, Princess,” said Suma, hurrying off.
It wasn’t. Neela had hidden the bottle in her closet.
She swam out of her bed, snatched the lava globe from underneath her pillow, and put it back in its holder on the wall. It had heated her pillow and her head—so much so that she’d been able to fool Suma. Next, she ripped off her robe. She was wearing her swashbuckler clothes underneath it. Her messenger bag was packed and under her bed. She reached for it now, just as Ooda swam out with the key.
“Good girl!” she whispered, taking the key. “Let’s go!” She lifted the flap of her messenger bag. The little fish zipped inside.
“I don’t see the nettle elixir!” Suma shouted from the grotto.
“Keep looking. I’m sure it’s there!” Neela called back.
With nervous hands, she pulled one of Vrăja’s transparensea pebbles out of her pocket and cast it
. Almost instantly, she was invisible. She unlocked the door, let herself out, and locked it again. Luckily there were no guards in the hall to see it open and close.
Swimming just below the ceiling, as Ooda had done last night, Neela moved swiftly through the palace. It would have made things easier if she could have swum out of a window, but every one she saw was shuttered in preparation for war. She kept going, down long hallways, through staterooms, and over the heads of courtiers.
“Almost there,” she whispered to Ooda, as a pair of arched doors leading out of the palace came into sight.
And then a cry, loud and urgent, ripped through the water. “Close the doors! The emperor commands it! Princess Neela has escaped from her room!”
“Oh, silt!” Neela said.
She was still a good twenty feet from the exit. It took two guards to push each massive door closed and they were now hurrying to do so. There was a gap of about thirty inches between the doors and it was narrowing every second. Neela put on a burst of speed and aimed straight for it. She brought her hands together over her head, turned sideways in the water, and shot through it. The doors closed with a boom behind her.
She didn’t look back as she raced through the Emperor’s Courtyard toward the open water. She felt bad about locking Suma in, bad about the worry she knew she’d cause her parents, but they didn’t understand what was happening. Hopefully, when they discovered that everything she’d told them was true, they’d forgive her.
As Neela swam, she heard the subassistant’s voice in her head. Khelefu’s, too. Suma’s. And her parents’. They were all saying the same thing: That is the way things are done! That is the way things have always been done!
Neela knew that if she wanted to find Navi’s talisman and defeat the monster, she would have to bypass the way things are done.
She would have to find a new way of doing things.
Her way.
“AND HOW WAS your stay with us, Miss Singh?”