“Why do you want the additional soldiers?” Stickstoff demanded when the laughter had died down.
“Because I don’t have enough soldiers to defeat my uncle’s forces,” Sera replied.
“Is that the only reason?” Guldemar asked, eyeing her closely. “The currents carry rumors. Mer in Kandina talk of a prison camp. A dragon queen complains bitterly that her moonstone was stolen. The Williwaw shrieks endlessly for a gold coin. The mer realms fall one by one to Vallerio. Only a fool would not wonder if there’s any connection.”
Sera knew he was asking her for the truth, but the truth was a lethal commodity. She didn’t want to lie to him, but neither could she answer his question. Not in front of the entire goblin court. As she deliberated, Guldemar spoke again.
“I see. You ask for my help, you demand my trust…yet you do not trust me.” He spat into one of the lava pools that bubbled on either side of his throne. “And so it has always been between Meerteufel and mer,” he added bitterly.
Guldemar was referring to the uneasy relations between the two peoples. The goblins were intimidating in appearance and manner and tended to frighten the mer. Sera, who had twenty thousand Meerteufel troops in the Karg, was learning that in addition to possessing great reserves of fierceness and courage, goblins were also loyal, hardworking, and kind, but bringing about a better understanding between the Meerteufel and mer was a task that would require a great deal of time, and Sera had none. She knew that if she wanted Guldemar’s help, she would have to show that she trusted him. Right now. She’d have to tell him about Orfeo and Abbadon. There was no other way.
It was risky, though. What if, after listening to her, he sided with Vallerio and Orfeo? Any sane person would. Their might and magic dwarfed her own. And then there were the talismans. They were powerful objects. What if Guldemar wanted them for himself? He might attack her camp and take the ones she and her friends had found.
Sera decided she would tell Guldermar everything, but only him. She started toward the throne. Immediately, a dozen goblin guards advanced on her. Desiderio and Yazeed rushed to defend her.
Guldemar held up a hand, stopping everyone. “Approach, Serafina,” he commanded.
Sera swam to him. Light flickered in the kraken’s eyes as she did, startling her. For a moment, she was certain the creature was alive, but then she realized the light was only an illusion. The kraken’s eyes were fashioned from obsidian; they reflected the lava’s glow.
When Sera was close enough to Guldemar that he alone could hear her, she told him that her fight with her uncle was only the beginning, and that a greater battle lay ahead. She told him everything—starting with Vrăja’s summons, and ending with Ling’s discovery that the terragogg Rafe Mfeme was really Orfeo.
“That’s why I need the additional troops, Guldemar,” she added as she finished. “So that I can make it to the Southern Sea, where I mean to destroy Abbadon.”
Guldemar said nothing. He just stroked his tusks thoughtfully. Sera waited for him to answer, but before he could, Stickstoff, annoyed at being left out, spoke.
“Another has approached us. One who also wants Guldemar’s help. One who will pay well—very well—for an alliance with the Meerteufel.”
Sera turned to him. Stickstoff hadn’t mentioned a name, but he didn’t have to.
“Yes, he will,” she said, with a caustic smile. “At first. But then he’ll send his own troops here to take what he wants. Tread carefully with my uncle, Stickstoff. He has the might of three mer realms behind him now. What’s to stop him from taking Meerteufel waters?”
Worry surfaced in Guldemar’s eyes at Sera’s words.
Stickstoff, however, waved them away. “We Meerteufel are quite capable of defending our territory, thank you. Our only difficulty, at present, is that we don’t quite know which mer ruler to trust.”
“You mean which mer ruler to back,” Sera said cynically. “A battle’s coming, you know it is, and you don’t want to be on the losing side.”
Stickstoff ignored that. “You say that the throne of Miromara is yours. Your cousin Lucia claims that it’s hers. If only the two aggrieved parties could solve their problems by talking them through…” he mused, tapping a finger against his chin.
Something in his tone made Sera’s fins prickle. He was up to no good, she was sure of it.
“Or better yet,” he continued, smiling slyly, “by fighting to the death!”
At his signal, the doors to the stateroom were thrown open, and a merman swam through them.
“It’s a trap, Sera!” Desiderio shouted, swimming to her side. Yazeed was right behind him.
Sera snapped into action. Her hand went to the hilt of the sword. Her body tensed as she prepared herself to fend off her worst enemy.
But it wasn’t her uncle or Traho who swam through the doors.
It was Mahdi.
SERAFINA LIFTED HER CHIN, affecting the haughtiest look she could muster.
It took every ounce of control she possessed not to race to the merman she loved and throw her arms around him. Instead, she had to pretend to hate him. To show even a flicker of warmth toward Mahdi was to put his life in the gravest danger. Her uncle undoubtedly had spies in Guldemar’s court, and a report of what transpired between them would surely reach his ears.
“Principessa, you’re alive!” Mahdi said, faking surprise.
“No thanks to you,” Sera retorted. Her eyes were icy, her tone glacial. But behind the pretense, she was worried. Mahdi was thin. There were shadows under his eyes. His color was off. Something was wrong. She risked a glance at Yazeed. His eyes were on Mahdi, too, and she could see from his expression that he felt the same way.
Stickstoff, however, noticed nothing amiss. He was too excited over the prospect of bloodshed.
“Isn’t this wonderful!” he crowed, clapping his hands. “We can solve this right now. Serafina, you will represent yourself, of course. His Royal Highness, the Emperor of Matali, is here as emissary for his realm, and the realm of Miromara. You both have swords, do you not? Excellent! The first one who cuts the other’s head off wins. The Meerteufel will be happy to do business with the survivor.”
Goblin courtiers clapped their hands and pumped their fists. There was nothing the Meerteufel loved more than violence. Shouts of “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” rose in the water.
Guldemar himself watched, but said nothing.
Sera was the first to speak. “I did not expect such treachery from the Meerteufel,” she declared.
“No treachery,” Stickstoff countered. “You wish to strengthen your alliance with the Meerteufel. The emperor wishes to end that same alliance and establish one of his own. This poses a problem for the Meerteufel, but a fight will solve it. Fighting is the way to solve all problems,” he added sagely.
“I will not fight,” Sera said. She unbuckled the scabbard that held her sword and threw it to the floor. Then, in her most regal voice, she addressed the court. “Under Regina Isabella, my mother, Miromara was not governed by the sword, but by the rule of law. And so it shall be by me. The traitors who now lead the realm—my uncle Vallerio, his wife, Portia, their daughter, Lucia…and this turncoat”—she spat the word at Mahdi—“will be tried in court when I retake my throne. If found guilty, they will be executed by the state, not by me.”
Boos went up from the courtiers. Guldemar raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Sera had the feeling that he was weighing her response.
Sera…troops…
The voice was crackly and loud, and it was inside her head.
Sera startled at it, then fervently hoped no one had noticed. It was Mahdi. He must’ve cast a convoca under his breath, she thought. It would be a weak one because of all the iron in the stateroom—in Guldemar’s throne, the many weapons, the very walls.
Mahdi, she called back, is that you? There was no answer. What did you mean by troops? Are death riders nearby?
“Principessa, what are you saying?” Mahdi asked, feigning s
hock. “I’m not a turncoat. And I certainly don’t want to fight you. I want to take you home.”
Mahdi, what’s wrong? Sera asked urgently.
Danger…capture you…
Sera laughed contemptuously. “If my cousin’s not a traitor, why has she taken my throne?”
“Lucia has graciously agreed to rule—at her father’s request—because she thought you were dead. We all did, Principessa. How wonderful to discover we were wrong,” Mahdi said.
There’s something going on with you, Mahdi. I know there is. I can feel it!
Nothing…you, Des, Yaz…out of here…
“That is a lie,” Sera countered. “My uncle knows I’m alive. He wants me, and my Black Fins, dead.”
“Indeed!” Stickstoff interjected, trying to fan the waterfire. “Isn’t that why Vallerio seeks our help, Mahdi? And our troops? To slaughter Serafina and her fighters?”
Mahdi chose his next words carefully. “Vallerio wants to defeat the Black Fins, yes, but only because they threaten the stability of the realm,” he protested. “He never had any idea that Serafina was with them. None of us did.”
“Another lie,” Sera said.
Whispers went up from the courtiers. “When will the fight start?” “Someone bring the mermaid another sword!” “Somebody throw something at them!”
“Principessa, you must allow me and my soldiers to take you home,” Mahdi said. “Your uncle, your cousin…they’ll be overjoyed to see you back in Cerulea.” As he spoke, he casually slid one hand into his jacket pocket.
“Yes, they will,” Sera retorted. “Because it’ll make it so much easier for them to kill me.” She moved slightly to her right as she spoke, trying to position herself so that she could receive the convoca better. It worked.
Sera, go! Get out of here! Mahdi said. My soldiers have orders to kill you on sight. They won’t do it here. Too many witnesses. But they’ll follow you.
Sera traded glances with her brother. A quick nod from him told her that he’d heard Mahdi, too.
Still playing his part, Mahdi swam up to her. “Principessa,” he said, sweeping a bow. He took her hand in both of his. “I hope you’ll reconsider and allow me to escort you back to Cerulea.”
As he spoke, Sera felt him press something into her palm. She curled her fingers around it, then pretended to snatch her hand away.
“Your Grace,” she said, turning to Guldemar, “I’ll take my leave now. Should you wish to help me instead of my enemies, you’ll have my gratitude. Should you choose to do the opposite, you’ll have my sympathy.”
With that, she swam out of Guldemar’s stateroom, followed by Yazeed and Desiderio. As the doors closed behind them, Sera opened her hand and looked down at what was in it.
A tiny sea-silk sack. As she opened it, she saw that it contained transparensea pearls. Three of them.
She handed one to Yazeed and one to Desiderio.
“As soon as we’re out of the palace, we cast them—” she stared to stay.
“And haul tail back to the Karg,” Yaz finished.
Sera shook her head. “No. We stay here. And find Mahdi.”
“What? Sera, we can’t. You heard him. We’ve got to go. We’ve got trouble,” Desiderio said, glancing around nervously.
“I know, Des,” Sera said. “But Mahdi’s got more.”
SERA WATCHED as the death riders thundered out of Guldemar’s stables far below her. Each one was mounted on a powerful black hippokamp.
“They’re hunting us,” she said. “Mahdi sent them.”
“He had to,” said Yazeed. “If he didn’t, he’d have to explain why to Vallerio.”
Sera knew he was right, but it didn’t make the sight any less unnerving.
“They’re taking the direct route to the Kargjord,” she said, her eyes following the soldiers as they rode north out of Scaghaufen.
“We’ll have to take the long current back,” Des said. “At least the camp is on high alert now, after Vallerio’s last attack.”
Sera, Yazeed, and Desiderio were swimming up the wall of the west wing of Guldemar’s palace, searching for Mahdi’s room. Sera was certain he’d be there. When she, Yazeed, and some of her Black Fins had spent a night in the palace before their first audience with Guldemar, they’d stayed in the west wing.
“Two more minutes, Sera,” Yazeed said. “Then we’re gone. We’ve got to be out of Scaghaufen when the pearls wear off.”
Sera shot off, frantically swimming from window to window, peering in every one to see if she could spot Mahdi.
“I need to see him,” she’d said as they’d left Guldemar’s stateroom.
“That’s a very bad idea,” Desiderio had replied.
“Something’s wrong,” she said. “We have to find out what it is.”
The goblin guards who’d escorted them out of Guldemar’s stateroom had seen them out of the main doors to the palace’s front gates. The three mer had swum through them, then ducked into one of Scaghaufen’s winding streets. There they’d cast their transparensea pearls, and then they’d headed straight back to the palace.
Sera continued to search for Mahdi as time ran out. She saw goblins and death riders but couldn’t find Mahdi.
“That’s it, Sera,” Yaz said. “We’ve got to go.”
Sera shot up, desperately looking in one last window. “There he is!” she exclaimed. “Yaz, Des, where are you?”
“Right here,” the mermen answered in unison, swimming up behind her.
Mahdi was sitting at a desk, speaking into a conch. Sera’s heart swelled at the sight of him, but the love she felt was once again pushed aside by worry. He looked gray and exhausted.
She was just about to rap on the window when a death rider swam in with a sheaf of kelp parchments. Mahdi, still speaking into the conch, signaled for him to put the documents on the desk. The merman did so, then left the room. As soon as he’d closed the door, Sera knocked.
Mahdi’s head snapped up. An instant later, he was at the window, undoing the latch.
“Tell me it’s not you,” he said as he opened it. “Tell me you didn’t do this.”
“It is. And we did,” Yazeed said.
“Wait here,” Mahdi said. He swam to the door, opened it, and called for the soldier who’d delivered documents just a few moments ago.
“I’m not feeling well. Goblin delicacies don’t agree with me. I’m going to lie down for a few minutes. I’m not to be disturbed,” he instructed.
“Yes, Your Grace,” the death rider said.
Mahdi closed the door and locked it. Sera, Desiderio, and Yazeed swam inside. Sera sang a quick songspell to undo the effects of the transparensea pearl. She was in Mahdi’s arms as soon as he turned around. The two held each other for a few long seconds.
Then Mahdi released her. “How could you two let her do this?” he asked angrily.
“Have you ever tried to stop her from doing something she wants to do?” Desiderio asked.
Mahdi sighed. “Yeah, actually, I have,” he said. “No further explanation needed.”
“Mahdi, you look terrible. What’s going on?” Sera asked.
“Listen, Sera…I just—”
“Don’t give me any Listen, Sera silt. We don’t have much time. I want the truth.”
Mahdi hesitated, then said, “Lucia moved our wedding date up. It’s going to take place at the next syzygy.”
“My gods, that’s…that’s less than a moon away!” Sera said, stunned. “Why didn’t you get word to us?”
“I didn’t have time,” Mahdi explained. “I planned to send you a conch from here.”
“This changes things,” Desiderio said grimly. “We’ll need to get you out of there a lot sooner than we thought, and we don’t have an escape plan set up yet.”
Yaz ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll need to line up safe houses; stash food, clothing, and currensea for you.”
“Forget an escape plan,” Sera said. “You’re coming with us, Mahdi. Right now.
We’ll all cast transparensea pearls and make wake for the Karg.”
“No,” Mahdi said.
“No? What do you mean no? It’s over. If you sing the marriage vows, they’ll know you Promised yourself to me. They’ll kill you.”
“I’m not hightailing it. Not yet. Not until I find out the identity of the spy in your camp. I’ve still got time.”
“Mahdi, listen to me,” Sera begged.
“No, you listen to me, Sera. You’re in danger. Way more than you know.”
“Because of the spy. I know that, Mahdi. I—”
Mahdi cut her off. “What you don’t know is that the spy’s also an assassin. When Portia gives the word, he’s going to take you out.”
A chill crept up Sera’s spine. “He can try,” she said defiantly.
“According to Portia, he’ll succeed,” Mahdi said. “He’s a good shot, and he—or she—is close to you.”
“From now on, you’ll have bodyguards with you around the clock,” Des said.
“We have got to find this sea snake,” said Yazeed.
“What’s Portia’s timeline?” Desiderio asked.
“I don’t know,” Mahdi said. “I do know that they want to keep the spy in place for now, though. He just told them that you intend to attack Cerulea.”
“Did they believe him?” Sera asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Mahdi replied. “Why wouldn’t they? Every piece of info he’s ever given them has been accurate. Vallerio’s pulling troops out of Atlantica and the Southern Sea as we speak and bringing them back to Cerulea.”
Sera and Des grinned at each other. They quietly slapped tails.
“Yes!” Yazeed whisper-cheered.
Mahdi looked at them as if they were crazy. “I just told you that Vallerio knows your plans. And that he intends to annihilate you. That’s hardly a cause for celebration.”
“It’s a fake-out, bro!” Yazeed said. “We’re going to the Southern Sea.”