Read The Mermaid's Madness Online
Authors: Jim C. Hines
The Mermaid's Madness (31 page)
“I don’t think Lannadae would—” Danielle bit her lip. She hadn’t thought Morveren would turn on them either. For all of Lannadae’s fear, she cared about her sister and her grandmother both. Danielle wanted to trust her, but mistakes could get people killed. “Go ahead.”
Talia ran toward the cabin, pausing only to snatch a thrown spear from the air and hurl it back toward its owner. She grabbed the cabin door and tugged. When the door wouldn’t budge, she stepped back and kicked it.
“Do you mind?” Hephyra demanded, still holding Stub. “She’s not getting out of that door unless I want her to. I’ve swollen it shut, and the wood’s thick enough to muffle her if she tries to sing.”
“What about Snow?” Talia asked. “She’s in there too.”
“Your mermaid friend isn’t about to hurt Snow. She’s huddled against the door, bawling like a jilted lover. Nothing happens on this ship without me knowing. Now get out of my way and let me defend my ship.”
Cannons and crossbows began to fire again as the crew shook off Morveren’s song. Their weapons had little effect on the undine, most of whom were too close to the ship. The cannons couldn’t be pointed straight down, and the water slowed the crossbow bolts.
“Work the nets!” Hephyra was already hauling one of the lines strung through the yardarm, pulling a net up along the starboard bow. Three undine flopped within the net. Two managed to flip free, though the second took a crossbow bolt to the arm. Three more men fired, killing the last undine before he could escape. “Get to the bow and drag the nets beneath the keel. Otherwise they’ll crack the ship like a nut and drown us all.”
Danielle watched over the rail as a wounded undine retreated. Another cannon fired, and the water erupted directly in front of the undine. He floated to the surface, stunned.
“There are too many,” said Talia. “We can’t stop them from up here, even with the nets.”
Talia was right. The crew knew it too. Danielle spotted James standing in the forecastle, crossbow cocked as he searched for a target. There was no longer any fear in his expression, only grim determination.
The ship shook as another kelpie rammed the side. Two more cannons fired, and the kelpie’s cry of pain made Danielle cringe.
“Talia, grab Captain Hephyra and come with me.” Danielle ran toward the ladder to the lower decks. She blinked as she passed into the darkness. Down here, the cannons sounded like thunder, and the motion of the ship was even more disorienting. Fighting a wave of queasiness, Danielle made her way deeper, toward the magazine where the powder was stored. There were no lanterns here, not with the damage a single open flame could cause.
“What are we doing?” Talia asked.
Danielle nearly collided with a boy running fresh cartridges to the guns. She stepped around and pushed through a damp curtain into the magazine.
The room was almost pitch black, save for a few cracks of weak light that pierced the walls. A shadow of a man rose as Danielle entered. “You can’t be down here.”
“She can if I say so,” said Captain Hephyra, entering behind Talia. “That’s one of the perks of being captain.”
“We need a powder barrel.” Danielle was already searching the room the best she could. She bumped one barrel sitting against the wall. The top of the barrel came to her midthigh. A single push told her it was far too heavy to lift. Too heavy for a human, at least. “You saw the cannons firing at the undine. They missed, but the impact stunned one of the undine.”
“So we need a bigger impact.” She could hear Talia’s grin.
“Stand aside.” Hephyra grunted as she dragged the barrel onto its side and rolled it out of the magazine toward the ladder. When she reached it, she wrapped her arms around the barrel and hoisted it into the air. “We’ll teach those bottom-feeders to hack at my ship.”
The ladder creaked from the strain. With each step, Danielle held her breath, certain Hephyra would overbalance or drop the barrel. But Hephyra climbed as though rooted to the ladder.
Danielle ran after her. Hephyra was already rolling the barrel toward the side of the ship.
“We’ll need a way to set it off,” Talia said.
Danielle grabbed the linstock from the nearest gun crew. The gunner yanked it back, raising a fist before he realized who stood before him. He blanched, but didn’t release the linstock. “Princess, we’re almost ready to—”
Hephyra cleared her throat, and the man let go as though the slow match at the end of the linstock had burned him. Danielle handed it to Talia, who hefted the iron rod in one hand.
“Think you can hit a barrel with that thing?” Danielle asked. The slow match was a short distance back from the tip of the rod. Talia would have to throw hard enough to pierce the barrel and drive the ember into the powder.
Talia raised an eyebrow. “You’re joking, right?”
Hephyra raised the barrel above her head and tossed it over the rail. It splashed into the water, nearly landing on one of the undine. “If it blows so close to the ship, the explosion might crack the hull.”
“Imagine what it will do to the undine.” Danielle backed away. “Everyone clear the starboard rail!”
“You break my ship, I’ll use you for compost.” Hephyra turned around and shouted, “Get back and brace yourselves!”
Talia leaned over the rail, raised the linstock, and threw. As soon as the linstock left her hand, she leaped back from the rail. Danielle heard a thunk as iron hit wood. For an instant, she thought her plan had failed.
The sea exploded. The
Phillipa
pitched sideways, and even Talia stumbled. Over the ringing in her ears, Danielle could hear shouts and curses from the crew. She moved toward the rail, grimacing at the plume of black smoke rising from the water.
Phillipa
pitched sideways, and even Talia stumbled. Over the ringing in her ears, Danielle could hear shouts and curses from the crew. She moved toward the rail, grimacing at the plume of black smoke rising from the water.
Several undine already bobbed on the surface. Most appeared to be breathing, though the explosion had killed at least two. Others followed, floating to the surface and drawing cheers from the ship. The kelpies were already retreating, their head fins flared in fear. A cannon fired on the fleeing kelpies, driving them beneath the water.
“Not bad.” Hephyra grinned and ran back to the ladder, though she didn’t bother to use it. She simply jumped, hair flying as she vanished into the darkness.
Talia pulled Danielle down as a fresh wave of spears flew toward the ship. Some of the undine had obviously escaped the explosion. The crew returned fire, sending three crossbow bolts into the water for every spear the undine threw.
Soon the floating bodies began to disappear, no doubt dragged to safety by the still conscious undine.
Even from this distance, Lirea’s scream of rage was enough to make Danielle stumble. Lirea guided her kelpie around, pointing her spear and urging her people to attack. Most of the undine were underwater, making it hard to follow their movements. Their bodies were little more than pale streaks doubling back toward the
Phillipa
.
Phillipa
.
At the back of a ship, the helmsman screamed as the wheel spun out of his grip. Even from here Danielle could see that his arm was broken. The undine must have cut the line to the rudder.
“Talia, are you ready?” Hephyra climbed onto the deck, another barrel in her arms.
This explosion was even closer to the ship. Once again undine floated to the surface, but still they obeyed Lirea’s commands.
Danielle concentrated on the kelpies.
I warned you. That horrible sound is the call of Halaka’ar. He comes to devour all in his path.
I warned you. That horrible sound is the call of Halaka’ar. He comes to devour all in his path.
Two of the kelpies fled. Even Lirea’s mount reared higher, head twisting about to search the water. A blue-tailed mermaid was climbing up the side of Lirea’s kelpie. They appeared to be arguing.
“Fifty crowns to the gunner who takes that bitch down,” Hephyra said.
The men raced to reload and fire, but Lirea was too far from the ship. Their shots splashed harmlessly in the water. Lirea’s kelpie sank from view. Peering down, Danielle saw the last of the undine swimming away.
“We should go after them,” Talia said. “Chase them back to land and take out Lirea for good. I counted at least four more barrels in the magazine. That’s more than enough to—”
“The
Phillipa
’s taking on water.” Hephyra leaned against the rail. She appeared weary. “The undine know their work. Another explosion like that will sink us.”
Phillipa
’s taking on water.” Hephyra leaned against the rail. She appeared weary. “The undine know their work. Another explosion like that will sink us.”
Danielle stared out at the water. Patches of rust-colored foam littered the sea. Blood, she realized, bubbling up from the undine’s wounds. “Get us home,” she said, fighting a bout of nausea that had nothing to do with the movement of the ship. So many dead, human and undine alike. “The faster we get that knife to Beatrice, the better our chances of saving her.”
Talia looked back at the main deck. Morveren was groaning and clutching her stomach. Blood and tears marked her face. “What about her?” Talia asked. “I suppose you’re going to tell me she was only protecting her granddaughter. That we should forgive her and pretend she
didn’t
almost kill everyone on board.”
didn’t
almost kill everyone on board.”
Behind Talia, the crew was gathering the dead and wounded. Undine spears had killed at least eight men.
Danielle’s throat tightened when she spotted James. He lay unmoving, a spear pinning him to the deck. He still clutched his crossbow in his hands.
“No,” Danielle whispered, staring at James. “I mean, yes, she was trying to protect Lirea. I don’t believe she’ll try to hurt us again. But I won’t risk being wrong, either.”
Hephyra laughed as she limped toward them. “You talk like it’s your choice, Princess. Royal or not, this is my ship, and if you ordered that mermaid left free, I’d have tossed the whole lot of you overboard.” She shoved her hair back from her face and shouted, “Lock that witch in the hold, and make sure she stays gagged. Anyone not on the sheets or tending wounded had best get down to the pumps.”
“How bad is it?” Danielle asked. “Will we make it back to Lorindar?”
Hephyra’s grin was more than a little wild. “Ask me in a day or so.”
CHAPTER 11
L
IREA SANG A COMMAND, drawing her kelpie to a halt. She relaxed her grip on the harness, allowing herself to fall into the water. Her surviving warriors spread into a circle around her.
IREA SANG A COMMAND, drawing her kelpie to a halt. She relaxed her grip on the harness, allowing herself to fall into the water. Her surviving warriors spread into a circle around her.
You’ve failed yet again.
She screamed to drown out the whispers in her head, then returned to the surface. “How many did they kill?”
Nilliar swam toward her. “At least twenty, with twice that number wounded.”
You underestimated them. You should have taken every last undine and swarmed that ship until nothing was left but splinters and blood.
“They can be replaced,” Lirea said. “Have our scouts found the nesting grounds of the other tribes?”
“Two more tribes have been found,” Nilliar said. “We’ve collected enough gold to destroy one of them. Once the humans have poisoned their waters and killed their queen, any survivors will be free to join the Ilowkira.”
Murderer! Conspiring with humans against your own kind!
Lirea held her breath, trying to shut out the condemnation. It was the only way to unite the tribes and restore her empire. The other queens would never willingly surrender to Lirea. She had to kill them.
Lirea held her breath, trying to shut out the condemnation. It was the only way to unite the tribes and restore her empire. The other queens would never willingly surrender to Lirea. She had to kill them.
She would be sure to kill the human alchemists as well. If they could poison one tribe, they could poison the Ilowkira.
“Forgive me,” said Nilliar. “I doubted you when you told us of Morveren’s return.”
“Lannadae led the humans to Morveren, and Morveren brought them to me.” Tears streamed down Lirea’s face. She felt so tired, and her arm throbbed. The wound had started bleeding again, and the pain flowed all the way to her hand with each beat of her heart. “They’ll never stop coming until I’m dead.”
“Morveren’s song stopped their attack,” Nilliar said. “Perhaps she—”
“She lured us close, making us believe the humans were helpless.” Lirea could still hear the explosions. “They want me dead. They want to punish me for killing Gustan.”
Lirea raked her nails down her chest, remembering Gustan’s death and how the voices had urged her to drive the blade into her own body. Blood welled over her ribs. Thin and weak, neither human nor undine. Morveren’s spell had turned her into a broken, twisted, pitiful creature. No wonder Morveren sought to erase that failure, to replace Lirea with her sister. With a “pure” undine.
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