Her laugh rang out. “Any love she may have had for him died. And she mourned, longing for the world above. Mating with the king had given her his lifespan, but she faded away within a couple of decades. Many say she died of a broken heart.”
“But the dome remained.”
She smiled. “While it was unpopular at first, my people had become used to it by then, and it was seen as a sign of their king’s great love for his queen. They decided they enjoyed living two lives.”
I frowned at that, and she gestured for me to follow her once more. We walked behind the palace, where the side of the dome met the ocean floor. The queen nodded at one of her guards, and he strode forward, walkingthroughthe dome. As he did, his legs disappeared, replaced by his long, glimmering tail.
They all waited, and I jolted as realization swept through me.Ihad to walk through that dome, only I wouldn’t grow a tail or the ability to breathe normally without the pelt.
My breath came in sharp pants, and I attempted to pull myself together.
How could I trust that the merfolk wouldn’t take the pelt away once more, strip me of the sword, and leave my corpse to float amongst the coral?
I was showing far too much fear in front of these creatures, but I couldn’t help it. Shudders wracked my body and the queen sent me a sympathetic look. “You have my word,” she said quietly. “None will touch you.”
I bit my tongue before I was tempted to remind her that her guards had already watched me drown once, and she had a traitor as an advisor. She studied my face and gestured to one of the guards.
“My cousin,” she murmured. “The person I trust the most. He will escort you to the surface.” She glanced down, untucking a large shell from her dress. “May I?”
I nodded, and she gathered the ends of the pelt in front of me, using the shell to hold it in place. There was some kind of magic in play here, but if it helped me keep the pelt around my shoulders, I’d take it.
“Thank you.”
The Merqueen’s cousin gave me a reassuring nod. “I will protect you,” he declared. With that, he strode through the dome, waiting for me on the other side.
The golden sword wouldn’t fit in Misty’s sheath, so I wrapped my hand tightly around the hilt and took a deep breath.
Then I forced myself to step through the dome.
19
DANICA
The swim back to the surface was uneventful, apart from the fact that I was breathing underwater and shaking with barely suppressed fear. The queen’s cousin stayed within a few feet of me, his gaze continually sweeping our surroundings.
As soon as we were around twenty feet from the surface, he caught my arm. He gestured that he was returning and gave me a grave farewell nod.
I nodded back and turned, kicking out. The pelt propelled me for the most part, but now that I was so close to being on dry land, desperation drove me forward.
My head broke the surface and I sucked in air. Precious, cool, fresh air.
“Never again,” I said aloud as I paddled toward the beach where Kyla was pacing back and forth. “Not in a million years.”
Kyla had her hands planted on her hips as I hauled my water-logged self through the waves. “You look like you went through something dark.”
“You have no idea. I got this though.”
I held up the sword and she whooped. “Nice.”
I splashed through the knee-high waves and finally made it onto the beach. “If I never go near water again, I’ll be perfectly content.”
“Tell me everything.”
I filled her in as we made our way to her car. I’d packed a change of clothes, and after a quick glance around the parking lot, I stripped off, so damn thankful to be clean and dry that I could’ve danced.
Kyla gaped when I got to the part where the merfolk watched me drown. “Are you serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack. Literally.” Now that I was away from the water, I could almost look back and laugh. Almost. Kyla shook her head at me, handing me my lanyard, Nim Cub, and my rowan arrow. I instantly felt more secure as I slipped them around my neck.
