I was close enough now to see inside the broken hull. The breath caught in my chest. A man was lying inside, crumpled, as if he had been washed ashore.
I smelled the earth and sweat of human presence. His chest rose and fell with quick, raspy breaths. His skin was milky beneath black hair, his legs twisted, devoid of muscle, lying on the rocks at unnatural angles. He must have used his arms—which were smaller than a merman’s but still showed considerable strength—to drag himself from the water. Grimy blankets and canvas littered the rocks around him.
If not for the black crown over that long, matted hair, I would not have believed it was him.
I reached for my crossbow. The stock clicked beneath my grip—and Adaro’s eyes snapped to my face, wide and terrified. They were blue.
Then, just as quickly, his expression melted into something else. It was almost a smile.
“I suppose your girlfriend was a decoy.”
His voice was the same: slow and deep.
I raised the crossbow.
Before my finger touched the trigger, Adaro dove sideways behind a piece of hull. I jerked my hand away, cursing. The burst of agility surprised me.
Adaro’s paralyzed legs dragged behind him, scraping over the rocks and debris.
“Hiding from a fight, Your Majesty?” I said coldly.
I should have reacted more quickly—but with a single bolt, I couldn’t afford errors.
“Do not lie to yourself, Meela,” he said from behind his barricade. “You are not so heartless as this.”
Though he was hidden, the sight of him lingered in my mind’s eye. Could I kill someone so defenseless?
“You gave me no choice,” I said, more to reassure myself.
“Everything is a choice.”
I resisted the urge to look back to the water, afraid the serpent was approaching. But I refused to take my eyes off my target. For all I knew, Adaro had a weapon and was preparing to throw or shoot something at me.
I dragged myself further up the beach. As long as he was out of range, I could do nothing. I had to get a better angle.
“Would you really kill the man responsible for your happiness?” he said.
I kept advancing. “Happiness? You’ve given my people starvation, grief, poverty—”
“I am not referring to your people. I am referring to you.”
His words slid past me as I braced to shoot. I would have to move quickly—to roll into firing range, aim, and release the bolt before he could escape.
I heard a clatter of rocks and flattened onto my stomach. Nothing happened.
Finger braced over the trigger, I craned to see further into the hull. Adaro was pulling himself deeper into its shadows where there were fewer holes in the sides.
I could do it from this distance, but I would need perfect aim.
“Coward,” I said. “Is the great King Adaro afraid to face me?”
Anger flashed across his face. For an instant, I thought I saw crimson in his blue eyes.
Was he still merman enough to kill me, or was he human enough that he needed iron to do it? I couldn’t be certain.
I raised the crossbow to my line of sight, aiming carefully.
“You will regret that,” said Adaro.
