I’d shouted to Spio as he turned in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to be headed. “Where are you going?”
“To get proof!” he’d shouted back.
Proof. That would imply Meela had succeeded in killing Adaro. I needed to trust that she had. I needed to be convincing when I told the guards Adaro was dead.
I couldn’t help thinking that if Adaro was alive, it meant one thing for Meela—in which case I would have nothing left to lose. So I would believe with all my heart that Adaro was dead. If that was a lie, I would deal with the consequence when it came.
This place was a medley of wildlife. Given that this mountain range was in the middle of nowhere, it must have been untouched by both humans and merpeople; the plants and fish grew to enormous proportions.
Keeping a fast pace, I dove and skimmed the ocean floor, trying not to think of the others. Then everything became cold and dark. I jerked to a stop, looking around, an unsettled feeling washing over me. The landscape was strangely naked. The coral was gone. Entire chunks of rock were missing, as though they had been blasted away.
Meela said the humans had dropped something over the prison. Was this the result of an explosive?
The desolate hush sent a chill down my spine. I had to be close.
I’d spent the journey both wishing I had an army behind me and feeling grateful I was alone; I would be less of a threat to whomever guarded this place. Now, I wished for at least a friend.
I would have to play the role of a messenger from Utopia, here to deliver news of Adaro’s death. Revealing I was there for Queen Evagore might put her life in danger. The guards could bar my entry and kill her. I would have to tell them their order was to free all Nereid prisoners.
I chewed my lip. Was this a dumb plan? After spending so long avoiding Adaro’s armies, even fleeing them, it was hard to convince myself to simply swim up to his prison guards. Plus, what if they recognised me as a traitor to the crown, as Thetis and Nestor had? Even if they didn’t, what were the chances they would believe me?
Maybe I should try to sneak in.
The idea was comforting. But this prison was supposed to be high security. I doubted I’d be able to get in, set free their most valuable prisoner, and make it out alive.
I was so immersed in coming up with a plan that I nearly missed it when something odd hit my senses from below. I could feel a vast opening in the earth, yet there was only rock and sand.
I plunged into the darker depths.
There was a presence on the current, but I couldn’t tell where it came from. It seemed to be beneath the rock. Was it inside the peak? I felt the auras of what must have been a hundred merpeople.
This had to be it. I hovered, casting for signs of a break in the floor. How was I supposed to get to them?
I wondered if I should wait for Spio and whatever proof he was getting. Whether I tried to sneak in or pretended to be a messenger, I wanted his help.
Under a nearby boulder was a gap just big enough to fit. I would wait there until Spio arrived.
I’d barely pulled myself inside when something tightened over my hair and yanked me out.
“Ouch!”
I found myself face-to-face with the point of a stone blade. Behind it was a merman, teeth bared.
“Trespasser,” he said. “Who are you?”
“I’m from Utopia! I was sent to deliver news,” I blurted, then grimaced.Guess we’re going with the first plan.
He leaned back, studying me. “You were?”
“Yes. The government—”
“Why were you trying to hide?”
I opened my mouth, struggling for an explanation.
Behind the merman, a female voice said, “Who is it?”
“Someone from Utopia.”
