The enormous black head rose from the water and gazed coolly down at them, pupils narrowing.
Useless thoughts dashed through Reeves’ mind: how his life had just begun, and how he’d never be able to get married, or have kids, or take a beach vacation—not that he was especially keen on visiting the beach, ever again—and how he hadn’t expected his life to end quite like this. And he’d never gotten the chance to fly the LM-80 Cormorant.
Then the other serpent head came out of the water and rose beside the first. It opened its mouth. Fragments of iron and shrapnel fell from its jaws.
The seventeen remaining torpedoes, crunched into pieces, plunged into the waves below.
CHAPTER SEVEN - Meela
Kori Maru
The shipwreck was so close I could feel it, smell it, even taste the iron on the current.
“Can’t wait for somewhere safe to sleep,” said Lysi.
“Can’t wait to be around others who don’t want to kill us,” I said.
More enticing than safety and rest was the promise of allies. I needed to know we weren’t the only ones below the surface who wanted Adaro dead.
Someone approached from the wreck. Lysi and I exchanged a glance and slowed.
The mermaid gradually materialised, a lone figure on a murky blue canvas. She had piercings all over that glinted in the dim light, and a green and purple tail. Her short brown hair reminded me of an urchin.
“Can I help you find your way?” she said in a clipped tone.
Lysi pushed back a lock of coppery hair and drew herself upright. “We’ve come to join you at Kori Maru.”
“Afraid we’re not accepting visitors, sugarkelp.”
“Yes, you are,” I said. “We’re here to help.”
The mermaid narrowed her dark eyes. “Help?”
“The movement against Adaro,” said Lysi. “Para la reina.”
The mermaid’s eyebrows lifted, but she regained her composure quickly. She scanned our appearances—clearly North Pacific—and offered a wan smile.
“We have no quarrel with Adaro.”
“We do,” I said. “And we’ve been searching for you for days. So let’s skip past all this.”
Lysi and I were both wilted and grimy. This mermaid must have felt how tired and defeated we were. She could have helped us out a bit. Her reluctance gave me an immediate dislike for her.
She looked from me to Lysi, scowling.
“We were invited to come here,” said Lysi. “I don’t know her name, but…”
The mermaid crossed her arms. I became aware of how much muscle loomed in front of us—did she bench press baby whales?—but I stared back. We weren’t about to turn away after all the effort it took to get here. I’d fight my way past if I had to.
“Who are you?” said the mermaid. She raked her eyes over Lysi’s hair, over her body, down to her tail.
“I’m Lysithea. I’m from Utopia. This is Metlaa Gaela. She’s from”—Lysi hesitated—“also Utopia.”
I frowned, trying to catch Lysi’s eye. Had she lied because I was a former human, or because I was from Eriana Kwai? Was she worried about how they would react to my Eriana heritage? I supposed my people had probably killed more mermaids in the last few decades than the rest of the world combined.
But the Reinas needed to know who I was. My knowledge of the serpent would be useful. She was probably being overprotective again.
“Uh huh,” said the mermaid. “Capital of Adaro’s kingdom?”
