It sounded like a real question, not an accusation.
“Yes.”
First, as far as I was concerned, she had entered crazy mode and I had no idea what she would blurt out. Second, the way she interacted with others was still too human. I’d never thought of human culture as being so different, but now that Meela and I had spent more time together, I realised how much adjusting she had yet to do. I couldn’t quite describe it, but something about even the simplest interactions was different, like the way she saw authority, and relationships, and freedoms.
The corridor widened into a vast, empty cathedral. It smelled earthy and green, every surface teeming with plant life except for the far wall. Into its bare stone were carved dozens of faces: mermaids, with serpents in place of hair. They looked eerily alive in the soft blue beams of sunlight rippling in the water. In the centre of the wall was the face I recognised from artwork: the original Medusa. Her mouth was open in a scream—just wide enough to fit one at a time.
My heart thudded faster. I knew who waited for us on the other side.
Meela’s guard went in first, pulling her through after him.
Meela hissed, yanking her hand away. “I’m coming, for gods’ sakes!”
My guard pushed me through and followed close behind.
We emerged to an enclosed grotto. It felt like being inside a giant egg with clay walls. The upper half, above-surface, was flecked with holes to let in daylight. A continuous roar against the surface told me waterfalls ran down the sides.
I wondered if there was a secret passage somewhere in the walls. There must have been. I couldn’t imagine having this high-security room with a single entrance.
The guards led us across the grotto, keeping close to the floor.
“Your Majesty,” said Meela’s guard. “Metlaa Gaela and Lysithea from the North Pacific.”
At the back of the room was a throne, pure black and shaped like a massive lion’s paw shell. In it sat Queen Medusa.
She was northern, her greenish-brown tail draped over the edge, fin fluttering on the current. To call her beautiful would have been like calling a blue whale “kind of big”. Beauty seemed to emanate from her bronze skin, tangible and absolute.
Her black hair was done in dreadlocks that brought her lineage to mind. Jewels and kelp buoys were braided into the ends, which swirled like snakes in the passing current. A translucent crown sat atop her head.
Her eyes, a vibrant orange-brown, raked over me and Meela. I had the impression that meeting her gaze would, in fact, turn me to stone. When she spoke, I half-expected a forked tongue to emerge.
“I understand you come with news of Adaro.”
“Your Majesty,” I said, finding myself breathless. “King Adaro’s troops are—”
“Why?”
I hesitated. “I beg your pardon, Your—?”
“You risk your lives coming to me. I could easily have you killed. Barring that, you are now traitors to Adaro’s crown and risk capital punishment.”
I forced myself to meet her eyes. “King Adaro is a danger to the rest of the world. Something needs to be risked in order to stop him, Your Majesty.”
“And you want me to risk something?”
“No,” I said quickly—though I was unsure if it was true. “Your Majesty, you’re the only one who can stop him.”
“Adaro’s war is happening on the other side of the world. It does not affect my kingdom.”
“Your Majesty, his armies are stationed at the Ice Channel, South America, and in several places east of here. He’s preparing to invade—”
“You think I do not know that he surrounds the Atlantic?”
I clasped my fingers together, resisting the urge to fidget. “Of course, Your Majesty, but I thought you might be able to use what I know from my time in his service.”
“I am aware of the inner workings of his army.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
