“It can switch allegiances?” said the queen.
I nodded stiffly.
“But it should be destroyed,” said Meela, struggling against her guard. “It’s too dangerous.”
“With the wrong master, perhaps,” said the queen.
“If you help us, you have the option to control it,” I said. “If you don’t, you’re leaving it to him—or to us, and we intend to destroy it.”
There it was. Our last, desperate hope.
A long, heavy moment passed. I avoided Meela’s eye—though I could feel her fury. Whatever she thought, this was essential. This was our one chance with Medusa, and we needed to share everything we had.
The queen drifted back to her throne. She caressed the edge of the shell with long, webbed fingers. Her demon form was equal in terror to the beauty I’d seen moments ago.
When she spoke, her voice was calm.
“I stay by my decision. I am concerned enough by my son’s actions to help you restore peace to the Pacific—but I will not join your war.”
My insides plummeted. The guard pulled me onwards.
“No!” I said, struggling. “Please, Your Majesty. Any day, Adaro’s going to invade the Atlantic, and then itwillconcern you. Why not get ahead of him?”
The queen sat back, settling into her throne.
“You can’t just sit here while humans and merpeople kill each other in the Pacific,” I shouted. “It isn’t right!”
She raised a hand in farewell. “Good luck, Metlaa Gaela and Lysithea. Give Adaro my best when you find him.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Meela
Glacial Problems
A wall of ice towered over us, so pure and blue that I could hardly tell where water ended and ice began. It reached high above the surface and deeper than I could sense. I didn’t remember this glacier from the way over—but the maze of ice and currents made following the same path almost impossible.
We swam adjacent to the wall and eventually found a gap where the glacier had broken. The chasm, though wide enough to fit a ship, made me feel claustrophobic. Unless we wanted to dive beneath the ice and risk being unable to find an air hole, we would be stuck following the gap until it ended.
Lysi hesitated for a fraction of a second before entering it, determinedly silent.
“You’re certainly being quiet, for someone who couldn’t keep her mouth shut earlier,” I said.
Lysi glared.
“It was the one piece of information I asked you not to share,” I said.
“Oh, stop it, Mee! It’s not like you listened to me either, shouting at the queen like that.”
She pushed faster, far into the chasm. I adjusted the crossbow over my back, checking the bolts in my quiver once again. At least Medusa’s guards had returned our weapons before throwing us out. It was a small comfort.
We’d debated whether we should try sneaking back into the palace, but decided against it. If we were caught, we would probably face consequences much worse than simply being escorted out. Besides, the queen had made it clear she would not be convinced. Our best option was to get back to the Pacific as quickly as we could if we were going to find Adaro before the next king tide.
The disappearances Ephyra had noticed made sense now. If Adaro turned into a human during king tides, he would be extremely vulnerable. He would have no hope against me. But getting to him at the right moment would be difficult.
Lysi said we had half a tidecycle at most. Two weeks. Somehow, we had to make it back to the Pacific and find Adaro before then—not to mention finding a way past his army and the serpent, and tailing him until he left the water to transform. And we had to do all of this before the moon’s orbit and phase matched up in that perfect way.
I glanced to the cloudy sky, hoping to see the moon. I didn’t let myself think what would happen if we didn’t get to him in time. The world could not afford to spend another six months at his mercy.
Something groaned in the distance, deep and rumbling. Lysi didn’t seem bothered, so I ignored it. I watched her body wave in a smooth rhythm as she swam a few lengths ahead.
