“And the Atlantic,” I said.
She nodded.
“When?”
She glanced to her husband again. He gave a feeble shrug.
How close was Adaro to ruling the seas? Had he really taken over everywhere below surface except the Atlantic? The day he decided to move in on the Atlantic would be a critical one. That was the last kingdom, and the largest. Queen Medusa was the remaining chance at stopping him.
“Where are we going, then?” said Meela.
I glanced at the miserable faces around us. The merman beside her finally spoke. “We’re helping His Majesty’s expansion.”
Meela looked around. “By doing what?”
“His Majesty needs a powerful force to get rid of all humans between here and the coast.”
“More powerful than the Host?”
The merman squinted at her. “‘ey? The what?”
“The serpent.”
“You called it a Host—”
“I meant to say serpent.”
“Why—?”
“Never mind,” I said. “What’s he doing with us?”
The merman puffed himself up—a less-than-impressive gesture. “Something to annihilate as many Pacific humans as possible.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “How?”
“Can you think of nothing that would span half an ocean with its power?”
Meela shuddered beside me. She was staring at the merman with an odd expression.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A tsunami,” said Meela.
I scoffed. “You can’t control a tsunami. They’re caused by earthquakes.”
“Yes, and what causes earthquakes?” said the merman.
“Shifting plates,” said Meela.
He nodded. “There’s a boundary near the Moonless City where plates converge. If we can shift the pressure by relocating the rock—”
“You can’tcausean earthquake!” I said.
“You forget, girl, how far into the crust the deep sea goes.”
My insides felt like ice. Adaro had growing armies, he had the serpent, and now he was planning to bend nature to his will. How many humans would die if a tsunami of that magnitude hit the Pacific shores? Would the humans retaliate? Could they?
“But this doesn’t explain where we’re going,” said Meela.
