He chuckles. It’s a metallic, rusty sound that hurts my teeth. “My mistake. It was my understanding that you wanted to leave the ocean and rejoin your knights.”
I freeze and spin to face him. “How?”
He winks at me. “When you are ready for the answers, let me know. But this is a timely deal.”
“Daphne, no,” Linda snaps.
“How much time?” I ask, ignoring her. He jiggles his chest, and the clock ticks again. Tempos, not turns or diurnals. I fold my arms and narrow my eyes. “I’m listening.”
A slow grin stretches his mouth. “Follow me if you dare, Daphne.” He spins and shuffles over the sand, his tail flicking in the water.
Genie shrugs while Linda shakes her head. “Never make a deal with a crocodile.”
I bite my lip and step over the boundary wall to follow Mr. Tick.
“I’ll just hear him out,” I mutter. “No harm ever came from listening to a deal, right?”
“Depends on how seductive the prize is,” Genie says from beside me.
My other side is empty. My seahorse has abandoned me.
I’ll listen, that’s all. My heart thunders at the possibility of returning to my sister and my knights. How much am I willing to risk for them? The answer is terrifying.
Everything. I would risk it all.
Chapter
Eight
Mr. Tick stops the irritating clock noise once he realizes I am following. I feel like I am being led to my doom, one slow step at a time, as we leave the arena, passing the extra-large mermen who scowl at me and Genie.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” Genie mutters. I never know what I’m doing. I find it best to never make plans, as the Idols see that as an invitation to mess with my diurnal.
Mr. Tick leads the way into a dark cave. The giant mermen take up the rear, herding us forward. I twist my hands together and force myself to keep calm. I’m just here to listen.
A short distance into the cave, the walls widen into a living area. A long backless sofa flanks one wall, opposite a pair of high-backed armchairs. A small kitchen sits tucked away in one corner, with two dark tunnel entrances to the side of it. I bite my lip and avert my gaze. It would probably be a good idea not to think too deeply about what crocodiles eat.
“Take a seat, Daphne,” Mr. Tick offers as he climbs on the sofa, his tail whipping behind him. I wish I had a tail. Having an extra leg to keep me upright would be a great addition.
I fold myself into the chair, and Genie settles in the other. Not that he needs somewhere to rest his wispy lower part.
“Tell me a little about yourself,” Mr. Tick says.
“Not much to tell. I’m a clumsy maiden from Far, Far Away.”
“How did you come to be in the Hallows?”
“One of the Charmings selected my sister to be his potential Cinderella.”
He nods. “That’s where you met the knights?”
“That’s right.”
“And which of them do you favor?”
“I’m not choosing.”
He narrows his black beady eyes at me. “None of them?”
