“Wait,” Oliver says, and everyone turns to him immediately, as they do in the kingdom when my father speaks. It is a kind of influence that I cannot imagine. “Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” Viola asks, running her hand up his arm. “Are you enjoying the fireworks? It took me an age to organize.”
“Of course I am, my darling,” Oliver says, but he’s staring out at the sea and I don’t think he’s looking for me any more. “I just… something isn’t right.”
I dip under the surface, tasting the water as it wakes up around me, stretching its arms out, ready to play. Hello, it says, and it begins caressing the left side of the boat, then the right, just enough to inform the humans that it is here. The water does not pay much heed to the boats ripping through its skin but occasionally the humans must be reminded of the water’s generosity in allowing them to do so.
I rise up again to watch the humans. A glass walks off the table, exploding as it hits the floor. No one calls for Mabel this time.
“Rupert did say the weather looked dicey,” Viola murmurs.
“Never mind Rupert. You said you checked the forecast this morning, didn’t you, Gupta?” Oliver says.
“I did,” Geoffrey replies, grabbing a railing at the boat’s edge to steady himself. “It didn’t say anything about a storm.”
A sudden fork of lightning, a serpent’s tongue licking the sky apart. A girl’s scream.
“Okay, we all need to stay calm,” Oliver says as the sea begins to grumble. Hungry, it tells me. “Everyone put their life jackets on. It’s going to be fine.” He turns to Geoffrey. “Where’s Teddy? He’s the only person who knows how to sail a yacht this size.”
“Teddy is asleep.”
“Then wake him up, for fuck’s sake. We need to get back to port right now.”
“Oli, Teddy has been drinking since noon. I doubt he can even stand, let alone steer this boat.”
Oliver curses. The sky is broken again, flashing brilliant, and another human screams, more desperate this time. They scramble for these life jackets that Oliver spoke of, ashen faces against the luminous yellow. The wind lifts its heavy head, sniffing deeply, inhaling the sea’s anger. It wants to join in. It wants to put the humans in their place too.
“Oli,” Viola says. She is not crying, like some of the other girls are, but her face is tight. “Oli, what are we going to do?”
Something slithers past me, a substance like seaweed sliming my skin. A head bobs out of the water, then another, and another. Right on time, as they always are. They will have been anticipating this moment all day, as soon as they smelled the storm, no doubt. Pale green hair slicked down their backs, the whites of their eyes flashing in the dark. They circle the boat, holding hands, their song gathering at the back of their throats. Oh, come, human men. Come to us. We will teach you a lesson you shall never forget.
“What was that?” Viola says, staring into the water as a Salka moves forward. “Did you see that?”
They never believe in us until it is too late. The sea begins to climb, stacking wave upon wave, it is a giant with a gaping mouth, looking for something to feast upon. The humans offering their useless prayers to their gods, as if anything can save them now. Pressure builds behind my eyes, like I might cry. Cry for these creatures who would see me as a freak if they knew I existed? Cry for those who took my mother from me? What is wrong with you, Gaia? But if they die, if he dies, then will I ever feel this way again? Never feel heat pooling in my stomach, that urge to take his hand in mine and never let go? I cannot bear the thought of it. A whip of a vicious wave, a snapping sound, wood crumpling between the water’s death-grip fingers. The boat lurches desperately to the side, the water gushing in while the humans scream. They scream and they scream. And all I can do is watch.
The Rusalkas begin to sing, the tune vibrating sharply in my teeth like gritted sand.
Come to us. (Their song is so beautiful.) And the humans cease struggling.
Accept your fate. (Their song is so terrible.) And the humans close their eyes. They beg for mercy.
And the Salkas move.
Limbs and planks are torn apart by the wind and the sea, tossed from one wave to the next, and, for some reason that I cannot name just yet, I find myself swimming, heading into the wreck, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a thrashing beam. I ignore the salt sizzling hot in my veins, warning me of certain death if I continue. I refuse to be frightened, not now. The water twisting and devouring the boat. Arms and legs and screaming mouths and eyes wide open, beaten into submission. The bodies that descended to the kingdom looked so peaceful; I did not realize that their demise would have been so violent. The girls are left to swallow death as the Salkas claim the men for their own.
Left, right, peering into the lashing water, searching for one person only. Where is he?
I see him. A Salka has her hand against his chest, hunting for his heart.
“No,” I say. And then, “Not him.”
Her head spins completely on her shoulders, in one clean movement.
“And why not?” she asks, her tongue waggling past her teeth. “Why should I spare this man?”
“I—”
“Don’t be foolish, little mermaid,” she murmurs. “Human men will bring you nothing but pain.”
“No. You can’t have him,” I say, that heat tingling through me once more. I don’t know what this is but I want to hold on to this feeling for ever. “You can take her instead.” I point at Viola, struggling in the water, fingers clawing wood as she reaches for a beam to hold on to, her features twisted in what looks more like fury than fear. A warrior, that one. She would have made a good Salka if she had died in a more tragic fashion.
“You would trade a girl’s life so easily, would you, little one? For some man you don’t even know? And besides, what use would I have with a girl?” the Salka says. “It is not women that must atone for their sins.”
“You can’t have him,” I say again. “I am telling you now, Salka. I am Princess Muirgen, sixth daughter of the Sea King. I am betrothed to Zale, leader of our kingdom’s troops. And I command you to let this human go.”
I wrestle Oliver’s body away from the Salka, ignoring her promising war and destruction after me.
“Ceto!” she screams. “Ceto will hear of your actions. You will regret this.”
I ignore her. In this moment, I do not care for my own safety or what retribution the Rusalkas will seek for this flagrant transgression of our laws. I don’t care if my decision upends the uneasy truce we have brokered between our kingdom and the Sea Witch’s Shadowlands. All I care about is this man, the blessed weight of him in my arms as I drag him to safety. Oliver.
He must live.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Muirgen.” Human men will bring you nothing but pain.
“Muirgen.” Human men will bring you nothing but pain.
“Muirgen! I shall not tolerate such insolence from you, girl.”
An elbow to my ribs. “What?” I hiss at Arianna, rubbing my side. She tilts her head towards our father. He is sitting at the top of the mother-of-pearl dining table, glaring at me.
“What is it, Father?” My voice is strangled, even to my ears.
“I asked you a question, Muirgen,” he says. “And when I ask a question, I expect you to answer me immediately.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” I say. He looks at me strangely, and my skin prickles with dread. Does he know what happened? Does he know what I have done? “I was distracted.” I have been distracted these past two weeks, waiting for the Salkas’ response to me saving the human boy. Each day brings a silence that is increasingly unnerving. The peace between my father and the Sea Witch is brittle, fragile; hard fought for and easily dismantled. I have put us all in danger.
“And you haven’t touched your dinner,” he continues. “Did you not enjoy it?”
“It’s perfectly fine, Father. I’m just not hungry.”