Chapter 3

The house was warm.

I sat on a shell chair cushioned with soft sealskin. Everything around me was arranged with careful order. The jagged coral edges of the walls had been carefully smoothed round; in the corner sat enough glowing jellyfish lamps and hot-spring stones to burn through the depths of winter.

I thought of my own coral dwelling — cold and hollow now.

After Corvin and Kaelen left, Lyric had still kept it up. He had. But his mind was always elsewhere. That crack in the roof, the one leaking cold currents — it never seemed to get sealed. The hot stones in the spring pool were always nearly frozen through before he thought to replace them.

On the coldest days, I no longer dared to complain as I once had. I only slipped quietly into Lyric's arms, terrified he too might leave.

Then, from the inner room, low voices drifted out:

"What, gone soft, have you?"

"Let me be clear — if you back out now, don't think about coming back here."

I stiffened, leaning closer to listen.

But then I heard Lyric's voice, cold as the current:

"No. I just don't want her running to the chieftain again, crying, making trouble for Elara. Don't worry. She's easy enough to placate."

My mind went blank.

Corvin gave a short, breathy laugh. The sound of a tail fin cutting through water faded.

Someone swam to me and knelt down before me. Lyric lowered his eyes and, with a soft square of shell-gauze, began wiping the blood from my scraped tail, bit by bit.

His voice was as gentle as I remembered:

"Coral. From now on, I am to be Elara's mate. You are the chieftain's daughter. The tribe is full of fine males — take your pick."

Something crossed his mind, and he laughed softly.

"Weren't you the one who used to say you'd drive all three of us out and go find yourself another mermaid?"

Those had been the angry words of a spoiled child, hadn't they? Why hadn't they mattered to him then, and mattered so terribly now?

I looked up at him through the blur of my tears, shaking my head over and over.

"No… I didn't mean it…"

Lyric's expression darkened faintly as he stared at the tears at the corners of my eyes. He reached out slowly and wiped them away, ruffling my hair as though to comfort me. Then, in silence, he stood and went to fetch a shell bowl and medicine.

Suddenly — a crash.

Something heavy struck me hard. I turned my head and saw Elara's little merchild floating there, face contorted with hate. He was hoisting a scalding hot-spring medicine kettle above his head.

"Bad mermaid! Bad mermaid who bullies Mama! Get out!"

I threw up my arm on instinct. But the motion sent the boiling medicine splashing back — a few drops striking the child's bare tail fin and the back of his little hand.

He froze for a heartbeat. Then let out a wail loud enough to shatter the sea.

The shell door slammed open from outside just then. An icy current rushed in.

And then a hand seized me by the throat.

Kaelen's deep-green shark eyes were fixed on me, and he was laughing — a laugh with no warmth in it.

"Bullying Elara wasn't enough. Now you've come here to bully the child too. Cordelia — you really do have a talent, don't you."

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