“We’ll still be right on schedule as long as the two of you quit questioning me and start working on your parts of the plan,” she said, and Hazel and Casius both edged back instinctively, anticipating Serena’s newfound electric wrath. Cordelia’s little head raised off Serena’s shoulder, and she looked at Casius with her big, inquisitive eyes, but still she kept silent. “Hazel, get going. Casius, get back inside; Athena will be waking up any second.”
Hazel’s eyes stayed on Cordelia for a moment, but then she caught Serena’s angry look and was gone in a flash, headed for Deep Ocean. Casius saluted, somewhat ironically, and pumped all eight of his tentacle in a single, graceful movement that propelled him through the palace doorway.
Cordelia made her first noise of the morning as Casius swam away. It was a small, quiet sound of disappointment. Serena held the child out in front of her, looked her up and down as though she’d just remembered she was there, and her face twisted in a look of disgust. From the picnic basket, she pulled a bottle of milk laced with sleeping potion. She lifted the basket flap again, placed Cordelia inside on the bed of uprooted seagrass, and stuck the bottle in her mouth. With Cordelia sucking down her breakfast, Serena headed towards the coral reef, a malicious smile on her face. Soon, all her troubles would be gone.
— — —
“TRITON!”
The call rang through the palace, the stone sending it out in echoes: Triton…ton…ton!
Triton shot into the nursery like a harpoon, Athena’s panicked shriek making his blood sing as it sped through his veins and pumped them full of adrenaline.
“What? What is it?”
“Cordelia,” said Athena, barely keeping her voice in check as it threatened to become a scream. “She’s not in her crib.”
Triton almost sighed in relief and exasperation (he had thought she or the baby was hurt), but something in Athena’s eyes stopped him. Instead, he licked his lips nervously and tried to steady his voice as he said, “Well, starfish, I’m sure one of your handmaidens has her. She must have been crying, and we didn’t hear her.”
“I always hear her,” said Athena, her words short and shrill. “Why would my handmaiden leave the nursery with her without coming to me?”
Triton fumbled for the answer for a moment, his eyes darting around as though he might find it written on the nursery walls. When it finally came to him, he almost laughed. “Serena must have heard her cry. Serena must have her. Or Hazel. Or Moira.”
Athena’s shoulders relaxed. A small laugh escaped her in a breath, and she put her hand to her forehead.
“They don’t have her, sire,” said Casius, swimming into nursery. He filled his voice with feigned concern. “Serena and her mother and sister went out for a leisurely morning swim. I believe they brought a lunch with them to eat at the reef. They didn’t take any of the children with them.”
Casius was knocked aside as Athena rocketed past him, out into the hall, and over the balcony. She hovered there, suspended in the middle of the palace’s tallest spire, the atrium far below her, and shouted, “Cordelia!” as if the infant would respond.
“Sarah, Melissa, Rena!” The names of her handmaidens rang through the palace and the three mermaids appeared quickly. It was their job to remain close by.
“Yes, your Majesty,” all three echoed as they appeared one after the other. They all exchanged nervous glances. Athena had never shouted for them before, and there was a wild light in her eyes.
Athena’s eyes seemed to vibrate they moved so fast between the three mermaids, looking them up and down in hopes that her child was nestled in their arms.
“Where’s Cordelia? Do any of you have her?” She ran her hands through her long, red hair, snagging tangles and ripping strands from her head. Her voice cracked with terror as she said, “Where’s my baby? Somebody tell me where my baby is, right now!”
Fear gripped Triton’s stomach in an unforgiving fist, but he knew that if he let it take hold of him as it already had Athena, chaos would ensue, and help would not be fast in coming to little Cordelia—if in fact she needed it. The only way to stave off the fear was to don his kingly role and take over as if it was a military matter.
“All of you,” he said, thrusting a finger at Athena’s handmaidens, “let every soul in this palace know that Princess Cordelia is not in her bed, and she must be found at once. She’s got to be here somewhere.”
“Yes, your Highness,” said the handmaidens, all giving the customary bow of their heads before swimming off in different directions.
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” said Casius, swimming out to where Athena still floated in the heart of the palace. He placed a reassuring tentacle on her arm. “One of the servants must have her for some reason or another. Or perhaps one of her sisters simply wanted to play with her. You know how fond of her they all are.”
Athena looked down at Casius’ tentacle where it lay on her arm, her wide, fearful eyes turning curious. Casius had never touched or comforted her before. In fact, he hardly had a word to say to her, kind or otherwise. But the sensation of another creature’s touch eased her, and his words soothed her mind. She placed her hand on top of his tentacle and squeezed it gently, but she could still not quite muster a smile.
“You’re right, Casius. Thank you,” she said.
“Yes, of course. Why did I not think of it?” said Triton. “She must be with her sisters. We’ve gotten all worked up over nothing, starfish.”
But the princesses were all found, and baby Cordelia was not with them. Minutes turned into an hour, the whole palace was searched top to bottom, and the little mermaid could not be found.
“Someone has taken her, Triton,” Athena said, tears making her voice quiver as she gripped his shoulders so hard that her nails left marks. “Why? Why would anyone take my baby?”
Triton wrapped her in his arms and pressed her face into the crook of his neck. The fear was threatening to overflow. He felt his hands shaking as he stroked Athena’s hair. But as her words sank in, some of that fear turned to murderous rage.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” he said, “and I assure you, starfish, when I find out who has done this, they will feel the full wrath of the Trident.” He turned to his most trusted guardsman—his old childhood friend, Kale— and said, “Organize the Guard. I want every inch of Adamar searched, every citizen questioned, and if we do not find the princess in the city, we will search the entire ocean until I have her back in my arms.”
“Yes, sire,” said Kale, saluting before heading on his way to fulfill the king’s orders.
“Casius,” said Triton.
“Yes, sire?”
“Go to the reef and tell Serena, Hazel, and Moira what’s happened. Perhaps they know of a spell or potion that could help the search. Athena and I will be joining the search personally; tell them they should do the same and that if they wish to join up with Athena and I, we will start searching the north quadrant first.”
“Yes, sire,” said Casius, happy that he could not smile because it surely would have given him away. It was all falling into place just as Serena had predicted it would.
— — —
Hazel had been deathly afraid the first time she had gone in search of the massive tiger shark that had been causing trouble in Adamar off and on ever since the day Athena arrived. Whenever Triton got another summons saying the shark had been spotted or had attacked someone else, Serena would glare at Athena as if she had summoned the beast. She told everyone who would listen that it was an omen, that having Athena as a queen of Adamar would bring death and destruction. So, when the three witches had hatched their plot against Athena, Serena had been adamant that they befriend the shark and make him part of the plan. “It’s only fitting,” she had said.
When Hazel was voted the one to go make the deal, she was suddenly sure
it was Moira and Serena’s way of getting rid of her as well. They were both secretly hoping she would get eaten; she was sure of it. It had taken forever to find the beast because her terror was hindering her concentration, and her tracking spell (which sent out a little trail of bubbles in the direction of the spell’s quarry) kept puttering out. She had finally found the shark stalking the outskirts of the city, moving at an easy pace, unafraid of running into a patrolling guardsmen. Hazel could see why. He was massive. Scars from other harpoons and swords that had failed to kill him in the past covered his hide, mingling with the faint stripes of his kind that were just a shade darker gray than the rest of his silvery skin. At the sight of him, she had started to turn back and swim with all her might towards the palace, but he’d spotted her. She’d frozen, paralyzed by his onyx eyes.
“Long way from home, aren’t you little mermaid?” he had said, and the eagerness in his voice, as if he was imagining how she’d taste, had made her tremble.
“I am no ordinary mermaid,” she’d said. The only thing giving her the power to speak was the knowledge that if she did not say what she had come to say, she would surely be his lunch. “I am a sea witch, and I’ve come to make a deal with you on behalf of my sister, Queen Serena of Adamar. I suggest you hear me out; the deal is beneficial for both sides. And stay back! The moment I see teeth coming my way, I’ll turn you into a sardine.”
He was silent for almost a full minute, and she silently prayed that he believed her bluff; surely he knew who Serena was and that she had a sister who was also a sea witch. There was no way she could actually manage to turn him into a sardine, though. Even if she could somehow summon up the power it would require, she didn’t even know a spell that would do that.
“What’s this deal?” he had finally said, and she had fought to keep her face stern and businesslike as intense relief made her lightheaded.
“I deliver up some tasty royal guardsmen, and you put on a show,” she’d said, trying her best to imitate her mother’s cool demeanor and easy smirk. “If you succeed, you will have a full pardon from Queen Serena. You will never be hunted again.”
The tiger shark had laughed and said, “Now you have my undivided attention.”
He had pressed for details, but she had refused to expound. But he became skeptical and wary, saying, “Why should Queen Serena wish for me to attack her guardsmen? It sounds like a trap.” Eventually, she had convinced him with a lie that the guards he would be attacking were plotting against the royal family, and the king and queen did not wish to make their betrayal public with a trial, as it might encourage other guards to rebel as well. It was all to look like a tragic accident.
He had told her his name was Babar. Now, as she hid with him, the two of them floating just out of sight below the lip of the city’s drop off, she wished he had not told her. It made her feel guilty, knowing that he was probably going to die because of her deceit. She had not told him that the king had no knowledge of the plan and would be nearby, Trident at the ready, prepared to defend his guardsmen to the death. Babar had always managed to disappear before Triton could find him—it was why he was still alive—but this time would be different.
She clutched the clam shell tightly in her hand. She turned away from Babar, pretending to watch a large school of fish that was going by in the Deep Ocean behind them, and opened the shell. Inside it was a little window in which she could see Triton and Athena, both looking haggard and desperate and wild as they searched for Cordelia. They were getting close. Now all she and Babar had to do was go find a group of nearby guards and lead them to towards Triton. They were scattered throughout every inch of the city, so it wouldn’t be very hard. She turned back to Babar.
“Showtime,” she said.
Babar rose up over the lip of the city’s edge just in time to come face-to-face with a group of three royal guardsmen just coming out of the kelp forest. Babar’s massive jaws opened in a toothy grin. The guards’ eyes grew wide, and they grabbed frantically at their sheathed weapons.
“It’s the devil shark!” one screamed.
Babar laughed, a deep, ominous, rumbling sound like a mountainside collapsing into the ocean.
“Welcome to hell,” he said.
— — —
“Cordelia! Cordelia!” Athena called, her voice high and desperate, cracking at the end of every word.
Instead of going to find Serena, Hazel, and Moira as Triton had ordered, Casius had been tailing him and Athena since they’d left the palace, using his skin camouflage to stay out of sight. He had watched Athena become more and more frantic. She pulled at her hair each time her desperate cries received no reply—though what reply she thought the babe could give, Casius was not sure. Her head whipped back and forth and over her shoulder in a constant, rhythmic pattern, her eyes practically vibrating they moved so quickly over the landscape.
“Athena, you must calm down,” said Triton, grabbing her hand.
She yanked her hand from his and said, “Calm down? Calm down! Our baby is gone, Triton!”
“Yes, I know, starfish,” said Triton, grabbing for her hand again, “and whoever has taken her can hear you calling a mile away. They’ll be headed in the opposite direction. Cordelia cannot tell you where she is. You must stop yelling.”
Athena blinked at Triton and then began to wail, throwing herself against him. Casius averted his eyes as Triton tried to soothe her with caresses and kisses. The sight of the two of them together made him almost as sick as it made Serena.
“Hurry up, Hazel,” he muttered to himself.
“Darling, we can’t keep stopping like this,” said Triton.
Athena choked back a sob, put her fingers to her temples, and gave her head a little shake. “Of course, you’re right. I’m sorry. I’m half out of my mind.”
“I know, starfish. I am too, but we have to keep moving. We’ll find her. Don’t worry. I’m sure Casius has found Serena by now, and she and her mother will be coming up with some sort of tracking spell to help us find her.”
“Well, I wish she’d hurry,” said Athena sourly. “Why did she have to go off today of all days? She never leaves the palace. She just mopes around. What got—”
There was a terrible scream of agony not far to their left. A merman’s scream. Triton went rigid. Athena clutched at his arm. In the silence, they could hear a commotion in the water. Merman’s voices could be heard faintly, shouting.
“Hold on, Marcus!”
“Kale, look out!”
“Oh God, his arm is gone!”
Casius recognized Kale’s voice saying, “Get him out of here! The blood will drive it into a frenzy.”
“Athena, stay here,” Triton said.
Athena looked like she might protest, but then her eyes moved from the direction of the screams to Triton’s eyes, and she released his arm and nodded once. Triton pumped his tail and shot off towards the ensuing battle, the Trident held out in front of him, poised to attack.
Casius waited until Triton went around a bend and was out of sight and then changed his skin back to its customary color and approached Athena quickly. The Trident would make short work of the shark. He had to hurry.
Athena jumped at the sound of his tentacles pushing him through the water. She spun around and then let out a puff of air when she recognized him. She put a hand to her heart.
“Casius,” she said, “you can’t sneak up on me like that, not when I’m already such a mess.”
“A thousand apologies, your Highness, but I’ve been looking for you for quite some time. I have both good and bad news.”
“I don’t think I can stand any bad news right now, but I suppose I must. What is it?”
“I went to the coral reef to find Serena and Hazel and Moira, but it seems they are still on their swim and have not arrived at the reef for lunch yet. Or perhaps, they met up with some of th
e guards and learned of Princess Cordelia’s disappearance and are back in the cauldron room trying to help,” Casius said, talking fast so that she would not interrupt him and waste time. “But upon my arrival at the reef, I could have sworn I heard a child cry nearby.” Athena gasped and her eyes sparked with joy. Casius held up a tentacle before she could speak. “I searched high and low on the reef; I even enlisted the help of the fish there, but we could not find the child. I heard a child’s cry once more while we were searching, but still I could not tell exactly where it came from, and I could not find it. I don’t understand, but I’m sure I heard the baby cry. I fear a sinister power is at work here, my lady.”
Athena’s face fell, but there was still hope in her eyes. She looked over her shoulder towards Triton, but he was not in sight. She looked back at Casius, the fear and hope and pain in her beautiful green eyes stabbing his conscience.
“We go to the reef,” she said, and took off towards the reef without another word, heading away from Triton, away from safety, and into the waiting arms of a vengeful, heartbroken sea witch who screamed for her blood.
Chapter 10
The Water Runs Red
Serena peeked inside the basket again, just barely cracking the flap with one finger. Cordelia was still asleep with her thumb in her mouth. Serena closed the basket quickly as a fish swam by her face. No one could see her with the child, not even the reef fish. It was bad enough that they would witness Athena’s death. But if everything went according to plan, it would look as though Athena was killed by pirates. If something went wrong, she would just have to deal with it when it happened and rely on the fact that fish were not technically citizens of Adamar and were very unlikely to be questioned. It also helped that they had terrible memories.
No one but Casius had been sent to the reef to search for the child, and naturally, he had not shown up, so the reef was calm and beautiful as usual. Though it was part of Adamar, it was not attached to it, and it was much closer to the surface. The water was warmer up here closer to the sun, and it was making Serena groggy as she floated on the south side of the reef (the side farthest from the city). Casius would be bringing Athena around the north side so that she would not see Serena.
The Sea Witch (The Era of Villains Book 1) Page 18
