by Tiana Warner
Finally, activity flowed down that spiralling well. I jolted into alertness. A pair of mermen entered.
The water stirred as Meela rushed at her cell door.
“Listen,” she said. “We’re working against Adaro. Our names are Metlaa Gaela and Lysithea—”
“Quiet,” said one of the mermen.
“—and we’ve come here to tell Medusa what we know. We weren’t sent by anyone, and—”
“Mee, shut up!”
She did shut up, but I suspected this was because they’d begun to open her cell door.
A scuffle told me she tried to flee past them. At this, my anxiety reached a point where I thought I might throw up.
“Her Majesty wishes to see you,” said a guard.
“She does?” said Meela.
I let the other guard grab me. They hauled us out of our cells. Medusa wanted to see us? I couldn’t decide whether to be excited or afraid. Had something convinced her to hear us out? Maybe the guards had relayed our purpose to her, after all.
Still, the idea of a public execution floated at the back of my mind. If we were in Adaro’s kingdom, maybe—but I hoped I was right in thinking Medusa was better than that.
We spiralled back up the passage and into the world. The daylight, though dim, was blinding.
Rather than turn back to the entrance, they pulled us towards the palace wall. We passed through a stone door, small and hidden beneath weeds. Two guards flanked the other side. They nodded as we passed.
My heart pounded. We were inside the Atlantic Queen’s palace. Never in my life did I expect to be here. A thrill of excitement ran through me despite the trepidation I felt. I wished I could tell Spio, or my mom and dad, or my brother, or anyone. I committed every detail to memory. If we ever got out of here, I would want to remember it.
The palace was a maze of hand-built stone walls—rough, ancient, impenetrable. Even the outside noise was muffled, so only our movement and the crackling coral on the walls tickled my ears.
We rose two floors through more of those spiral wells. Some were exposed to the daylight above; others were speckled with holes and had tiny jellyfish in the ceiling so we were never plunged into blackness.
We passed by windows, which tapered so they were easy to see through but wouldn’t be obvious from the other side.
Corridors branched off in all directions. I glimpsed vast rooms with dozens of merpeople inside, meeting or working or whatever they were doing. I tried to catch some of their conversations, but we were moving too quickly. We took turn after turn in a pattern I would never remember.
“Let me do the talking,” I whispered to Meela.
“You think I’ll say the wrong thing?”
It sounded like a real question, not an accusation.
“Yes.”
First, as far as I was concerned, she had entered crazy mode and I had no idea what she would blurt out. Second, the way she interacted with others was still too human. I’d never thought of human culture as being so different, but now that Meela and I had spent more time together, I realised how much adjusting she had yet to do. I couldn’t quite describe it, but something about even the simplest interactions was different, like the way she saw authority, and relationships, and freedoms.
The corridor widened into a vast, empty cathedral. It smelled earthy and green, every surface teeming with plant life except for the far wall. Into its bare stone were carved dozens of faces: mermaids, with serpents in place of hair. They looked eerily alive in the soft blue beams of sunlight rippling in the water. In the centre of the wall was the face I recognised from artwork: the original Medusa. Her mouth was open in a scream—just wide enough to fit one at a time.
My heart thudded faster. I knew who waited for us on the other side.
Meela’s guard went in first, pulling her through after him.
Meela hissed, yanking her hand away. “I’m coming, for gods’ sakes!”
My guard pushed me through and followed close behind.
We emerged to an enclosed grotto. It felt like being inside a giant egg with clay walls. The upper half, above-surface, was flecked with holes to let in daylight. A continuous roar against the surface told me waterfalls ran down the sides.
I wondered if there was a secret passage somewhere in the walls. There must have been. I couldn’t imagine having this high-security room with a single entrance.
The guards led us across the grotto, keeping close to the floor.
“Your Majesty,” said Meela’s guard. “Metlaa Gaela and Lysithea from the North Pacific.”
At the back of the room was a throne, pure black and shaped like a massive lion’s paw shell. In it sat Queen Medusa.
She was northern, her greenish-brown tail draped over the edge, fin fluttering on the current. To call her beautiful would have been like calling a blue whale “kind of big”. Beauty seemed to emanate from her bronze skin, tangible and absolute.
Her black hair was done in dreadlocks that brought her lineage to mind. Jewels and kelp buoys were braided into the ends, which swirled like snakes in the passing current. A translucent crown sat atop her head.
Her eyes, a vibrant orange-brown, raked over me and Meela. I had the impression that meeting her gaze would, in fact, turn me to stone. When she spoke, I half-expected a forked tongue to emerge.
“I understand you come with news of Adaro.”
“Your Majesty,” I said, finding myself breathless. “King Adaro’s troops are—”
“Why?”
I hesitated. “I beg your pardon, Your—?”
“You risk your lives coming to me. I could easily have you killed. Barring that, you are now traitors to Adaro’s crown and risk capital punishment.”
I forced myself to meet her eyes. “King Adaro is a danger to the rest of the world. Something needs to be risked in order to stop him, Your Majesty.”
“And you want me to risk something?”
“No,” I said quickly—though I was unsure if it was true. “Your Majesty, you’re the only one who can stop him.”
“Adaro’s war is happening on the other side of the world. It does not affect my kingdom.”
“Your Majesty, his armies are stationed at the Ice Channel, South America, and in several places east of here. He’s preparing to invade—”
“You think I do not know that he surrounds the Atlantic?”
I clasped my fingers together, resisting the urge to fidget. “Of course, Your Majesty, but I thought you might be able to use what I know from my time in his service.”
“I am aware of the inner workings of his army.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
My stomach churned. So she didn’t care what we had to say about Adaro’s army. That was one piece of information rendered useless.
But why would she bring us here? She must have wanted to hear us out.
I tried to read her aura but got nothing. I felt Meela’s gaze on me like the sting of iron.
The queen inclined her head to the guards who’d brought us in. They backed away. She watched them until they disappeared back through the entrance, and then returned her attention to us.
“I hear he has the Host of Eriana.”
I opened and closed my mouth. So the queen had known about it.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s under his control.”
Medusa shifted, tail rippling on the current. “How is Adaro doing? Does he seem well?”
“Um …” Does he seem well? That was an odd question to ask of the merman who was violently seizing every kingdom.
Meela gave a low scoff, which I felt more than heard.
The queen turned her orange-brown eyes onto her. “How many have died at his hands?”
Meela glanced to me. I gave a slight nod.
“We don’t know,” said Meela. I was relieved to hear a gentle tone. “He’s been attacking the coast but we have no indication of numbers.”
“Surel
y, as a former human, you have some idea of how many of your people have been lost.”
I felt the jolt in Meela’s pulse. Her eyes flicked to me, and back to the queen.
The queen’s lips twisted, not quite a smile. “Where are you from, Metlaa Gaela?”
“Eriana Kwai.”
For a moment, the queen looked intrigued, even excited. Then she sank back in her throne, composure regained. “Do you know how to return the serpent to Eriana Kwai, then? Is there a way to lay it back to rest?”
Meela looked to me, lips pursed.
If it were up to me, I would have told the truth about passing control. But Meela would never forgive me for giving away this secret. I hoped desperately that the queen would help us without knowing the full story.
“Meela has to kill its master, Your Majesty,” I said. “For that, we need help.”
Medusa’s eyes narrowed. “Is there another way?”
“No, Your Majesty. It’s indestructible.”
She studied us so intently that I crossed my arms over my stomach. Did she know I was withholding information? Or was she considering whether to help Meela?
Finally, she said, “I do not agree with Adaro’s position on human relations, nor with the way he governs the Pacific. But I wish to target the Host, not its master.”
“It can’t be one or the other, Your Majesty,” I said. “They’re bound by blood.”
“The Host is the most dangerous force, here. That is where I am interested in focusing my efforts.”
I bit my tongue, suppressing my outrage. The serpent was only as dangerous as its master. Did she not realise how destructive Adaro had been before the serpent came into his power? How could she think he wasn’t the core of the problem?
“Even without the serpent, Adaro’s still about to destroy the whole coast,” said Meela, the words seeming to burst from her lips.
A flicker of confusion crossed Medusa’s face.
Oh. She didn’t know about the labour camp.
“Your spies haven’t told you?” said Meela.
The queen opened and closed her mouth. She seemed to struggle with herself, too curious to be offended.
“He’s going to cause a tsunami, unless we do something to stop it,” said Meela.
The queen stared at us for a long moment. “How?”
“He’s digging into the earth, Your Majesty,” I said, heading off Meela before she got carried away. “There’s a massive labour camp in the deep sea. He’s rounding up civilians—Queen Evagore’s kingdom, former humans, anyone who opposes him.”
Medusa looked between us. Barely perceptibly, her shoulders slumped. For the first time, I saw the ordinary mermaid beneath that translucent crown.
“You must understand,” she said. “I am hesitant to offer information that would lead to Adaro’s death.”
“Why?” said Meela.
I looked sharply at her in warning.
The queen hesitated. “Because Adaro is my son.”
The words took a moment to sink in. Meela looked as stunned as I felt.
“Your son? But he’s so …” I trailed off, not sure how to end the sentence without insulting her.
“I have known for some time that my son is leading himself to an untimely end. When I heard about his South Pacific expansion and the disappearance of Queen Evagore, I feared for the Pacific Kingdom. I have tried to contact him, to send advisors, even to send troops to resist his expansion. I have come to accept that my efforts are futile.”
“You’re giving up?” said Meela.
“I will not order my civilians to fight a war that is not theirs.”
“This war affects everyone!”
I put out a hand to silence Meela, but she pressed on, voice rising.
“Whether he’s your son or not, you can’t ignore how many deaths he’s causing. These are merpeople who once belonged to your kingdom. These are the humans you claim to care about!”
Queen Medusa’s eyes flashed red. “Do not doubt my loyalties, girl.”
“Then what are you doing to protect those innocent lives? What happens when the tsunami wipes out every coastal city and you’ve done nothing to stop it?”
“Meela,” I whispered, grabbing her arm.
Yes, I’d expected more from the queen who was supposed to rule with compassion. But Meela’s tone was too severe, too dangerous to be addressing royalty.
“What she means, Your Majesty,” I said, “is that the kingdoms are all connected. King Adaro’s actions might affect our relations with humans worldwide.”
The queen looked to the far wall. I glanced back to find the entrance vacant. We were alone with her.
“While I can help you, I will not mobilise my army,” she said.
Meela opened her mouth, but stopped when I squeezed her arm and cast her a warning glare.
My heart pounded. Something in the queen’s demeanour had changed. She was less defensive, now. Was the concern she showed for her son, or for the innocent lives at stake?
She traced her hands along her throne, seeming to weigh her words.
Meela glanced between us, tense.
“When I was sixteen,” said Queen Medusa carefully, “I met a human from Finland. I visited him every day. We grew serious in a short time, and he swore we would find a way to be married. Against everyone’s warnings, and against his wishes, I chose not to change him into a merman. I loved him the way I met him—from his blue eyes to his feet. I did not wish to take him from his natural state.”
Guilt squeezed my chest at these words. That had been how I felt about changing Meela. I hoped Meela would never forget that. I tried to catch her eye but she was busy staring at Medusa.
“I was seventeen,” said the queen, “when I became pregnant.”
Meela said, “You mean Adaro’s father is—?”
“A human, yes. When I told him, that was the last time I saw him. He did not meet me the following night, or the night after, although I continued to visit our beach until the day I gave birth.”
I scoffed. “What a cod.”
“I do not hold it against him, but at the time, I was hurt. Even more, I was terrified. I did not know if my baby would be born a human. I was afraid to ask for advice. My dear friend agreed to pretend he was the father to avoid scandal—but I gave birth alone, and on land, just in case.”
“Wow,” I breathed, feeling like she deserved some kind of single mother award.
She stared at us for a long moment. I couldn’t tell if she was waiting for us to say something, or deciding whether to continue.
Finally, she said, “I wish for you to understand why my son is this way. He spent his childhood trying to find his father, despite my attempts to stop him venturing near the coast. He went through too many guardians to count. At fourteen, Adaro was captured by sailors. They put him in a cage meant for livestock, intending to bring him to land. Of course, you know humans have tried to capture merpeople many times, and it always ends the same. My son escaped, and none of the sailors lived to tell about their prize catch.”
A killer at fourteen. That didn’t surprise me. Plus, I imagined the experience had soured Adaro’s opinion of humans even more.
“My son grew angry with me. He did not understand how I had fallen in love with a human, and worse, how I could be so cruel as to bring a child into the world as a half-breed. He argued with my position on human-merpeople relations, believing humans had no right to be in the seas.
“Adaro was always charismatic. He found a group of friends who felt the same about humans—I suspect after he’d convinced them so.
“At fifteen, they attempted to take over my throne. I admit, the plan was clever—albeit gruesome. He and his allies murdered a mermaid and adorned her in my jewels, then used her decapitated head to convince my council that I had been killed.
“He was on my throne when the plan disintegrated. I was on my way to a meeting and learned of the news.
The pieces came together: the meeting was a setup. I avoided what surely would have been my assassination.”
“Your own son tried to kill you?” I said, barely audible.
Medusa gave the tiniest of nods. “Upon my return, I had his allies executed for treason. But Adaro was still the prince, so I imprisoned him. I assumed he was going through a nasty rebellious phase—and rightfully so, growing up without a father and suffering humiliation in his efforts to repair that relationship.”
“That’s no reason to try and murder your mother!” said Meela.
Medusa offered a wan smile before continuing.
“During his time in prison, his allies grew in numbers. A campaign of anti-human messages had amassed a following of hundreds. I did not know the extent of it. I released my son from prison after a year, believing his words of remorse.
“When Adaro was seventeen, an oil spill happened off the coast of America. It took the lives of an entire community in the Nares. Adaro used this to spread a message about humans. He promised to lead merpeople to victory against them. With this tragedy as leverage, Adaro gained a following of thousands. They grew large enough to be, for the first time in hundreds of years, a political party in opposition to the crown.
“Then the Ice Channel melted and a passage opened that summer. He left me without goodbye. He and his followers crossed to the Pacific to begin a new kingdom. My understanding is that he made a temporary pact with America while he focused on doing what he needed to secure the Pacific.”
“Yeah,” said Meela. “He needed the serpent—the Host—from Eriana Kwai.”
“I don’t doubt he had a careful plan. My son is clever. I do not approve of his war against humans, but it takes noble blood to be able to do what he has done.”
Meela opened her mouth, anger pulsing from her.
I said quickly, “And noble blood is the only thing that can stop him, Your Majesty. Please.”
A tinge of red seeped into the queen’s eyes. “I have told you what you need to know about Adaro’s condition. Now you can end the tyranny destroying the Pacific.”
Condition? She hadn’t mentioned any—
It dawned on me. My heart skipped a beat. But how did this help us? What was I missing?
