Kadir patrolled the crest between the ancient wreckage and his city. Soren kicked to his lower right and Iyen kicked to his upper left, patrolling.

A volcano opened in his chest and burned hot.

How dare these raiders attack with Elyssa in the city? Before, when there was no bride, an attack was understandable. The other cities wanted their warriors back, by force if necessary. But now a bride was present.

He would crush them into pulp. Where were they?

Soren and Iyen flew ahead of him. He kicked hard to catch up. They slowed and waited.

He couldn't order them to separate and he couldn’t stupidly ignore his weakness. If he was felled, his Life Tree was too young to survive. And what of Elyssa? No, he accepted the assistance of the strong warriors as they passed the old city.

Across the ancient city, a tiger shark bugled a challenge. It should not be here. This was outside its regular hunting ground.

"Another tiger," Iyen noted aloud. He or Lotar would be tasked with driving it off later.

Soren grunted. "Keep looking. The raiders from Newas were heard here, between two hidden echo points, inside our border."

They kept swimming.

Tial's city, Newas, was far away. Near Elyssa’s continent, north of Florida. This war party came to cause damage, to steal resources, and to shame or punish the one who had defected. They were not known for herding sharks, which meant they were likely not the only city’s raiders camping out beyond his borders, waiting for a chance to attack.

He tightened on his trident.

Suddenly, in the city behind him, the Life Tree flashed.

His heart squeezed. Elyssa! He turned and swam for the castle. "Come!"

The others wheeled. Across the city boundaries, other patrols also turned and flew.

What had happened? Were they too late?

Surprised shouts and cries echoed across the water. He increased his kicks. Soren passed him, deadly intent setting his black brow. Kadir's limbs burned. He forced himself faster.

Foreign warriors had triggered the defenses of the castle by trying to enter it, even though they were not accepted by his Life Tree. The castle entrance made a high-pitched keening as it cinched closed. Newas raiders were trying to hold the tightening corridor open while their fellows dragged out a net. Someone struggled inside.

No. They would not take his mer. They would not violate his castle. They would not threaten his queen.

Kadir screamed his war cry.

The Newas raiders jumped at the sound.

Soren bellowed. Behind Kadir, Iyen joined the call. The other patrols, much farther out, screamed as the whole of the city converged on the castle.

It was enough.

The raiders dropped the net and shot out — into Ciran's patrol. Tridents clashed.

Bloodlust pumped in Kadir's veins. His trident stretched forth to meet his enemies.

But his enemies scrambled from their battles and fled. They flew furiously to outrun an enraged and terrifying Soren. The other patrols chased after them.

Freed of the foreigners, the castle entrance continued to seal, protecting its occupants. The net disappeared as the entrance closed it inside. What of Elyssa? Kadir stuck his hand in just before the hole completely closed, cutting off his view.

The castle squeezed his wrist like a vise. His hand tingled.

Where was she? Was she hidden? Was she safe?

Then, sensing his resonance, the entrance slowly released him and opened. He swam down the tunnel as it returned to its original shape. Who—

Tial struggled free of the net.

"Elyssa?" Kadir demanded.

"In safety with the house guardian."

The tightness in Kadir's chest eased. She was safe. That allowed room for the fury. "They penetrated my castle. You were inside."

The young evergreen-tattooed mer flushed with embarrassment. "Your queen ordered I stay."

"You endangered her!"

The blood drained from his face.

Kadir spat. They had too few warriors to finish the raiders’ job and punish Tial with a coward’s exile. "Go to Soren. Assist him in finding out how they invaded."

"Yes, my king."

Sudden pain seared Kadir’s legs. He bent over and hissed. He had flown too hard after Balim ordered him to rest. He really was not recovered. Kadir grunted and gripped the cramping muscles in his calves and thighs. But he would not let pain stop him from confirming the health of his queen. “Hold, Tial. Help me to Elyssa.”

The young warrior held out his forearm stiffly.

Kadir forced his cramping legs to function, gripped onto Tial’s forearm, and limped into the corridor. Tial swam slowly and steadily, his face pale. Kadir’s muscles twitched, threatening to cramp again.

The heart chamber was sealed tight.

His chest relaxed another notch. He placed his hand on the wall. It recognized his resonance and opened, revealing Elyssa.

She sat in the middle of the chamber. Her legs crossed over each other and her open palms rested on her knees. Her eyes were closed. The house guardian curled in her lap.

His thundering heart slowed and synced with her. How strange he should be out of control one moment, and then calm the next. He released Tial and floated into the room.

The small guardian uncurled and swam at him aggressively. He continued forward. She puffed her body sac, trying to make herself more intimidating. When he would not be intimidated, she looked at him more closely with her small eyes, seemed to recognize him as the king, and floated off with what seemed to be a disgruntled harrumph.

Elyssa slowly opened her eyes. She tucked the flower behind her ear, pushed off the wall, and floated toward him. A gorgeous smile lit her face. “Kadir. You’re okay.”

Her feet unfurled in long, salmon-pink fins.

He opened his arms and accepted her, savoring her contact. She was whole. Soft and gentle, sweet and full. Everything was fine. "Your fins."

"Hmm?" She glanced behind her. Her eyes widened and she jackknifed. Her skull hit his chin and knocked his teeth with a clunk. "Oh my god!" She reached for her fins.

They reformed into her human feet.

"No," she whimpered. "Come back. They'll never do that again."

“Elyssa,” he chided softly, rubbing his throbbing mouth. "They will do it many times."

"Yes. You're right. Sorry." She hugged him fiercely, and he was too grateful to chastise her for the forbidden word. "I'm so glad you're okay. Oh!" She released Kadir, swam to the corridor, and found the young warrior. "Tial! What happened?"

He looked away. “Raiders entered the castle as you foresaw, Queen Elyssa.”

Kadir gritted his teeth on his growl. The raiders had only entered the castle because Tial had rejected his duty and cowardly hidden inside, endangering everyone.

She curled one arm around Kadir, easing his anger with her comfort. Her gaze was locked on Tial. “You’re bleeding.” She brushed Tial’s hair away from a mild scratch.

He froze.

Her touch didn’t bother Kadir. She resonated with him only. Tending for a warrior was a fit duty for a queen.

Tending to a coward who had betrayed them he could not allow.

Kadir pulled her hand away. “Come. We rejoin the other warriors and discuss fitting punishments for cowards.”

Tial’s face turned even whiter. He swallowed hard.

“Make sure Balim heals your injury.” She hugged Kadir, resting her head on his shoulder and nuzzling tight into his arms. “How did the raiders get past everyone? Was there a whole army?”

“No. That is what we must find out.” Kadir kept her at his side as they returned to the courtyard.

Adviser Creo swam up to them. Panic tightened his body to agony. “Raiders entered the castle! You are injured? Frightened? Hurt? Did they attack?”

“No,” Elyssa said, hugging Kadir. “I never saw them. You all protected me.”

Adviser Creo’s whole body relaxed as the tension drained out. He rubbed his forehead and built up his fury.

“Never in all my years has a raiding party entered a bride’s castle.” He wheeled on Kadir. “It is your fault! I warned you. This city is not well defended. It is too dangerous to display your bride as you have done up to now. You will listen to me and guard her properly.”

“I was guarded,” Elyssa protested.

Kadir did not contradict her, but the adviser was right this time. “We will decide how to proceed now.”

Adviser Creo nodded firmly, reading Kadir’s agreement. He swam to his neutral observer location outside the gathering ring of warriors and waited to see his advice enacted.

Although restricting Elyssa to the castle and cutting off her contact with all other warriors went against his ultimate vision, she must be made safe. He had to do something different. Soon, Balim would confirm his health had returned enough to work at the wreckage. She would be left alone. Raiders could once more attack.

There could be no cowards inside her castle, endangering her.

Elyssa nestled against Kadir’s side. “It’s unfair. I was guarded.”

He cupped her waist, keeping her tight where she belonged.

Once the chaos settled and all warriors were counted, Kadir called to Soren. “What have you found?”

"We tracked the raiders to the ruin. Lotar continues the pursuit." A new cut graced Soren’s cheek, and his mood suggested he had not exacted his full revenge. "You, Iyen, and I were the fourth patrol to pass near the old city. They must have crossed before the second or third patrols."

"Why were they not seen?"

"They were."

The mer warriors all shifted and muttered. The second and third patrols gripped their tridents.

“I am loyal!” Nilun snarled, a warrior in the third patrol. “Any who doubt me will taste my blade.”

The growls from the other warriors rose.

This chaos was normal. Mer of different cities did not trust each other. The tentative unity forged when Elyssa asked them all to claim Atlantis as their home crumbled under the threat of being blamed for dishonor.

Kadir raised his palm. They quieted. "You have risked much to be here. You have more honor than any warriors I have ever served with."

Everyone settled.

"But," his burning rage awoke once more, "if I am wrong and a betrayal can be proved, I will rip the betrayer in half with my bare hands."

Many of his warriors tightened on their weapons, promising, like Nilun, that after Kadir finished with the betrayer, they would chop the remains into chum.

Tial remained white. He knew his status. He had betrayed Kadir and endangered Elyssa. Kadir would deal with his dishonor later.

"Now. These foreign warriors crossed into our territory. They snuck across it unseen. How?”

“They hugged the ground,” Soren said. “The patrols can only protect the outer rim. If an enemy has help passing the outer patrols, he can move anywhere within our territory undetected.”

“Not anywhere.” Balim finished patching a slash on Zoan’s arm and moved on to Pelan, who had a shallow gash down his side. “Entering our castle triggered its defense system.”

“Because Tial is a coward,” someone muttered.

Tial bowed his head. His trident crossed in front of him as though he were a prisoner of war.

“He will be punished,” Kadir said.

Elyssa stiffened against him.

He continued. “Now—”

“Punished?” She released Kadir suddenly and stared at him wide-eyed. “Why? I asked him to stay inside.”

Tial had said that too. But that did not matter. “All warriors must fight.”

“He did fight. You saw his injury.”

“That was an injury from the raiders’ net.”

“Are you saying he waited for them to net him? Without putting up a fight?”

Tial twitched. He kept his head bowed.

This was all beside the point. “It is a warrior’s honor to face his enemy in open combat.”

The others, from their continued mutters, agreed.

“He faced his enemy,” she insisted.

Of course he could not expect a human to understand. Elyssa often grasped things readily. But this was outside her experience.

“I asked — no, I ordered him to stay inside,” Elyssa said.

“All warriors must defend their city from a direct attack,” Nilun shouted. The others rumbled in agreement. “The punishment for cowardice is exile!”

She reddened. Her heart thumped so loud Kadir could hear it from an arm’s length away. She pressed her flat hand against her chest and raised her chin. “Don’t all warriors also have to obey orders?”

“No commander would order a warrior to hide like a coward inside.”

“I did.” Her chin trembled. “Are you saying none of you would have stayed if I’d ordered you?”

Nilun shut his mouth. His flashing eyes told the truth.

She looked lost.

Kadir tugged her back into his arms. “You do not know our ways. An experienced warrior knows which orders will compromise his honor.”

She remained distant. Lost in thought. Her mouth curved down in distress. “I caused him dishonor?”

“He is young.” Kadir rubbed her stiff back to comfort her. “His punishment will be softened for his inexperience.”

Tial gripped his trident harder. Kadir’s words were meant to assure Elyssa that they would not permanently damage Tial, but they also did Tial greater dishonor. He had to endure the suggestion that he was too immature to deserve a full punishment.

Kadir was too angry. Tial should never have risked Elyssa.

She touched the shimmery blossom in her hair.

Now that this misunderstanding was resolved, Kadir turned to Soren to continue the—

“No,” she said softly. “I gave Tial an order. Dishonorable or not, he obeyed my order.” She snapped up to face Kadir. “I don’t think there should be any punishment. Or, if there is one, then I should also endure it.”

Tial looked up in surprise.

“No,” Kadir ordered. Although it was good Elyssa regained her equilibrium, her new request made no sense. “You should not endure any punishment.”

“Why not? I gave the order. You all made it obvious that no other warrior would have obeyed it. Tial knew it compromised his honor. He protected me, knowing it compromised his honor!”

“He did not protect you, Queen Elyssa.” Faier spoke cautiously even though it was clear he should have been confident. He had seen much in peace and in war. “Warriors will not enter the castle. None would ever hurt a bride.”

“Are you really so sure?” Elyssa raised her hands. “If warriors always leave, why did the raiders enter?”

“To capture Tial,” Nilun said. “The coward.”

Tial’s lower lip trembled.

“But he was only inside because I ordered him. This isn’t the first time these raiders attacked. Did they enter the castle last time?”

“Tial was not inside the castle last time.”

“Right. So why would they think that this time he was inside the castle?”

The mer dropped silent.

“The raiders used their eyes and saw he was not outside,” Pelan tried, gripping his daggers as Balim sealed his gash.

“How did they see that? Did they cover every inch?”

“No,” Ciran said, quickly calculating. “Our territory is too large. Making such a decision with their small party is logically impossible.”

That led to a different rumbling. Someone must have seen Tial enter the castle with Elyssa and not come out. They must have remained behind and shared that information with the raiders. A traitor was within the city. The same one, perhaps, who assisted the raiders’ entry.

They would uncover the traitors as soon as they finished punishing Tial.

Someone else muttered what they were all thinking. “We should give the coward back to his people if they still want him.”

Tial flinched.

Elyssa made a frustrated noise. “Am I talking to myself right now?”

Kadir rested his hand on Elyssa’s taut shoulder. “What is your meaning?”

“If all warriors are supposed to exit a castle at the first sign of battle, why would anyone try to break in?”

“To destroy a seed.”

She gestured at the empty pedestal. “You don’t have a seed.”

This was true. But it seemed unrelated. Why was she wasting their time with these observations?

“Ah.” Balim looked up from his patient. “Queen Elyssa. You believe Tial was not the target.”

She closed her eyes. “Yes. Thank you. Finally.”

What?

Even Tial looked shocked.

“Of course he was.” Gailen voiced everyone’s disbelief. “They were from his city. They tried to kidnap him before. Nilun and Zoan fought them off.”

“Yes, but a raider should not enter a castle on a whim,” Balim pointed out. “To risk activating the defense system, they should only enter to destroy a seed or capture someone they know will be inside. And who did the Newas raiders know would be inside?”

All warriors must exit to face their enemies. Only one person should remain inside a castle during an attack.

“You are saying…” Kadir’s chest clenched. He forced the words. “Their target was my queen?”

“That is impossible!” Adviser Creo shouted. Others vehemently agreed.

“We all sensed the joining,” Balim said. “They attacked the castle. The only sensible target is your queen.”

The burning started again. He would find those Newas warriors beyond the old city and destroy them.

“Tial saved my life,” Elyssa said firmly. “If he hadn’t stayed, I might have died. Tial’s not a coward. He’s a hero.”

Silence fell over the courtyard.

Tial finally lifted his chin. Wretched anguish filled his eyes and his lips trembled at the disgust of the other warriors. But he could face the dishonor now knowing that he had sacrificed himself for a worthy reason.

Kadir’s error had been assuming, like Faier, that no warriors would dare to hurt a bride. His assumption put Elyssa at risk. Adviser Creo had warned him about this possibility. He would no longer be blinded by the very traditions he sought to destroy.

“My queen will always have a guard,” he rumbled. “In peace and in battle. From now going forward.”

His warriors silently recognized his order. Adviser Creo puffed his chest. He had wanted Elyssa under guard from the beginning, and now Kadir recognized his wish.

“And my first guard will be Tial,” Elyssa declared.

The others growled. Tial blanched in shock.

“No,” Kadir said.

She rounded on Kadir. “Why not?”

“You will have a warrior who is honorable.”

“Tial is honorable!”

Kadir shook his head. She did not understand. No other warriors could forgive Tial’s dishonor even if his action had accidentally ended well.

She pressed both hands to her glowing chest. “Tial valued me above his honor. He knew the consequences just like everyone else. He valued me more.”

The other warriors shifted uncomfortably.

Nilun growled. “Queen Elyssa, honor is—”

She blazed at him with magnificent fury. “Don’t call me queen. You won’t obey my orders. The title doesn’t mean anything.”

His eyes widened. Rage trembled his entire body. “You question my loyalty?”

Kadir moved in front of Nilun.

Elyssa glowed brighter. “Will you obey my orders? Or will you leave me unguarded in the middle of a battle to protect your honor?”

He did not dare answer.

“I want a guard who cares about me.” She lifted her chin. “That guard is Tial.”

The others shifted again. Agitation filled the castle.

Kadir raised his arms to quiet them. “Elyssa, this is not our way.”

“I don’t care.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “Are you just going to stick me with whoever’s convenient? Everyone else said they’d ignore me. Only he, out of all these ‘honorable’ warriors, obeyed my command. The others can call me whatever they want, but it’s obvious to me that he’s the only one who treats me like a queen.”

Nilun turned his anger on Kadir. “You cannot allow this obvious dishonor.”

Yes. Tial's cowardice had endangered… No. That was not quite right.

Kadir's calves cramped painfully. He had been clenching the muscles during this discussion and now it cost him. He grunted, bent over, and massaged the taut muscles.

Elyssa dove beside him, realized what he was doing, and massaged his other calf. Her touch soothed him with healing.

His warriors waited for his judgment.

He took the time to organize his thoughts.

Was punishing Tial not the right response? Elyssa had ordered him to remain with her. Despite the dishonor, Tial had obeyed. Wasn’t this situation the same as dismembering a male for saving another warrior’s bride? It was such a radical shift that Kadir’s thoughts turned as muddy as a war-churned muck cloud.

Elyssa glowed at him brightly. Warm, golden light flowed from her outward, shining over the rest of the mer.

There was only one answer that mattered.

His muscles relaxed.

Kadir rested his hands on hers. She smiled. Somehow, she knew what he would do. Together, they straightened.

"We are founding a new city,” Kadir rumbled, Elyssa by his side. “The judgments made now will become our traditions going forward. We must honor the past. But we must also understand that we are living in a new era. An era of modern brides. An era of queens.” He turned to the young warrior. “You are the first warrior to be tested by the new era. My queen made an unorthodox command. Few warriors would have the discipline to listen.”

Tial gritted his teeth, his formerly pale face now flaming, as he awaited Kadir’s judgment.

“You did well, Tial."

The young warrior's eyes widened. The other warriors rumbled with disagreement.

This city would be founded on new traditions. No matter how they surprised even its king.

Kadir boomed over the disruption. "You will be the queen’s first guard. You will protect only her. And you will obey her above all other mer.” He put his growl into it, over the others’ shock. “Even me.”

Elyssa glowed like the sun.

That, even more than his growls, quieted the mer.

She was different. She was more than a bride. Her glow proved it.

“Do you accept this honor?” Kadir asked Tial.

Tial swallowed hard several times. "My king."

"Rally to your queen, Tial."

Tial's eyes glimmered. His chin wrinkled and smoothed. He swallowed again, bowed to Elyssa, and straightened. "I await your orders, my queen."