Kadir was going to make her leave.

She could just feel it.

Elyssa padded across the Life Tree dais, trying to find comfort in her daily singing routine. Zoan was making tiny cuts with the huge adamantium knife and feeding hair-sized streamers back into the stem so it glowed. Tial was outside, taking his turn to guard the entrance, and Kadir was finally well enough to patrol the borders and supervise at the old ruin. Her next surface visit was looming, all the warriors were exhausted from pulling quadruple shifts trying to excavate Sea Opals from the ruin, and raiders had been spotted inside the borders twice. Soren thought they would attack when the guards left to take Elyssa to the surface.

Kadir had rested his hand on her bent knee over their last breakfast. “Do not fear. We will protect you on your journey.”

That wasn’t what she was afraid of.

He frowned and removed his hand. “Have faith.” And then he was called away to go to the old city, and she was left to her daily routine.

What she was afraid of was that he would take her to the surface and leave her there. If she screwed up one more time, she was out. Her time here was hanging by a thread.

They had not “joined” for real since before the needlefish attack. He devoted himself to pleasuring her. But he held back. He refused to allow her to pleasure him.

He didn’t love her. He wouldn’t join with her to make young fry. Had he changed his mind? Did he need her to prove something? Like they had “bridged their differences?”

She’d thought everything would be fixed after she could make her fins on command. But now she’d uncovered secret mermaid powers, and she felt farther than ever from becoming Kadir’s true queen.

“Queen Elyssa.”

Zoan called her to the far side of the Life Tree. Pelan was there, resting skeptically. Since she was here every day, some of the restrictions about who could visit when had been lifted, and there were now mer nearby almost all the time. It was extra guards in case of an attack, and she kind of thought they got more revitalized from sleeping close to the Life Tree rather than far away, in the castle, or worst, outside.

Zoan waved her close. “Show Pelan the five gestures.”

She made the peace sign, the hang loose sign, the thumbs up, the I-Love-You sign, and the Kiss sign. To make the Kiss, she touched her thumb to her fingers on each hand and brought the two together, finger tips touching, like two lovers kissing

Pelan considered them carefully, his hands resting on his empty dagger sheaths.

One idea to bridge the distance was to make a salute for the city. She’d noticed that all the warriors made different welcome and farewell gestures, and some seemed insolent to others. Iyen almost got into a fight with Nilun for looking him in the eye for too long. And Gailen told her Lotar’s isolationist city of Syrenka thought bowing was a sign of weakness.

She tried to stay away from fist-based signs because she was pretty sure they all had meanings to the mermen already. Rude meanings.

“I can come up with more gestures,” she said when Pelan was taking too long to decide. “We’re just scratching the surface here.”

“I have seen the last one,” he said finally.

The Kiss sign was the most popular, and some warriors had already started using it to salute her. It was like the “more” sign in American Sign Language, which pretty accurately symbolized all of Atlantis. More women. More kissing. More chances.

“Alright, if you like it, then it’s official,” she said.

Pelan was surprised. “The king has decreed it?”

Well, no. “It wins by the popular vote.”

He frowned. “That is not tradition.”

“Believe in your power, Pelan.” Zoan made the more-Kiss gesture at him several times, as though proving some point between them. “New traditions are bursting out all over this city. Queen Elyssa, sing your one song, I Will Survive.”

She obliged, channeling Gloria Gaynor in all her glory. The Life Tree glowed. Before Pelan’s amazed eyes, a bunch of tiny hairs grew out.

Yep. Singing turned the Life Tree into a radiant Chia Pet.

“Now you have twice as much work,” Pelan noted, eying Zoan’s huge grin. “What is so special about this song?”

The peach warrior shrugged and got to work, strengthening the stem while it continued to glow. His hands were streaked with mean-looking scars. They were still healing from a shark attack during her last surface visit. “The raining of men is also good.”

The Weather Girls had made an appearance in Elyssa’s daily repertoire. It seemed appropriate, especially as she was constantly surrounded by the hard-bodied, kind, protective warriors.

She stroked the strength lines of the tree, willing it to grow stronger.

“See here, Pelan.” Zoan leaned back. “Queen Elyssa. Show the other power.”

Pelan waited patiently.

She demonstrated, vibrating with a sustained, high note. The Life Tree glowed. On the branch, the twin seed began to twinkle even more brightly through the thick, protective seed covering. Below, the tiny Sea Opals glittered.

Pelan’s mouth dropped. “What is this response?”

“Resonance.” Zoan dug his elbow into Pelan’s ribs. “Now you wish her to go to the old city again. Right? She will find the hidden Sea Opals with no effort. Me too.”

Pelan’s mouth closed. “The wreck is dangerous. Octopus Kong has many bad days.”

They had adopted her name for the giant octopus.

If she learned to control her powers better, then she could go meet the giant octopus again. She stopped singing. The light faded.

Faier entered and bowed to Elyssa, which meant patrols changed. Pelan rose with a groan. It was time for his round, and then he would go to the old city and continue the excavation without Elyssa’s talent.

Faier honored the Life Tree with a long bow.

Elyssa was here not only to perform her daily singing but also because she was waiting for Gailen. He had returned exhausted from the excavations, and she had ordered him to rest before helping her pack a samples bag.

She pulled out one of the empty conch shells they had collected. It was gorgeous, iridescent as Kadir’s tattoos, and sparkly in her hand. She rested it on her palm and closed her eyes.

Lucy was able to summon the Life Tree energy to form a protective barrier over her warriors. Elyssa had failed during the needlefish attacked. When everyone converged on her, she’d gotten flustered and lost her concentration. Her trusted guards had been severely injured. But it had to be something she was capable of too, right? She had to master this power.

Someone approached. She opened her eyes.

Zoan grinned cheerfully. His body was tanner than the others, and he was more slender but still well-muscled. She hadn’t come up with a celebrity yet to match. But like Gailen, he seemed to pick up everything she said. “Deep thoughts?”

“Pretty shallow, unfortunately.” She tried to focus, but she was too aware that he was watching. And so was Faier. She gave up with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ll figure out how to get Sea Opals and bring more women to meet you in the future. I mean, brides.”

He shrugged. “It is alright if you do not.”

That was surprising. “You don’t want a bride?”

“This was my brother’s dream. I followed him. We are twin seeds.” His easy smile faded. “Roa was lost while storming the prison.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” His twin, Roa, had clearly meant the world to Zoan. “It must have been rough when he died.”

“Died?” His eyes twinkled as though he had deliberately misled her, trickster that he was. “No, I said he was lost. Roa is alive. When I am peaceful, I feel him.” Zoan pressed his right hand against his chest. The skin was torn in a serrated half-circle. His mirth faded. “Someday, he will come here and be found.”

“I hope so too.” It had never occurred to her that the warriors here might not want a bride. “Sorry for disturbing your peace and trying to play match-maker. You’re a great guard.”

He waved her apology away. “You are interesting. I enjoy guarding you inside the sanctuary, but it is best that I do not become one of your usual guards. Another could command my loyalty.”

She appreciated his honesty. He was telling her to her face that if Roa showed up, he would take off and strand her. “Thanks for guarding me here.”

“If you are still seeking a third, fourth, and fifth guard, you should know that Gailen and Tial’s pride is more common. Most others feel the same.”

Her heart melted a little. “Really?”

“Yes.” His eyes twinkled.

Wait. Was he making fun of her? Somehow?

“Queen Elyssa.” Gailen saluted using a sign that she would now always think of as “more kiss” from the exit. “I am ready for hunting.”

She grabbed the partially filled samples bag, left Zoan with the Life Tree, and swam down to the ocean floor. Aya requested samples. Aya would get samples.

While they swam, Gailen pointed out their surroundings. “That coral is painful. That one is also painful. Do not touch that one. That one is good eating after you remove the outer covering, which is painful. That one is very painful. You call it Fire Coral, and you can guess why. That one is painful.”

Elyssa sensed a theme. “Is anything not painful?”

“Yes.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “We cultivate them in the castle. This area is almost a wilderness.”

Huh.

He swam below her. “It is the same pain as to brush-whack.”

“Bush-whack,” she corrected. “Yeah, I guess if you’re bush-whacking through blackberries and thistles, it’s no walk in the park.”

“Do not bush-whack through the coral.”

“I won’t.”

Off in the distance, schools of fish shimmered in the water like colorful leaves. A Moby Dick sperm whale chased after the flocks, thin mouth open in its thick, wedge-shaped head.

Wasn’t this amazing? Aya would love it. Or her parents, or her boss in HR. Who would ever think Elyssa could be here? So deep under the water, seeing sights that no other human had seen before?

Behind her, her fins swooshed like a beautiful, rainbow-pink sail.

She had never been so happy and satisfied in her life.

Her relationship with Kadir had to work out. She had to bridge the distance with the other mer, and with Kadir.

A dark shadow skirted the edge of the current. She felt it like a slime. It made the hairs on her arms rise, and she scratched the uneasiness.

Gailen also raised his head. He scanned the landscape carefully and finally frowned. “Let us go back.”

They returned to the Life Tree. Tension remained in the other mer also; most, but not all, returned Gailen’s cheery more-kiss salute. Some, like Adviser Creo, merely frowned at him and then returned to staring out edgily at the hidden enemies making everyone nervous.

Inside the Life Tree, the shift had changed again. Gailen passed Tial, who handed him some of Elyssa’s earlier samples, such as the conch shell. Gailen put them in the bag. Zoan was buffing the petals forming the curved interior walls, making them shine.

She was starting to get a sense of time passing, at least, and it felt like it was almost time to go to the surface. She rested at the base of the Life Tree. Gailen set the bag beside her. It was sealed tight.

“I will seek your other guards.” He saluted — more kiss — and swam off.

She closed her eyes. The future swirled as a mass of fear and worry. Could Aya convince the board of directors to be satisfied with the samples? Had she found Sea Opals another way? Would the city be attacked in Elyssa’s absence? Even if she were here, could she help?

It felt like the calm before the storm.

She rested her forehead against the trunk and channeled her inner peace. So she could summon it when she needed it. Zen calm in the middle of complete terror.

Zoan’s scraping stopped. His voice rose. “Where is the seed?”

Elyssa lifted her head and opened her eyes.

He dropped the scraper from his lax hand and kicked to the upper branch. The seed’s papery white husk fluttered from his strokes. It was empty.

He looked at her. Panicked. “You have it.”

Her stomach dropped.

She held up her empty hands. He swam around her, staring like it was somehow hidden on her. How? It wasn’t like she had pockets. She swallowed back her own fears. It had to be here. “I’ll help you look.”

They searched the bare branches, the base of the tree, and all around the dais.

“Queen Elyssa, King Kadir has been delayed by—” Gailen stopped as he floated into the sanctuary chamber. “What are you doing?”

“The seed is missing,” she explained tersely, crawling on her knees and moving her hands across the ground in case it had turned invisible and she bumped into it.

“Missing!”

“Could it have fallen and rolled down the petals?” she asked Zoan.

“Impossible.”

“A traitor has taken it,” Gailen growled. “Remain here. I will inform Kadir.” He zoomed out.

“Isn’t he at the old ruin?” Elyssa called after him, but Gailen was already gone.

If so, it would be awhile before Kadir arrived. They were on their own.

“I was here the whole time,” Zoan promised, his gaze glued to the bare white earth. “I will discover this traitor. The seed cannot have disappeared.”

“Who else was here?”

He shook his head. Faier, Pelan, Gailen, Tial. Warriors that had always seemed loyal. Now, the normally cheerful Zoan seethed as though he were going to tear a serrated shark's bite out of the traitor.

Okay. She had to narrow it down. “When was the last time you saw it?”

He straightened and blinked. “Your song!”

Of course! She straightened and sang one solid note.

He began to swim toward the exit in anticipation of catching the traitor red-handed.

Her sealed samples bag began to glow.

She swam to it. He was right behind her. She picked at Gailen’s unfamiliar knots. Zoan pushed her out of the way and tugged the correct ends. The bag fell open. Inside were all the samples, bound in protective seaweed. She sang. One of them very suspiciously began to glow.

He started to reach out and then stopped.

Huh? She picked up the packet and struggled again with the tight binding. Gailen knew how to wrap things securely. She finally got through the top layer. The white glimmer of the seed made her tension ease.

This was the seed. Wrapped up protectively and put in her samples bag.

“How did it get in here?” she asked.

Zoan was already looking at her. Denial gave way to confusion and then hurt crossed his face.

Wait. He didn’t think — no!

“I didn’t do this,” she said. “The bag was sealed the whole time.”

He frowned down at the bag. “I was here the whole time.”

“You were at the wall. Who was here while your back was turned?”

He stared at her.

So, it did look bad. She’d been resting against the Life Tree with her bag. “The bag was sealed!”

“Then how did the seed get inside?”

“I don’t know.” She stared at the precious white seed. “I opened it to practice with the conch shell.” Had she ever put the conch shell back inside? She’d gotten it out but couldn’t remember putting it away. “Gailen arrived. He carried the bag.” He’d wrapped the samples. But the traitor couldn’t be Gailen. “Other warriors also collected samples for us outside.”

“Who?”

She shook her head. “Lotar, Nilun, you…Tial handed me some. Gailen sealed the bag. I was just resting.”

“And then the seed went missing.” A new hardness tensed his jaw.

“The seed is missing?” Adviser Creo barreled into the sanctuary. His panic narrowed on her. “Who would dare steal the seed?”

Crap.

The adviser had been gunning for her since day one. He thought she was dangerous. He would just love finding out that the seed had gone missing and turned up in her sample bag.

Zoan shoved her hand — and the seed — back into her samples bag. “Stolen? No, adviser, I said the seed was missing. It will soon be found in King Kadir’s hand.”

His tone was light, but his glare was deadly.

The adviser only seemed to hear his light tone. His brows smoothed. “That is why Gailen flew out screaming for Kadir?” His shoulders relaxed. Then, he growled at Zoan. “Speak directly. These word games only cause amusement for you.”

Zoan’s lips formed an unnatural grin. “My amusement is all I need.”

The adviser huffed.

Zoan tied the bag tight and handed it to Elyssa. “Adviser Creo, will you remain here? I must escort Elyssa to her guard.”

“If she stayed in her castle like a proper bride, my intervention would not be necessary,” he grumbled.

“Intervention?” Zoan’s voice began to twinkle like his mischievous eyes, even though his expression was a forced snarl. “Adviser, I did not say—”

Adviser Creo put up his flat palm in dismissal. He had no patience for Zoan’s teasing. “Go.”

Zoan almost pushed her out of the sanctuary. They flew down the tunnel silently and squeezed outside. Tial guarded the entrance. He gripped his old, bent trident worriedly.

At her appearance, he made the more-kiss salute. “Where are we headed?”

“To Kadir.” Zoan kicked in the direction of the old city. “Do not follow us, Tial. A foreigner remains inside, alone with the Life Tree.”

“Foreigner? Inside?” Tial’s eyes widened. “But my duty is to Queen Elyssa.”

“Stay with the tree until I return,” Elyssa told him.

He obeyed, flying into the Life Tree sanctuary, trident clenched.

She and Zoan kicked toward the old ruin. Elyssa carried the samples bag. It was like a blood weight in her arms.

“Foreigner?” she repeated dryly.

“Adviser Creo is not from Atlantis. Besides, it will give us a fast start to meet Kadir and explain what has gone on.”

So Zoan really was taking her all the way to the old ruin. Her guts twinged. “You don’t trust Tial?”

Zoan fixed her with an unnaturally hard gaze. “There is a traitor here. I do not trust anyone at all.”