Kadir held Elyssa close.

She was his savior. She was his heart.

Their warriors gathered in the broken sanctuary. Those most injured were moved to the foot of the Life Tree. Faier limped to the dais; his one healthy fin was badly sliced. Iyen’s face had been split nearly in two and would leave a terrible scar. Balim tended them.

The submersible was long gone. Aya had disappeared with it. Roa, the adviser, Tial, and Soren were all missing. Zoan had been recovered from the old ruins, tied up and beaten down.

His remaining warriors greeted the new Life Tree with awe.

The new Life Tree was a thin sprout growing directly out of the trunk of the old. Its bark was no longer only his silvery tint. The color had changed. Silver combined with a bubbly pink. Despite its small size, it was bright and sparkling. Fearless.

Just like his Elyssa.

The warriors looked to Kadir to explain.

He stood tall. “Today, because of treachery, the Life Tree died. And today, because of determination, the Life Tree was reborn. Because of Elyssa—”

“And everyone,” she said.

“—and all of you,” he confirmed. “We won today because of faith. Faith in our vision. Faith in our city. Faith in each other. So long as we keep this faith burning bright, Atlantis will withstand any attack. Someday, all will flock to our city. We are the future and the hope of our race.”

Their worn faces lightened. Their backs straightened and they lifted their chins. Their injuries were still raw, but together, the pain could be endured.

Kadir linked hands with Elyssa. Together they wove through the injured crowd, pausing to speak with each warrior. They reached Faier.

He bent over his sliced fin and did not look up.

Kadir placed his hand on Faier’s shoulder. “Ciran tells me you fought like two warriors in this battle. You defended Iyen after his injury and you saved Pelan’s life.”

He mumbled. “Does it matter?”

“Your injuries were honorably received. Atlantis is lucky to call you a citizen.”

His head remained bowed.

“You will be included in all future selections for brides. No matter your injury.”

“Does it matter?” He looked up. “What bride will join with a warrior like me?”

Deep slashes crisscrossed his face and gashed his chest and back. The wounds were horrendous. Much worse, even, than the wounds he had sustained defending Rusalka.

Faier’s face crumpled. He looked away again. His fin leaked blood into the dais.

Elyssa’s light burned even brighter in her chest. She knelt before him and touched his elbow. “Many women, Faier.”

He lifted his head.

“What women want is a kind, loving, determined male who would go to the limit to protect them. That’s you all over. Maybe your face won’t grace the cover of Merman Weekly, but from this angle, you kind of look like a rugged George Clooney.”

He blinked. “What is that?”

“The sexiest man alive. For, like, twenty years in a row.”

Faier frowned. “You are kind. That comparison is too incredible.”

“Fine. Don’t believe me.” Elyssa rose and rejoined Kadir. “Kadir says you’re going to the next bride event. You’ll just have to see for yourself.”

Her confidence made Faier think hard. He studied his injuries and stroked the clear parts of his mauve tattoos. He always strove to be considerate, fair, and thoughtful but he did not extend those qualities to himself. It made him an easy warrior to fight beside, but a difficult warrior who could not accept a well-earned honor. As Elyssa prophesized, only meeting the right woman would ease those fears.

Just as Elyssa had eased Kadir’s.

Kadir tugged Elyssa to the next warrior, leaving Faier with his thoughts.

“Will he be okay?” she asked.

“Yes.” Kadir nuzzled her. “His mind wars with his heart.”

“I get that.” Elyssa leaned against him. “My mind tells me to worry about Aya. But my heart says not to worry. I feel in my chest she’s okay. Isn’t it crazy?”

“You are steeped in resonance.” He stroked her shoulder. “I also feel Soren and Tial. They are okay.”

Elyssa tightened her lips. Her eyes reflected her concern. “I hope so.”

A shout of welcome rose. Tial appeared at the crumbled wall of the sanctuary. His body was beaten and his hands were empty.

“Tial.” Kadir met him at the piled rubble. “You are a welcome sight.”

“You too.” He was changed by the battle. His young face reflected an adult’s confidence and determination. “Adviser Creo tricked me into the hands of my old city warriors. But, I fought them off.” He touched his chest. “I feel rested for the first time since leaving Newas.”

“That is a reward of your faith,” Kadir said. “The Life Tree has filled us all with energy for our resonance.”

Tial nodded. “Queen Elyssa, what is your will?”

“I am safe with Kadir.” She stroked Kadir’s chest. “You may do as you wish.”

“I will patrol my city.” Tial found Ciran and reported for orders.

“My king! My queen!” Zoan smiled through a split lip and double black eyes that forced him to squint. “A new shoot has grown.”

“Good.” Elyssa smiled at him kindly. “Feed it back into the stem for strength.”

His mouth dropped in shock. “I did not say it was an ordinary shoot! This one has a bulb. It grows from the seafloor.”

That meant a new castle was growing.

And he had deliberately misled them. Elyssa twisted her lips and wagged a finger at Zoan. “I’m watching you.”

His eyes twinkled. He made the salute. His right hand bore new scars around the old, slowly healing shark bites.

Zoan was a resilient warrior. He had not fully processed his brother’s betrayal — and his brother had gotten away, it seemed — but he rebounded more easily than some.

“A new castle. Wow. It will be nice to have ours to be alone, I guess.” Elyssa sighed.

“We will not have it for long.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The Life Tree responds to our resonance,” he reminded her, swinging her gently in his arms. “A warrior has claimed his bride.”

“So ours will remain open to our warriors? Good. I like having a big, full castle.” She smiled and relaxed. “I hope we meet the new couple soon.”

He expanded her smile with a wondrous glow. This free, easy kiss between king and queen was the promise they had tried to achieve. This, here now.

Her deepening kiss spoke all.

Lotar and Gailen returned with Adviser Creo. He alone was dark-hearted and quivering, well aware of the amazing transformation of the resonant mer.

“You should not exist!” he shouted. “You treat your brides badly. Your city will cause a thousand deaths.”

The two warriors threw him down roughly. Although they were angry, they had not otherwise mistreated him. Lotar controlled himself as always. Impulsive Gailen looked older, aged by the fight, and harder than before. Lost illusions hurt.

But disillusionment was necessary to fight for right. Kadir had also grown from trusting the wrong authority. Gailen had taken one step closer to his final warrior form.

“Adviser Creo. Rise.”

The adviser gaped at Kadir. “You are still alive.” He looked beyond him at the Life Tree. “Impossible. I saw it cut down. How can it be regrown?”

“From the twin seed you conveniently made available.” Elyssa smiled with all her teeth. “You were the one who stole it off the Life Tree when no one was looking, weren’t you? And then you wrapped it in seaweed and tricked Tial into putting it in my samples bag, thinking it was the conch shell. What would that have gained you? My giving away the twin seed to Van Cartier Cosmetics by accident?”

He sagged.

Kadir knew his answer. “Loss of faith.”

She swung to him. “Faith?”

“Atlantis is not bound by tradition. Nor pointless rules. We are bound by trust. Loyalty. Faith in each other.” He basked in the warm glow of her chest light. “Faith in our brides.”

She met his kiss.

Adviser Creo started to shake. “Do not publicly display yourself in front of these desperate, single warriors! This clingy female is the reason you will—”

Lotar knocked the adviser in the back of the knees. Adviser Creo folded in half. Lotar slammed him into the Life Tree dais.

Everyone stared at Lotar in surprise. He fought sharks without blinking an eye, but he lost his temper after one insult?

“She is our queen.” Fury inflected his voice. He raised to a roar. “You will honor Atlantis’s queen!”

The others roared their agreement.

Elyssa glowed.

Kadir stroked her gently. She had worked hard to earn their loyalty. She deserved their recognition.

Lothar returned to his implacable position. His eyes flashed.

“Thank you,” she said.

Lotar merely looked away and nodded.

The adviser rubbed the back of his leg cautiously. “Er, I see. This was a misunderstanding. I will judge Atlantis fairly and return my answer to the All-Council.”

Elyssa looked at Kadir. Her skepticism said, Oh, really?

He squeezed her shoulders. Of course they shared this opinion without needing to speak it.

“Adviser Creo.” Kadir released Elyssa and set his feet. He crossed his arms over his powerful chest and stared down at the male whose good opinion he had tried to earn, but had had to bite his lips together so many times to seal in the fury he gave himself a blister. “We have a Life Tree. We have a castle. We repelled all threats.”

He licked his lips. “So far, yes. But—”

“So far?”

Adviser Creo’s gaze flicked to the new growth emerging from the freshly scarred stump. “Yes, I will include this in my report, of course.”

“We have no need of your report. We have no need of the All-Council’s approval. We will tell them so when we return you. We approve ourselves.”

The shimmer of rightness echoed in his words. The newly regrown Life Tree glowed and swelled with their agreement. They approved of themselves.

The adviser frowned. “But you do not have enough warriors.”

“More will come.

“You will never be safe until you are approved by the All-Council.”

“We are safe,” Kadir corrected. “Because we possess a most powerful warrior.”

“Soren is missing and—”

“Our queen.”

Her pleased glow warmed his back. Ah, yes. He needed to speak these words frequently. Bright as she was now, she could become brighter and brighter.

The adviser stuttered. “But I have to remain here to advise you. I have to do this. It is my right.”

Balim, Adviser Creo’s formerly sympathetic ear, spoke aloud. “I think the other cities would be interested to know how ‘helpful’ the All-Council’s adviser to us has been.”

The others murmured agreement.

“It might cause them to think hard about accepting any advice from the All-Council in future.”

His face blanked as he finally realized the harm of his scheming.

The city-destroying scheming of the “impartial” representative would cause a ripple in the other cities. Also, Atlantis possessed a super-weapon of old: a powerful, healing queen. What other city could claim that? And which one might remember old arguments and worry they might be the All-Council’s next target?

Yes, Adviser Creo had done enough to damage the All-Council’s reputation. The attacks against Atlantis might be over.

“Adviser Creo. Gailen and Balim will escort you to the safety of the next All-Council recognized city. They will take responsibility for conveying you back to the All-Council.”

He relaxed and harrumphed. “You will regret this, Kadir.”

Kadir smiled. The escort formed around him, hardened. He would receive no sympathy this trip.

“Regret is your own.”

Elyssa swam forward to see her warriors off. “Thank you for your service. I’m proud and grateful to work with you. Come back soon.”

Balim frowned. His emotions rippled deeply beneath the surface. “Thank you, my queen.”

A hint of Gailen’s former carefree smile shone. “Take care of our city, my queen.”

“You bet.” She hugged them, startling both badly, and waved goodbye.

Kadir swam lazily behind her. “Where is my hug?”

She turned and ran her gaze up and down his body like a caress. “You’re healthy for the first time in forever. I hope you’re up for more than a hug.”

Sudden heat pulsed in his veins. He drew her into his arms. Her mouth formed a sweet “o” of surprise. He hovered over those lips. “Yes.”

“Sure?”

“I am yours.” His kiss crushed her doubts. He focused on his heady, gorgeous, undefeatable female. “Lead me.”