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I stare up at the Moon Goddess on the ceiling, my heavy eyelids limned by the dim light of my pendant.

3

CORDELIA

My sailor walks the shoreline in my dreams.

I lie in a tide pool on the reef and sing the song that drew her to me the first night we met. She turns on her heel to say something, but a deep groan distorts the words as water trickles from her mouth. Her figure ripples apart, and I’m jolted awake by a series of clicking sound waves as I sense movement outside the cella.

I sit up, not daring to breathe until I determine who—or what—is down here with me. Creatures pass through the forbidden territory from time to time without causing any trouble, but they usually don’t get this close to the temple.

Moving carefully to avoid making too much noise, I grab my emergency bag and swim into the curved hall wrapped around the remains of a courtyard. Arched windows line the wall, looking out into the circular section where temple students once tended to moonflower gardens.

I hook my claws into a frame and lift my chin above the ledge as two goblin sharks swim past. I duck back down immediately, spotting the mermaid who sent them.

Shit. I let a few seconds pass before I chance another glance at my grandmother.

She curls her silver claws in annoyance as she treads water, her grey hair a storm above her head. Her light blue tail gives her a shark-like appearance, the pale white strip of its underbelly stretching up to cover her face, her mouth a slash across it.

Polished oysters shine on her flared fluke as she undulates her hips in a steady motion.

The fear of being caught without the painful ornaments clamped to my fin is ingrained into my muscle memory. My tail swings back without warning, and she turns her head toward the vibration.

I let go and press my back against the wall, hoping against hope she won’t come looking.

“Cordelia?” Her Ocean Voice drifts on a current. “I’ve been searching for you since you failed to show up to your appointment in Gentrilly.”

Damn it. I completely forgot I was scheduled to meet with the Gentrillian Queen last week.

I planned to show up and go through the motions of our arranged courtship. Doing so would’ve allowed me to sneak away to the Undine Sea without raising any suspicions.

I’ve always intended to stealthily slip in and out of the sea without anyone noticing, but I’ve made too many mistakes lately. My distractions have made me sloppy.

Now I have to confront the woman who raised me.

“I’m sorry, Grandmother.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “You know I have no interest in a land marriage.”

I sense her tail lashing through the water, but she doesn’t move any closer. “So you ran off to the forbidden territory instead? Why would you do that?”

“Because Fennelith herself sang to me and invited me to discover her secrets,” I say, remembering the lullaby that pulled me from one of my darkest moments.

I only heard it once, but I’ll never forget the melody. I sing it to myself at night when I can’t fall asleep.

“Fennelith has been dead for centuries,” she says, shock tightening her statement as she utters the name of the last Undine Queen. “Whatever message she locked in salt must’ve been enchanted with ill intent. Think, Cordelia. Why would she reach out to you when you lack your sisters’ gifts?”

The comparison cuts deep. There are six of us, and I’m the only one whose Ocean Voice has never developed a specialized technique. My mother was a powerful stormsinger, but I can’t even summon a breeze.

I’m the Mer-Princess being sent to greet potential suitors all across the realm because an alliance with a land royal is the greatest contribution I can make to the sea. My duty is to lie on beaches and beguile important humans with access to powerful fleets.

My grandmother sees me as a weak link, a pawn for a long-deceased queen.

But the moment I first entered the temple and discovered the lost magic of divine transformation, I understood why her song found me.

I am meant to walk beneath the moon and deliver wicked men to the heart of the ocean.

“Everyone underestimates me, but I’m the one who’s figured out how to revive the Order of the Undine.”

My grandmother’s sound waves sputter out, then reverberate through the chamber. “Fennelith was mad, and so are you if you believe shifting at will is a good idea.”