Elsa was shaking her head again and said, “No, Marty. You might be right that merfolk use mimicry to lure prey to them. But I don’t think those two in the pool were trying to lure me to the water. I don’t think that was their intention.” She held his gaze. “They were laughing at me earlier—mimicking human laughter, I suppose, but laughing nonetheless. So I think…I think they’re intelligent, they know we’re trapped…and I think they were mocking us.”

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

RAD

The sun had set and the cavern was filled with inky black shadows. Little moonlight filtered through the rainforest canopy and skylight, and Rad could barely see a few meters in front of her. Thankfully she’d had the presence of mind earlier to scavenge about a dozen potato-sized rocks, which now sat in a pile next to her within easy reach. If the mermaid returned, its glowing blue head would serve as a warning and give her something to aim at. If it slithered up onto land to come after her, it would be slow and cumbersome, making pelting a stone in its face all the easier.

Yet as reassuring as the projectiles were, they hardly guaranteed her safety, as the mermaid had a spear, which it could launch at her. What if she nodded off at some point during the night? She would likely wake up to a wood shaft protruding from her chest. Even if she remained vigilant until morning, what then? She would have to sleep at some point. Which brought her thinking back to Pip. The French woman was still the only hope for Jacky. But where was she? On the Oannes, waiting for them to return? That seemed unlikely. They were several hours overdue. Pip would know something had gone wrong. Was she scouring the island for them then? Had she discovered the village? Was the chief leading her to the cavern right now?

Rad pressed two fingers gently against Jacky’s neck, felt the faint pulse of her carotid artery, and was assaulted with more questions. Was it getting weaker? Was her body shutting down? How much time did she have until her shallow breathing ceased altogether? How would Rad even know if that happened other than by checking her pulse every few seconds? Jacky could fade away right before her without her knowledge. She would be dead and—

And you could finally leave this hellhole. You could return to the ship. You could be back in Colombo by tomorrow…

Rad banished the selfish thoughts, feeling small and ashamed of herself for entertaining them. Jacky would be watching over her if their positions were reversed. She wouldn’t be wishing her dead so she could high-tail it out of there.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, brushing a finger along Jacky’s jawline. Her skin was cold and clammy, almost rubbery. “I’m not going anywhere—”