“Murder? No, I wouldn’t call it that. Merfolk might share an ancient ancestor with us, but they’re not human. Now, I’ve already gotten an earful about the ethics of all of this from Rad, and this is neither the time nor the place to get into it with you—not to mention that my decision to bring that gun might just get us out of here alive.”

“I’m not arguing, Marty. I’m just…surprised, is all.” She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go get the damn thing.”

∆∆∆

They stood at the water’s perimeter. It had risen nearly to the lip of the rocky rampart.

“High tide,” Elsa said somberly. “Jesus, that completely slipped my mind. It might get high enough to flood the entire air pocket.”

“Good thing we’re not sticking around then.” Marty crisscrossed his light over the black water. “Where are you guys?”

“I don’t see them anywhere.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not down there.”

“They’re bioluminescent. We should be able to see them—” She stiffened. “They turned it off. Earlier, their hair wasn’t glowing…”

He nodded. “Animals can control when they luminesce depending on their immediate needs, whether that’s to find a meal or a mate, or to scare off a predator. In hindsight, I’m guessing the merfolk we first encountered was lit up as a warning to us. We startled it. Now, having realized we’re not threats but potential prey, however many of them down there have likely turned off their lights to lie in ambush.”

Elsa swallowed. “Thanks, Marty. You’re full of good news.”

“We have to be prepared for the worst. This isn’t going to be a walk in the park.”

“No, it’s not. So how are we going to go about this?”

“Very carefully,” he told her. “And hopefully with a lot of luck.”

∆∆∆

They strapped their air cylinders to their chests to act as steel vests of sorts, then slipped into the water as quietly as possible, lights on, dive knives out. With their backs to the wall of the cavern, they exhaled into their respirators and began their descent.

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

RAD

Jacky’s gone, she isn’t coming back, and if you remain standing there in the knee-deep water, you’re going to be pulled under next.