Dana reeled back so hard her shoulder banged the stone wall. Her tail slashed back and forth, kicking up small recoiling waves. “Just because they all broke the timahk, and you didn’t . . .” Luce flinched at that, but luckily Dana was glaring past her and didn’t notice. “What, you think that means you’re so much better than they are? You’re too good to even give them orders?”

Luce sighed. She still felt angry, but she understood that Dana was in an awful position, stuck with a psychotic queen. And it sounded like Luce’s old tribe might be on the verge of some kind of internal war. Dana was trying to do the right thing.

“It’s not about the timahk, Dana.” Luce’s voice was much gentler now. “I don’t know if I even believe in the timahk anymore, or not in all of it . . . But I really loved Catarina, and she’s gone now, and there’s no way I can even find out if she’s alive or not. I can’t be around a bunch of mermaids who tried to kill Cat and just somehow pretend to feel okay about them!”

Dana stared hard at Luce, as if she couldn’t make up her mind whether or not to be mollified.

“Why didn’t you go with her, then? If you loved her so much?” Dana’s tone was still sharp, but Luce could tell that her heart wasn’t in it anymore. She was forcing herself to act angrier than she really felt. Still, the question made tears start up in Luce’s eyes, and she turned her face away. “Luce? Actually, that was what we all thought at first. That you and Cat had just gone off together. Even if it seemed weird after how bad you two had been fighting . . .”

“I wanted to go with her. She wouldn’t let me.” She looked back at Dana, whose face had gone blank with disbelief.

“She wouldn’t what? No way, Luce! There’s no way any of us would just swim off alone like that. Not if there was any choice! I mean, with how dangerous it is . . . and not having anyone to help you . . .”

“Catarina did, though.” Luce could hear how bitter her voice sounded. Dana was right; she had changed a lot in the months since Miriam’s suicide and Catarina’s near-murder. “She even tricked me. She waited until I went out to look for food and then sneaked off. To stop me from following her. Because she knew I would.”