Whatever it was he had to tell her, Luce didn’t want to know. Not just now.

∗ ∗ ∗

Dana was awake. She and Violet sat on the floor, their tails coiled around them, eating the mussels that one of the smallest mermaids had thrown through a porthole. The room was entirely dark but they could still see each other. Dana looked moody and didn’t seem to feel like talking. The tide swelled around them, and Violet could hear the skeleton’s head gently knocking on the carpeted floor.

“Do you think—” Violet began, and then stopped abruptly. She was afraid her idea would sound stupid.

Dana had managed to keep up her optimism so well that Violet was shocked to see the desolation in her huge brown eyes. “What now, Vi?”

This didn’t exactly make Violet feel any less self-conscious. “If Luce was in here with us . . . I was thinking . . . maybe she could control the water well enough to push that bolt up? Even from this side of the door?”

Dana’s lovely face went hard. “I don’t want to talk about Luce, Violet.” She glowered off into empty space. “We’re on our own. What’s the point of pretending that anybody’s going to help us?”

Violet was overwhelmed with embarrassment. Her idea was obviously idiotic. It was childish, even pathetic, for her to pretend any escape was possible. She should just keep quiet. “But . . . I mean, I know I’m a terrible singer and everything . . .” Violet didn’t know what force was making her keep blathering on this way. Shut up shut up shut up, Violet. Now the voice in her head was screaming, and it wasn’t even hers but her stepfather’s. He’d had his own kind of dark magic; that was clear. Violet’s mother had been too enchanted to do anything to protect her children. Shut up, you little moron, or I swear you’re next!

Dana sighed loudly, and Violet cringed as if Dana might be about to hit her. “What are you going on about, Violet? If you actually have some kind of plan, you might want to come out and tell me already.”

“Maybe . . .” Violet whispered. Why couldn’t she control herself? All she was doing was annoying Dana. “You’re such a great singer, Dana. Maybe you could sing the way Luce does? Like, move the water? And if you got good at it . . .” Violet didn’t finish the sentence, but suddenly to her own amazement she didn’t feel nearly as ashamed of herself. She felt the same awareness of unexpected courage that she’d experienced when she’d stolen the knife for Luce.