“Like anyone would give a weapon to a psycho like you!” Anais shrieked. Luce glanced around at Anais, her lovely golden hair contrasting horribly with the infuriated smirk that contorted her face. Then Anais thought of something. “Everyone, pin her down! We’ll gag her before she tries any of her stupid tricks.” Several mermaids shifted uncertainly forward, but most of the tribe just hung back around the walls, clinging to one another and whispering nervously. The water frothed from the twitching of their tails. Luce stared from face to face, noticing Rachel and Kayley gawking at her weakly. These were the same girls she had laughed and swum with, and her head had rested beside theirs as they slept, but now they met her eyes with the unfeeling gaze of strangers. She found herself wondering if any of them were on her side at all.

“Some of you still care about the timahk! There’s a strange mermaid caught in a net; we have to save her! I need a knife. Now!” Luce heard her voice crack with urgency.

Jenna had fetched a pile of scarves. She was edging closer to Luce, working up the nerve to lunge at her. And Anais was still behind her somewhere, moving, closing in.

“Why are you all such cowards?” Jenna raged. “Aren’t all of you sick of worrying about her? Let’s get this over with!” A few more of the girls swam slowly forward, and Luce realized that she was almost surrounded. Mermaids were digging through the random trash heaped up all over the shore, probably gathering pantyhose and ropes that they could use to tie her up.

Suddenly Luce saw Dana’s face. Her brown eyes were wide in warning and her mouth sagged wordlessly. The truth flashed in front of Luce: once they had her gagged and helpless Anais would order them to throw her on shore, just like she’d done to those larvae. Instead of saving the strange mermaid all she’d managed to do was set herself up to be murdered. Something silvery gleamed in the shadows behind Jenna, and Luce felt a flash of primal terror at the thought of metal violating her flesh. A slim hand held a curved, sinister-looking hunting knife up where Luce could see it, and for an instant fear almost overcame her. She was ready to dive blindly into the crowd of mermaids around her when she noticed the hand with the knife wasn’t poised to threaten her. Instead it was held out in a furtive offering, and Violet smiled shy and proud from the dimness behind Jenna’s back. Then Violet’s glossy brown head licked under the surface, so smoothly that no one but Luce saw her go. Deep below the water a soft hand gently tugged Luce’s fins, urging her to follow.