Page 68 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“When did you show up?”

“Right before you stabbed the prince like an insane person. Let me see your shoulder, by the way.” She leaned over, reaching for my shirt, sliding it down. “Wow, you weren’t lying. Not even a mark on you.” I shrugged, oddly embarrassed. “The princess said it was about a bargain for you to kill King Dryul, but since you lost…”

“I have to spend two years at court once we get Elora back.” I closed my eyes and inhaled.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” I watched her observe Rainier before she turned to me, a look on her face as if she was debating saying something.

“It’s complicated, Mairin.” I wanted nothing to do with Rainier right now, and I had to do what was right by my daughter. Being at court would be a very different experience for her, and she’d be recovering from this whole ordeal. I hoped Rainier was right about Prince Cyran, and she was being treated well. It also felt counterproductive to be making plans for the future when I didn’t have Elora.

“It doesn’t seem complicated.” She lifted a brow as she observed Rainier once more.

“What do you mean?”

“I can see it. Your auras are entwined.” I just stared at her. “I guess since we are revealing our secret pasts, I have some things I need to tell you.”

I waited, an eyebrow raised and hands clasped in my lap.

“I’m a merrow.” I blinked at her slowly. Merrows weren’t real. Merrows were make-believe horror stories created by our parents to get us to behave. Merrows were beautiful beasts who would trick and lure you to your death by drowning. My vibrant friend healed people, and she wasn’tthatscary.

“Yes, we are real. We rarely come to land anymore, too dangerous. The man you knew as my husband stole me from the water and destroyed my pendant, so I can never go back.” I couldn’t say anything. “He brought me here to get me as far away from the sea as he could, even though it didn’t matter once he destroyed my only method of going home. I killed him and then decided to stay. Where else could I go?”

I was in shock.

Her husband had died from a wasting illness. Over the course of a few months, he went from a loud, boisterous drunk to a skinny, sickly man. To think Mairin killed him? I shook my head in disbelief. Merrows were evil. They preyed on people near the water, luring them with songs and seduction. They used a pendant, imbibed with magic from the earth and sea to go from land to water. The stories said men often died, trying to snatch them from the necks of merrow women to keep them on land. But those were myths. How could Mairin be one?

“I can prove it.” She gave me a pointed look, and I was finally able to find my voice.

“How?”

“I’ll show you, come on.” She stood up, pulling me to my feet and walking across the clearing, straight to Rainier.

“You’re not going to hurt anyone, are you?” She shot a glare over her shoulder at me, simultaneously annoyed and offended, and chose not to answer. She walked up to Rainier, boldly interrupting his conversation with Lavenia, and pulled him away. I followed behind, arms crossed over my chest, taking in the sight of my two worlds colliding while I grappled with issues from both of them. Mairin crashed into the stable, startling one of the horses in its stall.

“Why do I feel like I’m in trouble again?” Rainier looked from me to Mairin as he rested his hands on his hips. The light from the door did little to brighten the area, only illuminating their silhouettes and little else. I walked past Rainier to the dirty window behind him and tried to open it, grunting in frustration. The table sitting in front of it, full of odds and ends, made the angle awkward, and I couldn’t get it. I heard Rainier behind me, felt him press against me as he reached around me and lifted the window. I was still angry at him, and I cursed myself for the way I arched at his touch, my back pressing against his chest. I heard him inhale a deep breath and his hand grazed my waist as he pulled away.

I heard Mairin mumble something behind me about consequence, and I felt my skin flush.

Rainier and I turned around, both of us waiting for her to continue. His hand brushed against mine, and I pulled it away fast enough to startle even myself. To my surprise and amusement, Mairin started to sing, eyes locked on Rainier’s. It was a haunting lullaby, and her voice sounded ethereal and otherworldly. I glanced over at him and was stunned to see his eyes transfixed on Mairin, almost glazed over. Her song continued, and I saw how strange her eyes looked. They were almost covered as if a film had slid down over them. Eventually, the lullaby got louder and more frenzied. Then she spoke, her voice sounding both young and old together, yet still melodic.

“Get on your knees.”

Eyes still glazed over, he did as he was told.

“Stand up.”

He obeyed.

“Forget this happened.” Mairin hummed a bit of the lullaby and stopped abruptly. I turned toward Rainier and watched his eyes as they cleared, and he stared at me in confusion.

“What do you want? I have things I need to do.” He fidgeted and stared back and forth between us, his features changing to a look of unease.

“Emma.” I turned toward Mairin when she spoke to me, squinting because it appeared as if that film over her eyes was back. When my vision finally cleared, the gaze I was staring into belonged to Rainier. I blinked a few times as I saw his mouth form a small smile. Pulling my arms down from around his neck where they’d somehow ended up, I whirled around to face Mairin, stepping forward to escape the hands lightly resting on my hips.

“What—”

“I am a merrow, Your Highness. What you just saw me do to her, I did to you and compelled you to forget it.” I watched him, worried about his reaction once he learned he’d been compelled by a merrow with no recollection of it. I watched in surprise as his small smile turned into a wide grin.

“Amazing.” He cocked his head to the side, and I realized he was curious about my friend, not at all frightened like I had been when she first told me moments ago. “You’re quite far from the ocean, merrow.”

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