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“Do you have any other questions for me, Princess Marra?” Elaine asks. “I’m afraid I need to take a nap soon.”

I turn to her. “What do you know about Queen Sirena coming into her full powers? I read that she had to kill her dad. That can’t be true, can it? Or was it the trials? What little information there still is about her isn’t clear.”

She puts a hand on my arm. “That’s why her story is a legend. Even what we think we know is still unclear.”

“Do you know anything about her coming into her powers? Is there another way?”

Elaine’s smile fades and she leans closer. “Do you think you need to kill the king to come into your powers?”

“I refuse to do that!”

She nods. “I’m familiar with the trials—like what your father is setting up. I don’t know anything about needing to kill anyone. Perhaps that was something the adults spoke of when the children weren’t in the room, but I never heard about the death.”

Relief washes through me, though my stomach still hurts. “So, it’s possible I can avoid it?”

“I would think so, though I’m hardly an expert. I’d think the king is the one who’d know.” She struggles to rise.

I leap up and help her. “Thank you for humoring my questions.”

She squeezes my hand. “I enjoyed the conversation. Thank you for spending time with an old lady.”

“Would you like me to take you to your room?”

“No thank you. Good luck with everything.”

“You too.”

We part ways, and I head back to my room. My parents are waiting for me.

“You were supposed to rest.” Mom furrows her brows.

“I needed to get out of the room.”

“How are you feeling?” Dad asks.

“Fine.”

“Your stomach?”

Instinctively, I cover it. “A little sore, but it’d be a lot worse if I ate anything. That’s what seems to set it off.”

They exchange a look before Dad turns back to me. “We need to spar—get you ready for the trials.”

I frown. If only Elaine had known of a loophole. The family history was interesting, and it gave me sympathy for my dad who was surrounded by jerks. His own father set a law he couldn’t undo in his lifetime, and his twin brother tried to kill him.

“What’s the matter, daughter?” he asks.

“I don’t want to do the trials, and I’m definitely not killing you.”

“You can’t continue denying your true nature. Look at what it’s doing to you. It’s destroying you from the inside out. Do you really want to find out what will happen if you keep this up?”

“There has to be a loophole!”

“Unfortunately, there isn’t.”

“How do you know? You didn’t even know about the dad curse until I told you! There’s probably so much we have no idea about.”

He rises, stark determination shining in his eyes. “And there’s only one way to find out.”

My heart sinks. “What?”

“We’re going to the academy, and you’ll question the trident while we practice. It was her weapon. All of the legendary queen’s secrets are locked away in it.”

“Just don’t call the trident an it in its hearing,” I mumble.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Grab your sparring gear.”

I sure hope the trident knows of a loophole.