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Of course I was. It was like the Olympics for one contestant. Practically killed her!

I freeze in place, and my dad’s trident nearly takes me out.

“Why did you stop?” he demands.

“I can’t do this—hold a conversation and spar at the same time. It’s not working!”

“How do you feel?”

I press a palm on my stomach as if that’ll help. “Better.”

“Good. We’ll keep this up. It’s helping.”

“Seriously? I just said I can’t do this.”

“I’ll go easy. Pay attention to what the trident has to say.”

My eyelids grow heavy. “Okay, but I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”

He frowns. “All the more reason to carry on with the trials—especially the big one.”

I hold up my weapon so I can stare at it. “Did Queen Sirena have to kill her father to come into her powers?”

She did.

“And she had to go through the trials as well?”

Correct.

“I need more than one- or two-word answers from you!”

Don’t ask yes or no questions.

I groan. “Just help me out. I’m new at this, and I’ve been through a traumatic week. All this stomach pain from the powers apparently trying to come out. Did she deal with this?”

My father holds up his weapon in the ready position.

Just perfect.

Dad aims it at me and lunges for me. I block him.

Sirena went through the trials, but she didn’t do as well as her father wanted. He humiliated her in front of all the people, setting off her anger. The power deep inside her raged out of control. I could feel it radiating through me. I tried to stop her from killing him—I knew she would never do such a thing in her right mind.

My dad and I continue going back and forth, attacking and blocking.

“So, you’re saying when her power is in control, she wasn’t in her right mind?”

Dad arches his brow at that before swinging at me.

Not exactly. Once she came into her full powers, she had control over herself. Though it did take some effort to rein them in.

“Isn’t there a loophole?”

Against killing your father?

“Exactly.”

It’s either you or him, if you’re truly swimming in her path.