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Her eyes widen. “I ain’t bringing no one back from the grave! Out with you.”

“That’s not why we’re asking,” I say quickly. “Can you undo one?”

“Just kill the person. Should solve yer problems.”

My heart leaps into my throat. “That’s not quite the solution we’re looking for.”

“What then? Tick-tock.” Pearl taps a cracked watch.

I straighten my back and stare her down. “Someone used a resurrection spell and only managed to bring back the person’s powers. They landed on someone else unintentionally, and now that person wants them removed.”

Pearl tilts her head. “You talkin’ about that Queen Sirena thing King Tiberias mentioned when he said yer his kid?”

“Does it matter?” Bash exclaims.

She glowers at him. “That’s why I asked.”

I chew on my lower lip. “Yes. That’s the one. Can you help or not?”

She frowns. “I probably could. But yer askin’ me to go against the king.”

Bash shakes his head. “We’re asking you to help the princess.”

Pearl looks around. “Yet I ain’t seeing the king here, showing his support. I haven’t been summoned to the castle. No, just you two showin’ up on that motorcycle.”

Disappointment washes through me. “You won’t help us?”

“I’m not dumb enough to defy the king.” She crosses her arms. “Now, out with you!”

“You won’t even point us in the right direction?”

“No.” She ushers us down the tight hall. “Yer both lucky I don’t go to the king and tell him what you two are up to. I still might, should I hear you reversed his spell.”

“Won’t do much good at that point,” I mutter.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“Never mind.” I exit the cramped house and breathe in the clean water.

Bash turns back to the merwoman. “You’d really just throw out the princess without helping?”

She readjusts her glasses. “You’d better believe it if she’s trying to go against the king. Go away and never return. If I see the likes of you two again, trust that I will contact the sovereign. Better accept yer fate, princess.”

“Thanks for nothing,” Bash mutters as he puts his arm around me. “Got any other ideas?”

“Rudder didn’t name anyone else who might be able to help?”

He shakes his head. “Said we were lucky he could find Pearl.”

I snort. “Lucky. Right.”

“What do you want to do now?”

“No idea. I’d been hoping I’d leave her place without any link to Queen Sirena. Now I’m stuck forever. I’m going to have to go through with the trials and face off with my dad.”

“We’ll keep looking for a loophole. Rudder isn’t the only one who can help us. There’s an entire school of kids in the magic arts. We’ll go through them one by one if we have to. In fact, I’ll bet we’ll have more luck if we start with the fourth-years.”

I rub my temples. “I don’t want to think about any of this for the rest of the day.”