Page 14

“Get on with it,” she barked, her toes curling in the wet sand. The suspense was killing her.

“The king has made a decision, and your punishment shall be enforced within the next fortnight.”

Only fourteen more days. Her shoulders sagged, and she focused on the frothy waves lapping gently at Sin’s ankles. Most people would dread what was coming, but Mer welcomed it. She’d been in limbo for too long. Knowing that her punishment was coming eased some of her anxiety. The unknown was the worst.

She looked back up at Sin. “Do you know what my punishment will be?”

“The king has kept everything very close to his breast.” Sin’s expression turned sad, his familiar magenta eyes holding pain. “Whatever it is, it will not be pleasant. I suspect that part of it will be banishment.”

Mer’s heart sank. It was what she deserved, but the thought of being exiled from her family for the rest of her life cut deeply. She fiddled with the end of her long braid. It was less than she deserved. Banishment wouldn’t be the only consequence for her actions.

Sin pulled a sealskin pouch from his hip and held it out to her. She took a step forward into the water and took it from his fingers before tying it to her belt.

“That is the last of the herbs for a while,” Sin said softly, nodding to the seaweed. “The cultivators are keeping careful watch over their crops. That was all I could collect without getting caught.”

“It’s more than enough.” Mer hugged him, seawater seeping into her clothing. “I appreciate what you’ve done.”

Her brother-in-law hugged her back before releasing her and running a hand down his face. “The Sirenidae have been too stingy with the healing herbs for far too long.”

“You’ve gone above and beyond what anyone else has done, Sin. You have saved many with the risks you’ve taken to obtain these herbs.”

“This is just a little thing. I wish I could do more.” He kicked at the surf. “Whoever has been stealing from the fields has made a real mess of things.”

Mer’s brows furrowed. “One of our people?”

He shook his head. “No. The cultivators have the crops locked down securely. The thieves were very sloppy.”

That was bad news.

She walked around Sin until she reached a large rock and leaned against it, kicking at the water as her mind started running over his words. Who would steal from the fields? It had to be someone apart from her people since the herbs were made available for all of them. “Do you have any idea who did this?”

Her brother-in-law shook his head. “They were sloppy in their execution but extremely careful to cover their scents and tracks.”

“Odd,” she murmured. If they could hide their scents, surely they were able to steal the seaweed without leaving a trace? Unless it was on purpose. Maybe they were just trying to make trouble.

“That’s what I thought. I know your aunt has her own things going, but she wouldn’t have left a trace in the first place. No one ever knows Lilja has stolen from them.”

Mer snorted. “That’s a fair assessment.” Her aunt was like a wraith in the wind. “Speaking of Lilja, have you discovered what she’s been up to?”

Sin smirked. “They’re trained well, but I’ve been able to discover a few spies. They’ve been digging deeper about the missing girls you brought to her attention.”

That was news to Mer. Her aunt hadn’t said a bloody thing.

Her jaw clenched, and she kicked at the water. Mer had been searching for information on Ream’s daughter for months. She hadn’t found anything on Lysa, but she’d discovered the disappearances of over twenty young Sirenidae girls in the last six months. They’d disappeared all over the sea kingdom, so no one had connected the dots.

Until Mer.

“What has she found?” she asked.

“There’s no sign of them anywhere—not even in Scythia.”

“Scythia is a mess right now. They could be hidden.”

Sin nodded. “True, but you know how thorough Lilja is. It’s as if the girls have just vanished. What worries me is that I’ve heard rumors that it’s not only Sirenidae girls that have disappeared but also young women from Scythia and Aermia.”

She frowned at her brother-in-law. “Scythians have been stealing women for years. That’s nothing new.”

“True, but that waswomen. We are speaking about children, Mer.” He crossed his long arms. “Whoever has taken the girls leaves no trace of their activities. You’re poking into their operation. Tread carefully.”