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I n the courtyard of álikos Castle, amid yellow veil fish and towering, emerald coral, Queen Astraea forced a smile and adjusted her crown as her guards approached.

“He…General Ryton is gone. We lost him, my queen.” The fool bowed low, his blue-brown hair tangled and dirty. Most likely from chasing Ryton, that elf, and the human.

How had they escaped? Venu’s entire unit had been after them. “What exactly happened?”

The second guard was shaking. “They disappeared. They were there, the elf, the human, and General Ryton, and then they weren’t. We even searched Scar Chasm, my queen. Nothing.”

Air magic. It had to have been the elf’s doing.

Astraea’s lips pinched, but she found her smile again. She waved a hand and whirled around, swimming toward álikos Castle, aiming for her chamber where she could shed this smile, then rage. “Of course you didn’t find them. It’s all part of my plan.”

The guards stammered and whispered to five more soldiers who’d just arrived. “Of course,” they said too loudly, their fear and confusion giving Astraea the worst headache.

“Be gone. I want to be alone.”

She swam past the gate guards and those at her inner chambers, wishing for once that everyone wasn’t at her beck and call or at least that they could give her a minimum of privacy. Throwing her doors open, she raged into the room and cut off Larisa’s quiet melody.

“Shut the doors, singer. Then make me something. Strong.” Astraea pressed her webbed toes into the floor, muttering and stomping across the private chamber under the glowing nautili, her blood bubbling like an earthblood vent.

She threw her spear into the corner. “Think they can outsmart me, do they? They are much mistaken. When I get my hands on them—”

Larisa, flushed and trembling, handed over a net of fermented tideberries. “My queen.”

Astraea ripped them from Larisa’s hand and tore into the pungent fruit. The acrid taste matched her mood perfectly. She discarded the empty net and took a deep breath. Destroying her own chambers with angry spellwork wouldn’t fix this. Astraea collapsed onto her couch.

“Larisa, sing to me. Sing to me before I lose my mind and take the entire sea with me.”

The singer spun, her grin luminescent before she opened her mouth. The tune began deep and petal-soft, then developed a complex melody. It seemed like magic that one voice could make such music. The female was truly talented. Astraea lay back and closed her eyes.

When the song ended, she spoke quietly, her anger buried for now. “Larisa, that was marvelous. I made such a perfect choice in bringing you here. You help me think. I don’t know how I ran the ocean before you.”

Larisa’s delighted murmurs were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Get that, if you will, my darling masterpiece,” Astraea said. “I need to rest. Tell them to be gone.”

Larisa’s voice combined with that of a male Astraea recognized as one of her door guards.

Astraea’s mind returned to Ryton, the Earth Queen, and the elf.

Ryton was in league with them. But when had he changed sides?

When had his betrayal started and why? What was his motivation?

It made no sense. She’d never admit it to a living soul, but the betrayal stung like a sea stinger’s tail.

She’d thought Ryton was true and wholly hers in every way.

Larisa touched Astraea’s arm, making the queen startle. “What is it?” Astraea snapped.

The singer held out a package wrapped in sealinen. “The guard said someone brought this gift to you.” Larisa grinned. “The folk love their queen.”

A genuine smile found its way to Astraea’s lips. “Indeed.” She sat up and unfolded the package, the sealinen smooth between her fingers, the object inside weighty on her lap.

It was a carving of two men. She looked closer.

Ryton and Grystark.

“Who gave this to my guard?” Astraea was on her feet, swimming toward the door, veins throbbing in her temples.

This was no gift. This was a threat. Ryton had betrayed her because someone had told him about Grystark’s death. It didn’t take a genius to untangle this message.

“Who was it?” she demanded as Larisa hurried to catch up.

“I don’t know, my queen. They didn’t say,” Larisa kicked her slender feet to move more quickly. The azure fins on her fingers trembled as she opened the doors for Astraea.

The guards spun to stand at attention, bubbles rising from their spears and into the glowing seaweed that grew from the ceiling.

Astraea shoved the nearest guard, making his gills flare in alarm.

“Who gave you this?” She shook the sealinen and the carving, then whirled to face the second male.

“Did you see the one who brought this to me? Do you even know how to do your job or should I feed you to the sharks so you’re less of a wasted weight of flesh? ”

“We didn’t see who brought the package, my queen,” the first guard said quickly.

The second guard shook his head. “The gift was left here.”

Astraea advanced on him. “And you were blinded somehow?” She gripped one of his gills and pulled it back, making him wince and shake. “Why did no one see who brought this?”

“I don’t know,” the first guard said behind her. “Maybe during our shift switch, we missed it because Ajax had to grab a new spear and—”

“Buffoons!” Astraea turned away from the idiots and looked at Larisa. “I trust you. Can you have someone fetch the Watcher? I need her visions. Tonight.”

Dashing into her chambers, she spoke a spell to slam her doors.

She would get her answers. And whoever sent this would die.