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It’s a few minutes before we hear from Broderick again. Kappler says go to hell. But then I told him it was for Annabelle, and he changed his tune. He’s on the ship’s messaging system now. I just left him there.
Thanks.
Yeah, you’re welcome. It’s fucking weird on board without you two here.
I bet, but you’re keeping everything afloat, I’m sure. The females?
Have a good day. Lose my number.
That’s all he’s going to tell me. Yeah. Have a good one.
I want to kick myself for even asking. Instead, I turn to my military-grade computer. I open up a channel to Kappler.
“Asshole. What do you want?”
I take a long moment before I answer. “I need a favor.”
“Of course you do. You always need a favor,” Kappler says.
“It’s for Annabelle’s newest mate, Eros Herod.”
“That’s what the squeaky new commander said.”
“Broderick has been on board the Centauri as long as you,” I say.
“Not as commander.”
“Right. So, Annabelle’s mate’s sister is missing, and we think she might have been taken by the Kraken.”
“No fucking way. Kraken don’t steal mermaids. At least, not anymore.” He scoffs.
Not anymore. Not anymore is the time before the truce. Before there were half-blood Kraken-Dorian living in the city with us. Before they started “helping” us by ferrying us across the oceans on their ships that can travel four times faster than ours. They’re smaller, but when you need to get somewhere and you can’t wait, taking a Kraken ship is the way to go. They guard their technology, locking it down so tightly that no Dorian has ever seen one of their engines. Still, they are having the same population problems as us.
“Can you look into it?” I ask.
“I will.”
“Marina Herod.”
“I’ll be in touch.” The signal goes dead.
I glance over my shoulder at Nico.
“That’s all we can do for now.”
14
ANNABELLE
My corset makes even looking at the pastries in the shop windows painful. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to eat again. This section of the shopping district is new to me: the arcade. It’s beautiful. We started at the southern end. Tall trees soar up high; they’re so large I wouldn’t be able to put my arms around them. There are walking trails of polished stone that meander through the manicured forest. If I wasn’t being bitten in half by my dress, I might actually enjoy this. But I’m following all the rules I learned in my culture studies. Head up, shoulders back, pleasant smile on my face. I nod at Kai. There’s a mermaid standing by a vendor trolley.
“If we must,” Kai says and veers toward them.
“If we must?” I echo.
“You’ll see.”
Now I’m not sure I want to see.
