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No time to worry about that now. I have to get us to safe harbor.
“Left. Two degrees.” Daichi’s voice in my ear, carried by the wind. “There are other ships.”
“I see them.” Half a dozen in the waters around us, moving at speeds that make me shudder. Apparently they decided the mermaids are more dangerous than the rocks. I hope they’re right. I make the adjustment. “As long as they don’t fuck with us, ignore them.”
“Will do.” A pause. “Half a degree left. You’re not quite there.”
It’s uncanny not being able to see what he’s guiding us away from, but we’ve done this before. I trust him with my life, and more importantly, I trust him with the crew members’ lives.
“When I give the call, right five degrees.”
I hold my breath, my palms slippery on the helm. One of the nearby ships veers close enough for me to see its crew frantically fighting off several mermaids clinging to its sides. I shudder and follow Daichi’s instructions.
Realistically, it only lasts a few minutes, but it feels like it takes hours to navigate through the rocks and into the relative calm of the bay. The mermaids don’t follow us past the last rock… And neither do the ships. I twist and watch them continue north along the coast. What the fuck?
My hands won’t stop shaking. We made it through the rocks and mermaids without casualties, but there’s no denying the truth. We are not in waters I recognize.
Where did Juliette bring us? Because this is certainly her fault. We were transported the moment she hit the water, which means she did something to cause it. It’s too big a coincidence to be anything else.
I guide us farther into the bay, the crew silent as we take in this strange place. Each harbor town feels a little different. They all have their own flavor, from their people to how they conduct business, to the style of the buildings.
This place is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
The buildings are a hodgepodge style, some familiar and some completely foreign in a way my mind shies away from. I’m used to magic; it’s a part of life.
This feels different.
“What did you do?” I speak softly, barely containing my fury. “Where did you take us?”
“Funny story—”
“Juliette, I swear to the gods, if you spin me some yarn of a tale, I will chuck you right back into the sea, and this time I’ll leave you there. What. Did. You. Do?”
“It was only supposed to be me,” she mutters. She stares at the deck, not meeting my gaze. “I didn’t realize it would haul you in after me, or I wouldn’t have done it.” She makes a face. “Though if I’d done it off the other ship, I’d be in even worse trouble, so I guess I should be grateful.”
“Are you not answering my questions on purpose?” I keep my grip on the helm because I may strangle her if I let go. She’s always had a tendency to ramble when she’s nervous, but this is deadly serious, and I need to know what we’re walking into.
At least the ships kept sailing. I don’t understand why, not when there was nothing but more rocks and mermaids in front of them, but it means we aren’t fighting for position at the docks.
Juliette sighs, a nearly soundless exhale. “We’re in Atlantis.”
Shock steals my breath. Surely she didn’t just say what I think she said. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Atlantis. It’s real, and it’s right there.” She jerks her chin at the approaching dock. “I know we always thought it was a myth, but we thought the Cwn Annwn were a myth, too, and there’s one in my father’s court right now.”
Too much, too fast.
Atlantis.
In all my years of sailing, I’ve only ever heard whispers and old fishwives’ tales. As time passed, I tucked it into the same locked box that contains my soured dreams of a future with a certain princess.
Never to be.
Except the princess is standing before me, fighting between wilting and crowing with glee, and Atlantis is right fucking there.
Then the rest of what she said catches up with me. The Cwn Annwn. The hunters between realms. I thought they were a myth when I was sixteen, but I’ve learned a lot since then.
You see things at sea. Hear things. Whispers of other realms, of ships blown off course by storms that are hardly natural. Sometimes they’re never seen again. Sometimes they come back, telling tales of strange sights…and ships with crimson sails.
The Cwn Annwn are dangerous enough to make pirates who balk at nothing cross themselves against evil. If they board your ship, you’re presented with a choice: join them or die. If you join them, you can never go home again.
“Tell me you didn’t,” I repeat. The coincidence is too large to ignore. If one of the Cwn Annwn is at her father’s court, she stole something off them that allowed her access to Atlantis. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
