At my gasp, Tellin cuts me a warning look.

I nod. He doesn’t want me putting his father on the defensive about the state of the chamber. I draw my gaze away from the condition of the room and instead focus on the king himself. Seated in his throne, surrounded by several guards and what look like advisers, he sends them all away.

King Gadus looks like a shell of his former self, even worse than when I saw him at the council meeting. His skin is pale—not fair-skin pale, like mine, but ghostly pale with a grayish tint. There are dark bags under his eyes, and he is hunkered over in the throne, like a merman far older than I know he is.

It’s heartbreaking.

“I can guess why you’re here,” he says to me, throwing his son an angry glare. “You can’t talk me out of it.”

“Your highness,” I say, swimming closer. “You can’t think—”

“Call me Gadus, girl,” he barks. “We’ve known each other long enough.”

“Gadus,” I say, beginning again, “you can’t think that this is the way to fix things.”

“I witnessed your first attempt to fix things at that absurd council meeting. I’m an old merman,” he says. “My kingdom is dying, and so am I. There aren’t many choices left.”

“This is not the right one,” I insist. “Tellin and I are working on a plan to get help for your kingdom—for all the kingdoms.”

“Working on a plan.” He practically spits. “How long will that take? Weeks? Months? Years? Neither I nor Acropora have that kind of time.”

“Then we’ll make it happen faster,” I say. “I will personally raid Thalassinia’s stores and send everything we can spare. My father has already agreed to accept and provide for as many Acroporan refugees as we can support, and I’m sure we can get other kingdoms to agree to do the same.”

Eventually, I add silently.

“It is not enough!” Gadus slams his fist against the arm of his throne.

“And you think starting a war will solve things?” I have to get through to him, and if he’s worried about his kingdom, I have to make him see that this is the worst choice for his people.

“War comes at a great cost to a kingdom,” I say. “It takes resources you don’t have and risks the lives of the very people you’re trying to save.”

Gadus drops his head, and he’s silent for so long, I start to think he’s fallen asleep. I look at Tellin, but he’s staring blankly at the ceiling.

I swim closer.

When Gadus lifts his head, I’m shocked to see his gray eyes sparkling. My heart aches for his pain.

“What other choice do I have, Lily?” he asks, and I get the feeling he is actually asking. He really wants my advice.

I wish I had an easy answer. I don’t even have a certain answer, but I give him the only advice I have.

“Have patience,” I say. “As much as you can find. And faith. You have to trust that your fellow merfolk will do what’s right in the end.”

Gadus snorts. “My fellow merfolk are idiots. They think breaking oil rigs and sinking ships is going to solve the ocean’s problems. How can I expect them to help me when they’re too dumb to help themselves?”

“You know about the sabotage efforts?” I ask.

“Of course,” he grumbles. “That damn fool clownfish Dumontia came calling at my door, asking Acropora to join the cause. Threw her out on her ear, I did.”

“Dumontia?” The queen of Glacialis. “She’s behind it?”

Gadus nods, and I kick forward to plant a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. This is exactly what I needed to know. If I know who’s behind the sabotage, then maybe I can talk her out of her plan.

“Promise me you won’t start a war,” I say, “and I think I know how to turn things around.”

Gadus shakes his head sadly. “You’re right,” he replies. “We don’t have the resources to feed our staff, let alone an army.”

“I promise you, Gadus,” I say, “I will find a way to get you more help.”

“I hope so,” he says. “My kingdom is fast running out of options.”

“Come on, Tellin,” I shout, pushing away from the throne and grabbing him by the wrist. “We have to get back to Thalassinia. We have a long journey to prepare for.”

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“To the arctic,” I reply. “We have to talk to a queen.”

Chapter 19

First thing Monday morning, I see Quince off with a pair of royal guards to swim him home. Daddy and his advisers—and Peri, who came for the meeting and stuck it out to the end, even though I wasn’t there—have agreed that a series of royal visits from the king himself will convince the other rulers that the sabotage plan is a big mistake. I doubt that’s going to help, but they clear his schedule, and he and his advisers will leave for Marbella Nova shortly after Tellin and I leave.

Maybe a kingly presence will make a difference, but I’m not betting on it. I’m starting at the top.

When I told Daddy my plan, he wanted to delay his first visit and escort me to Glacialis. After some arguing and insisting and giving him the same argument I gave before my confrontation with King Zostero, he relents. He understands this is my mission, and I want to do it on my own, without Daddy’s weight behind me—if I can.

So, once Quince is safely away and Tellin, Peri, and I have a dozen guards to escort us, Daddy uses his trident to whip up a powerful enough current to get us to Glacialis in record time.