He took a deep breath. “Zazie disappeared the next day.”
Stories of motherless daughters always did me in. I uncapped the vial. The liquid inside was more viscous than watery. One slow drop landed in Rémy’s palm, mixing with the tears he’d wiped from his cheeks and creating a pale, vaporous cloud that hovered above his skin. Inside, the figures of Gosia, Rémy, and a sweet-faced girl, with hair like her mother’s and wearing a scallop-shell crown, held each other in a joyful embrace.
The water mage was openly sobbing, his tears flowing in rivulets down his cheeks. Alderose withdrew her blades slowly, all the while intent on watching for any change in Rémy’s demeanor. There was none. The man was in undeniable pain. I screwed the cap back on the vial, looped the chain around Rémy’s neck, and secured the clasp.
“Why didn’t you just level with us from the start?” I asked.
“Because I ca—” Frost burst across Rémy’s face, covering his entire jaw and mouth. The tears in the corners of his eyes froze. He waved his palm at me and reached behind him with his other hand.
He singled out one of his dreadlocks and pulled it forward. This one was different. It was braided in a pattern I recognized from my childhood.
“That’s the braid Mom used on us,” I said. “She would sing while she did our hair. Do you remember, Rosey?”
She nodded, then asked, “Why did Mom braid Rémy’s hair?”
The answer came to me without hesitation. “Because in exchange for finding Gosia, she needed to make sure he couldn’t jeopardize the other women she was helping. Mom knew he would never cut his dreadlocks so she worked the spell that keeps freezing his face right into Rémy’s hair.”
Alderose rolled onto her knees and handed me the blade in her left hand. “Hold this.” She gestured to Rémy. “Lean forward.”
“Rosey, what are you doing?”
“I’m doing my job.” Faster than I’d seen her move outside of when she sparred with her martial arts master, she pulled hard on the braid, forcing Rémy to twist his head and expose his neck, and stabbed forward and up with the tip of her blade. The hank of hair she came away with writhed in her hand as the ice coating Rémy’s face melted.
“Thank you, Alderose, daughter of Moira, wielder of the blade,” the mage said, pressing his palms and forehead to the ground. “I am in your debt.”
“We’re good.” Alderose handed what was left of the braid to Rémy. He gave it a long look, dropped it into the water, and watched as it fell apart.
“Let’s get ourselves armed,” Laz said. “Anyone object to traveling in pairs?”
“I’d like to be with my sister.” I wrapped my fingers around Alderose’s wrist. I wanted her to know I had her back, and her sides, and her front. We would have time to talk later.
Rémy wiped his face and switched gears. He patted the pockets of his coat, extracted a handful of stubby, chalk-white sticks, and handed them around. “Deep-sea marine shifters make these out of bleached coral,” he explained. “They’ll illuminate a radius of six feet in any direction if you position the piece close to your body. If you want it to work more like a flashlight, extend your arm like this.” He gripped the stick and straightened his arm. “Makes it more challenging to swim.”
Laszlo took over. “I think I can get us close to where I found you, Clementine. Is everyone okay with me landing first?”
“As long as we’re close enough to help if you get into trouble,” I said, acknowledging the internal pull that flared at the thought of Laszlo and I being separated again. His smile was tight but tender when he agreed. I wondered briefly if the dampening spell my aunt worked into the charm around his neck was working too well.
“Operation Free the Melusine is a go.”
There wasn’t enough room for any of us to stand. Rémy rolled his coat into a tight ball and shoved it into his pack. We slipped into the water one at a time, making the hole crowded. Laszlo oriented himself then us and reviewed the next step. “Activate the light sticks, take a deep breath, and follow me.”
The tunnel into the main body of water was mercifully short and much easier to navigate without my wrists and ankles shackled. Curious, I pointed my light downward. The beam disappeared into murky nothingness. I let a few bubbles out of my mouth and stayed in line as we swam our way up the rock wall. My toes brushed against the top of Alderose’s head. I found the sensation comforting.
We broke the surface one after the other in quick succession, minded Rémy’s advice to muffle our breathing, and followed Laszlo. Ahead and to the right was the dimly lit outcropping where Jadzia had earlier hauled me and Alderose.
The demon motioned for us to douse the lights and remain in the shadows. He paused, felt for a handhold, and pulled himself out. He waved at me to join him. Alderose pulled herself up next, followed by the mage.
Two figures were silhouetted at the tunnel’s opening, their backs to us. One stood with her feet planted wide apart and her fists on her hips. She laughed into the night, and spoke to someone I couldn’t see, “You hold no power over me, witch.”
Jadzia. She flung her arms out to the sides. Her height and shape changed subtly as metal sliced the air and two
