"Oh, Emily," Millie said. Her voice cracked a" with what? Sadness for me or disgust at the sight of my horrible, strange hands? Without thinking, I twisted the ring around, trying to make it feel more comfortable on my finger.

"What in the name of the G.o.ddess is that?" Millie suddenly gasped. "And where did you get it?"

Mr. Beeston pulled at his tie. "Millicent, if you will allow me to explain."

Millie waved a hand at him. "Go on. Whatever you've got to say can't make things any worse, I suppose. Just say what you've come to say and get on with it. And then maybe you can go away again and let us figure out what to do next."

"I shall indeed say what I have come to say," he said in that annoying I'm-so-much-more-important-than-you voice of his, "if you will let me."

Mr. Beeston pulled on his tie and flattened down his hair again, and eventually said, "You need to understand the importance of what you have here, Emily."

"What I have where?" I asked. As if I didn't know.

Mr. Beeston pointed at my hand. "There," he said simply. "You see, this ring has lain out of sight, hidden and protected by the kraken, for many years. For generations."

"How can it be so important if it's been buried all that time?" Shona asked. "Why was it buried at all if it's that important?"

"It wasn't. It was discarded."

"Discarded?" Millie burst out. "Who by?"

"By Neptune."

For a moment, we all fell silent. Then, in an even voice, Millie quietly said, "Charles, we would appreciate it if you could stop talking in riddles and please explain what is going on here."

"I shall tell you everything!" Mr. Beeston bl.u.s.tered. Then he paused for ages, clasping his hands together and looking out to the still sea that lay waiting silently a" like the rest of us. "Many, many years ago, Neptune was in love," he began. "As you know, he loves easily and has many wives, but none like this one. None like Aurora."

"Aurora!" Shona interrupted. "But I've heard of her! She's the human. The one who broke his heart. The one who turned him against intermarriage and everything. We studied it last year in history!"

Mr. Beeston nodded. "Exactly."

I couldn't help holding my breath while I waited for him to continue.

"Aurora was the only wife Neptune truly loved with all his heart. When they married, they had rings made to symbolize their love. One contained a diamond, to represent land. The other held a pearl, to represent the sea. On the day of their marriage, they exchanged these rings. Aurora gave the diamond ring to Neptune. He gave her the pearl."

I touched the diamond as he spoke. I was wearing a ring that was given to Neptune on his wedding day? Given to him by a wife who left him and broke his heart? No wonder he had gone into such a rage! But how was I to know? It wasn't my fault!

No, it wasn't your fault, a voice seemed to echo. Not even in words; it was just a feeling. A feeling of comfort and rea.s.surance a" and it was coming from the ring. Twisting it back again to hold the diamond against my palm, I curled my fingers around it, my heartbeat settling as I did so.

"On the day she broke his heart, Neptune took her ring from her and buried it."

"Where?" I asked.

"That I cannot tell you," Mr. Beeston said. "That information is not something you need to have."

He spoke so haughtily I knew it wasn't worth asking again. It would only give him the chance to refuse me again and make himself feel even more self-important than he already did.

But I couldn't help wondering about it. There was another ring similar to mine buried out in the sea somewhere. A ring Mr. Beeston didn't want me to ask about a" which in itself meant it was probably important!

"What about his own ring, the diamond one?" Millie asked.

"In his rage, Neptune hurled it with all his might across the oceans. This is the first time it has been seen since that day. No one knows when the kraken found it. All we know is that it did, and it kept it safe and hidden with the many other jewels at Allpoints Island."

"And when the kraken awoke, the ring was disturbed along with the rest of the jewels?" Shona asked.

"Exactly."

"And now Neptune wants it back." I swallowed. "But it won't come off me."

"Why not?" Millie asked.

Mr. Beeston looked down, flattening his jacket and picking off an imaginary speck of dust. His suit was shabby as usual, a b.u.t.ton missing on one side, a hole overlooked on the other. "The rings can only be worn by certain folk. Either by a couple in which one is from land and the other is from the sea or by a child of such a couple. It was in the wedding vows between Neptune and Aurora, and the rings were infused with this power. Worn by a semi-mer, this ring cannot be removed."

"Sharks!" Shona breathed.

"So how did he remove their rings in the first place?" Millie asked.

Mr. Beeston sniffed. "The love was dead. The connection was broken."

"That's why he cursed me," I said quietly. "So he can remove the ring."

"Correct. When the moon is full, the spell will be complete. You will no longer be a semimer. You will not be able to touch the ring a" and it will not be able to touch you. It will fall from you as you would jump from a fire."

"And Neptune can have it back," Shona said.

"He wants it hidden again, along with his memories and his long-buried grief. He cannot exist like this, and if Neptune can't live, none of us can. You yourselves have felt the effect of his current state. It will only get worse. That is what we all have to look forward to if the ring is not buried again. Just more of that and nothing else, for the whole merworld." He turned to me. "Is that what you want, Emily? Is it not an honor to make a sacrifice like this for your king?"

I couldn't speak.

"So why are you here?" Millie asked coldly. "Has he sent you to do his dirty work?"

"Dirty work?" Mr. Beeston spit. "Dirty work? I consider it the highest of honors to be called to duty by my king, to be graciously offered the opportunity to make amends for my earlier failure." He pulled himself up straighter in his seat.

"Like I said, do his dirty work," Millie said under her breath.

"I am responsible for this ring, and I will ensure that it is returned to Neptune. Make no mistake: that is what I will do," Mr. Beeston concluded.

"How did you find us?" I asked numbly.

"The ways of our king are immeasurable. He made it possible for me to be here. That is all I need to know. It is not for you a" or me a" to question his methods beyond this."

"He's got no idea, is what that means," Millie said. I smiled despite everything.

"I have to go soon," Mr. Beeston said, ignoring her as he glanced around at the endless ocean, as though waiting for his signal to leave. The ocean responded in the same way as it did to everything else a" with silence and stillness. Then he turned to me. "But, Emily, I shall not be far away. I shall be back very soon."

"How will you get back? Can't you let us go with you?" I asked, knowing it was pointless as soon as I'd uttered the words.

"I'm sorry. I have to do as bidden by my king. You will stay here for now."

"How far are we from Allpoints Island?" I asked, edging closer to the questions I really wanted to ask.

"Many hundreds of miles."

I nodded. Another kick, this time in my chest. Finally I said, "And what about Mom and Dad? Where are they? Do they know what's happened? Are they going to come after us? Will they find us too?" The questions ran out in a rush. My heart banged in my ears like thunder while I waited for his reply.

Mr. Beeston puffed out his chest. "Your parents do not know your whereabouts," he said in that Oh-I'm-so-important voice again.

"Where are they?" I asked, holding back my anger.

"Your mother is staying on the old boat."

"On King?" Millie asked.

He nodded.

"Does she know what's happened?" I asked.

"She knows only that you have been called upon to a.s.sist Neptune in a grave matter."

"Has she looked for me?" My throat was full of knives.

Mr. Beeston lowered his head. "She has, yes. We've told her you're not at the island. The other islanders will take care of her, and I am close at hand to support both your mother and Shona's parents."

"And Dad?" I asked. "Where's he staying?"

Mr. Beeston at least had the decency to look slightly uncomfortable this time as he looked at me. What did he see in my face? A reminder that every word he uttered was crashing into my world like a sledgehammer? "I'm afraid they have been separated," he mumbled. "He is staying with Archieval for now."

Archie was another of Neptune's helpers, and my dad's friend. At least they both have people around them who care, not just slimeb.a.l.l.s like Mr. Beeston, I told myself, desperately grasping at anything that might provide a grain of comfort.

"Why have they been separated?" I asked, my breath catching, and tripping over my words. "Did they choose it themselves?"

"Neptune has decided to go back to the old ways."

"What old ways?" Shona asked.

"He's banned intermarriage again. For good this time. He says he has had enough of the trouble it causes." Mr. Beeston looked me in the eyes. "Your parents are forbidden to be together again," he said dryly.

And that was it. The end of my world. With those simple words. Game over. My insides turned cold and hardened. At that moment, I believe I could have broken into a thousand pieces.

In a matter of days, I would no longer be a mermaid. Or I'd be a mermaid and would never again be able to live on land. And my parents would never see each other again. With a feeling of utter horror, I realized that my worst fears had come true: I couldn't have both parents. Whether they wanted to be together or not was no longer an issue. They couldn't be together a" which meant I could never, ever, live with them both again.

"No!" I begged. I pulled on Mr. Beeston's arm. "Please, no!" Tears slid down my face. "Please," I begged. "You have to make Neptune change his mind. You have to do something. Please!"

"There is nothing that will change his mind," Mr. Beeston said, his voice steady and cold. "Neptune's word is law. Your parents will come together one last time when Neptune brings them to you. Under the full moon, when the curse is complete, you will have a chance to say good-bye to one parent. You will go home with the other."

"No!" I fell to my knees in front of him. I hated myself for begging to Mr. Beeston, of all people. But it couldn't happen. It couldn't happen. It couldn't.

But as Mr. Beeston shook me away and dived off the side of the boat, disappearing deep down into the sea, I knew the truth. It was going to happen. It really, really, was. The changes I was feeling now were only a forerunner to the real curse, which would take place under the full moon. One half of me would triumph; the other would be gone forever. And there wasn't a single thing I could do to stop it.

"All right, that settles it," Millie said, blowing on a cup of tea. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. If Neptune can send Mr. Beeston here from nowhere, who knows what might happen if you went out there?" She c.o.c.ked her head to point out at the endless ocean. "You could be kidnapped and taken away forever." She shuddered. Then she reached out to pat my knee. "You're my responsibility now, dear," she said gently, "and I'm going to take care of you."

True to her word, she didn't leave us alone after that. Which meant that Shona and I didn't get another chance to try to swim to the castle, or even talk about it.

The day pa.s.sed in a blur of Earl Grey, beans on toast, and several games of canasta. I moved along through it as though I were walking through fog. And in a way I was. The mist all around us seemed to have totally clouded my thoughts. Or perhaps it had more to do with the fact that the whole world as I knew it was collapsing around me. The sadness Mr. Beeston had left me with felt like a physical weight dragging me down.

The night wasn't much better. It was filled with dreams about my parents and about the castle. In one, I was swimming toward it as hard as I could. Mom and Dad were waiting for me there, but it kept getting farther and farther away. With every stroke, it became more distant, but it was calling me, willing me to find a way to get there. All around me, voices were urging me on. Then the ring on my finger turned into a knife and cut through the sea so that I could walk there a" but I had no feet. My tail flapped lifelessly on the ground for a moment, till the ring shone a beam that lifted me and carried me toward the castle. I almost reached it a" it was inches away. And then I woke up.

Panting and sweating, I got up and looked out through my porthole. Directly ahead of me, the castle loomed just as it had in my dream, the mist flowing around its middle like a skirt. Its windows were black, and closed like sleeping eyes. But as I stared, they seemed to brighten, shining at me, just at me. Blinking and glinting, it was as though they were spelling something out in a code I had yet to crack. I knew one thing for certain, though. I had to get to the castle.

It was early, too early for anyone else to be up. Even the sun hadn't risen yet. The sky was a deep purple. I crept out onto the deck and looked around. In the distance, the castle was almost hidden by the mist. Just the turrets were visible, reaching upward, tall and dark and forbidding.

As I looked across, my chest burned. The ring was tight on my finger, the diamond smooth and bright. What is it? I asked silently. What do you want?

The ring didn't reply. Well, no, it was a ring. But as I closed my fingers around it and breathed in the salty air, I knew I had to try again. My dream had been telling me that there was something waiting for me at the castle. I just knew it. The thought was too strong for me to ignore. I had to get there, and I had to go now. If I waited any longer, Millie would be up, and there was no way she was going to let me out of her sight again. And it wasn't fair to keep dragging Shona off on my crazy stunts. I'd already gotten her into enough trouble. No, let her sleep.

I slipped into the water as quietly as I could. The sea rippled around me as my legs jerked and twitched, stiffening, sticking together, and finally stretching out to form my tail. What there was of it. Again, patches were missing all over. Fleshy white bits of my legs poked through the scales. As I moved, my tail felt taut and tight. It didn't bend right. It was getting worse.

Never mind. Just get there. Determination drove me on, and I ducked my head under the water and swam.

But it was just like last time, and just like my dream. The more I swam, the farther away the castle seemed to be.

I plowed through the water as hard as I could, thrashing my tail with every bit of energy I had, stretching my arms as wide as they would reach, pushing myself farther and faster with every stroke. But it was useless. I was getting nowhere.

Below me, the sea looked dark and unwelcoming. Jagged rocks were piled on top of each other as though they had been dumped there and forgotten long ago. Small pockets of sandy seabed were dotted about in between. Tiny black fish darted away as I swam across them. A round yellow fish slid slowly in and out of the crevices like a submarine.

I came to the surface to catch my breath. I didn't seem to be able to stay under water as long as usual. That must be the curse too. Where would this end?

No, I couldn't think about that or I'd end up giving up altogether. I couldn't think about anything. I just had to get to the castle. But it was as far away as ever.

As I flicked my tail to tread water, I looked at the ring. "What do I do?" I said. And this time, it did reply. Not with words, but with a feeling, the way it had before. A feeling that seeped through me like heat filling my bones. A feeling of trust. I had to trust the ring. Just like in my dream, if I gave in and let it guide me, it would get me to the castle.

So I did. I stopped trying. I stopped swimming, stopped pushing myself to get there faster or sooner a" and instead I listened to the ring. It felt as though I were tuning a radio: finding the right station and getting it clear and sharp.

I held my hand out in front of me, letting the ring guide me. Immediately the water became smoother; a gentle current started to glide me along. With the slightest, tiniest flicks of my tail, I zoomed forward. Heading toward the castle.

At last, it was coming closer! Soon the current slowed. The water seemed to grow thicker, and colder, and much darker.

Below me, a shoal of silver fish swirled down like a light beam, flashing briefly through the black sea. In their wake, a group of manta rays slowly flapped their long capes as they slithered by. I kept well out of the way, watching from behind a rock till they'd pa.s.sed.

Ahead of me, the sea looked even blacker. As I got closer, I could see a big dark hole, a tunnel. Sharp rocks formed a ring around its entrance.

The strangest fish seemed to pace across the tunnel's entrance, gliding heavily and slowly. Five or six of them. I knew what these were. I'd never seen one in real life, but we'd studied them in Aquatics and Animals: humphead parrot fish. Almost twice as big as me, they looked like big, burly bouncers wearing silly masks and rubber shields. Their bodies were gray, with a purple splotch of paint in a line up their heads like war paint. These fish had jaws you didn't want to get in the way of. Each time one of them pa.s.sed the tunnel's entrance, it opened its enormous mouth and took a bite at the rock, dissolving it into soft sand. A tiny beach lay around the entrance.

My tail shook. The castle lay beyond this tunnel. I knew it.

I waited for ages, counting the seconds in between each sweep of the tunnel's entrance until I'd worked out the best time to go. One more parrot fish pa.s.sed the entrance a" and then it was open. This was it. They were all facing away, swimming to opposite sides. Any second now, one of them would turn and swim back. It was now or never. And never wasn't an option.

So I darted into the tunnel.