Flotsam laughed a long, hissing strain of laughter. “Excellent choice! I always hated him. Of course, I always hated all of them.”
“Oh, but he was a pretty one. He is ssso fit to be in the zoo of a king!”
“Well, he was a pretty one,” Flotsam amended. “And lucky fellow, too, escaping what Ursula has planned.”
“He’ll be the only one!”
They both laughed and laughed, and when a maid looked at them in disgust, they couldn’t quite hold back from snapping their necks and jaws at her like the predators they were.
Transformations only went so far…
It was a puzzle.
Not unlike the puzzle of finding the right member of the Kravi to sing the story of Proserpine in the Equinocturnal Celebrations, but far more important.
（She decided, as Attina had suggested, to have the younger sister sing it, and make the older brother Director of the Celebrations. It was an honor in name only. Everyone already knew what to do and where to stand; they had been performing the Rites for thousands of years.）
How could they expose Ursula’s true nature to as many humans as possible?
She signed bills, listened to complaints, chose chariots, finally worked out an equitable payment plan with the pesky barracuda, and considered the possibilities.
Ursula could…review all the troops. She could give a speech about the prowess of Tirulia as a military force while striding up and down in front of the rank and file of soldiers. But…by the sea! And then a giant wave could come and splash her…And her tentacles and true form would be revealed!
Ursula could…have a new warship built and take it out to christen it! Didn’t humans do that silly thing where they wasted a bottle of wine, breaking it over the prow of the ship? And while Vanessa was there, surrounded by her crew, a wave could lap over the side and…
What if Ursula had a birthday party, and the chef baked a giant three-tiered cake, and Ariel was hiding inside, and when the sea witch went to taste it, the mermaid burst out with a bucket of salt water, utterly dousing the birthday girl?
Ariel laughed quietly to herself. It was a pleasant and deeply satisfying fantasy.
“What’s with you, giggle-puss?”
Attina had been slinking around the public work rooms of the palace more and more often lately. A less forgiving sister might have thought she was hoping for apples, like a semi-feral seahorse—or that she found she liked the taste of power after all.
But maybe she just wanted to hang out and be near her little sister, offering what little support she could.
Whatever the truth of the matter was, Ariel was relieved at this new development and always happy to see her.
“You’re all smiley-faced and, well, not broody,” Attina pressed. “What’s going on?”
It was true—since Ariel got back she had been more lighthearted, smiling and flipping her tail more. But when Flounder and Sebastian asked her why, she felt like she had to keep it a secret.
Isn’t that what sisters are for?
She put down her whelk pen, deliberating. Attina looked like she was going to explode.
Finally the queen spoke.
“I kissed a boy.”
“WHAT?”
With two quick lashes of her tail, the auburn-haired older mermaid was over by Ariel, eyes wide.
“Eric. I kissed Eric. We kissed. Eric and I kissed each other.”
“When? How? What? Why? I mean, what took so long?” she added, trying to sound casual.
“Didn’t seem appropriate before,” Ariel said, shrugging. “There were too many other things to talk about, to plan…”
“You are so weird!” Attina practically shrieked. “And so is he. Who ever heard of a human waiting to kiss a mer? He must be weird, too. What was it like?”
“Not the stuff of a teen’s fantasy,” Ariel said with a rueful smile. “But it was genuine, and it was…nice.”
“Well. The sea be praised,” Attina muttered. “Something is moving ahead. What’s going on with our father?”
“I’m working on that. I think we’re going to have to get the Tirulians—uh, humans—to take care of Ursula for us. It’s tricky. Maybe you can help—come up with an idea, like you did with the Celebrations?”
“Sure. Just tell the humans she tastes like candy,” Attina said dryly. “Or that a mouthful of her flesh can cure their diseases.”
“Thanks. I’ll give your suggestion the thoughtful consideration it’s due.”
“Any time, little sister.”