Page 111 of In Violent Waves

“Here goes nothing,” Lyra whispered.

“Don’t embarrass us.”

Wilder materialized from the shadows of the willow tree and stood behind his mother. There hadn’t been a second he had missed of Lyra’s training the past week, and although Maelys was trying her best, she just couldn’t get anywhere with it.

A strong breeze blew in from behind him, and his mother stiffened.

“Wilder,” she addressed him without turning around.

It hadn’t been windy all day. He looked around the training ground, spotting Dust and Oak grinning at him. Either one of them could have stirred the wind on purpose. Meddling fools.

“Mother,” he replied.

“Has her training improved?”

“No.”

She clicked her tongue, and the ladies around her shifted nervously, hoping her annoyance wasn’t with them. It didn’t matter where his mother went.

There was always a gaggle of those preening courtiers vying for her favor. It annoyed him on her behalf—he didn’t know how she could stand it.

“And you don’t think it would benefit the kingdom for you to step in?”

There it was.

The very thought he had been avoiding the past week, watching her fail over and over. Magic demanded balance.

What the merfolk and humans had agreed to was an abomination. It was a wonder the very fabric of their world wasn’t unraveling because of it. The sooner they could undo it—the better.

“I will not get involved,” he said under his breath.

His father was keeping secrets, dangerous secrets. If he didn’t respect Wilder enough to share the details, then Wilder would not be involved in this scheme.

“I see your pride is still intact,” his mother said, turning to gaze at him at last. “Would you consider your pride above your duty to this kingdom?”

Wilder could feel his anger rising. Every second of every day since he had returned, he had put this kingdom above his own needs. For her to insinuate such a thing was an incredulous offense.

“Nothing to say?” She arched a well-manicured brow. “Fine, then. What if I told you her survival depends on you helping her?”

Wilder rolled his eyes. Why she thought he would care about the life of a single mermaid was beyond him. But when he didn’t answer, she pressed on.

“You should ask Otto what the outlook is. I know you refuse to hear your future, but you should at least hear hers.”

It took a lot of power and focus for Otto to see far into the future. Which meant it was important to him—or his mother.

“Why do you care, Mother?”

Aine looked across the grounds to where Lyra was laughing with Maelys as she tried to skip.

“Such innocence in a creature we’ve been told was monstrous. Don’t you think?”

Wilder had followed her gaze and found himself entranced by her all over again.

Lyra wore a sleeveless training top, and it showed off the delicate lines of her arms. Her auburn hair gleamed scarlet in the sunlight, and his chest tightened.

“I would like to see her live. Find out what she is capable of, and the rest of her kind. The females there deserve more.”

He couldn’t argue with that. The mermen of her kingdom sounded like the monsters everyone claimed. Keeping their females uneducated and weak. It was a wonder they didn’t keep them locked up.