Page 130 of In Rising Tides

“Do you know what this is?”

Lyra frowned and shook her head.

“This,” Nerida seethed. “Is a campaign to have you and Drystan dethroned.”

Nerida shoved the parchment at Lyra.

She scanned the scrawling script and read the list of offenses against herself and Drystan.

A snort erupted from Lyra. They weren’t all untrue.

Especially the first one, which listed her unlikelihood of following the rules and being a bad influence on younger mermaids.

“So?”

Nerida shared a look with Thalassa before she spoke. “It’s one thing to whisper in the shadows about the reluctance ofnew rulers, but to have it printed and distributed throughout the kingdom?” Her voice was shrill, reigniting the headache behind Lyra’s eyes. “He’s painted a target on your back.”

Lyra shrugged and bit back a yawn. “This isn’t our problem. Let Drystan and the council handle it.”

“They’re already meeting. Rigel was very distressed this morning,” Thalassa muttered, twirling a lock of golden hair around her finger.

“They’re not taking anything seriously,” Nerida ground out. “Between your bargain and the zealots in this kingdom …” She shook her head as if to rid her mind of that direction of those thoughts. “They’re not moving fast enough.”

Lyra sat up completely and let the parchment slip from her fingers. “What do you think we should be doing then?”

“You need to break the bargain now—at least on this side.”

Lyra slid her eyes from Nerida to Thalassa. The water in her room stilled.

“Oh, she already knows everything—all of us do.” Nerida waved her off.

“Except Vanora,” Thalassa grumbled.

“Wait—you all know?”

Nerida and Thalassa shared a look before bursting into laughter.

Lyra watched as her lips tugged down in a frown. How easily they laughed together.

It was strange.

When Thalassa wrapped a hand around Nerida’s arm to hold herself still while continuing to laugh, rage washed through Lyra’s blood.

“Yes, yes. Have a wonderful laugh at my expense.” Lyra swam from her bed to her vanity and began brushing back her hair.

“Baby sister,” Thalassa crooned and wrapped an arm around Lyra’s chest from behind. “It will be so wonderful bringing you back into the fold. For too long we have missed you.”

Lyra huffed a breath and leaned out of Thalassa’s grip. “I hardly know any of you.”

“Exactly,” Nerida said. “Which is why we want to remedy it.”

Thalassa grinned a smile so broad all of her teeth gleamed in the watery light, the brilliance identical to that of her pearl-colored tail. She was as beautiful as a fairytale princess.

Lyra rolled her eyes and slammed her brush down on the coral. “I’m in no mood for all the familial bonding rubbish. Let’s just break the tithe so I can get the fuck out of here.”

Thalassa’s smile vanished, and ire flickered in her soft brown eyes. She reminded Lyra so much of Maelys.

Maelys with hair spun of sunlight and a heart of pure gold.