Part of Your World (Twisted Tales)(65)

“The seagulls?”

“Also my…mermaid charms.” She smiled. Too bad Sebastian won’t be there to hear me, singing like a siren. “Trust me, we can do it.”

“Perfect! By this time tomorrow it will all be over.”

“And I will have my father back!” Her heart leapt. There was still going to be a happy ending after all.

“And then we can get rid of Vanessa,” Eric said. “The sooner, the better. She’s far more dangerous than I ever realized.”

“It’s a plan,” said Ariel. “All we need to do now is carry it through!”

“Absolutely!”

“Great!”

“Good!”

“Excellent!”

A moment passed as they smiled at each other.

Another moment passed, somewhat awkwardly.

And then a third.

“…All right, then! Good luck! Hopefully when we next meet you’ll have your father back!” Eric blurted out.

“Yes! That will be great!” Ariel replied enthusiastically.

They shook hands and parted.

I hope Eric feels as stupid as I do, Ariel thought grumpily.





She entered the town late the next morning, and kept her headscarf close around her.

The market was different today—different vendors selling entirely different wares. In Atlantica it was always the same people selling the same things to the same people, only a slight variation with the seasons. It’s Red Kelp Festival Day! Oh, it’s the Incredibly Rare and Beautiful Blue-Tipped Anemone Spawning Day! Oh! It’s that guy who makes those little wood carvings of the gods out of shipwreck material!

Actually, those were pretty great, Ariel allowed. She owned at least a dozen of them.

Jona flew above her, occasionally landing on a roof when it was convenient. Several dozen gulls circled close by. Ariel hoped they wouldn’t be necessary; she didn’t want to draw attention to the situation. With any luck she could just distract the coachman, maybe sing a sireny tune or two to mesmerize him, then grab the package. And then she could return to her kingdom triumphantly, her father in hand, and it would all be over.

The carriage pulled up behind the tavern precisely at ten. There was only one driver.

Easy, the Queen of the Sea told herself.

But the driver was staring at her.

Leering at her.

In a strangely familiar way.

Ariel fell back, suddenly realizing who it was.

Run! she told herself.

Somehow she didn’t.

The door to the carriage creaked open, pushed from inside by the footman—who was the driver’s twin.

Out stepped Vanessa.

For just a moment, Ariel saw Ursula. Grinning and sharp-toothed, surrounded by her waving black tentacles. All predator, all evil. Sharks killed to eat. Ursula enjoyed the pain she caused.

Then the moment was over and the princess of Tirulia stood there, “disguised,” wrapped in a long, flowing shift that made her look like an actor playing a foreign priestess in one of those operas Sebastian conducted from time to time. Her eyes were large and doe-like, but her smile was vicious and exactly the same as the sea witch’s.

Ariel felt a cold rage settle on her shoulders, and the world narrowed down until it was just the two of them.

“Were you expecting something from the postman, maybe?” Vanessa purred, in Ursula’s voice. “A package, perhaps?”

“Very amusing, Ursula. You’re so…funny,” Ariel said, trying not to let her anger show.

“Thank you. Nice legs, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Ariel said. “I made them myself.”

“Oh, yes…you’re ‘Queen of the Sea’ now. With all the powers and privileges thereof. And the trident.” Her eyes flicked greedily over Ariel, looking for some sign of the weapon. “Isn’t it funny…? Your father could have turned you into a human any time he wanted to. But he didn’t. Withholding his abilities so selfishly…trying to keep you locked up at home….”

“He was trying to protect me,” Ariel said flatly. “It’s not the choice I would have made in his position, but he thought he was doing best.”

“But you are in his position now,” Vanessa said, eyes wide and innocent. “Are you telling me that if you had a daughter, you would just—let her go?”

“If I had a daughter I would make sure she had every opportunity to do what she wanted to enrich her life. Sometimes being a good parent means knowing when to let go.”

“Well, well, isn’t that a thoughtful and mature philosophy,” Vanessa said, looking at her nails. “Never really had the inclination for children myself—except as dessert.”

Ariel just gave her a look, and it wasn’t one of horror. One of the most tiring aspects of Ursula wasn’t even her villainy; it was her constant bid for attention, for shock value, for turning the conversation back to herself.

“I believe you took something of mine,” Ursula said.

“I believe you took something of mine,” Ariel retorted.

“I believe I traded that from you fairly, in return for something of mine. My magic to help you win your man.”

“It wasn’t a fair trade. You were preying on my desperation and knew that I would fail.”