The only reason why Arran had a remote idea of what the Qazri Lagoon looked like was the poorly done painting in Zohra's storeroom, which she had made as a young woman during a vacation. However, if the fortune teller's amateurish work still had managed to capture the magical allure of the landscape, reality magnified that beauty tenfold.

A shell-shaped bay curled into a long, white lane of sand. About fifty or so paces inward, the beach melted into a lush forest of palm trees and exotic flowers in the most beautiful shades of red. The lagoon itself glimmered azure and turquoise in the late afternoon sun, the water transparent down to the rocky bottom. Even from this height, Arran spotted large schools of colorful fish swimming around lazily, unafraid. A natural archway carved into a high rock protected their home from the open sea, its passage too narrow for the largest predators.

Except for one type of predator. At least a dozen members of the merfolk lay nearby on a rock, sunbathing with their fluorescent tails on full display. They were all long-haired women, their naked upper bodies clammy with salted water. His mouth turned dry at the sight. Embarrassed, he averted his gaze, only to find Inna staring at the mermaids with a similar blush on her cheeks.

"Enjoying the view, are we, princess?" he teased, elbowing her gently in the ribs.

She snorted, though it didn't sound very genuine. "Only as much as you do, thief."

The wind wiped the grin off his face as the carpet began its swift descent and his stomach plummeted along with it. Curious, a few mermaids lifted their heads to follow their course down to the beach. The merfolk were said to be fond of human visitors, and he imagined they would be all too delighted to meet the newcomers in their bay. Indeed, two of them already dove into the water to get a closer look.

A little crab, its cream-colored legs and pincers the perfect camouflage in the sand, scurried away when the carpet settled down near the shoreline. Arran checked his immediate surroundings for any more of those six-legged creatures before sticking a cautious toe into the sand. It burned hot under the soles of his feet.

Inna's neck popped while she rolled it. "Gods, I'd love to go for a swim now."

"Come join us, then," a high, husky voice spoke from the water. A mermaid with carmine red hair had surfaced about five paces into the lagoon, her moist lips pulled up into a beatific smile. Her blue eyes had no pupils, a stark reminder of the god who had created her kind: Urika, the god of the rivers and seas. His creation had inspired his brother Baldaruh, the god of nature, to mould his own intelligent species from the newly shaped continents, the humans.

Inna answered the mermaid's smile with a dazzling one of her own. "Sounds lovely, but I wouldn't want my friend here to get jealous, right?" She winked at Arran.

"Oh, but I wouldn't mind his company either." Though her tone conveyed innocence, he felt his cheeks warm up all the same.

His eyes glided downward, to where her wet hair splayed out across her bare breasts. He felt a spark of arousal, but not for the mermaid. Inna had moved closer to him; her hair brushed his arm and her breath was hot on his neck, a constant distraction that sent ripples of desire down his spine.

"I think the heat has gotten to his head," Inna commented dryly. When he turned his head, she glared back at him. Her lips formed a taut line.

His own mouth softened around the corners. "Robbing me of my fun?" he whispered, so quietly the mermaid wouldn't hear.

She gave him a look that said he could jump into the lagoon and drown himself. "Anyway, we're not here to play in the water," she continued, giving him a wide berth. She had resumed her role of authoritative, impatient princess. "We would like to call on the expertise of the merfolk tribes to help us with solving a mystery."

The mermaid's eyes lit up. "A mystery? That sounds exciting." Sprawled on the beach, she rested her chin in her hands. The scales on her body and tail cast a rainbow in the sunlight, only interrupted by three straight lines, faint as scars, that ran along her sides. Gills, closed now that she was above the water. "You know what else is a mystery? Your names."

A muscle under Inna's left eye twitched, as if she had to make an effort not to roll her eyes. Arran stifled a laugh.

"I am Crown Princess Serafina Adelhari of Primsharah." Of course she had used her full title. "And this is Arran Dir Akhta. He belongs to my court." A very formal way of claiming him as a Primsharahn citizen. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she ignored him.

The mermaid nodded. "I am Irinez, Third-Born Daughter to the Waterlord of Qazri. You are most welcome at our lagoon." So it was a ritual. Apparently, merfolk etiquette required long and elaborate introductions. This time when he glanced at Inna, his look was one of admiration.

"So, what is it you wish to consult with us about?" Irinez asked.

Inna kicked off her slippers and waded through the water until it reached her ankles. She held out the amber soulstone for the mermaid to inspect. "I've been told the merfolk split the souls of the dead to keep a small part of them inside a stone. I'd like to know more about that."

Irinez stared wide-eyed at the stone without touching it. Her voice was breathless when she said, "You've found one of the godly souls."

"You know what they are?"

"Of course I know what they are!" She sounded truly offended by Inna's skepticism. The princess eyed her warily, but Irinez shrugged off her indignation and continued in a calmer tone, "They are blasphemous, a scandalous parody of our tribes' sacred rituals. Animasegra should never be practiced on a living soul." She bared her teeth in a hiss.

"Were you there when they were created?" Arran asked. It was possible; whereas human beings didn't live past their first century, the merfolk's general life expectancy spanned several.

Irenez shook her head. "I wasn't, but my elder sister Layla was. She may be able to tell you more." Her narrowed gaze flitted between Arran and Inna. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we wish to free the gods," Inna replied, pointing at Arran. He flicked the Amulet out of his shirt to show it to the mermaid. "That one in particular."

Irenez let out a string of harsh words in a foreign, musical language. "I will be right back."

Before either of them could utter another word, she dove beneath the waves. Arran followed the strong thrusts of her tail to an underwater formation of rocks whose blurred outline resembled houses. Several of her friends who had stayed at a safer distance in the water followed in her wake.

Arran ran a distracted hand through his hair. "Why have the merfolk never confided in us about the World Artifacts' true nature? If they know how to reverse the process, we might have helped them do it, since most Artifacts must be on land anyway."

"Didn't you listen to her? The humans have corrupted the merfolk's ancient knowledge of souls and spiritual energy." Inna dropped down onto the warm sand and he squatted next to her. She wound her arms around her knees. "I think they no longer trust us enough to spill any more secrets."

"In that case, I hope they'll believe you and I have nobler intentions."

"So do I."

In silence, they waited for Irenez to return. She resurfaced about a quarter of an hour later, accompanied by a second mermaid whose reddish hair shone almost pink in the failing light. Her razor-sharp features and brilliant blue eyes left no doubt about her relation to Irenez.

"My sister tells me you possess two godly souls," she slurred in a thicker accent than Irenez's. "And now you have come to us with questions." Although her expression was calm and composed, her eyes burned with open hostility.

"Ezahar sent us here," Inna stated.

Layla's haughty snicker was echoed by the other mermaids. "Your kind caged Ezahar like an animal out of greed and lust for power. Why would she lower herself to communicating with another human again after they betrayed her so viciously?"

Inna's eyes flared with anger. Putting a hand on hers, Arran silently begged her to swallow whatever retort she was about to throw into the mermaids' faces. However, a deep, booming voice cut through the tumult like the sharpest of knives and silenced even the birds in the trees.

"She bears Ezahar's companion on her shoulders, daughter. Her blood sings with the goddess's magic. She is not lying." A broad man rose from the lagoon, his mere presence carving a path through the assembled merfolk straight to the beach. Drops of water trickled down his muscular torso and glittered like pearls in his long, white hair. On his head rested a gold, spiked crown. Despite his considerable length, Arran felt himself shrink with every pace the man crossed. Even Inna wore a reverent expression on her face.

"Lord Trizidad." She sprang to her feet and made a deep bow. "It is an honor."

"The honor is mine, daughter of gods." The Waterlord inclined his head toward both of them. "Amulet-bearer. You look a bit pale. Are you feeling well?"

It took Arran a second to realize that the merlord had addressed him. "Oh. P-perfectly fine, thank you." Inna raised an eyebrow at him and he flushed.

"That's good." Lord Trizidad granted him a warm smile. "You will need that strength when the time comes." With one last nod at Arran, he turned to Inna. Zazi lifted her head to meet his gaze, her head tilted with mild curiosity. The Waterlord's eyes twinkled as he returned her interest. "Did you know, princess Serafina, that it was the Lady of Knowledge who taught the merfolk about Animasegra?"

Inna blinked, bewildered. "No, I didn't. I thought Onshra was the one who dealt with souls."

"He only cares for the ones which are sent to his realm," Lord Trizidad answered. "It was Ezahar and her sister Reesah who combined their wisdom and magic to extract spiritual energy for scientific and magical purposes. The snake around your neck is proof of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I recognize every soul I have ever come across in my long life. Ezahar's is quite different from most. The snake shares the same multicolored aura as that soulstone, although it has been touched by a Haala bond." He squinted. "Yours, apparently."

Indeed. Arran studied Zazi from the corner of his eye. Animal auras were much fainter than a human's, but now that he paid attention to it, he noticed a few tendrils of purple and orange around her, smeared with Inna's violent red.

The truth dawned on Inna's face at the same time as it did on his. "Are you saying that Zazi is a piece of Ezahar's soul? One she severed herself?"

Lord Trizidad gave a solemn nod. "Yes."

"It's an abomination," Layla grumbled. A single look from her father sufficed to shut her mouth.

Inna clutched Zazi's head against her chest as though she wanted to protect her friend from the mermaid's hostile glares. "Don't call her that."

"Forgive my daughter, princess," Lord Trizidad sighed. He sounded tired. "In our culture, it is strictly forbidden to perform Animasegra on living souls. A dead soul learns to exist without the missing part. For a living soul, on the contrary, the consequences may be devastating. Ezahar must have been desperate."

"She seemed fine to me when I spoke to her," Inna retorted, her voice clipped.

The Waterlord arched a brow. "Well, her soul is immortal, so maybe that means it's more resilient. If I am to rely on what my eyes tell me, the piece of Ezahar's soul which lives inside the snake looks healthy. In fact, it has developed its own, autonomous consciousness. It no longer needs the main soul."

"So that's why she's attracted to my bloodline," she muttered, talking to no one in particular. "She forms a part of it herself. She associates it with family and safety. And Ezahar couldn't tell me because it involves her soul, and she's forbidden to speak about it."

Arran took a subtle step closer to her, to let her know that he was there if she needed a shoulder to lean on. Even though this news made his head pound as well. "Did Ezahar and Reesah ever teach the humans about Animasegra?"

Lord Trizidad hesitated. "Human magic is different. You do not draw power from the world's energy, like we do, but from yourselves. That is why only the darkest of human personalities, those with an affinity for death and absorbing magic, can split a soul or manipulate spiritual power."

"Did Idran The Wicked have such powers? Since he was the one who trapped the gods in the first place."

At the mention of Idran's name, the members of the merfolk growled, their lips pulled back to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth. Layla launched herself onto the beach and lashed out at Arran's feet. He jumped back, stumbling into Inna's arms.

"Do not speak his name," the mermaid hissed.

He expected Lord Trizidad to rebuke her, but even the Waterlord watched him with wary eyes, his arms crossed over his muscled chest. A darkness that hadn't been there before shrouded the lagoon. "That sorcerer used foul magic to deceive the gods. His thirst for power consumed him until he only remembered to destroy, not to create. Mankind's greatest sin." Those last three words were sharp as polished blades. A peculiar restlessness settled in Arran's bones.

Inna stiffened. "That's not true. The Prophets only ever did good with their powers."

Irenez giggled, oblivious to the rapidly darkening atmosphere. "Oh, I remember one of those so-called Prophets. She was very skilled in magic, and even more so in the art of lovemaking. What was her name again? Kha ... Khansa ..."

"It doesn't matter," her father cut her off, a small wrinkle between his eyebrows. The intensity of his gaze bore into Arran's head, but Arran squared his shoulders and refused to back down. Approval flashed in the merlord's eyes, so fast he thought he had imagined it. "You come to us, bearing Ezahar's and Onshra's prisons, asking questions about souls and wicked sorcerers. I can't help wondering why. How did you come into the possession of not one, but two godly souls? Are you hunting them?"

Arran's mouth opened and closed without working. Inna jumped in, holding out her hands with the palms facing upward in a gesture of honesty and peace. "I assure you, Lord Trizidad, that we are only trying to keep their souls safe from those who wish to continue Idran's work. That's why Ezahar guided us to you; Idran's magic keeps her tongue tied, so we hoped that you could tell us how to free her and the other gods. We know you are more loyal to them than any other living creature in this world."

"And who's to say that you don't belong to the same group of power hungry zealots? The gods were fooled once; surely they can be fooled again, especially in their current helpless position." Nothing in Lord Trizidad's tone suggested a direct accusation, as though they were merely chatting about the weather. Yet, the nervous glint in the Waterlord's eyes made Arran's skin crawl.

Inna swallowed. "Please, Lord Trizidad. We really need your help."

He drew in a slow breath. The water pulled back as he did, only to resume the flow of its tides when he released the sigh in his lungs. "Dark forces loom on the horizon," he mused. "The tribe lords must gather, just like before. When war comes this time, we shall be prepared for it."

Arran blinked in confusion. "War?" He cringed at the shrill note in his voice.

"Yes, Amulet-bearer. War." Lord Trizidad's face was grim. "If you are right and the wicked sorcerer's followers are hunting the godly souls, it is crucial that the Artifacts be kept in a place where they cannot fall into the wrong hands. If mankind assumes control over the gods, all beings of earth will serve at their feet."

A shiver scratched its way down Arran's spine. Inna's warm hand wrapped around his.

Lord Trizidad cocked his head to the side, studying them. "You ask for my help, princess. The tribe lords have researched the godly souls and their magical prisons for many years, but we cannot test our theories as long as the souls are all on the continents. Yet, you brought us not one, but two of them. Give the soulstone and the Amulet to us, and I promise we will keep them safe until our dying breath and do everything in our power to repair the damage the humans inflicted." He extended a hand.

Arran's heart skipped a beat. He wanted them to hand over the Artifacts? The mask on the Waterlord's face slipped for a split second and showed the eagerness underneath. Arran sucked in a deep breath. So that was what the merfolk had been after all along.

He couldn't give them the Amulet. He wouldn't. His life depended on it.

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Inna's voice was steady and resolute. "I do not doubt you mean well, Lord Trizidad. But this simple stone"—she patted the pockets of her pants, where Ezahar's soulstone sat out of the merfolk's reach—"is part of the reason why my city is in chaos. I need Ezahar's help, and she requested mine. Not yours. The same goes for Onshra and the Amulet."

Lord Trizidad's hand balled into a fist. He looked at the two of them like a father disappointed with his childrens' behavior. Arran fought the urge to cringe like a child awaiting punishment.

"Ah well." Lord Trizidad drew himself up. The dark blue of his eyes had shifted to the stormy gray of a wild, angry sea. "I shouldn't have expected anything else from the selfishness of mankind. But I will not let this chance pass by. It's my duty to the gods." The calm note in his voice was deceiving. Behind him, the mermen and mermaids bent their necks and spines and exposed their long, sharp nails. A not so subtle reminder of their status as the uncontested predators of the seas. "Let's see how well you fare against the power of the sea."

The waves frothed as they crashed onto the beach with increasing strength. Arran licked his lips and tasted salt on them. With a strangled cry, Inna shoved him toward the treeline. He staggered, flailing his arms. His breath hitched when an army of crabs the size of medium-sized dogs crawled out of the water. Their scales were a deep purple layered with glittering pearls, their pincers large enough to behead a grown man.

Arran's survival instincts kicked in. He sprinted toward the flying carpet, yelling at Inna over his shoulder to follow him. She didn't. He skidded to a halt in the sand, one foot already on the woven threads, the other turned back to where the princess faced the crabs. Electricity sizzled along the length of her arms.

"Inna!" His head whipped to the water while more crabs advanced from the water, their empty gazes set on him. The Amulet grew hotter than a flame under his shirt. "Inna, let's go!"

One of the crabs stretched its legs to cover the final paces between itself and its human prey, pincers aimed for Inna's throat. Arran's feet already started running back to her, even though he knew he would come too late. The crabs were on his heels too. Sweat pooled in the palms of his hands and at the back of his neck.

Inna's eyelids fluttered. Then, in one smooth motion, she twirled around, ducked under the first crab's pincer and kicked its soft belly, which hurled it back into the swarm. The next one ended up fried by a lightning bolt.

The air whistled as a pincer missed Arran's ankle by a hair's breadth. He pumped his arms to go faster and crashed into Inna, knocking them both off their feet. Grunting, he curled his arms around her waist and covered her body with his own. His mind raced to come up with a spell that would fend off the murderous crabs.

"Let them come, Arran," she whispered in his ear. "The gods will protect us."

"What?"

As if on cue, a current of shadows and death burst from the Amulet of Doom.