Blend in or die. That was the mermaids' motto. Or it should be with how many times it was drilled into Ruoxi's head. She listened to it now as she darted behind a limestone pillar. It'd once been at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and had taken a hundred and thirty mermaids and a couple of whales to move the damn thing, but they got it to the palace. Her father demanded it.

Failure, after all, wasn't accepted in his kingdom. Of course, neither was eavesdropping, but Ruoxi couldn't help herself. Knowing what her father and aunt were arguing about-and oh fin were they ever-was worth its weight in pearls. Secrets were a form of currency in the palace, and she needed all the secrets she could hoard.

"Absolutely not." Her aunt pinned her dad with a piercing look that could flay scales off a cod. "You are not going."

As King of the Pacific Ocean, her father should have been decked out in jewels and a gold crown, but all he wore were cobalt cuffs encircling his forearms. It'd been given to him by his wife on their wedding day. "If we are to keep our waters peaceful, I must go."

"Those algae scum surrendered to us over two hundred and forty moon cycles ago. They hold no power in the Pacific."

"Prince Agustin and his people control the coral reefs, not to mention they breed some of the best dolphins in the world. We need to keep them happy and tied to us. We cannot afford another war."

Her aunt's hand flexed as if to grab her favorite weapon-a silver trident with a water snake engraved on the handle. "If you killed the prince and his family line as I suggested, there would be no talk of war."

"He was just a boy when his father declared war on us. He had no part in it."

"That boy is now a man. You don't think revenge burns through his veins?"

"It was either surrender to me or the Southern Kingdom, and we all know I was the better choice. The Southerners are barbarians and would have enslaved his people. Prince Agustin is no fool. He knows I'm all that stands between him and his peoples' doom."

A hefty sigh that let out more than a few air bubbles. "Fine, but as King of the Pacific, you should be demanding he come to you."

"His sister is gravely ill. I would not take him from her."

"Careful, brother." A swish of her tail as she bared her teeth. "Show your softness, and the sharks will circle."

"Isn't that what you're here for?"

A reluctant grin broke through, making her stern aunt look almost youthful, but it disappeared as quickly as it came."What about a comprise? You stay here but send an envoy of your children instead?"

He sat back on his throne, a thoughtful look on his face as his long graying hair swirled around him. "An envoy?"

"The goal is to get Prince Agustin to help with trade routes, correct? Your children are much more charming than you. And more devious."

He drummed his fingers against the throne. "Plus, this will be a good test to see who can put their words into action."

"Are the elders still riding you about choosing an heir?"

Suddenly, Ruoxi's view was blocked by a large back with two axes strapped to it in the shape of an X. The axes were deadly. Polished and sharpened every night by Syouma, one of her father's guards. He put his hand behind his back and flicked a finger at her like she was a piece of plankton. She reached out to poke a spot she knew was ticklish but thought better of it. Syouma had a mean streak and knew too many of her secrets. She was doomed if he let one "accidentally" slip in front of her aunt or father.

Disappointed, she backed away from the throne room, barely making a ripple in the water-a skill every young mermaid learned. How else would they sneak out to get a late-night snack?

Speaking of snacks, she stopped by the kitchen and grabbed a couple of sea urchins. The cooks always kept some on hand for her. Tossing the urchins up and catching them, she swam through the main palace, saying hello to the mermaids she passed. Their palace wasn't the grandest-that award went to the Indian Ocean-but theirs was one of the oldest. Sprawled over a thousand acres, the Pacific Palace was made by some of the very first mermaids in existence.

An envoy, huh? It might be worth convincing Father to let her tag a long. She'd never been that far east. Ruoxi bet she could find all sorts of new treasures along the seabed. And didn't she hear something last summer about Prince Agustin and his friends mer-surfing on the waves? By the moons, she had to learn about that!

She was almost through the castle doors when someone with a steel grip grabbed her shoulder. Only one mermaid treated her so-her sister, Mingzhu.

"And where are you off to, mei mei?"

Mingzhu was worse than a dolphin. She always poked her nose in everyone's business, and she took particular delight in knowing all things Ruoxi. Out of her parents' twenty-four children, Ruoxi was closest to Mingzhu, probably because Mingzhu got stuck mer-sitting Ruoxi when she was young.

"I'm going out for a while."

A glance at the sea urchins. "Going to play fetch with Bo again?"

She nodded. It was one of their favorite things to do. First, Ruoxi would swat the sea urchin with her tail and see how far it could go; then, Bo would race to bring it back. Afterwards, she would break it open against a rock, and they would eat the urchin inside.

"Frivolous as always," her sister sighed, conveying disappointment and annoyance all at once.

"It's called fun, and everyone needs it." Ruoxi playfully tugged on her sister's hair which was pulled back into a ponytail. "Even you."

"I have fun. I just finished sword training."

That would be her sister's definition of fun. Judging by the gleam in her sister's eye, Ruoxi said, "Training with Mingtao again? Did he finally score one on you?"

"What do you think?"

"Hope does run eternal." Their brother, Mingtao, was as competitive as Mingzhu but lacked the agility to beat her. He was more of a hammer, bashing his way through enemies, while Mingzhu was a whirl of swords, nimbly cutting down the opposition.

"When will I see you in the training ring? Master Siyu says you haven't stopped by in months."

"I don't see the point." She wasn't in line for the throne, no matter how much her father insisted every sibling had equal opportunity. To be a contender, one had to have connections and powerful backers in the kingdom. She had none. Plus, Ruoxi didn't want the throne. To be chained to the palace every day? No, thank you. She'd much rather be out exploring.

"It's for protection." Mingzhan looked around. "And where is that new guard, Sile? Isn't he on duty today? Don't tell me you've already ditched him. He came highly recommended."

Of course, her sister would have her guards and their schedules memorized. "I don't need a guard. You don't have one."

Mingzhan's tone was firm. "You know why you need one."

Ruoxi could almost convince herself it was an overprotective gesture of a big sister, but then Mingzhan furtively glanced at Ruoxi's tail, and her heart clenched.

Every fin was unique as the mermaid who bore it. They came in every color of the rainbow, but there was one feature they shared-camouflage. Camouflage was a mermaid's best weapon. It allowed them to go near the surface and remain unseen by humans.

For some reason, Ruoxi couldn't camouflage herself. She'd been prodded and poked by the healers, but they couldn't figure out why. The theory was that she had some sort of inhibitor blocking her cells. Unfortunately, there was no cure or temporary solution. Ruoxi was chained to the deep.

In ancient times, a mermaid would be executed if they had a defective tail. In some places, that tradition still existed, so her tail was of the utmost secret. Only her family and a few trusted guards knew the truth. When she was old enough to be trusted with good behavior, her father decreed she could surface only in the dead of night when there was a new moon.

Sometimes she wondered if the twenty-four-hour guards were for her protection or for the royal family. What if she disobeyed her father and ventured too close to the surface during the day? Her neck prickled in apprehension. What were those guards ordered to do?

She killed the thought as quickly as it came. She couldn't afford to venture down that current. Ruoxi hurriedly made an excuse and left her sister as quickly as possible.

<Bo> she called out. Only her best friend could ease her anxiety. <I have sea urchins. Meet me by the basin near the palace.>

She waited a few moments, but no answer.

<Bo> she called again but heard nothing. It wasn't odd for Bo to disappear for stretches at a time, he was a dolphin, after all, and loved exploring new places, but he rarely went this long without checking in with her.

<Yuze, have you seen Bo?>

<No, Your Highness. Where are you? Sile said you were at the temple, but—>

She cut him off before he could go on. Ditching the new guard was easy enough, but Yuze? He'd been with her since birth and the longer she stayed mentally connected, the higher the chances he could find her. She had no intention of getting lectured today.

Ruoxi kicked her tail and glided out of the palace as quickly as possible. By the moons, where the hell was her best friend when she needed him?