Adrianna's room was functional and lacked anything that didn't serve a purpose as she was hardly ever there and spent most of her time either away on missions or enjoying time with her family in the mysterious corners of the oceans.

Sitting on a shelf in the corner was a nautilus shell. Turning the shell over revealed a sphere of clear crystal lodged in the shell's opening with a teal colored orb of light glowing inside the crystal. The orb was currently leaning up against the left side of the crystal's interior surface. Adrianna turned the shell, and the orb shifted positions to remain facing its former direction.

Nodding in satisfaction, Adrianna knew her sister's necklace was still sending its signal and could be traced to its location. She could only hope the necklace hadn't been separated from Nileah. Taking the tracker with her, Adrianna swam out of her room and toward the distant shore where she was being led.

More than an hour passed before the orb changed color, intensifying into a bright white. Lines of crimson washed across the orb's surface within the crystal housing. Adrianna tapped the side of the shell gently, and the orb promptly stopped glowing and moved to hover in the center of the crystal.

Adrianna swam to the surface, pausing a moment before exiting the waters to look around and be certain none of the humans were near enough to see her. Believing herself to be alone, she allowed her head and shoulders to emerge from the water in the air of late evening. The sun was setting in the distance, turning the sky dazzling shades of orange and crimson.

Taking out her stealth potion from her pack, she drank the entire bottle in three gulps. It had a metallic taste and a lingering bitterness. Adrianna bent down and took a long drink of ocean water to wash it down. Looking at her reflection in the golden cuff around her forearm, she watched her red hair darken until it resembled the deepest waters of the sea. The iridescent blue of her tail also changed, transforming into a likeness of the surface of the ocean on a moonless night. Even her skin dropped several shades, making her appear to have an extremely dark tan.

As the sun began to vanish, Adrianna knew she'd be near impossible to spot in the ocean unless the humans had underwater lighting. Looking in the direction she'd last received from the tracer, she saw a building on the edge of a peninsula. She sank down in the water, but kept her eyes above in order to observe the structure as she slowly approached. Her tail flicked vertically only once every few minutes, drawing her closer with barely any effort expended. All the while, her eyes took in everything, and her ears strained for any sounds other than the sea.

The building on the coast measured two stories tall on the front half closest to the ocean, but a tower joined to it in the back was five stories in height. Twin doors were open in the top of the tower's dome, and a large barrel protruded out of the opening, aiming at the sky. Had Adrianna not spent time studying the humans, she might've mistaken the telescope observatory for a weapon emplacement.

The rest of the building had many windows, balconies, and exterior stairways. It didn't seem to be fortified or in any way secure, but she didn't accept the mere appearance of a vulnerable target. Her sister's necklace had led Adrianna here, so her sister was probably held inside. If they'd captured a mermaid, they knew what they were doing, and the obvious lack of security was too obvious for her liking. She felt certain it was a trap.

Floating around to the side of the peninsula, Adrianna found two men on one of the balconies having a conversation. She paused under the balcony where they couldn't see her, letting her listen in on their discussion without the possibility of discovery.

"Did anyone figure out why that necklace started glowing?" one man asked.

"No one knows," answered another. His voice was deeper and rough as if he'd had a sore throat for a week. "As a precaution, the necklace was removed and smashed. We don't know what these creatures might have, and we don't want any uninvited guests."

"What about the creature itself?" prompted the first man. "What will become of it?"

"It's being transferred to a land based facility far from any oceans or rivers," replied the second voice. "Once there, it will be studied and interrogated. When we've learned everything we can from it, they'll probably have it dissected for detailed analysis. What's the matter? Feeling sorry for the fish?"

"Not in the least," denied the first. "It's only half a person. Such a creature is an affront to nature itself. It's Wheeler. He's been expressing concern for its welfare and objections to our more invasive tests."

"He's the one who brought the thing here," pointed out the second man.

"True, but he seems more fascinated than repulsed by it," the first man responded.

"We'll have him transferred tomorrow, somewhere where he won't be able to hinder progress on our work," instructed the second.

The rest of the conversation became muffled as the two men departed the balcony. Adrianna was filled with rage, but her training helped her quell the distracting emotions before they influenced her actions negatively. She had a mission to accomplish and couldn't allow herself to be distracted by thoughts of retribution; that would come later.

Leaving her shallow observation point, Adrianna swam down and around the peninsula, looking for a way inside other than the doors used by the humans. She found an old pipe leading out of the facility. Covered over by coral and seaweed, it looked unused in years. She wondered if the humans even knew it was there. Touching the golden cuff on her forearm, she activated the power of the crown. The coral moved, gliding away from the pipe and clearing the way for her entry. With her path unobstructed, she went in.