Morana's POV
I woke up screaming.
The pain from the transformation hadn't stopped. Every nerve in my body felt like it was on fire. My new legs—these strange, heavy, wrong things—wouldn't stop shaking.
"Breathe," Lyria said, pressing a cool cloth to my forehead. "Just breathe through it."
"It hurts," I gasped. "Lyria, it still hurts so much—"
"I know. But you have to get up. You have to learn to walk before dawn, and dawn is in two hours."
Two hours. I had two hours to figure out how to use legs or I'd miss the merchant ship that was supposed to take me to Stormhaven Port.
"I can't do this," I whispered. "I can't—"
"Yes, you can." Lyria pulled me upright. "You're Princess Morana Deepcrest. You survived exile. You survived your father's curse. You can survive this."
She was right. I'd survived worse. I'd survive this too.
I just had to stand first.
Lyria helped me get my feet—my gods, I had feet—underneath me. The moment I tried to put weight on my new legs, they buckled.
I crashed to the cave floor.
"Again," Lyria said firmly, hauling me back up. "You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. Try again."
I wanted to hate her for being so harsh. But she was right. Pity wouldn't save those children in the drawings. Only action would.
I tried again. And fell again.
And again.
And again.
By the fifteenth attempt, I managed to stand for three whole seconds before my legs gave out.
"Progress," Lyria said with a small smile. "Now let's try walking."
Walking was even harder than standing. Humans made it look so easy, but every step felt like I might tip over. My balance was all wrong without my tail. These legs were too long, too thin, too wrong.
But I kept trying. Because somewhere out there, Captain Theron Ashcroft had a compass that could save thousands of lives. And I was the only one who could get it from him.
Even if I had to literally learn to walk first.
"Better," Lyria said as I managed five wobbling steps without falling. "Now faster. You need to be able to move quickly in case someone chases you."
"Can we start with just not falling down?"
"No time for baby steps. The ship leaves at dawn whether you're ready or not."
By the time the sky started to lighten, I could walk almost normally. Almost. I still stumbled sometimes, and my legs ached from the effort, but I could move.
Lyria pulled out a bundle I hadn't noticed before. "Time to become human."
She unwrapped it to reveal the strangest garments I'd ever seen. Human clothes.
"What is all this?" I picked up a piece of fabric that looked like it was supposed to cover my legs.
"Those are called pants. Humans wear them on their lower half. And this—" she held up another piece "—is a shirt. It goes on top."
"They cover everything? How do they swim?"
"They don't. That's the point." Lyria helped me struggle into the clothes. Everything felt tight and restrictive and horrible. "You'll get used to it. Probably."
She also gave me shoes—leather contraptions that squeezed my feet—and a bag containing papers.
"These are your identification documents," Lyria explained. "Your name is Marina Crest. You're a marine biologist from the Eastern Ports. You're twenty-five years old. You've come to Stormhaven to study naval navigation techniques. Got it?"
"Marina Crest. Marine biologist. Eastern Ports." I repeated it like a prayer. "What if someone asks me about biology? I don't know anything about human science!"
"Then say you specialize in a very narrow field and change the subject. Humans love talking about themselves. Let them." Lyria grabbed my shoulders. "Listen to me. You're smart. You're brave. You can do this. But you have to believe you can do it."
I nodded, trying to feel as confident as she sounded.
"One more thing." Lyria pulled out a small vial of blue liquid. "This is a communication potion. Take one drop under your tongue every morning. It'll let us talk telepathically for one hour each day. If you're in danger, call for me. I'll find a way to help."
I took the vial carefully. "You're not coming with me?"
"Not on the first ship. Too suspicious if we arrive together. I'll come three days behind you on a different vessel. But Morana?" Her eyes were serious. "If something goes wrong—if Ashcroft discovers what you are or if Sereia's guards find you—you run. You don't try to be a hero. You just run and call for me. Promise?"
"I promise."
She pulled me into a fierce hug. "Don't trust him. I know he has nice eyes or whatever, but he's still a mer-hunter. He's killed our people. Remember that."
"I will."
But even as I said it, I wondered if I was lying. Because I couldn't stop thinking about the way Theron had looked at me in the palace. Like I was a person, not a monster. Like he'd wanted to understand me, not hurt me.
Lyria released me and stepped back. "The merchant ship is waiting at the northern dock. The captain's name is Barlow. Tell him you're the marine biologist Marcus arranged passage for. He'll take you to Stormhaven."
I picked up my bag with trembling hands. "What if I fail?"
"Then thousands die and we're all doomed." Lyria smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "So don't fail."
Encouraging. Real encouraging.
I made my way to the surface—swimming up felt wrong with legs instead of a tail, but I managed. When I broke through the water, breathing air for the first time in three years, my lungs burned.
Everything about being human hurt.
The dock was a rough wooden platform jutting into the water. A merchant ship bobbed nearby, its sails furled. A grizzled man stood on deck, checking ropes.
"Captain Barlow?" I called out, my voice sounding strange in the open air.
He looked up. "You the biologist?"
"Yes. Marina Crest. Thank you for giving me passage."
"Thank Marcus, not me. He paid well." Barlow gestured to the ship. "Come aboard. We leave in ten minutes."
I climbed onto the ship—which was harder than it looked with these ridiculous legs—and tried not to fall over as the vessel rocked beneath me.
Other passengers were already on board. Merchants, mostly, carrying goods to trade. They barely glanced at me.
Good. I needed to be invisible. Unremarkable. Just another human going about her business.
The ship set sail as dawn broke over the horizon. I stood at the railing, watching my home—the ocean, the reefs, everything I'd ever known—disappear behind me.
I was truly leaving. Entering the human world. About to face the most dangerous mer-hunter alive and somehow convince him to trust me so I could steal from him.
This was insane.
But it was too late to turn back now.
"First time on a ship?" A voice beside me made me jump.
I turned to find a young man around my age, human, with friendly eyes and a curious smile. He wore the clothes of a merchant.
"Yes," I said carefully. "First time."
"Thought so. You look nervous." He extended his hand. "I'm David. Spice trader. You?"
I remembered Lyria's instructions. Be friendly but not too friendly. Blend in.
"Marina. I study ocean life."
"Fascinating! I've always wondered about what's down there. Especially the merfolk." He leaned on the railing conspiratorially. "You ever seen one? A real mermaid?"
My heart stopped. "No. Never."
"They say they're monsters. That they lure sailors to their deaths and sink ships for fun." David shook his head. "But I don't know. My grandmother used to tell stories about merfolk being beautiful and kind. Said they were just protecting their homes from us humans who kept invading."
I couldn't breathe. "What do you think?"
"I think war makes everyone into monsters. Human or mer." He looked out at the ocean. "But maybe that's naive. Captain Ashcroft says the only good mermaid is a captured one."
The mention of Theron's name made my stomach flip. "You know Captain Ashcroft?"
"Everyone in Stormhaven knows the Siren Slayer. He's a legend. Youngest captain in naval history. Most successful mer-hunter ever. They say he's never failed a mission." David's expression turned troubled. "Though lately, people say he's been... different. Quieter. Like something's bothering him."
"Different how?"
"I don't know. Just rumors. But they say his last mission failed—some kind of palace raid that went wrong. First failure of his career." David lowered his voice. "They say he let someone escape on purpose. A mermaid princess."
My blood turned to ice. "Why would he do that?"
"No idea. But his uncle, Admiral Kade, is furious about it. There's talk of punishment. Maybe even stripping Ashcroft of his command."
Theron was in trouble. Because he'd let me go.
Why did that make my chest ache?
"Anyway—" David straightened "—I'm heading below deck for breakfast. Want to join me? The captain makes terrible porridge but it's hot."
"No, thank you. I think I'll stay up here a while longer."
"Suit yourself. See you around, Marina."
He left, and I was alone with my thoughts and the endless ocean stretching in every direction.
Theron had let me escape. And now he was facing punishment for it.
Had he done it because he was kind? Or because he had some other plan?
I didn't know. And that terrified me.
Because in three days, I'd arrive in Stormhaven Port. And somehow, I'd have to find Captain Theron Ashcroft, get close to him, earn his trust, and steal the one thing that might save my people.
All while pretending to be someone I wasn't.
All while fighting these strange feelings I had about a man who should be my enemy.
The wind picked up, cold against my new human skin. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the horizon.
Somewhere ahead was Stormhaven. And somewhere in that city was the man whose eyes haunted my dreams.
I just hoped I'd survive long enough to face him again.
Because something told me that when I did, everything would change.
For better or for worse, I couldn't tell.
But definitely forever.