Waterfire Saga, Book Four: Sea Spell: Deep Blue Novel, A by Jennifer Donnelly

might get more troops out of him. Perhaps we should neutralize the Black Fins
before
we attack Qin.”
    Mahdi’s stomach lurched at that, but he kept his expression neutral and chose his words carefully, knowing that what he said next could save or doom Serafina. “I think that would be a mistake.”
    Vallerio raised an eyebrow. “Do you? Why?”
    “Serafina only has Guldemar’s ear as long as she has gold,” Mahdi explained. “Thanks to your spy, we know how much treasure the Black Fins stole from us, and how much of it Sera paid to Guldemar. Because of our ambushes, she’s also had to pay for additional shipments of food and weapons. She’s running out of funds, her troops are few, and she has no idea that many of our soldiers are in Qin and the Southern Sea. She wouldn’t
dare
attack us now. We should take Qin, and
then
annihilate the Black Fins.”
    Vallerio digested Mahdi’s words, then nodded approvingly. “I like your thinking,” he said. “I’ll have death riders continue to harass the Black Fins, but no large-scale attack. Not yet.”
    Mahdi forced a smile. Relief washed over him. He’d bought the Black Fins more time. He’d kept them safe. That was why he was here in Cerulea, why he’d gotten close to Lucia and her parents, why he risked his life every minute of every day conducting this dangerous charade.
    But his relief was short-lived.
    “In fact, I like the way you think so much, I’m sending you to Guldemar,” Vallerio said.
    “For what purpose?” Mahdi asked. His fins were prickling, but once again, he hid his true feelings.
    “To get him to break with the Black Fins. Bribe him, Mahdi. Threaten him. Do whatever you have to do, but make him see that it’s in his best interest to ally himself with
us
, not Serafina,” said Vallerio. “I want you to go tomorrow.”
    “That’s a wonderful idea!” Portia trilled.
    “I’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Mahdi said. His smile was still in place, but inside he was cursing Vallerio. The last thing he wanted to do was talk Guldemar out of helping Sera.
    “Excellent. Now,” Vallerio said, focusing on his map again, “after we take Qin, I think we should—”
    His words were cut off as the door to the stateroom opened and Lucia entered, in a swirl of lavender sea silk.
    “Darling!” Portia said warmly.
    Lucia smiled brightly. Too brightly. It made Mahdi uneasy.
    Over the past few weeks, she’d been slipping out of the palace at night. Mahdi didn’t know where she went. He’d tried to have her followed, but she always lost the tails. Bianca had always accompanied her, but one night only Lucia had returned. When asked the next day about her friend’s disappearance, she’d professed to know nothing.
    Mahdi had noticed a change in Lucia ever since she’d started making these trips. She’d become more hot-tempered, but oddly, her eyes had grown colder.
The eyes are the windows to the soul,
the goggs said, and Lucia’s were full of shadows.
    Lucia kissed her mother and father, then swam to Mahdi and took his hands. “I’m
so
glad you’re here with my parents. I have the most
wonderful
news!” she said. “I’m moving the date of our wedding up! We’ll marry in two moons’ time. During the next syzygy.”
    Mahdi’s heart nearly stopped. He couldn’t speak. Luckily he didn’t have to. Lucia kept talking.
    “We spoke about this once before, Mahdi, remember?” she said. “You were worried about the instability in the realms, and my safety. But my father is putting that behind us, so I see no reason to wait any longer. I want us to be married.”
    “This is rather sudden,” Vallerio said.
    Portia echoed her husband’s concern. “Lucia, we’ve already announced the date. It’s official. We have a guest list. Leaders from other realms are invited. I really don’t think—”
    Lucia spun around. Her smile was gone. Her eyes were hard. “I don’t
care
what you think, Mother.
I’m
the regina here, not you, and this