Book Seven: Chapter 128

Using her magic, she formed a massive fist out of water and punched Ano right in his mermaid’s purse.

“Gah.” The merman groaned as blue veins formed all along his forehead and temples. Beth felt his grasp of the magic release, and she scrambled to her feet and sprinted up the sand toward the chairs. A male member of the serving staff had stopped at the top of the hill, staring down at Beth in alarm. His eyes rapidly danced back and forth between Beth and the injured merman, then looked further out. Beth turned back to see dark shapes surface out in the bay, their piscine features twisted in anger.

“It’s a bit too rough out there,” she said, stopping by her chair to pick up her towel. She wrapped it around her waist, wincing inwardly at the scrapes all up and down her legs as they vanished into darkness. “Definitely a red flag day.”

Beth turned back one last time, her eyes searching the horizon. She didn’t know where Captain Francois was hiding his ship, but the man