ship, and returned early the next morning ready to work. He kept a lot of secrets, but it worked because I did, too. Neither of us ever pressed each other for answers; having a partner was too beneficial, and I imagine we didn’t want to ruin it. Stealing by myself worked, but there’s so much more to be done with two people. One of us could be the distraction, the other a thief. We started stealing not just small jewels, but also weapons. Expensive clothing. Everything.
“As Bastian got older though,” she continues, “we realized that smile of his could win him more than petty distraction; it could win him hearts. He started wooing girls from affluent families, and I think both of us started to realize that he no longer needed someone to help him alter his face. He knew how to use his own too well. He took whatever he could from Ikae, and left when there was nothing else for him. He stopped needing me, which sounds bad, but I wasn’t too upset.” She shrugs. “We never had what I’d call a true friendship; I don’t think Bastian knew how to have one of those. But working with him made me realize how much I enjoyed working with others, and that there could be success in numbers. So when he left, I found others who were living on the streets like we’d been, and I started the barracudas.”
“What about the money you said he owed you?” I press. “Back when we first met?”
“He used to stop by the lounge occasionally. One of those days, he stole my damned earring.” I’m surprised when she says it with a laugh. “Those pink diamond ones, from the night we first met. I never ended up selling them; I loved them too much. I still have one, but Bastian managed to steal the other that night.”
I recall seeing an earring like that last summer, back when I’d been working on creating Rukan at his desk. At the time I thought little of it, suspecting it was nothing more than a lost memento from a past relationship, or perhaps expensive jewels he was preparing to sell whenever he next had a chance.
Bastian wouldn’t have been against making friends. I know more than anyone how much he wanted to settle, but also how he didn’t believe he could. If he spent that long with Shanty, it wasn’t because he needed her or felt forced. It was because he wanted to make it work.
He cared for Shanty, which is likely not only why he took that earring, but also why he still has it. As a reminder, in case he never had the chance to see her again.
As much of that pirate charade as he puts on, Bastian’s a good man.
“Amora?” Vataea says again, her honey-rich voice warming my skin. “You all right?”
I start to wave her off, but as I go to lift my hand, something stops me. I trust Vataea to give me the truth more than I trust anyone. Mermaids, from what I’ve been able to tell, rarely lie. They’ve little sense to conceal the truth simply to spare someone’s feelings.
“Do you think that, without the curse, I’d be with Bastian right now?” The only way for me to get the words out is to force them quickly, not lingering to think about what I’m saying. “Do you think I love him?”
She stares me dead in the eyes, and without so much as blinking, says, “I think you already know the answer.” She continues past me without looking back, not realizing that I’ve lost my breath.
How can she be so sure?
“There’s no time for personal revelations.” Shanty knocks her hip against mine to get my attention and nods her head forward. “See that up there? On that merchant’s sleeve? She’s our mark.”
It takes me longer than I care to admit before I see what she’s referring to—a golden zolo leaf on the sleeve of the merchant’s long onyx robe.
“That’s the symbol we’re looking for?” Vataea asks, voicing my same skepticism. “Those leaves are on everything, here.”
“That’s the beauty of it.” Shanty’s voice is practically admiring. “Zolo leaves are known for having two veins down their center. You’ll notice that this symbol, however, only has one. The smartest way to hide something is by concealing it in plain sight.”
I blink, realizing she’s right. But without her there, I never would have noticed it.
The woman bearing the symbol smiles the same polite smile as