"She has pretty scales," the voice growled, dripping with disdain. "But she has the reflexes of a sea-slug."
From the shadows, a massive shape uncoiled. Tentacles, thick, black, and covered in jewelry, slithered into the light.
Queen Nerissa descended.
The vibration of the black-iron trident hummed in Roxy's teeth. It was embedded in the floor so deep that only the haft was visible, vibrating like a tuning fork less than an inch from her nose.
Before Roxy could even process the fact that she had almost been kebabbed, a wall of scales blocked her view.
"Mother!" Caspian roared, his voice cracking with a mix of fury and disbelief. He threw his arms out, shielding Roxy with his own body.
"How could you do that?!" Nimue shrieked, darting to Roxy's other side, her trident raised defensively.
Roxy, sandwiched between the furious siblings, did the only rational thing a terrified person in her position could do: she peeked.
