…Wherein, eleven-year-old William Munro meets the honorable Lady Amelia Pemberton of Sunderland. Promptly captivated by her grace, curiosity, and quiet way of moving through The Duke’s library, William experiences something dangerously close to love at first sight. His father, unfortunately, notices immediately.

…Wherein, Calliope, lieutenant of the Lumaria, delivers new orders from their King to capsize a vessel that has breached their barrier. As the sea bends to the will of the mermaids, Calliope directs each of her soldiers with precision—and barely restrained impatience.

…Wherein, Lord Edmund becomes aware of the arrangements William made within a single, brief, conversation with the Governor—all without consulting him. Reeling from his friend’s impulsivity and the breathtaking speed at which everything has escalated since arriving in Berbice, Edmund responds with entirely justified volume and drama.

…Wherein, William Munro discovers that the mermaid he feared was only a vision is very real—and currently trapped in a net he himself cast. Confronted with impossible proof and seized by the certainty that he cannot allow anyone else to see her, William paces the deck in mounting panic, weighing every option and rejecting them all. Ultimately, he does the only reasonable thing and throws himself overboard.

…Wherein, William Munro finally speaks with a mermaid while fully conscious, awake, and devastatingly sane. He realizes that the visions he's carried since childhood were never madness at all. With one conversation, his world expands beyond anything he thought possible, and something long-buried in him springs unmistakably to life.

…Wherein, Lord Edmund volunteers to procure provisions for his crew and promptly discovers that he has no idea how markets work. Confronted with bartering, bare hands, and live poultry, he judges liberally while realizing—too late—that noble education has left him woefully unprepared for common commerce.