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robbed her of, Ursula wouldn’t be in full possession of her powers.
    It played in her favor, however, to let her brother think she was still powerless and alone in the darkness with only her harmless spells—not that they were ever really harmless, mind you, just not as grand as they might have been.
    Until now.
    She smiled when she looked upon the withered little souls in her garden, the poor unfortunate creatures she’d taken into her charge. It wasn’t her fault they flitted their lives away. No one had
made
them place their souls in her hands; they were the ones unable to fulfill the terms of the contract, not her!
    Now that she had her true powers, she needed not meddle in the lives of Triton’s silly subjects. She needed not lure them into the unprotected realms seeking her magic, hoping she would fulfill their wishes in exchange for their souls. She had real power now, her own. And she had great allies in the sisters. If she was going to take a soul, it would be for her pleasure and amusement. Yes, she only had to play the part of the maker of deals one last time. After that, she needed not ever put herself on display like a carnival barker, singing her wares, enchanting her would-be victims with songs about her desire to help those in need. It was sickening, really, the depths to which she’d had to sink to gather the pitiful little souls in her garden. Those days were finally behind her. She had only one more performance. One last soul she needed for bartering purposes.
    Ariel’s.
    She wondered what the girl was like. It was difficult to tell from the glimpses she caught in her bubble orb. She was no doubt headstrong like her father. That could mean she would drive a hard bargain. The girl was beautiful, too. Ursula couldn’t imagine Triton having a daughter who wasn’t. He certainly couldn’t stand to have a sister who didn’t fit his image of beauty. Then Ursula thought of
her
: Athena, Ariel’s departed mother. She had been very beautiful, even for a mermaid. Ursula wondered if Ariel shared her mother’s heart as well as her beauty.
    Remembering Athena made Ursula’s heart hurt.
Ariel isn’t Triton’s daughter alone
, she thought.
She shares her mother’s blood, as well.
Would Ursula be able to destroy Athena’s daughter? Athena had fought endlessly with Triton, defending Ursula, trying to persuade him to let his sister rule by his side, reminding him of their parents’ wishes. The memories felt hidden, as if they were veiled by murky water or a thick fog, hard to reach, hard to connect to, because Ursula was no longer the creature who cared what her brother thought of her. Athena had never made her feel loathsome. Never made her feel ashamed of who she was. Never wanted her to hide. If it hadn’t been for Athena, Ursula would have gone off into the Unprotected Waters long before she was banished. It was Athena who had railed against Triton the night of ball, denouncing his treatment of his sister when she had decided to show up to the royal function in her true form. It was Athena who had called her beautiful. And Ursula believed her words were heartfelt and true.
    But she couldn’t think of Athena. She couldn’t be distracted by the past. She needed Ariel’s soul.
If she is anything like her remarkable mother,
Ursula thought,
this girl should be willing to fight for what she believes in, even against her father.
But there was only one question worth asking:
Is Ariel the sort of girl willing to wager her soul for the possibility of true love?
    “Well, well, we shall see!”

A fter only a few days—far sooner than expected—Ursula heard stirring at the entry to her lair, shaped from the gaping maw of a sea creature’s skeleton. She turned to see Ariel following close behind Flotsam and Jetsam, just beyond the sharp teeth of the entranceway.
    She chuckled at the wide-eyed beauty trembling in the darkness with her red hair floating in Ophelian fashion.
Too fitting
, Ursula thought as she