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we’ve got ourselves a problem on the mer front.”
    â€œYou mean all the vandalism happening on Talisman Lake?” I remembered what Gran and Luke had said about the sunken Jet Skis and damaged boats. “I thought we’d figured out Whatcha-ma-call-him was behind that.”
    I tried to be vague so Serena wouldn’t catch on to the fact that her dad was to blame for the shenanigans around the lake. Serena may have been the daughter of one of the vilest mers on the planet, but he was still her dad.
    â€œNo,” Bridget said. “This isn’t about Talisman Lake, though we’re sure hoping that problem is under control.”
    Serena looked from me to Bridget, trying to keep up with the conversation. Mom put a hand on Serena’s shoulder and whispered something in her ear.
    â€œThis new situation is more ocean-side,” Bridget continued while Mom translated everything for Serena in mer rings. “The truth is, the Mermish Council has decided to recall all land-dwelling mers.”
    A murmur rose from the group as everyone looked at each other, wondering what this meant.
    â€œRecall?” I asked.
    â€œThey’re ordering all the Webbed Ones back to the ocean,” Bridget said quietly.
    Webbed Ones were humans who started off as mers, like Mom, Bridget, Laurena, Serena, and Luke. I started off as a human with mermaid tendencies so my situation was not quite the same as everyone else’s, but still—this was not good news.
    Most mer people thought Webbed Ones were just part of the fairy tales they were told when they were kids. The Mermish Council worked very hard to keep it that way to prevent ocean mers from defecting to land all willy-nilly.
    â€œBut…” A large knot formed at the back of my throat as I tried to make sense of what was happening. “Why would the Mermish Council do that?”
    â€œThere’s been some fighting between the Mermish Council and a group of mers who aren’t happy with the Council’s policies,” Eddie said.
    Mom continued to ring the mer translation to Serena. Her eyes grew wide.
    It’s like what Uncle Alzear told us before they locked us in the lake , Serena rang excitedly to me. Alzear talked about an uprising, remember? He said some mers would stop at nothing to see the Freshies free again.
    All the mers in the room looked over to Serena, while the non-mers searched our faces to try to understand what Serena had just said.
    â€œSerena’s right,” Luke chimed in. “Uncle Alzear told us a group of mers were starting some kind of secret revolution.”
    Uncle Alzear was Luke and our mer-friend Reese’s uncle and a sentry guard for the Mermish Council.
    â€œWell, the same underground—or underwater —revolution is gaining momentum,” Bridget said. “But the Mermish Council members are imprisoning everyone who opposes them in Talisman Lake with the rest of the Freshies.”
    â€œThat’s nothing new,” I said, remembering the underwater tribunal when the Mermish Council had captured Luke. “Dame Council practically admitted that Serena’s parents were framed for a murder they didn’t commit because they had spoken out against the Council. Apparently, a lot of the Freshies in Talisman Lake are there for the same reason.”
    Serena gave me a grateful smile.
    Eddie chimed in. “About seven mers are being held at the canal by the sentries right now. They’re waiting for me to open the gate’s lock when the next boat comes through. That’s more prisoners than I’ve seen in the past three years.”
    â€œSo where does this recall thing come in?” I asked. “If the Mermish Council is kicking its enemies out of the ocean, doesn’t that kind of solve the Council’s problem?”
    â€œSeven mers is just the tip of the iceberg,” Bridget said quietly. “Many more mers are secretly unhappy, and the Council