The Perilous Crossing Read online

  The most dangerous part of a mermaid is not her deceptive beauty but her song. When you are out on the open sea, there are many musical creatures who prey upon you. There are the musical twitters of the birds that would carry you off to another land (or so say the men on my ship—I have never seen this happen), and there are the musical groans of large creatures beneath the sea that would lure you into the depths, and then there are the musical songs of the mermaids bobbing on the surface waters.

  Perhaps you have heard of the man who once tied himself to the bow of his ship when he knew he was passing a sea full of mermaids. This is because the song of a mermaid is quite intoxicating, and what their song says is, Come to me. And a man will do nearly everything he can to obey.

  I must say that it is best not to venture near any waters where mermaids are known to be, but if you happen to find yourself in a problematic situation, here are some ways to protect yourself from the lure of mermaids.

  1. Tie yourself to the ship.

  This, of course, is not original in the slightest. But it is effective. You must, however, ensure that your knots are tied securely. There was once a man, not on my ship but on another we passed, who tied all the men of his crew to the ship and tied himself last. He had only one hand to tie the knots, and this was not an effective way to tie secure knots. Alas, he was lost among the waves of the sea. The only thing left of him was a brown boot that is said to mark the spot where he drowned, to this very day.

  2. Stuff a stocking in your ear.

  If it does not fit, keep shoving. Keep shoving until you can hear nothing else but the hum in your own head. Do not worry about extracting the sock once the danger of mermaids has passed. This will be a small worry in light of the fact that you are still alive.

  3. Sing as loud as you can.

  It does not matter if you have what is known as a bard’s voice. When you pass the song of mermaids, you must sing as loud as you can to drown out their voices. There is a man on our crew who does not know how to carry a tune in the slightest. His singing is so terrible—a bellowing kind of sound like a thousand men croaking at the same time—that the mermaids flee when he opens his mouth. He is our most valuable crew member when the song of mermaids begins in the distance.

  Sometimes you can beat the mermaids at their own game.

  If you happen to fall for the charms of mermaids and find yourself flailing in the waters of the Violet Sea, well, there is no amount of kicking or screaming or otherwise struggling that will save you. This is because mermaids do not work alone. They work in hordes. If you break free from the three charming you above the surface, you can be assured that there are plenty more waiting beneath the depths.

  As of yet, I have not tried out any survival techniques beneath the surface, as every man who has ever fallen for a mermaid has perished without a trace.

  The Royal Family of Fairendale

  KING WILLIS: The current king of Fairendale. Has a deep love for sweet rolls, and it shows in his, well, wideness.

  Queen Clarion: The current queen of Fairendale. Is underestimated by her husband, but we shall see just how powerful she is soon enough.

  Prince Virgil: Son of King Willis and Queen Clarion, best friend of Theo. Prefers rye bread with melted butter to sweet rolls, depending on the day.

  King Sebastien: Deceased king of Fairendale, exception to the line of boys who tried to steal thrones and were, upon failing at their quest, forever banished to sail the Violet Sea. Was killed by a blackbird.

  The Villagers of Fairendale

  Arthur: Village furniture maker and magic instructor to girls who possess the gift of magic. Is a bit reckless but always manages to come out on the other side—though one is not always assured it will be so.

  Maude: Arthur’s wife. Bakes spectacular pumpkin sugar cookies. Prefers caution to reckless abandon.

  Hazel: Daughter of Arthur and Maude, twin of Theo. Cares for the village sheep and can even, amazingly, understand them.

  Theo: Son of Arthur and Maude, twin of Hazel. Finishes his chores early so he can sit in on magic lessons.

  Mercy: Daughter of Cora, best friend of Hazel. Prefers spectacular acts of magic to “boring” ones.

  Cora: Mother of Mercy, widow, shape shifter. A woman who moves.

  Garron: The town gardener. Talks to plants as though they can hear him. Has three sons: 12-year-old twins and a 13-year-old.

  Bertie: The town baker. Enjoys showing off his air-kneading skills for the children.

  Staff of Fairendale Castle

  Garth: Page for King Willis, the oldest of twelve children. Sometimes calls King Willis “Your Wideness.”

  Cook: One of the few shape shifters in the land. Shape shifts into a bear. Is highly annoyed by her assistant, Calvin.

  Calvin: An orphan who began working as Cook’s assistant instead of traveling to live with distant relatives in Ashvale—and so did not perish in the Fire Mountain that claimed the entire population of Ashvale many years ago. Tasked with feeding the prisoners in the dungeons beneath the dungeons.

  Sir Greyson: Captain of the king’s guard. Receives medicine, which keeps his mother alive, in exchange for his service to the king. Carries a magical sword that cannot be lifted by any but him.

  Sir Merrick: Second in command to Sir Greyson.

  Important Prophets

  ALEEN: A prophetess who is one hundred forty-two years old, from the kingdom of White Wind. Wears ebony skin and what appears to be a collection of snakes for hair (though it is not).

  Yerin: A prophet who is one hundred forty-two years old, from the wild woodland between Lincastle and Eastermoor. Has white hair that makes the dark of the dungeons where he is imprisoned a bit less dark.

  Dragons of Morad

  Zorag: King of the dragons of Morad. Lost his parents in the Great Battle, when King Sebastien stole the throne from the Good King Brendon. Would like nothing more than peace.

  Blindell: Zorag’s cousin, raised as the dragon king’s son. Lost his parents in the Great Battle, when King Sebastien stole the throne from the Good King Brendon. Would like nothing more than revenge.

  Larus: One of the elder dragons of Morad, male. Counselor to Zorag.

  Malera: One of the elder dragons of Morad, female. Counselor to Zorag.

  The lost 12-year-old children of Fairendale

  Ursula

  Chester

  Charles

  Thumbelina (known as Lina among the children)

  Minnie

  Jasper

  Frederick

  Ruby

  Martin

  Oscar

  Homer

  Anna

  Aurora

  Rose

  Edgar

  Harriet (known as Hattie among the children)

  Isabel (known as Izzy among the children)

  Ralph

  Dorothy

  Julian

  Tom Thumb

  Philip

  About the Author

  WHILE L.R. HAS NEVER been trapped beneath the earth and is quite content to live above the ground, she understands what it means to be tired. Children, you see, require quite a lot of energy from their parents, and L.R. has her share of children. And one of them always has a plan, which keeps L.R. forever on her toes, which is to say completely unprepared for the myriad of creative ideas her boys bring to her world. Astonishing, she says. And, also, wonderfully inspiring.

  L.R. is the queen of her castle in San Antonio, TX. She lives with her king and her six princes, who are working to create an underground portal in her own backyard by digging a gigantic hole with table spoons.

  www.lrpatton.com

  A Note From L.R.

  I HOPE YOU’VE ENJOYED reading this book from the annals of Fairendale’s history. The world of Fairendale has been a lovely world to create, and I’ve had fun sketching maps, re-reading fairy tales and thinking, endlessly, about characters and their plights—because a series like this one takes lots and lots of time and hard work. But
because it’s always been my dream to create a fantasy world and share it with my readers, I knew it was something I had to do. (So, you see, dreams really do come true.)

  If you have any questions about Fairendale or simply want to send me a note to tell me who your favorite character is or what kinds of extras you’d like to see me release in the future (a Creatures of the Violet Sea is coming soon!), email me at [email protected]. I always enjoy hearing from my young readers.

  Please consider leaving (or ask your parent to leave) a review of this book wherever you bought it. Reviews help get books into the hands of potential new readers, which is incredibly important for authors like me. And don’t forget to pick up your free bonus materials when you stop by my web site! (www.lrpatton.com)

  Thank you so much for supporting my work.

  In love,

  L.R.