Ursula hurried to the secret cave where she knew Triton was already waiting. Siddikah's words trailed her all the way there. The dismissal of her love as mere infatuation, and the suggestion that she leave Triton for a year, sent Ursula crashing into her paramour with ferocious intensity.

It was she that didn't allow much time for talking on this night. When their time was almost up, Ursula quickly told Triton about Cosmos and her thoughts on Sebastian and said she'd come to the palace in the next day or so to personally invite the envoy to tour the temple. The lovers agreed to meet again in two weeks, and Ursula fairly shoved Triton out of the cave.

The change commenced at once. Ursula decided to embrace the pain as much as she could. Perversely, she preferred the physical trial to the contemplation of Siddikah's proposal just now.

As the hours crawled by, Ursula contracted into a shuddering heap on the floor of the cave. She lay in the fetal position close to a rocky wall that was deep into the cave, well out of sight from the entrance. Now and then she'd reach out and touch its rough surface just to reassure herself she was capable of registering something other than pain.

She was too absorbed by her meditation to notice that someone had slipped into the cave. He floated above her noiselessly, taking in the curious sight of a mermaid splicing into a tentacled being, flesh ever darkening to purple.

When it was finally over and Ursula was herself again, she wept with relief. She caressed the rocky wall that had seen her through the longest night of her life, and felt thankful for the shafts of daylight that had found their way into her dark chamber.

"There, there, you don't look that bad," a mocking voice said from somewhere above her. "It's not worth crying over."

"What?" Ursula gasped as she rolled onto her back. She could make out nothing in the shadows above her.

Alphon descended into view and suspended himself above her, perfectly parallel. "I know mermaids are more attractive, and it must vex you to lose that, but you're not bad for a cecaelia, Ursula. Not bad at all. In fact, that's what's going to save you."

Her body froze and stiffened as if plunged into Arctic waters. "What?" she repeated weakly.

"You're lucky I'm someone that enjoys variety," he replied.

Ursula's tears started anew. In her state, there was nothing she could do to defend herself and Alphon seemed to know it.

"Stop that," he commanded. "It's annoying."

Ursula tried to push herself away from him, into a sitting position, but kept collapsing onto the floor. The nine hour ordeal hadn't left her weak--closer to paralyzed.

"Let me help," Alphon said. He seized her arms and yanked her upright, slamming her back against the jagged cave wall. Ursula howled at the impact.

"There we are! And you're sounding livelier already!" he said cheerfully. "I thought we might have a little chat. First, you'll be relieved to hear that I've changed my mind about cutting out your tongue. I realized I'll get more utility from it if it remains attached to you." He pressed her harder into the wall, until fresh tears sprang from her eyes. They looked like little orbs of iridescent oil, and they lingered between Alphon's maniacal face and Ursula's tortured one. She hung her head in shame.

"I figured out that all you need is to be tamed," he continued. "So let's keep your tongue, and I'll take something extraneous instead. And you'll learn your lesson."

"No part of me is extraneous," Ursula choked out.

"I disagree." Alphon released one of her arms and squeezed the trunk of a tentacle, still tender from the recent change. Ursula winced. "How many of these do you need, really?" the prince snorted.

"All of them!"

He smiled and shook his head. "You know, starfish can regrow lost limbs. Can you?" As he spoke, he roughly groped every tentacle he could reach, one at a time. "And if you can't, how stupid of you to go around helping starfish when you can't even help yourself. Who's the idiot now?" He cracked her head against the wall.

Some part of Ursula's brain said she should exert herself, come up with a plan, say something. But that voice seemed very far away. Everything was growing dimmer, and she could only understand snippets of the diatribe Alphon was hissing into her face.

"...have spies and informants everywhere, you fool..."

"...seems everyone is on your side, except that I can tell my mother does not like you..."

"...delusional brothers but you'll end up serving me..."

"...greedy with the dark magic—you will share what you know..."

"...certainly more than one use for you..."

"Answer me!"

She raised her eyes to meet his. "I—how—what was the question?" she mumbled confusedly.

"You don't want to talk? Fine. Let's hear you scream."

"No, just repeat—"

Ursula felt the hot, sickening sensation of a tentacle being sliced open at its base, just beneath her right hip. Her screams filled the cave.

"This was such a clever hiding spot," Alphon sneered. "You knew that you and Triton could be as loud as you wanted and now, so can we."

She looked down and swooned. From what she could make out through clouds of black blood, Alphon was most of the way through her limb. Her useless arms were pinned above her head, both wrists bound in one of Alphon's hands. His other hand worked on her with a knife. As faint as she was, Ursula noticed that it was an odd-looking instrument.

With a revolting jerk, Alphon finished severing her tentacle; they both watched it drift down and bounce lightly across the cave floor. "You'll never even miss it," he pronounced. Her shrieks echoed through the chamber. As they faded into quieter sobs, he pressed himself against her.

"Your screams are like music," he whispered. "The kind that quickens the pulse. It excites me...and so few things do." His lips brushed against her ear as he spoke, sending shudders through her exhausted, injured body.

She tried to smash her head into his, but the blow didn't land. Alphon leaned back to avoid it, then surveyed his victim. "Hmm, guess you need more taming. Let's make you even on both sides, shall we?"

"No, please, I beg you—"

"Scream for me," he said, sinking his knife into a tentacle below her left hip.

He will probably kill me. But I will not pleasure this monster. This message from her brain was louder. Ursula ground her teeth together and fought to remain silent. He noted her defiance and slowed the progress of his knife to extend the torture. Frustration flashed across his face. "Come on!" he shouted.

He was halfway through the limb, and Ursula was silent, save the high-pitched wheezes that she could not suppress.

Enraged, Alphon threw his knife into the floor of the cave. Only the handle stuck out from the sand. He grasped the mangled tentacle and began to tear it from her body, one small tug at a time. The knife had been merciful compared to this. Ursula screamed inwardly for a miracle.

Someone help me! Siddikah! Please! Anyone!! HELP!!

He ripped the tentacle clean off her body and brandished it above his head victoriously as she continued her silent plea for rescue. He released her wrists, and she collapsed onto the floor. He waved her limb around playfully, mockingly. Then he tossed it aside like garbage and advanced toward her once more.

That was the last thing she saw before another wide channel of her own blood obscured her vision. She heard the ensuing struggle, though. She heard the hisses and grunts and snarls. She heard thuds and scuffling and the snapping of jaws. She heard Alphon hollering incoherently.

Then, silence.

When the sand and blood settled, she found herself facing two large moray eels. There was no way to fight, no use in shouting. Ahh, she thought. Attacks and A Tax. We meet at last. The dreams made sense now: they had been a warning that an attack, resulting in death by eels, was the price—the tax—she had to pay for her time with Triton. So be it, then. She felt strangely calm as she looked into their peculiar faces; both of them had one jaundiced eye.

They kept their gaze fixed upon Ursula as they retrieved her disembodied limbs from the floor. At that moment, she turned her head; she would not watch them enjoy their appetizer. It was too much to bear. So she waited, and hoped death would be swift.

A few moments later, she felt a slippery snout on either side of her, seeking her armpits. How odd, she thought dully.

The eels raised her up and slid themselves under her arms, nestling against the sides of her torso. Ursula's eyes popped open in shock. Their heads were twisted to look up and back at her, as if awaiting instructions. Each one had a tentacle dangling from its mouth, held gingerly to avoid further damage.

"What is happening? Would you lower me?" she whispered.

They dipped down in perfect synchrony but stayed in place, propping her body.

"I want the knife."

The eels glided her to the knife. Using the last of her strength, she pulled it from the ocean floor.

"I have a weapon now," she announced.

The two eels awaited their next command, unperturbed.

They must be under an enchantment. Siddikah must have sent them!

"My bag?"

She was promptly propelled to her bag. Ursula stuck the knife inside, bunching her cloak around the blade. She tried to lift the strap to her shoulders, but faltered. Fluidly, the eel to her right slipped under the strap and wore the bag like an absurd, oversized necklace.

"Thank you. Now, can you take me to Siddikah's? Do you know where that is?"

The eels glanced at each other, then looked up at her and blinked in unison. The three of them floated out of the cave as one.