Page 4 of Sea's Secret

“Yes, I have to give passage to The Grimm. Last night, Prince Stephan paid handsomely for The Grimm’s safe passage.”

“You think Veeto will go for that? I’ve heard of this Grimm, talented swordsman; perhaps, we can get some pointers,” he winked. Sands was already an expert with a blade, but it was true that The Grimm was legendary.

“He has to. I have to keep up my prince persona. He paid handsomely, and we are headed in that direction,” I said with a shrug and stretched out my fisted hands. The tension in them was then released, but I could still feel those peoples’ pains, which I had taken upon myself, pulsing through me. It always took a few hours to get rid of the large increase of new pain. Still, there was always lingering hurt, and I’d learned to live with it. There were different levels of pain, though, and I was only at a four. Three was the constant, and when I was really lucky and at a level one, there were moments when I would actually smile for no reason, or so Sands had told me the last time I was at a one level of pain. When at a one, I felt so light. I almost hated feeling that way because knowing how good it could be, made dealing with pain at level eight and higher even more difficult.

“At a three yet?” Sands asked. He could always read me well.

“Four still, give me a few more minutes,” I said, standing there with my eyes closed.

“It’s true, though, Veeto should agree because a prince would assist,” Sands said. I opened my eyes a few moments later to watch him pull out a drawer where he stowed his knife and then bent down to place it in his boot.

“Three?” he asked as he looked at me.

I nodded.

“Tell me, what are we stealing, other than whatever gold I find that can fit into my pockets?” he asked with a greedy smile.

He loved gold, like no pirate I had ever known.

“The library here is said to be spilling over with books about magical beings. The royal, Gideon, has a private collection, and I need more information on Marren Island and the mermaids that are said to live there.”

“Ah, that’s right; he is bookish! Helpful for us,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yes, I need information about that island. That could be where my sister is, or somewhere beyond,” I said as I sat down on the bed. I needed to change out of my black attire, and back into my princely clothes before we headed downstairs. I hated acting like a prince. I was not even sure I did a good job of it, but no one seemed to say anything about my behavior, which caused me to believe that a prince could truly get away with almost anything–other than stealing. I was sure that it would have caused a war if the kingdoms ever discovered just how much Sands and I had taken over the years.

“So, anything about mermaids or Marren?”

“I was told that Prince Gideon has the most extensive collection of unique maps in all the kingdoms. I traded for one with Prince Stephan, but I want to see more. He has to have something more than what I have found in other kingdoms. Once inside the library, you will do what you do best.”

“There is gold inside the library? Ah, clever—”

“No, there is no gold; we need to steal maps.”

“To be clear, stealing maps is not what I do best, but I do understand what you mean,” he smirked.

“What you do best is stealing, and irritating me. You do that very well, also.”

“My, Nick! How you flatter me,” he said with an impish grin.

I held up a finger, pointing it at him.

“And do not flirt with the maid,” I scolded.

“What? She flirted with me. Can I help my dashing rogue looks? No, I cannot, Nick.”

Sands was the only person who ever called me “Nick.” He began doing so when I expressed to him that I hated being called The Cruel Hand, which was my pirate moniker.

“Dashing, rogue looks? Is that the look you are attempting with your barely-existent ponytail?”

“What? Of course, maidens love long hair on a man.”

“I have never heard that,” I grunted.

“You don’t ever talk to maidens, so how would you know?”

“I danced in Embra.”

“Yeah, sure, and you were as stiff as a plank. When it comes to maidens, you may not be the best at knowing what they like.”

---