Page 66 of The Dark, Dead, Deep

The sour feeling in my stomach returned when I was reminded of my innate selfishness. Cormac needed healers, and if those closest were in Tarsainn, we would have to risk it. After all, he had taken the Whispering Pass because I hadn’t tried hard enough to stop him.

I shuddered but straightened my shoulders and met Shay’s eyes when I realized he desired a response. “To Tarsainn,” I agreed, though I was anything but excited.

Once we were clear of the whispering pass and into merfolk territory, it felt like the very water around us had changed. Darker, deeper, but more colorful. More fish were in the cove, and the coral was bright as it coated the lake bed.

Tarsainn was a glittering speck in the distance as we raced through the empty expanse towards the merfolk city, stopping only to weave through the jagged defensive structures that formed a protective wall on the path to the city.

I felt the magic ripple and protest as the lake noticed that we were trying to enter the city with an unconscious merman instead of a willing escort. My ears popped as a high-pitched screech made my entire body curl into itself as if I could hide from the sound if I made myself smaller.

I didn’t have to ask what was happening; I should have thought of the possibility. Cruinn had the same kind of defense against intruders—the Abyss.

Rainn turned to me, his hands over his ears. “What do we do?”

The kelpie shifted and hopped once. The momentum made Cormac’s unconscious body flop as if to punctuate his point. If the situation wasn’t dire, I would have laughed.

Shay’s braids shifted in thought; the sea shells woven into his hair clicked and rattled. “We have to get the attention of the guards.”

I squinted across the empty plains leading up to the city. “I can’t see anyone.”

“Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there,” Shay replied cryptically. “Rainn, Maeve, you walk the path north. Tormalugh and I will journey further down and try to get spotted by one of the patrols. I can only hope that they see us quickly.”

Rainn nodded and saluted, but I didn’t comment. We turned away and swam down the path where the defensive magic formed an invisible barrier.

After a few moments alone, Rainn spoke. “Have you ever been to Tarsainn?” he asked.

I glanced at the selkie out of the corner of my eye. “Are you mad?”

Rainn rolled his eyes. “Before the war began.”

“The undine and the merfolk have always had a tenuous relationship.” My fingers knitted together. “My mother never left the castle, and I was too young to travel alone.”

“What about your father?” he asked.

I smiled, but it was a bitter thin line. “I’ve never met him. I don’t even know who he was. No one does. My mother used to say that he came down from the heavens to gift her with me. Never to be seen again.”

“Oh yes.” Rainn winced. “The mad queen’s consort. I remember the story.”

I laughed without humor. “I don’t ever plan to fall in love if that is how it will end.”

Rainn’s brow creased. “You can love someone without fearing that you’ll lose them,” he stated with a frown.

I shrugged. “I can’t even begin to speculate on how to love another person. The only person I’ve ever loved is my mother, and even now, every day, that love feels more like a memory than a feeling.”

“You’ve never been in love?” A strange look crossed his face as his lips pursed.

“Many undine wait to meet their shíorghrá on the Frosted Sands.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I did not reach my magical majority, and many of my kin are dead. Whoever was destined to be my mate likely bloodied the water with the rest of the undine on the Frosted Sands.”

If Rainn felt any guilt, he didn’t show it.

Before I could say another word, something snagged my attention and stilled my feet. There was a break in the magic. Something slight and easily missed. Like a pebble on the sand disturbing the tide. With a frown, I raised my hand and placed it against where I felt the invisible wall protecting Tarsainn from intruders.

Rainn didn’t ask what I was doing. However, his sky-blue eyes sharpened, and I got the impression that the smiling and jovial selkie paid much more attention than he let on.

I ignored him, though I felt his gaze burning on the back of my neck as I pushed against the barrier. I felt the magic flex and wrap around my hand before it dissolved into nothing.

“A doorway?” I breathed.

Rainn squinted and eyed where the barrier sat. “The whole bloody thing has gone down. The guards must have spotted Cormac.”

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