Page 68 of The Dark, Dead, Deep

Tor eyed him suspiciously before he dragged his midnight eyes to mine. “Kelpie feed on terror. We can glean enough from being around people, especially if they’re frightened. I just need a moment.”

“Kelpies can read emotions,” Rainn chirped. “That’s how they know where to find the best meals.”

Tormalugh shrugged. “Kelpies are well versed in the magic of the heart and mind.”

“Like memory charms,” I interrupted dryly.

Tor ignored me. “We can extract memories and feed on the fear and pain of those memories,” he continued. “You would be correct in that I do need to feed. The journey has been long, and I have not been attending to myself as I should have been.”

A somewhat insane thought flustered me—that I should offer to feed him. I silenced my tongue. I had no desire to have Tor inside my mind again, rifling through my memories and discarding what he saw fit.

He could take my memory of the attack on the beach. He could make me forget. He could take away the fear that had blossomed inside me every time a strange male got too close.

If I allowed myself to trust him and meddle with my mind again.

“Interesting.” I nodded, knowing that my response would silence the conversation.

Shay approached, pushing his braids away from his face as they seemed to be rising and shifting to look behind him. “Lady Bloodtide has taken Cormac to the infirmary, but she said that the courtiers desire an audience with Maeve.”

I jabbed my thumb against my chest. “Me? Why?”

“I informed Lady Bloodtide that you went into the Whispering Pass to save Cormac from the weaving,” Shay informed me. “Beyond that, I do not know why she seeks an audience.”

“WhoisLady Bloodtide?” I asked, exasperated.

Shay and Tormalugh exchanged a glance.

“She is Cormac Illfin’s mother,” Rainn informed me. “She was the consort to the mer-king, Cormac’s father, before he was killed.”

“Oh.” My mouth rounded to an O. “Why do they not share a family name?”

“She reverted to her unmarried name when she became a widow.” Tormalugh cleared his throat.

“What are you not telling me?” I frowned.

None of the remaining princelings would meet my eyes.

Chapter 13

Until that moment, I had felt like a spectator to some grand adventure. That I was along for the ride because of whatever leverage the princelings thought they could grant by my presence.

I was waiting for the other fin to flop. For the moment that a ransom was issued to my uncle, he denied its terms, or worse, until my head was delivered to King Irvine in a box.

I had no desire to be a pawn in the games of the kingdom of the Twilight Lake, but desire was a million miles from duty.

The lake was my home, my closest friend, and my only ally—as it had been for many years.

I had believed that I was serving the lake by serving Cruinn and using the High Throne to help the undine with the war under the surface. Still, now that I was further away from the throne and the undine, I couldn’t help but wonder if the unrest and disharmony werebecauseof the undine.

For the first time since the Frosted Sands, I felt truly alone as I was led to the throne room with two guards at either shoulder. The princelings were long gone as I was to face Lady Bloodtide and describe what had happened to her son.

The walls appeared to be made of rock. However, several translucent patches glowed from within as if bioluminescent algae had made a home inside. The sconces were red coral, cradling the glowing faelight.

Perhaps the Abyss that circled the undine city made it seem darker. A gloom clung to Cruinn. I wasn’t sure the dim atmosphere had anything to do with the castle or perhaps my emotions towards it. Tarsainn was lit in an entirely different way.

The guards opened the doors for me, allowing me to enter the throne room of my own volition, though I doubted they would allow me to swim far if I chose to try to escape.

I didn’t even want to think about what kind of state I was in. My braid had unraveled, and I had taken to pushing my cloud of white hair away from my face every time it obscured my vision. My clothing was the borrowed dress from the Reeds, which was of the kelpie fashion. Undine tended to favor adornment to match their naturally occurring embellishments like the pearls that made up my freckles. Kelpies chose comfort over style, so my clothes were plain and ill-fitting, though easy to move in.

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