Page 49 of The Dark Sea Calls

My uncle had always struck me as a weak male, though that didn’t diminish my fear of him.

His magic was revered; weaving was an endless ability. There was no limit to intent, only what the object could hold.

Even the Siren Queen, a female that made every hair on my body stand up in fear, seemed to notice how dangerous my uncle was.

“You want a hundred of my soldiers, Sídhe, that I need here to prevent the land -Fae from taking my cove. I would say a single Fae in exchange for a hundred of my best is more than fair.”

“When we bargained, you did not mention that you were once known by another title.” King Irvine turned to the Siren.

She narrowed her eyes. “A title lost to time.”

“A title that the Night King utters in his sleep.” His smirk was cruel. “Or when he takes himself with his own hand.”

The Siren Queen pulled her lips away from her sharp teeth and hissed; the sound was a strange mix of water being sucked into a drain and a growl—the noise held magic. Enough to make someone run for their life if they were made of lesser stuff.

Even so, I felt Rainn and Tor push me further into the corner, preventing any reaction I might have.

“Queen of Air and Darkness.” King Irvine dipped his head in a mocking bow. “You cannot petition the Unseelie Kingdom for justice, lest the Night King, your once husband who believes you dead, find out you birthed a child not by his seed, hmm?”

“How do you know that name?” She hissed and stepped to the side; both Sídhe circled each other, not taking their eyes off one another but also not moving to attack.

“Do you want to buy my silence, perhaps?” King Irvine chuckled.

“I could ask you the same,” The Siren sneered. “I know the Cruinn bloodline. I knew Caoimhe’s blood, and I have met her daughter.”

I saw the interest in King Irvine’s eyes sharpen like a blade. “Caoimhe’s daughter?” He straightened, pausing in thought and studying the Siren Queen as if she had become interesting—for more than just mocking. “Maeve?”

If the Siren Queen realized her misstep, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled, revealing every single one of her sharp teeth. “The blood runs true.” Her brows raised as she attempted an innocent expression, ruined by her mouth filled with shark teeth.

“Maeve Cruinn died during the migration,” my uncle said carefully.

The Siren Queen let out an unnerving giggle. “She is here, in my stronghold.”

King Irvine snapped forward, his hands outstretched to grab the queen. She sidestepped his attempt like a moving shadow. She brushed her shoulder, wiping away his touch.

“Give her to me,” King Irvine said through gritted teeth.

“Uphold your bargain,” the Siren Queen said, her voice impassive as if he had lost her respect and attention. “And I will ensure that Maeve Cruinn is with the soldiers that step through that silver tomorrow morning.”

My uncle studied her before nodding once. He did not bid the queen farewell as he stepped to the silver and disappeared through the shimmering surface as if diving into a shallow pool.

The Siren Queen loosened a breath before she raced for the door, looking more rattled than I had ever seen her.

Chapter 11

It took a long time for any of us to speak.

Unable to form a thought, even after Tormalugh’s magic slid off of us, leaving us exposed in the hall of mirrors.

Though I knew that my uncle had returned to Cruinn through the bejeweled silver, I couldn’t bear to move. Frightened that he would suddenly step back through and grab me.

Back in the dark sea, it had been so easy, bravely bargaining with a creature larger than a city. Promising to return his eye.

Whatever material the High Throne was made of, its twin lived in the Kraken’s lair.

I had told myself that returning to Cruinn would be a small thing. I could hide with the Sirens and steal away to the tower, cutting off a chunk of the throne and hopping on a silver back to the Cradle while everyone was distracted by a battle outside the city walls.

I had been telling myself a lot of things.

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