Page 67 of The Dark Sea Calls

In their sheer numbers, the mer folk moved much slower than us. Elsbeth would look down at the crowd every few minutes and then back to me, silently asking if I had seen Liam yet. Each time the answer was no.

We had to get closer to Cormac and the royal entourage at the front of the masses.

And the risk grew as the distance closed.

I could usually block out the water and its whims, but the lake wanted me to go down to Cormac Illfin—despite knowing that he would probably kill me if he saw me. I wasn’t sure if Elsbeth knew how much Cormac wanted revenge for his mother’s death, and I felt guilty for not telling her, but it was too late now.

The blood-red carriages grew clearer as we drew closer, the Illfin sigil visible even from the surface. I squinted, searching the entry for any sign of Liam’s dark head amongst the royal guards.

Elsbeth nudged me, asking silently if I had found what I was looking for.

I kept my eyes fixed on the merfolk, but I couldn’t see well enough. We had to get closer, but something told me that was a terrible idea.

Instead, I silently prayed to Belisama and felt the water lap around me. I sunk down, trying to feel the same way I had on the throne or in my dream. I wasn’t sure how successful I was, but my awareness sharpened, and I felt every single Mer marching through the lake like a bobbing ball of magic.

My eyes rolled, and my body slumped forward, but that didn’t matter. I dropped into the water, letting my mind spread thin between every droplet. I thought about Liam and everything I knew about him. His desire to be a soldier. To one day be king. To win my uncle's and the courtiers’ approval. He had always caved to Moira and me when we truly wanted something. How he had fun, almost reluctantly, if it wasn’t holding a sword and talking about battle strategy.

His face when I had rejected him.

I locked onto him. Liam was at Cormac’s side. Unaware that I was spying on him, his hands clapped in iron cuffs, slowly poisoning his body as he swam. Liam’s eyes were sunken in, and he had lost so much body weight that he struggled to hold up his head.

I murmured his name. Feeling his pain as if it leaked into the water, like an oil spill.

I turned to return to my body when I felt a burning set of green eyes.

Cormac.

The Mer-king held up a hand, halting his royal entry with a barked command. Every single soldier and guard slammed to a stop. His teeth gritted, and he pulled his trident from its holster.

His eyes locked on mine.

He saw me.

I returned to my body so quickly that my blood slammed against my skin, roiling inside me.

“Run,” I bit out through gritted teeth. “Elsbeth. Now.”

The Kelpie didn’t need to be told twice.

Elsbeth waited until we were past the glassy rocks and inside the cave filled with pools to speak. She turned to me; the same midnight eyes she shared with her brother were wide with fear. She appeared out of breath and took a moment to gather her words.

Moira would have shouted at me, and Liam would have given me a stern look.

I had come to view Elsbeth as a friend, or at leastfriendly, but I didn’t know how she would react to the knowledge that I had put our lives in danger.

She pushed her fingers through her hair and took a deep calming breath, but her voice echoed around the cave when she spoke. “I thought Cormac was one of your mates!”

I winced. “Um.” I elongated the sound, trying to find words. “Did Tor not tell you?”

“Tell me what?” She put her hands on her hips.

“Cormac Illfin kind of wants to kill me.” I smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. “He thinks I killed his mother.”

“Did you kill his mother?” Elsbeth gestured wildly.

“Kind of.” I held up my thumb and forefinger and put them very close together. “Definitely. Almost. But definitely.”

“Well? Which one is it? Because you can’t almost but also definitely kill someone!”

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