Page 72 of The Dark Sea Calls

In the distance, the abyss had grown to the lake's surface, much like the reeds as a wall of defense. I wondered if I could cross it if I approached but decided I had no intention of returning to Cruinn—not while my uncle was king.

When I had been traveling with Elsbeth, determined to get a glimpse of Liam, the journey had seemed so quick, but the soldiers had traveled far in a night and half a day, and it took us from sunrise to afternoon to reach the front of the masses—and Cormac, at the front of it all, swathed in guards with Liam at his side.

Finally, we dropped down to the edge of the abyss. Tor’s dark equine body folded in on itself, and a moment later, the Kelpie stood next to me on two legs. A few seconds later, Rainn rolled out his silver skin and did the same, folding it until it fitted into the palm of his hand and then tucking it into the back of my belt, next to my knife.

One of the scouts barked out to alert the soldiers to our presence; my fingers and chest tingled, indicating my nervousness.

“I think I should be the one to appeal to Cormac.” Tor adjusted his tunic, brushing his hands down the front. “He might classify Rainn amongst his friends, but he has little patience with you when you get in one of your moods.”

Rainn held up his hands. “I disagree. I don’t have moods.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You do. You rarely have a sensible bone in your body, and today you seem in rare form to cause as much chaos as possible.”

“Yes.” Tor clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I don’t know why we allowed you to talk us into this. We should just let Tarsainn do as it wants, as long as we aren’t the target.”

“I’m the target,” I reminded them.

Tor shrugged. “I’m certain that Cormac will forget how angry he is with you once he loses a few hundred soldiers in battle.”

I felt vaguely sick. “I hope that we can get them to turn around.”

“The only way we walk away without bloodshed is if we make the trade in King Irvine’s stead, and we have no intention of allowing you to go with Cormac. Not after he watched his mother throw you in the Tarsainn dungeons,” Rainn pointed out before gesturing toward the royal guards across the coral field and the soldiers rallying at our presence.

A moment later, one of the royal guards flicked his tail and launched himself over the coral. His burnished bronze tail moved lazily from side to side to show that he meant no threat to us. “His Majesty, King Illfin would like to know why Tormalugh of the Reeds and Rainn of the Skala Isles have come after denying Tarsainn aid against Cruinn.” The Mer looked at each of the males. His hand shook and twitched to reach for his weapon when Rainn and Tor cocked their heads in unison.

I had grown used to the two males, so it didn’t register that the guard found both Tor and Rainn disconcerting. Even if they had frightened me several times, something about them always put me at ease, even when I wished it was any other way.

“We would like to speak to King Illfin. We have Maeve Cruinn and wish to discuss her brother's release.” Tor jutted his chin.

“We’ll be right here,” Rainn added helpfully.

The guard nodded before swimming back toward the royal entry. His tail whipped from side to side much faster upon returning than it had on his approach.

As soon as the guard approached the front of the masses, the crowd parted to reveal Cormac Illfin in all of his glory.

Blond hair in a long braid down his back, and a golden circlet on his head, dripping rubies the same color as his tail, his trident stood proudly on his back, and his chest was bare, showing the scar over his heart that my uncle had given to him during battle.

His green eyes seemed to burn into mine, even with the distance of a hundred feet.

As if he saw directly into my soul, spread thinly through the water, and all he had to do was reach out, and his hand would be around my throat, regardless of distance.

I couldn’t force my feet to move. Fear pulsed through my veins.

I had saved his life. He had announced to his people that I was to be his bride, but at that moment, none of that mattered—I saw the hatred that carried him closer to us through the clearing. I saw it in the tick of his jaw muscles and the veins in his arms, holding himself back from charging forward and taking my head.

Rainn stepped forward first; he held his arms open in welcome. “It’s been a while, Illfin. What have you been up to?”

I hissed Rainn’s name and clasped his arm to pull him back, but he ignored me as if I wasn’t there. “Stop trying to annoy him!”

“Please.” Rainn blew a raspberry. “He’s throwing a tantrum.”

“I really don’t think it’s a tantrum,” Tor was unamused.

I tugged Rainn’s arm. “I don’t want to get any closer.”

“Neither do I,” Tor admitted.

I frowned, looking at him. “He’syourfriend.”

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