Page 350 of Kingdoms of Night

“What’s that, Captain?”

“For me, Bastian. He’s preparing himself to face me.”

And, I didn’t care what form of magical talismans he had. Nothing would stop me from teaching that insolent man a lesson he would never forget.

CHAPTERNINE

THE SEA SHAMAN

Siddhe

The silence inside my pod within the Colony was just what I needed.

I’d been resting in the barracks since my return, tucked into a solo shell that held me tight like a mom with her babe. It was a suitable nest, though I missed my little pod back in the palace.

The guards had taken the body of the sailor for safe-keeping, preserving it against decay while we waited for the Sea-Shaman.

I walked the hollow space while the other knights who were stationed there either slept, or had been sent on missions of their own. We tried to make the hollow space of the common areas as home-like as possible. A makeshift door barely covered the circular opening at the mouth of the underground cavern, but it kept some of the sea creatures from skittering in while we slept.

I blew into the Ever Torch and a single orange flame cast shadows on the space.

There was a knock on the door, and I ventured toward it, carrying the torch.

Outside was Makoa. I smiled, glad to see someone from back home.

He had olive-colored skin, and tattoos that took up almost every inch of his arms and exposed chest. There was an entire story that could be studied across his broad, muscle-bound chest. His hair was a teal blue, like his eyes, and was pulled back in a ponytail that reached mid-back.

“Morning, Siddhe,” he said, as I pulled the door aside to let him in.

I laughed, still exhausted. “Is it morning? I feel like I’ve been sleeping for years, and it still wasn’t enough.”

He smiled. “It is. I saw the sun peer down on us just an hour ago. It’s still bright and early—according to human time.”

“Well, that’s something, isn’t it? None of this mattered just a few years ago. Night and day. Who cared when we were children swimming around the coral yard?”

His smile widened. “You remember that?”

“Of course, I do,” I said. Then I narrowed my eyes at him. “I also remember you trying to scare me with electric eels.”

His laugh was a treasure. I missed real laughter like that—something genuine. It was nostalgic.

“Well, how else would I get the prettiest Sea-Maiden’s attention?”

Sighing, I couldn’t believe how tired I was, but I had enough energy for a smile. “Thank you, Makoa. I mean it. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

How could he know that before I left the palace, no one had ever said those words to me?

The humans seemed to like my face. I was exotic to them. But, back in the palace, I was just another face, almost invisible. To hear one of my people say I was pretty did something to my heart that made it feel like it was opening, instead of closing in on itself in fear of being hurt.

Maybe Malia was right—maybe Ididjust like the attention.

Makoa laid a hand on my shoulder, and pressed his head to mine—a typical sign of affection between sea folk. He was the type of male I was used to—masculine in body and frame with tight muscles, but tender at the same time.

“No need to thank me for stating the truth, Siddhe. I’m grateful you’ve returned,” he said, softly. Then, he gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I hope you will stay for awhile.”

I nodded, and clasped a hand over his. His affection for me didn’t go unnoticed.

“I wish I could,” I replied. “But, I have a mission to finish.”

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