Page 355 of Kingdoms of Night

Something was off. I could feel it in my bones.

I drew my dagger from inside my boot, and held it sideways, preparing myself.

Once inside, I knew that the Sea-Shaman wasn’t there. I could feel that it was empty. Like my people, I could sense the life force of another without even having to see proof.

I put the dagger away, and relaxed my shoulders.

No one was there.

My eyes began to adjust to the darkness as I walked deeper into cavern. I wanted to get another look at the body before I returned to Calbrock Bay. I forgot to check the sailor’s pockets for anything of use.

I stopped dead in my tracks, and stared at the slabs where the bodies had been.

Standing there in the center of the room was something my mind couldn’t make sense of—something I’d never seen in my twenty-two years of life.

The sailor stood in the corner, eyes glowing in the dark, mouth hanging ajar as if it was unhinged.

I drew my dagger again, tossing it into my hand, ready to fight whatever this monstrosity was.

“What are you? What do you want?”

The sailor stumbled forward, as if confused.

Then, it looked me directly in the eyes, and spoke in a voice that was not his own. It couldn’t be.

Iknewthat voice.

“Come to me now, sea maiden,” he said in a voice that was followed by a shrill bone-chilling shriek. “If you want to make another deal, meet me at the pier by midday.”

Then, the sailor slumped and fell over into a crumpled ball.

I wanted to scream. The horror that filled my entire being was unlike any I’ve experienced. All warmth left my body as a chill took over me.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

All I could do was vomit, and double over at what I’d just witnessed—and what it meant.

Captain Elian Westin had just spoken through the dead man’s mouth.

Captain Elian knew about the Colony.

I wiped my mouth, but tears stung my eyes.

He knows about me.

CHAPTERTWELVE

A NEW DISCOVERY

What black magic did Elian use to take over that poor boy’s body?

The question repeated itself in my head the entire morning as I walked the winding series of stone streets of Calbrock Bay.

Aruna had arrived shortly after my interaction with the sailor. She’d come with some guards to take the siren’s body back to her family for a memorial.

She’d been just as horrified as I.

To think that someone had that kind of power, and was virtually unchecked was terrifying on every level.

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