Page 354 of Kingdoms of Night

Yawning, I raked my hand through my hair, pulling it away from my face. It now had a salty scent of sea water and kelp.

It was nostalgic. It was almost enough to wash away the nightmares I’d had of being harpooned in the middle of the sea.

This mission had taken a dark turn that I wasn’t entirely prepared for. Sea-Knights didn’t typically deal with murder. The sea-folk were mostly peaceful.

Of course, there were minor instances of violence between warring factions, but we kept the peace the best we could. The most ruthless of our realm was mostly between royalty.

I groaned and left the comfort of the small pod. I walked a few steps toward the back of the cavern to get a drink.

I still felt unease from my discovery with the Sea Shaman.

I grabbed a pitcher of sea water mixed with crushed quartz and essence of pearls from the dining hall and drank it down without pouring it into a cup. The refreshing liquid soothed my nerves and helped me wake up. I sighed in relief, and wiped my mouth.

It was a shame that I needed to resort to potions to wake me up. But, there was a lot of work to do. I needed to get back to Calbrock Bay before Elian left the harbor. I could still feel his energy, and knew he hadn’t left yet. Even if he did, I would find him.

Once I had a scent, there was no shaking me. I’d chase him across the entire realm if I had too. And, I could swim faster than his ship.

He didn’t stand a chance.

Buzz. Buzz.

The sound of rapidly flapping wings drove me mad.

What is that?

I walked toward the door, and jumped back at the sight of something with rapidly flapping wings hovering outside. I glanced over to the open entrance to my pod to see sea pixies flying around.

Frowning, I watched in awe and confusion. Their faces were smooth and beige, with dark eyes, and pointed ears. But, it was their fleshy pink wings that made them unique. They spun around their waists instead of flapping behind their backs.

That was odd.

How did they get into the Colony unnoticed?

Having a pixie show up at your door was an omen.

I just hoped it was a good one.

I quickly dressed, and threw on a fresh cloak. It wouldn’t be so fresh once I swam back ashore. I put on my boots, and headed out of the barracks.

There was a time when the barracks weren’t such a silent tomb. Once, I was surrounded by the other male and female Sea-Knights. We’d laugh, and drink, and share stories over a meal.

That was a different time.

Now, most of us were on missions of our own. Many of us never returned at all.

Dealing with humans was often fatal.

I had to be very careful with what I had planned next.

I ventured to see the Sea-Shaman once again. Once I arrived at her cavern, it was silent inside.

Peering into the darkness, I hoped that other creatures hadn’t snuck in. I still couldn’t believe Makoa and Noa had let pixies past the gate. There must be an unguarded entrance we hadn’t discovered that had let the pixies in.

“Da’Na,” I called.

There was no reply.

My stomach tensed.

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