Page 52 of Lore of the Tides

“All right, it grants us safe passage in, but how aboutout?” Finndryl’s question rumbled between them and the siren poised on the other side of the line.

“In or out, the shield will not harm you unless the Kiss is removed,” Cuan answered.

If the Puallas Kiss were removed, that would mean instant death for them, regardless; the shield would not have to do a thing.

Lore shivered at the thought. She looked around at the abandoned city and up toward the sky. Without her book to act as aSource, they were trapped in the deep regardless. Only with permission from the queen would they ever reach the surface again.

It made her uneasy to know that the only indication of the shield was a shallow line in the sand; otherwise it was completely invisible. If the two of them hadn’t had the mark, they could have unknowingly walked right into the shield. Then again, if they hadn’t had the mark, they wouldn’t have been alive to collide with the shield.

Still, she wondered at the magic behind it. When she had her grimoire back, she would see if this was a spell she could master. Having a protective shield around her people and her home would be invaluable.

And she would find great satisfaction in knowing that it was invisible to unwelcome intruders.

“Please, come, my queen is waiting.”

She had no choice but to trust the palace aide.

As she lifted a boot to cross the last of the distance to the shield, a stricken expression came across Cuan’s face as they peered at something behind them. “Please, hurry into the shield!” Cuan shouted, motioning with their hands, their movements frantic.

Lore and Finndryl spun on their heels.

Three beasts raced toward them, lithe bodies carving through the water at a frightening speed, their chests glowing withSourcein the dim light, so bright and quick that their serpentine grace made them seem less like creatures and more like living streaks of light.

They must have been stalking them for some time, to sneak up on them.

The one in the center, the largest one, opened its gigantic mouth to reveal rows of jagged teeth. But its vicious teeth and mouth, large enough to fit a Finndryl-sized fae into it whole, weren’t the worst of it. Horror overtook Lore as ropelike tentacles unfurled from its mouth, writhing from its maw like a knot of snakes.

Her mind shuddered. The middle monster’s snake-horror tentacles were aiming straight for her waist. She wouldn’t even have time to scream before they enclosed her and pulled her into its mouth.

But it was Finndryl—whose reflexes were, blessedly, infinitely faster than hers—who encircled a corded arm around her waist and vaulted forward, propelling them both through the shield. Lore felt a shocking pulse—a rush ofSourceand light and energy. She barely had time to register the one-word thought ofsafebefore the three monsters’ tentacles punched into the invisible shield with such force they flattened against it. And then the creatures were screeching, writhing in pain as they retracted their tentacles back into their jaws, and raced upward and away.

Finndryl and Lore stood panting, the protective shield humming around them. They watched until the monstrous forms faded into the darkness of the abandoned siren city.

“That was close,” Lore said, her voice barely a whisper.

“Too close,” Finndryl agreed, his gaze locked with hers. A shared moment of relief passed between them. They were safe. Free. Rescued. And finally, together.

Lore truly saw him, for the first time in weeks not through a scrying spell or, today, through the murky depths of the ocean.

He was imposing, his locs drifting around him like dark ribbons.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her hair billowed into her face. With a laugh, she tried to push it back, only for it to immediately flutter forward again.

With a chuckle, Finndryl gently brushed her hair aside. “What are we going to do about our hair?”

“I don’t know,” Lore replied. “It feels as though it has a life of its own!” Standing on tiptoe, she reached up, past his broad shoulders, and began to gather his locs together. She split them into two sections and tied them in a loose knot behind his head. “There. Now I need to find something to—”

A smirk played on Finndryl’s lips as he produced a simple piece of twine from his pocket. “Turn around.”

Lore did as he asked. Finndryl’s large hands expertly gathered her unruly hair, twisting it into a neat bun and securing it with the twine.

“Thank you,” Lore said, turning to face him again.

“Of course. It should hold for a while.”

“I wonder how long we’ll be here...”

I suppose there is only one way to find out,” he said, casting his gaze across the expanse of sand toward the waiting palace.

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