Page 3 of Prince of Tides
“For the time being,” Flash granted, reminding me that the war the Tidal Clan fought was never truly over. “They’ll be back, as always.”
“I know,” I said. “But we should celebrate our victories nonetheless.”
“We won,” another of the lords, Crest, said as he shook the water from his head, his aquamarine scales flashing in the bright daylight. “But I’m not sure we should call it a victory. We took casualties.”
“We always take casualties,” I said somberly. “The beasts of the Sea of Oblivion are brutal and relentless. Thousands of our people guard the approaches to the entire dragon realm. Death is inevitable, as unfortunate as it is.”
“Perhaps,” Flash agreed. “But Lev might not agree.”
“Why not?” I asked, curious why the lord would be upset over the victory.
“His son was one of the casualties,” Crest said.
“God-King,” I hissed angrily at the loss. People of my clan died on the regular, but the Lords of the Deep and their kin I knew better than most. Cold as it may sound, it was much easier to accept the deaths of those I didn’t know. “If we only mourn the losses, we will become sour and sad. We must celebrate the positives. It is the way of our war.”
“There would be less to mourn,” Flash put in tentatively, “if we were fighting to our fullest.”
I swung my long neck around, looking down my snout at the dragon. “What do you mean?”
He nodded at the spear clutched in my scaled hand, the hybrid dragon-human form allowing me to use the convenience of opposable thumbs. “You wield the Spear of the Heir, Rip. A powerful weapon, yes, but it’s nothing compared to the Trident of the Seas.”
“That weapon is only to be wielded by the prince,” I reminded him. “I must first pass the God-King’s Test to use it in battle. I haven’t yet found my mate. Therefore I cannot take the Test. You know this.”
“We would take fewer casualties if you took it up,” Crest said, not backing down. “If you would just look in the Watching Mirror as the other clan’s princes have, then you would find her.”
I clenched my jaw. “They are mated to humans. A human woman would never survive in the Realm of Tides. My mate is a dragon. She’s out there. I just haven’t found her yet.”
“You’ve been looking for months,” Flash said stubbornly. “And you’ve not found one. All the other clans have princes now, except for us, and arguably, it’smostimportant for the Tidal Clan to have their prince. We need the Trident. It is yourduty, Rip. How many others will die in the time it takes you to find your mate? Is your pride truly worth more than the lives of your people?”
I stared ahead, Flash’s words hitting home hard.
As we reached a depth where we could walk, the two lords peeled off to be with Lev during his time of sorrow. I watched how they approached, hands on his shoulders, clasping him tight, succoring their compatriot. I should be doing that, too.
Nearby, one of the birthing barges pushed offshore, taking their precious cargo out into the middle of the bay. The sounds of a woman in labor were easily audible from within. My cheeks pulled back slightly, knowing that a new clan member would soon join us.
But I didn’t linger in the water. I shifted fully into my human form and left the other warriors behind. My feet took me into the Tidal Bastion, the great fortress that protected the bay and was home to the government of my clan. A government that I headed.
“A human woman,” I repeated, shaking my head. “How would she survive here?”
Life among the sea dragons was different than any of the other clans. Harsher. It asked a lot of its people. Could a human ever live up to that?
I doubted it.
But that was the point Flash and Crest were trying to drive home. Perhaps it wasn’t about me. Perhaps it was about fate and what the God-King, immortal ruler of all dragonkind, had in store for me. The lords were right. The princes of the other clans had found their mates in the Watching Mirrors.
Maybe I can, too.
I doubted it. But perhaps I should do it anyway. If it was what was best for my people …
Without really realizing it, I ended up in my quarters. I set the spear on its rack next to the door, always ready if I needed it, and went into my study. In the corner, a large object sat covered by a rag. I walked up to it and, after a moment of hesitation, yanked the fabric free.
“See, it’s me in the mirror. No mate,” I grumped.
Then my eyes narrowed. The floor was different. Where I stood, it was sandstone-colored tiles etched with various patterns of the sea. However, in the mirror, I stood on square gray concrete. There was a patio set to the left of me. And a balcony railing.
Footsteps could be heard audibly, and the me in the mirror turned to the twin glass French doors that led inside. Someone was coming. I watched myself pause.
“You’re about to be found out. Get out of there,” I hissed to myself. “Get out before they—”
