Page 137 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
Seth shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you two alone, not even for a minute. Beth is too good for you. Weren’t you supposed to get married today?”
I push Seth away from me and up the ladder. “Go. We have no time to waste.”
He grumbles but obeys, quickly climbing the ladder and stepping onto the upper deck, leaving it open. The night breeze swirls down to brush my cheeks, the hot, humid air of the Summerlands replaced by a crisp autumn wind. Judging by the stark change in temperature, we’re nowhere near the academy.
I place my foot on the bottom step, ready to rush to Seth’s aid, but Aidan braces his arms on both sides of me. “Say something, Songbird.”
“You remember,” I croak, keeping my eyes glued to the hatch, listening for any signs of trouble.
Seth’s voice booms from the deck above, but his exact words are swallowed by the loud beats of my heart.
Aidan rests his chin on my shoulder and inhales deep. “I can’t believe I was ever made to forget you.” He pauses. “I’m so ashamed.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I whisper, desperate to tame the tsunami of emotions swirling inside me. “But let’s not talk about it now.”
“Seth is still affected by your song,” Aidan says.
I arch a brow. “And you’re not?”
He nuzzles my neck, the gesture so foreign yet so right. “I’ve been cheated out of a hundred years by your side. It’s going to take a lot for me to let go of you.”
My knuckles turn white against the side of the ladder. “It’s been a minute. Let’s go.”
There’s a lot to do before I can figure out exactly what this means for us. We have to survive the night first, and I can’t afford to drift into a waking dream.
I press upward and emerge onto the upper deck. The ship is made of wood, but its design reminds me of a modern sailing boat, with metal guardrails and ropes keeping the sailors from falling overboard. A forceful, unnatural wind beats against my cheeks, and the sky above is obscured by a twisting vortex of clouds.
A single mast and boom hold the tall mainsail. Its fabric twists back and forth under the uneven wind while Seth argues with a woman near the wheel.
She looks petite but deadly, her short black hair tied down with a bandana. Golden rings adorn her pointy ears, and she holds a set of magic daggers, the blades rumbling with energy.
Her knuckles clench when she sees us coming, thunder rumbling overhead. “Stand back, or I’ll sink the ship.”
“Be reasonable, Imogen! You can’t win a fight against me, let alone all three of us,” Seth growls over the screech of the gale. “Surrender, and I won’t have to hurt you!”
“I’d like to see you try!” she shouts, pirouetting under the railing of the cockpit to reach the boom. She uses it as a stepping stone to leap over the cockpit and attack Seth just as a violent gust tips the boat to the side.
My stomach clenches, and I grip the railing, trying to keep my balance as the ship thrashes on its axis and begins to swirl around in a circle. Dark waves crash over the bow, leaving a fresh, salty kiss on my cheeks.
Aidan moves to steady me, but I lose my footing, tumbling toward the angry sea. The momentum of my fall propels me headfirst over the side of the ship, and I crash into the waves, the saltwater embracing me like an old friend.
I hold my breath out of instinct, the force of the fall dizzying me for a moment. It’s cold, but not for a Winter Fae, and even less for a daughter of the Sea.
The storm that rages over the surface makes the sea murkier and darker than it ought to be, but also calmer and less chaotic than the world above. It’s so quiet underneath, the agitation on the surface giving way to a vast ocean that spreads hundreds of miles down to the seabed.
The ripples of magic tightening my skin tell me that I’m home. A home I’m estranged from, but a home nonetheless. I unfasten the button of Seth’s cloak and let it float away, liberated from the cumbersome attire.
The arms of the ocean could never hurt me.
But the respite is short-lived, replaced by a sudden, terrible fear.
A second body hits the surface. Aidan is wrapped in flames, but even the strongest fire can be smothered by the sea. He looks frantic as he searches the waves and swims deeper and deeper. He freezes when he finally spots me, suspended upside-down for a moment, his arm finally reaching down to touch my hand.
Bubbles of precious air escape his mouth as I pull him to me, letting my powers envelop him. It’s a magic I don’t often practice, but Mélusine didn’t only teach me how to master my song, but all the powers of a Sea Fae.
Chapter 44
Mermaids
