Page 50 of Knight's End
But then she had to ask, “And how is everything in Evaness?”
My court-face faltered. “Do you mean how does my capital look after the djinn attack? Or my forest after Isla ran two giants through it? Or did you mean the northern province Raj has seen fit to invade?”
Connor grabbed my arm and steered me away from the shocked princess. I’d broken protocol just as much as her mother had. “Excuse us, Her Majesty is a bit tired from her trip.” Connor deposited me in a chair and shoved a tiny slice of cake at me. “Eat some cake and let me do the talking.”
I pretended to take a sip of my tea and set my cake plate on my lap as I watched Declan’s ass of a mother usher him over to a settee and perched next to him, turning her back to us and putting her arm around him, giving all the appearances of an intimate, loving mother-son conversation. No one in the room was fooled.
Part of me was sickened by her ploy—by the fact that all of Connor’s predictions about her were right—the other part of me was happy that Declan could read her emotions and wouldn’t mistake her gestures for real.
The crown princess had drifted over to the cake table, as far away from me as she could get.
Next to me, Connor turned on his charm. He engaged two of Sedara’s princes in conversation. "Must say, I was impressed by those new ships you all sent over the last fall. Cut through the water like champions."
Both men smiled, eager to move from our tension filled conversations into more normal territory. "Yes, we’ve been perfecting that design for years."
"You all have a dangerous job. The sea is not a friendly place," Connor commented.
"Especially now," one of the princes muttered.
"True. That's why we came by air. I heard that sea witch is a bit of a beast."
"That's an understatement. Mayi cracks boats like twigs," the one with more grey in his beard muttered.
We have a name,Blue thought excitedly.
Yes,I responded. Mayi. Our monster had a name. But did she have a weakness?
I took another sip of my tea, trying not to hide my awe at how quickly Connor had moved the conversation in a direction that was useful for us.
"She's that powerful?" Connor asked, running a hand through his curls as if he couldn't quite fathom that. "I thought she could merely control the undertows."
I hadn't ever noticed before, but Connor often played ignorant, allowing the other party to be the expert and fill in all the details he needed. Realizing that just made him twice as attractive to me. I had to fight to keep my gaze on my teacup. I didn't want to interfere with his conversation in any manner. Especially not when I’d nearly lost my temper five minutes ago and ruined our shot at information all together.
"Undertows," one of the men scoffed. "No! She can control any sea water—causes horrid waves. I've seen her create a thirty-foot swell once. Seen her make a whirlpool, too."
"That's awful. Can't we stop her?"
The men laughed and shook their heads.
“It’s why we did. Until she got back the girl."
"You have to steal something that the sea sprite loves most."
Connor leaned back on his heels and tilted his head as if he was digesting this new bit of information. “But why?”
The prince shrugged and started to walk toward the cake table. “Not sure. My grandmother was a wizard’s paramour once. And that’s what he told her.”
I’d thought the princes had simply succumbed to Connor’s natural charm, and that I’d been ignored, but once the first had wandered off to the cake table, the second man sat down beside me. Connor gave me a warning glance. I widened my eyes slightly and he read my look.
“Prince Dane, how have your sugar fields done this year?” Connor asked the Queen’s husband. Just as my knights were not named kings, Sedara had long called the Queen’s husbands mere princes.
I smiled politely, like I was interested, but really, I was just sarding relieved Connor had given me a name so I didn’t embarrass myself.
"Quite a few storms we've had lately,” Dane replied vaguely.
I nodded. "It's a pity that we can't have fair weather when we want it."
Blue’s voice shot through my head.Quinn says this prince sometimes feeds him information. But he’s very—Quinn said Donalooish—is that a word? So, watch out.
