Page 26 of Depths
Soon, my new maid, Gita, returned with the stable boy. Her gold tail glinted in the sunlight as she swam forward with a smile, my necklace dangling from her hands. “Majesty, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted to wear this today.”
I took it from her with a smile. “Oh, I don’t. I thought Radford might.” At first, I swam toward him, but he immediately stiffened and his lip curled. His mouth opened as if he wanted to verbally punch me, but he snapped it shut before he could.
I handed the necklace to Ugo. “Can you please put this on him?”
Ugo gave me a respectful nod and turned to Radford with a gleam in his eye. “Come on, pretty lady. Let’s get you dolled up.”
Radford rolled his eyes before he grinned and let Ugo drape the necklace around his neck and clasp it. “Be careful what you wish for. I might think you have a crush on me.”
Ugo barked out a laugh. “Nah, I like my men with soft hands, not those iron paws you’ve got. Now, what exactly is this supposed to do? Other than make this asshole look ridiculous, of course.”
Gita giggled. The stable boy snickered.
“I think he looks lovely.” I didn’t bother to tell them that the necklace had elven chain in it and that elven chain counteracted nearly all magics. There was no need for more whispers in my castle. But I hoped it had worked. I took a deep breath, ready to face Radford’s white-hot scorn, before I slowly swam in front of him.
His face didn’t droop into a scowl. In fact, he offered me a friendly smile. “Well, hello again.”
Relief and elation swooped through my belly, two birds flying high. “Hello.”
Regret immediately crossed Radford’s face, and he said, “I want to apologize—”
I spoke over him. “There’s no need. Whatever happened to you, it was clearly an enchantment.”
His brow furrowed and he looked troubled. “I suppose I should tell you …” He sighed. “I’m sure you already know, but some of the elders of Nowhere don’t want me here.”
It felt like a jellyfish sting. I blinked hard. “Thank you, Gita. And you, young fellow.” I dismissed the servants before they heard more. No need for everyone to know exactly how hated I was. I clearly didn’t do a good job of hiding the disappointment on my face, because Radford swam forward and reached for my hand.
I let him have it, and he squeezed softly. “Would you like to see the rig they have set up for the ride to Reef City? It’s the fanciest getup I’ve ever seen.”
“Of course,” I responded, letting his enthusiasm wash over me, hoping that it would keep me distracted from the fact that my heart was wilting. Not only had someone enchanted Radford into hating me, but I also now knew that the hermit crab shifters—at least some of them—hated me. I’d never wanted to run in the opposite direction more. I felt the urge to swim right back to the castle and into Mateo’s arms. I tried to compensate for all my hurt with a manic grin. “Is it utterly ridiculous?”
“Not if you love golden tassels like the sirens sometimes wear on their … never mind.”
“They wear tassels on their ‘neverminds’? Really?” I teased, trying to slip into a lighter headspace as we swam up the animal’s side to the giant tent mounted on his back. I knew he was referring to sirens who worked in brothels here, covering things up in order to force customers to pay for the reveal. It made absolutely no sense to me, since most women went about topless, but perhaps it was the chance of touching the breasts after the reveal that piled the sand dollars at the sirens’ feet. I added, “I might prefer tassels to nothing around the palace.”
Radford chuckled.
“I know it’s all the same to you, but I grew up differently.” I shrugged. “I’m used to three different layers of clothing.”
“Three layers! By the bubble, how do you even move?” Radford shook his head as he pulled open the flap to the white tent.
We both ducked inside as I deadpanned, “Slowly.”
The tent was made of material similar to a ship’s sails but embroidered with golden thread. And, as Radford had claimed, someone had decided that royalty needed tassels. Hundreds of them dripped from the seams on the ceiling, like tiny jellyfish suspended in space. At the base of the tent, set into neat rows, were seats. They had backs but no legs and stretched seven across on the broad whale’s back. Each row was held down with a series of straps and buckles. I counted the rows. There were ten rows in all. Thirty for the men competing, another forty for the staff.
“Impressive is an understatement,” I said, running my hand along the back of the first chair. I almost regretted that I would ride separately on a royal whale, with only a few guards, Sahar, and one or two of the competitors at a time in order to get better acquainted.
“I’d say so,” Radford replied. But when I glanced up, his eyes weren’t on the feat of engineering and planning. They were on me. “Now, look, I’m not a fancy guy like some of these …”
“You certainly can come across a bit abrasive when you’re enchanted,” I teased, eyes on him. “But before that, you were quite charming. I need to warn you though, court can be a merciless place. You’ll have to learn to take vicious cuts smoothly if you decide you want to join.”
“If I decide?” Radford swam closer, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
I swallowed hard and gave a brief nod as my eyes studied his, their rich dark chocolate color nearly black when he leaned in. I pulled back slightly and then swam over to run my fingers over the back of a chair, not ready for his intensity.
“Maybe your court could use a bit of roughing up,” he added. “Most folk in this kingdom aren’t the kind who live in glass houses, if you get my drift.”
I teased, trying to lighten the mood, “Is that why you gilded your shell?”
