Page 36 of Depths
Once my guards were finished, Posey and Felipe came to fetch me. They led me upward, swimming to above the little maze of cubes to the spot where the servants prepared our meal. Four magical, smokeless, purple bonfires floated in the water, with no kindling or source other than that provided by the four castle mages. Each mage had a hand pointing at the fire as they muttered some spell or another.
I didn’t know the up or down of it. As much as I’d tried to get a handle on spells when I was younger, as much as I’d dreamt of surprising Bloss and mother—Queen Gela—with my brilliance, I’d never had a single potion go right for me.
“They’re good, aren’t they?” Posey asked, nodding her head toward the flames that I watched.
“Quite,” I agreed with a nod.
“See how they keep the fire steady, unaffected by the current, giving off bright white and violet streams of light? Means they’re doing it right,” Posey added.
“Well, it means Lizza is a good teacher,” I responded. Bloss’s mage, Lizza, had agreed to come down on occasion to coach the four mages that had come from various cities in the kingdom when I’d put out a call. Thus far, a whopping single meeting in, the lessons seemed to be going well. Part of me wanted to ask the mages about what they’d discovered with Radford. He’d been cheery all day, but he was still wearing my necklace. I rather wanted it back. But I thought that questions might possibly distract them.
I was right.
I saw Julian approach one of the mages and ask a question. The mage’s fire flickered.
Posey gave a strange guttural sound of annoyance—sometimes it sounded as if part of her voice box was rotting—and swam off to scold him.
That left me alone with Felipe.
I glanced around surreptitiously before I asked, “How’s your cousin today?”
Felipe took his time responding, letting his eyes casually scan for onlookers. Once he’d determined there were none, he replied, “Well, Your Majesty.”
That was it?Well?I’d been worried all day about how Mateo would do being in close quarters with other competitors. Would he be found out? Would he pull off this charade? I wanted to kick Felipe in the tail for that answer. No, somewhere higher.
He glanced over, and I swear for a second, I thought I saw a smirk cross his features. But it was gone before it started. Instead, his eyes latched onto someone behind me, and he gave a quick nod. “I’ll be back in an hour or two.”
I turned to see Ugo and a yellow-tailed guard swim up and flank me.
I didn’t get to ask one more question about Mateo before Felipe’s navy-blue tail had flicked and he’d shot through the water.
Ass.
“Your Majesty, you look like you need to warm up,” Ugo stated. He urged me to move a bit closer to the fire. I was immediately relieved by how much warmer I felt. My fingers tingled almost painfully as feeling was restored to them.
The scent of cooking salmon drifted to me on the current, and my stomach rumbled.
My gaze roamed over everyone as they gathered closer to the food, competitors and servants alike, mingling without distinction. The mood was jovial; people laughed and chattered happily as several people began distributing drinks. I spotted Radford even serving. I recognized several men from the competition and gave them all polite nods of acknowledgment. Thankfully, none approached my fire, and I was able to warm up in peace.
“Shouldn’t you be rubbing elbows with some of your future husbands?” Sahar asked as she sidled up to me.
“Why don’t you just talk to them and tell me which ones I should pick?” I deadpanned.
“Har har.”
“Well, I could just pick Keelan and be done with it,” I teased. Well, half teased. He was actually at the top of my list.
Sahar tossed a hand over her heart. “Do not steal my baby. He isn’t ready for married life.”
I studied her face, the slight creases near her eyes, trying to decide whether or not she was serious.
Her expression softened. “Part of me is glad you two seem to get along. But the other part is a little bit terrified. I’m not ready for this. I wanted at least another decade of him beingmybaby.” She sighed. “One day, you’ll understand the mother’s dilemma. You want to both let your child roam free and keep them locked up tight forever. A mother’s heart is a giant contradiction.”
I gave a shrug. “I suppose I’ve only ever experienced the locked up tight part of that equation. Then again, anyone who mothered me wasn’t quite …normal.” I stared into the fire, realizing how bitter that sounded. I hadn’t meant to say it at all. Though it was true. It was clear that Sahar loved Keelan fiercely and he her. Growing up, I’d always thought Bloss, as the heir, had been mother’s favorite by default, despite the fact that they constantly butted heads. I’d always been closer to Gorg, the man I’d thought was my birth father.
Now, I second-guessed every interaction I’d ever had with any of my so-called parents. I had no idea what was real and what had been an act.
The flames danced in front of me as memories of happy times warped and twisted like they were inside the fire.
