Page 53 of Depths
“How are you going to keep fruit from rotting down here so quickly? Magic? Doesn’t ingesting magic rot your teeth?” Ironically, this question came from the same person who’d wondered if fruit was addictive.
“What should a bushel of algae go for on the market open to the sky breathers?” Sahar’s warning had come full circle with that question. The answer: nothing. Humans wouldn’t eat algae. Not even if you paidthem. But I smiled and simply asked about the going rates under the water, giving polite ambiguities in response.
“Why should those dirt trotters get to fish if we can’t spear their cattle and drag the lowing beasts under the sea?”
That there was a question I had been pondering but did not have answers for … other questions like that were items I had been researching. But I hadn’t been prepared for an onslaught of this nature. Of course, Palati, the capital, was in deep water, and those in Reef City sat on the continental shelf, much closer to land, so they were quite concerned about interaction and trade with humans.
Ajax, the representative for Reef City’s jewelry makers, was incredibly concerned about the imposition of tariffs in order to protect the miners and jewels under the sea. An octopus shifter—of course, after Gita’s comments, he had to be an octopus shifter, fate wouldn’t have it any other way—Ajax chose to keep extra hands even in his human form, which meant that his forceful gestures were all the more intimidating. His shell necklace bobbed on his chest as he slammed three of his right fists into three of his left. His skin darkened from pink to a dull purple, and fury overtook his features when he tried to make his point. “We spent all this time growing beds of oysters, and then those assholes try to rob us of our pearls!”
I knew better than to defend the actions of those on land, but I was at a loss for how to solve the problem. I’d discussed the matter with Sahar twice, but we had yet to come to a solution that we thought Okeanos’ residents would find palatable.
I needed Ajax as an ally; it was clear from the way he commanded the attention of the group that all ears were delicately tuned in to our conversation. A good impression was paramount. For a moment, I wished Declan had never left so that he could handle this man, but then I erased that thought as I realized how interfering my brother-in-law might have been. Bloss would’ve directly snapped back at Ajax that he should tell his guild mistress to hire guards.
I opened my mouth to ask what sort of protection he had set up for his pearl fields when Stavros swam up beside me. The shy siren gave me a gentle nod, and his beauty stunned me for a moment. Were his eyes a more liquid blue tonight? Did his golden skin gleam more? Always reserved and shy, in a land where those around him were more prone to sing and dance as they went about their day, I hadn’t really thought he’d make a useful husband, not one who could stand the barrage of court life. That was until Stavros turned to Ajax and asked, “What percentage of your pearls do you grow? And what percentage do you simply wish into existence?”
I didn’t let surprise show on my face but turned and waited expectantly for the guild master’s response.
Ajax’s face simply turned more purple. Dark spots appeared on his cheeks like freckles. Was he embarrassed? Had he been trying to use my ignorance to his advantage?
“Why … I don’t—”
“Doesn’t your guild have an agreement with the nation of Cheryn?” Stavros lifted his hand to scratch his chin. “I could have sworn I heard—”
I narrowed my eyes at Ajax, who quickly threw up all six of his hands defensively and barely restrained from stomping a foot. “Not with that sultan! He’d never have agreed!”
But Ajax’s wording was so specific. He hadn’t outright denied having an agreement—only not having one with Sultan Raj. But Cheryn was a land full of djinn, any of whom could grant a wish.
“Oh, my mistake then. My cousin said … I suppose—”
I cut off Stavros before he could finish his apology, and I reached for his hand before he could swim away in embarrassment. His eyes widened in shock and he nearly pulled away, but I merely tightened my grip and pulled him close to my side as I asked Ajax, “If not with that bastard of a sultan, then who?”
Ajax pressed his lips tightly together as Stavros turned his eyes on me. I rather liked the way his admiring glance made me grow warm inside.Particularly when he glanced down and his cheeks reddened, but his fingers tightened a bit on mine.
He wasn’t a fighter, Stavros. Not really. But he wasn’t a coward either. And the flower had been thoughtful. Maybe he could be an ally. He certainly seemed studied enough. Perhaps he fit more into a scholar’s role. When Stavros’ eyes lifted and he gave me a hooded look, I wondered if perhaps he could be even more than that.
Reality interrupted my musing when Ajax answered, “The youngest prince. We had an agreement with him a few years back. Not for a while though. Your information is outdated.”
“My apologies.” Stavros inclined his head.
“Well, that’s for the better,” I responded primly. “I don’t believe in using wish magic.” I stared directly at Ajax, ensuring the octopus shifter knew exactly how serious I was. “It deprives hardworking men and women the pride of a job well done.”
Both Stavros and Ajax looked a bit shocked. But this was one area in which I agreed wholeheartedly with my dearest kidnapper, Queen Gela. “A hard day’s work is good for the soul. Once this competition has ended, please come to the palace with your proposition for tariffs and your reasoning written out. If it is reasonable and fair to both parties, I shall use it. If it is not reasonable and fair, then I shall reverse the terms of the agreement and whatever you wished upon the sky breathers shall be put upon you.” I let my look grow hard as the silence spread around us like ripples. “Am I clear?”
“As water.” Ajax inclined his head before swimming off.
After he’d swum off, I turned to Stavros, staring up into his bright blue eyes. “Thank you for your help.”
“Thank you for letting me stay,” he responded quietly, his thumb stroking my hand where our fingers were still joined.
I reveled in his soft touch for a moment. He wasn’t aggressive like the others, wasn’t demanding. He seemed happy just to be beside me, content with this small moment, this light touch. A memory from when I was eight years old floated to the surface. I’d been hiding behind the tapestry in my room, crying my eyes out after Josh, a servant boy I’d girlishly admired, had betrayed me in our game of hide-and-seek so he wouldn’t lose, and then, on top of that, he’d called me a smelly old poop stick when I complained.
My supposed father, Gorg, had found me, using all of his skill as a spymaster and spotting the lump in the tapestry. He’d gently pulled me from my hiding place and pried the story from my lips with sweets. “You know, true love is really mostly about friendship and loyalty,” he’d told me. “So I don’t think Josh is the one for you. Your true love wouldn’t betray you or leave you behind. He’d stay by your side. Help you. Always.”
I stared up at Stavros and wondered what Gorg would think of him. My chest gave a funny tug because I thought, perhaps, he’d approve.
A longing expression seemed to cross Stavros’ face, and for a split second, I considered asking him exactly what he was thinking. I wanted to know if his thoughts were the same as mine. But we were in the midst of the huge ballroom in the mayor’s palace, jellyfish-fashioned chandeliers tinkling above us, gossips tittering all around us. It was not the right time for such confessions. So instead I asked, “How did you like today’s parade?”
He shrugged. “I’d rather eat boots.”
