Page 19 of Deep Sea Kiss
Eiric
It wastime to face his king.
Eiric plunged through the waves, the cool morning air tickling the spines on his back while he treaded water. His wings and fins aided the sinuous movements of his body. Sea dragons were made for this, and though he could fly short distances, air was in no way his preferred element.
He had new information on Mikkel’s accident to discuss with Magnus, as well as Lottie and her kids. Viola, the other bartender, had finally come back to work after a leave of absence, and Eiric had chatted with her the previous week. She didn’t remember much about Mikkel’s mysterious companion that night, only that he’d spoken in English. British, she’d guessed.
It was rare enough for foreigners to come to Brundal, because the village was off the beaten tourist track. The fjords around Ålesund were beautiful, but not where most of the visitors to Norway went when they toured the country. Of course, the man might have been simply passing through, and Mikkel might have spoken with him out of politeness, but Eiric still needed to know what had been on his brother’s mind that night.
He’d put in a request for security footage at the shop next door, as well as the gas station down the road. And he’d called a security company to install cameras in his own restaurant. He’d never needed them before, and he beat himself up over the fact that he’d procrastinated with it. There was virtually no crime in Brundal, where everyone knew their neighbors, but it wasn’t a local he was interested in this time.
The distance between the mainland and Drageøy was enough for a brisk workout. He felt the moment he passed the enchanted barrier that separated his home island from the human world. The witch who had put it up was long dead, but the protective bubble remained, strong and untouched.
Drageøy was a cluster of islands, with one tall peak rising in the middle and several rocky humps poking from the sea around it. They were all inhabited at various points in time. Dragons liked their privacy, so it made sense to build dwellings as far apart as possible.
But the shining roofs of Gyldenstad were crowded close together to protect the inhabitants from the bitter, freezing winter winds. A third of the hundred or so buildings stood empty now, maintained for future generations but depressingly void of life. Their clan had shrunk over the past centuries, until no more than five hundred sea dragons remained. There hadn’t been any new dragonlings for almost three years, and the Asplund boys were growing up fast.
The underwater dwellings and halls all stood empty as well. They were now little more than relics from the past, and though Eiric had loved exploring them as a kid—they made convenient hiding places for when he wanted to escape his father—he now avoided them. It was sad to think that their clan used to be so numerous that the houses built on land weren’t enough to hold everyone. What he wouldn’t give to see the golden age of his people.
Eiric made for the stone pier that jutted out into the bay, shaking off his melancholy mood. A dozen boats were tied to the moorings, and a larger fishing vessel that the town’s men had already brought back with that morning’s catch. The ever-present reek of fish guts and motor oil scented the air, and Eiric was grateful for the swift breeze that carried those aromas away.
He changed to his human form at the rusty metal steps and climbed to the pier, then grabbed a robe from a water-tight chest near the mooring posts. He had a house here, but it was at the other side of the town, and he didn’t want to alarm anyone by strolling naked through the streets. Dragons weren’t a very modest bunch, but the sight of the king’s brother sans clothes would start too much gossip to be worth it.
His mother would also chew him out if he dared to commit such an impropriety.
He waved at a passing fisherman and made his way toward the palace. The long hall was nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the houses; it sat squat on the main town square, its gilded roof decorated with carvings of sea dragons in battle. This was where he hoped to find his brother and have a very important chat with him.
He pushed at the side door, unwilling to cause a spectacle by bursting in through the main entrance. That one was used for ceremonies and opened wide on the days when the king was receiving. Eiric was grateful this wasn’t such a day—he didn’t want an audience for this conversation.
The ornate throne at the top of the hall was empty.
“Magnus?” Eiric called. “Are you here?”
His words echoed through the vaulted chamber.
“Yeah,” his brother’s voice answered.
Eiric followed it to the far corner of the room where Magnus had set up an office space for himself. He claimed the throne was uncomfortable and refused to work there unless absolutely necessary.
The king of the last sea dragon clan in Norway sat in a leather chair at his desk, surrounded by heaps of paper. He nodded at Eiric’s approach but held up one finger as he punched some numbers into a calculator.
Eiric dropped into the armchair opposite and adjusted his robe so it covered all of him. Cold seeped into his bare feet from the flagstone floor, but he didn’t mind the sensation. He’d run barefoot through this space since before he could remember, and he wasn’t about to stop now. In fact, he was hoping that a new set of children might soon be playing hide and seek behind the tall pillars that supported the roof.
“Sorry,” Magnus said at last. He put his pencil on the table and rubbed his eyes. “I’ve been at this for hours, and I just wanted to finish this last part.”
Eiric glanced at the papers. “How is our estate doing?”
He didn’t have much to do with running the business side of the clan—his role was that of an architect and engineer, and he liked it that way. Still, he tended to check up on his brother every once in a while, so he didn’t work himself into an early grave.
“Eh, same old,” Magnus replied.
Eiric nodded, and they sat in silence for several moments. He had no idea how to start the subject of Lottie and her babies, but Magnus needed to know.
He took a deep breath and said, “Mikkel had two children.”
Magnus’ large body went completely still. “What?”
Shit, this was harder than he thought it would be. “Charlotte Shaw, a local nurse, has twins. A boy and a girl. They’re definitely his. Definitely dragons.”
