Page 51 of A Warrior's Heart
“He is. Was.” Fletcher looked at Lorcan. “Correct me if I’m wrong. He was your grandfather after all. But Poseidon was often described as the god who holds the earth because of how the sea surrounds the land. He was bad tempered and would send earthquakes when angered.”
“I never knew him,” Lorcan said. “He died long before I was born. And my father never speaks of him. You know more than I, bard. It comes as no surprise that he was known for having a short temper. Perhaps that’s where my father gets his from.”
Fletcher nodded. “Well, Poseidon is said to have struck the ground with his trident to cause earthquakes. It was just one of the many powers the weapon gave him. He was given the nickname Earth-Shaker because of it.” His eyes then widened. “That’s it! The prophecy said in the depths, there’s a flash of gold. It sits in the hand of the one who shook the earth! The trident has to be in the lost city of Atlantis.”
“I don’t follow,” I said. “How could the trident be in Poseidon’s hand if the god is dead? No one knows where his grave is located.”
“A grave wouldn’t help anyway,” Lorcan said. “As I said, I know very little about my grandfather. But. I heard his body turned to seafoam upon his death, and he floated out to sea, becoming part of it.”
“It’s not referring to his grave. Gods are very prideful beings.” Fletcher crossed his legs and leaned forward, the glow of the oil lamps dancing in his excited eyes. “They always have statues and shrines constructed so that the world never forgets their excellence. In Atlantis, Poseidon had a temple built, and in the center of it was a massive statue of himself. The trident has to be in the statue’s hand, deep within the ruins.”
“Wonderful,” Eva said, clapping her hands together once. “So we know the trident is in Atlantis. But…whereis Atlantis?”
Fletcher’s face fell a bit. “Um. Well, no one knows exactly. There’s speculation, but it’s never been found.”
“Perfect.” Alek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How are we supposed to find it if we don’t know where to look?”
“Me,” Lorcan said. All eyes moved to him. “Phantos said, ‘It calls for its new master. Look inward and follow its call. Your intuition will guide you.’ If I understand correctly, I think the trident will lead me to it, call out to me. I only need to listen.”
“The trident was forged with the blood of Poseidon,” Alek said, as if something clicked in his mind. “And only those with the same blood can wield it. The same must go for finding it too.”
“This is good news, right?” Fletcher asked. “King James can’t find the trident.”
“No.” Lorcan took a steadying breath. “But my brother can. All the pieces of my vision are falling into place. I only pray we’re not too late.”
A grave expression crossed Alek’s face at the mention of Ezra. During the battle of Black Hallows, Alek had been held captive by Ezra before being killed.
“Where should we set sail?” Kellan asked the prince.
Lorcan stood from the deck and walked over to the side of the ship, staring out over the water. He closed his eyes and took a breath, then he took another. Minutes passed with nothing but the slight creaking of the ship as the tide gently rocked it.
“We need to travel east,” Lorcan said, opening his eyes and turning back to us. “Something’s pulling me in that direction.”
“East?” Nereus asked, his eyes widening. “The man-eating snakes.”
Shar laughed. Hard.
Kellan stepped away from where he stood leaning against the main mast. “I’ll look at the map for the nearest town along the way. We need supplies before we set out on a long voyage. Rest up. We leave at dawn.”
Fletcher told us goodnight before following the captain to their shared cabin. When Ervin stood, the rest of the assassins copied him. Well, almost all of them. Shar remained sitting beside Nereus in front of the small fire we’d built.
“Do you think they like each other?” Troy whispered to me. “Ervin mentioned the other day that they should sleep together and be done with it, but both of them took offense to the suggestion.”
I watched Nereus as he looked at the assassin. Not even the darkness could hide the blush creeping to his cheeks.
In the years I’d known Nereus, I had learned of his bravery and that he had a kind heart. I also discovered his lustful tendencies. So many times I’d caught the young warrior rutting with another soldier in the barracks or lusting after any attractive male who passed by. Once, he even became distracted by a shirtless warrior during our training, and if not for the dull blade on my sword, he would’ve been sliced open.
Even with half his face covered, Shar’s good looks couldn’t be denied.
“That is not for us to comment on,” I responded, moving my eyes to a very tired Troy. His lids were heavy as he stared back at me. “I’ll take you to bed.”
“Take me to bed, huh?” He smirked. “How naughty of you.”
“Not to my bed. To yours.” Though, it was hard to hide how much the suggestion stirred me, making my cock harden. I tore my gaze from him and pushed to my feet. “It’s been a long day for all of us.”
Troy stood up, still with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and walked with me toward his cabin. The front of his light brown hair was braided and tucked behind his ear, and his lips were plump and glistened from the fruit he’d been munching on. His brows knitted together, as if he were mulling something around in his head.
He stopped when we were outside his door. “Can I ask you something?”
