Page 59 of Beneath the Earth (Seven Wardens 3)

"Aye, let's go and see the storm kelpies. Let's hope they don't expect us to feast with them again."

Macey shuddered at the thought of the food they'd been served at their last visit. And the king... well, hopefully he'd recovered from the shock that the sìth had deceived him for decades, if not longer, by pretending that they'd built the Staran just for the storm kelpies.

She willed the Staran into existence rather than let Cam do it. She needed the practice, after all, and she was beginning to find it surprisingly easy. The trick seemed to be imagining travelling on the Staran, and then they were there. It was weird and didn't quite make sense. But what in this magical world did.

"To the na fir ghorma," Macey whispered, hoping that the Staran would somehow drop them in the underwater city of the storm kelpies and not in the middle of the ocean. That wouldn't be a problem for her, but Cam wouldn't be able to hold his breath for long enough to dive all the way down to the ocean floor.

They stepped onto the Staran and were swallowed by the mists...

... and were slammed against a barrier.

"What the rotten kelp is happening?" Macey cursed, shoving Cam off her before he squeezed her to death. It felt like the Staran had deposited them against a glass wall, but it was too misty to see anything.

"Hello?" Cam shouted, hammering against the barrier.

Guards! A muffled noise came from the other side and hurried footsteps approached the barrier.

A bang against the wall vibrated through Macey's body. Who's there? How did you get in? a rough voice shouted in their minds. Well, that at least answered the question whether they were in the right place.

"Get in? We're not really in," Cam muttered.

"My name is Macey, Princess of the Kelpies. I am here to see the Crown Prince, Muahwa. Can you let us in?"

More shuffling, then another knock against the barrier.

Macey? Is that really you?

Suddenly, the barrier dissolved and they fell into the room, Cam landing once again on Macey.

"Get off me, you ogre," she grumbled, the wind knocked out of her.

"Wraith, not ogre. We smell better." He shot her a grin and helped her up.

Princess, we welcome you.

She turned to see Muahwa, his bright blue skin glistening in the light of the glofish placed above the glass ceiling.

He bowed formally, but then, without warning, he flung himself at her, hugging her tightly.

"Ehm..."

Macey was speechless, but Cam cleared his throat, pulling the na firm ghorma off her. Muahwa looked a little sheepish and a dark blue spread over his cheeks.

You healed the Staran. The storms have calmed. We are in your debt.

The prince bowed again, back to his normal formal self.

Was it the sìth? he asked, and Macey remembered how the storm kelpies had suspected the seelie of messing with the Staran.

"No," she shook her head, "it was something else. The same reason why we're now here. Could we talk to the king, please?"

The blue blush on Muahwa's cheeks spread.

You're talking to him.

Macey took a step back. "What?"

My father died last month. I'm the king now.

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