The Sea King

  Alarmed and horrified, she yanked her hands away.

  The next thing she knew, she was free and standing six feet away from him, one hand pressed to her chest, breath heaving in and out of her lungs. Dilys had fallen forward, onto his hands and knees, and he was swaying, shaking his head drunkenly.

  Then he began to laugh. The weak, breathless kind of laughter that came after surviving an unexpected brush with near death.

  “Goddess, woman. Either you care for me a great deal more than you are willing to admit, or you really don’t want me to die.” He pushed himself up and sat on his heels, staring at her with golden eyes so bright it almost hurt to look at them.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  His eyebrows rose. “Hurt me? Ono, moa kiri, quite the contrary. But I think now I know what it feels like to be struck by lightning.” He clambered to his feet and grabbed a nearby mooring post to steady himself. One hand still clinging to the post, he swept a low, wobbly bow. “Thank you, Gabriella. Your gift was great indeed.” He dragged in a shaky breath and grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want to claim me now?” He flung out his arms. “I am yours for the taking.” He swayed woozily and had to grab the post again.

  “Sit down before you fall down,” Summer snapped.

  He started laughing again and sat—or rather, collapsed—on the dock. “You are so bossy, moa leia. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  Affronted, she put her hands on her hips. “They. Have. Not.”

  “I like bossy women.” His eyes closed. His head lolled back. That smile stayed on his lips. “I like you, too. Very much. Come here.” He waved for her to come closer.

  She stayed where she was. “I don’t want to come there. Are you drunk?”

  “Only on your love.” His lips parted in a grin. “Come here.”

  “No.”

  One eye peeled open. “Please.” He waved again and held out a hand.

  “Oh, for Halla’s sake.” She blew out a disgusted breath and walked towards him.

  As soon as she was within reach, he grabbed her hand and gave a yank. With a shriek of surprise, she toppled her off her feet and into his lap. She struggled briefly, trying to get loose and back on her feet, but his arms were suspiciously strong, making her think his collapse was just an act.

  “Let me up,” she commanded, pushing against the hard, molded plate of his golden armor.

  “No.”

  “This is undignified.”

  “Perhaps. The answer is still no.” Her hair had come free of its pins. Brushing back a loose curl with his chin, he bent his head to nuzzle her neck. “You always smell so sweet.”

  She shivered as his tongue traced a line up her throat that his lips then followed with kisses. “Stop that.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Dilys.” She glanced around, blushing at the sight of all the Calbernans, Summerlanders, and Winterfolk watching them with open interest. “Everyone’s looking at us. You’re making a scene.”

  “Let them look. I want to kiss you, Gabriella. I want it so badly. But I vowed I wouldn’t kiss you again until you kissed me.” He pulled back to stare into her eyes. “Would you send me into battle without a last kiss from my love?”

  She rolled her eyes. “How many women have you used that line on?”

  “You’re the first.”

  “I don’t believe you. And I’m not your love.”

  “You are. The only love I’ll ever have.”

  She blinked up at him, feeling her world tilt off balance. He was devastating to her equilibrium when he smiled, but he was even more devastating to it when he got all serious and intense and his voice took on that husky timbre that made every cell of her body leap to tingling life.

  Then common sense reasserted itself.

  “I told you before . . . you don’t love me. You can’t.”

  “I can and I do.”

  “No, I—”

  He put a finger on her lips, silencing her.

  “Siren though you are, you can’t Command my heart.” He traced the outline of her lips with a fingertip. “I do love you, Gabriella Aretta Rosadora Liliana Elaine Coruscate. And I will until the day I die.”

  Despite her doubts, that sounded like a binding vow.

  “So, will you kiss me?”

  She shook off whatever enchantment he was working on her and set her jaw. “No. Now let me up. Your men are waiting.”

  He closed his eyes and pressed his face against her hair for a second or two. Then he sighed and gave her a crooked smile. “You are a cruel, cruel woman, Summer Coruscate.” He shifted his arm, planting a hand firmly beneath her bottom and gave her a shove that set her on her feet.

  “Cheeky creature.” She glowered at him for his familiarity, shook out her skirts, and set about repinning her fallen hair. But as she curled up her locks and shoved pins in place to hold them, she kept casting quick, troubled glances his way. What if he did die? For all his confidence and capabilities, he was still mortal. And these pirates had not only proven themselves both willing and able to kill Calbernans—they had a specific grudge against House Merimydion. Dilys would be sailing into battle with a target on his back.

  He was on his feet and gave all signs of being completely recovered from his earlier disorientation. Her mouth curled in spite of herself. Idiot. He’d just pretended to be “drunk on her love” as an excuse to pull her into his lap and beg her for a kiss. She shouldn’t find his antics amusing, but she did.

  “Alakua.” Speaking the Sea Tongue word for “captain,” one of the officers from Dilys’s ship stopped beside him and clapped a fist to his armored chest. “Forgive me, Alakua. It is time.” The other men had already boarded the ship. Dilys was the only member of the Kracken’s crew who had not.

  “Tey. Thank you,” Dilys said. To Summer, he offered a final, small smile. “This is good-bye, then. Time for me to take my leave of you.”

  “Yes.” He had already taken leave of her family. Though Wynter, Khamsin, and Dilys’s uncle had all said their good-byes at the palace, Summer had accompanied him to the docks to see him off. Spring and Autumn were further down the mile-long dock saying their farewells to Ari and Ryll and the other officers who’d danced attendance on them this summer.

  “I will see you again when I return,” Dilys told her. “You still owe me two weeks of courtship.”

  Kham and Wynter had agreed to let Dilys and his men continue the final days of courtship after they returned from dealing with the pirates. Assuming, of course, that they did return. Summer thought about Dilys’s cousin, Fyerin, and his crew, all of whom had not survived their last encounter with these pirates. She clasped her hands together and squeezed her fingers tight.

  “If you insist,” she said.

  “I do. I intend to hold you to every day of my contract.” Dilys stood a little while longer, as if waiting for her to say or do something, then gave a wry smile and clapped a fist over his heart. In Sea Tongue, he said, “Until the seas bring me home to you, or we meet again in the presence of Numahao.” And, with that, he turned and began walking up the gangplank.

  Summer stood where she was. Her fingers squeezed tighter and tighter. Her jaw clenched. He was halfway up the gangplank. A few more steps, and he’d be aboard his ship. And then he’d be gone. Her hands started to shake. There was a strange buzzing in her ears. Everything faded except for the reality of Dilys walking up that gangplank . . . walking away . . .

  “Dilys!” His name burst from her lips. “Wait!”

  She didn’t care that everyone was watching. She ran up the gangplank. As he turned to face her, she threw herself into his arms and slammed her mouth against his. She kissed him passionately, fervently, pouring everything she was into that kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms pulled her tight against him. She kissed him, and it was . . . perfect.

  When the kiss ended, Dilys lifted his hands to cup her face. He smiled, great, golden eyes gleaming. “Thank Numahao,” he laughed softly. “It’
s a miracle.” He kissed her again, long and deep, robbing her of breath. When he finally pulled away, she was dizzy. That made him laugh again, the sound rich and warm, and she realized that all he had to do was laugh, and her heart lightened.

  “Be safe and don’t do anything stupid,” she told him sternly.

  “You have my vow, moa haleah. I shall do no stupid thing.”

  “I mean it.”

  “As do I. Have you not just given me the greatest of all reasons to return to you safely?”

  She rolled her eyes. “It was just a kiss.”

  “Ono, it was much more than that.” He smiled and tenderly stroked the back of one knuckle down her cheek. “You just gave me hope.”

  Her throat tightened, and she had to blink against the sudden burning in her eyes. She turned her head to brush her lips across his caressing hand, then gave him a shove. “Go.” Her voice came out rough, a little scratchy. “Your men are waiting.” She hurried down the gangplank before she could give into the urge to throw herself back into his arms.

  A few minutes later, the ships weighed anchor. The massive sails unfurled. Summer lifted a hand and summoned an easterly wind to speed them on their way. The sooner they were gone, the sooner they would return. Already her heart was aching at the thought of not seeing Dilys for weeks, possibly even months.

  “I’m going to miss them,” Autumn announced, staring after the departing ships. “They were such good company.” She turned away. “I’m heading back to the palace. Do you two want to come with me?”

  When Summer didn’t answer, Spring said, “You go on. We’ll head back in a while.”

  Autumn hesitated then stepped over to give Summer a hug. “He’ll be all right, Gabi. Don’t forget he fought the armies of a god and won. What’s a few measly pirates compared to that?”

  Gabriella nodded and somehow managed to shape her mouth in the form of a small smile. Autumn meant well, she knew. And Summer wasn’t being particularly adept at hiding her worry.

  “You care for him very much, don’t you?” Spring murmured, after Autumn departed.

  Summer watched Dilys’s ship sail down the Llaskroner Fjord. “Much more than is wise.”

  “Do you love him?”

  The ship rounded the bend and disappeared behind the slope of the mountain. Summer sighed and turned to meet Viviana’s softly searching gaze. “For all our sakes, I hope not.” But she knew, even as she said it, it was already too late. That was her heart that had just sailed out of view. And if it didn’t come back to her safe and sound, they were all in trouble.

  As the remaining Calbernans completed their final preparations for departure, Calivan Merimydion summoned the ten warriors who would be remaining behind in Konumarr to guard Summer Coruscate.

  “Calbernari,” he greeted as the ten joined him in his chambers. “Close the door, please.”

  Once the door was shut, Calivan veiled the room with not one but five layers of insulating water to capture all sound before it escaped the room. After making certain the veils were seamless and impenetrable, he turned to the assembled warriors.

  “I have discovered how the Shark has managed to capture our warriors and drown them. He is using a very powerful spell, and at the request of the Myerial, I have spent the last several weeks devising a countermeasure. A protection rune that, with your permission, I will ink into your skin.”

  “You think the Shark will come here?” That came from Synan, the member of House Merimydion whom Dilys had left in charge. “Forgive me, Lord Chancellor, but aren’t you expecting him to go for the wedding treasure?”

  “I am, which is why Dilys and his men have already agreed to the procedure. But you ten will be protecting the future daughter of House Merimydion. Dilys insists that you be protected against enemy spells.”

  Synan gave a sharp nod of assent. “Of course, Lord Calivan. Whatever you and the Myerielua require.”

  “Excellent.” Calivan withdrew a pot of specially formulated red ink from his bags, and used it to draw a circle of runes behind the right ear of each warrior. When he was done, he carefully repacked the pot of ink and the bespelled golden quill he’d used to apply it, then turned back to the gathered warriors and summoned his magic.

  As the twin of Calberna’s reigning queen, he had a more powerful command of susirena than most males, but even that advantage wouldn’t have allowed him to overcome the natural resistance to mind control that all Calbernans possessed. Not, that is, without the spell he’d just inked upon these warriors’ skin. That spell, taught to him long ago by Mur Balat, allowed him to bypass a Calbernan’s natural defenses to plant commands in their minds with his magic. There were limitations to the spell. For instance, he couldn’t Command a Calbernan to murder someone he would normally die to protect, but directives that didn’t trigger those deep protective instincts were impossible for even the strongest bespelled warrior to refuse.

  “From now until the day Dilys returns,” he Commanded, “you will open a door on the southwest corner of the Sea Veil each evening after the sun sets, and you will leave that door open until sunrise. You will not patrol that section of the palace. Except for you, Synan.” He turned to the young scion of House Merimydion. “You will stand watch each night at the southwest corner, and you will warn the men who come that they must silence the women and keep them silenced. The women know spells they can cast if they are allowed to speak. Do you understand?”

  “Tey, Lord Chancellor,” Synan confirmed in a monotone.

  “Good. And each morning, all you men will remember that you patrolled the entire perimeter of the Veil, and that everything was secure and in order. You will not remember that these Commands were ever given to you. You will simply carry them out, and you will not remember having done so. You will not reveal nor remove the runes on your skin, nor will you remember that I placed them upon you. You will not see them upon yourself or each other, but if someone else draws the marks to your attention, you will remember that the runes are a protective spell against enemy magic that you received from an enchantress you met during your travels.”

  He paced around the room, stopped before each man to be sure his Commands had been imprinted and would be obeyed. When he was satisfied with the results, he released his power, and began speaking to the men in a normal voice.

  “Calbernari, the security of the first Siren born since the Slaughter lies on your shoulders. My nephew handpicked each one of you due to your dedication to Calberna and your unsurpassed abilities as warriors and Sealords of the Isles. Keep the myerial myerinas safe until your prince returns. If there is trouble, you will send word both to Dilys and to me immediately. Is that understood?”

  “Tey, Lord Chancellor,” the men confirmed.

  “Excellent. Keep watch on the waters and stay alert, men.”

  “Tey, Lord Chancellor.”

  “You are dismissed. And thank you—each of you—for your dedicated service to the Myerial, and I rely on fine men like you to keep the Isles safe.”

  When they were gone, Calivan walked over to the wide, tall windows overlooking the palace gardens and the fjord beyond. The men who’d just left would die when Mur Balat sent his slavers to take the Seasons. A grievous loss. Each of the men came from fine families in strong Houses. But he was much more concerned about Dilys. Calivan hadn’t anticipated that Alys’s son would enter liakapua with one of the Seasons any more than he’d anticipated that Summer Coruscate would be a Siren. If Dilys did not survive losing his mate—and there was a good chance he wouldn’t—Alys would suffer another devastating loss, but there was no help for it. Mur Balat’s elixir would slow Alys’s decline, while the advances Calivan was making with magic-storing crystals would hopefully help reverse it. Calivan would be there, offering his unconditional love to help her over her grief. Also, contrary to what he’d told Dilys, if a Siren—even an oulani Siren—stepped foot on Calbernan shores, there would be many powerful voices demanding that Alys step down and pass the crown of Calberna to th
e one who wielded Numahao’s greatest gift. Calivan, whose life was entirely dedicated to protecting and advancing his sister and her interests, wasn’t about to let that happen.

  So rather than shaking his resolve to aid Mur Balat, the truth about Summer Coruscate’s astonishing gift cemented it.

  Calivan glanced around the chamber where he’d been sleeping since his arrival. His belongings were already packed and loaded on the ship.

  Time to head for home . . . and Alys.

  Gabriella couldn’t sleep.

  Dilys had been gone four days now, and each one seemed an eternity. The nights were the worst. She’d become so used to spending her evenings with him, enjoying a peaceful stroll through the gardens, or a gorgeous sunset sail. So used to the thousands of small caresses that made her feel adored, the laughter that lightened her heart. Without that—without him—she could feel the tension and pressure building up again as her power pooled inside her.

  She fell back on the practice of a lifetime, meditating to calm herself and strengthen her shields, adding layers to the internal wall that kept the monster caged.

  The familiar mental chores were harder now, without Dilys there beside her. It was as if he had become her touchstone, replacing the little sapphire dolphin on her mother’s charm bracelet. He centered her. For all that he loved driving her crazy—both with desire and with his constant teasing—his presence put the monster at peace.

  Now he was gone, and the monster was no happier about it than Gabriella.

  There was a noise outside her balcony. Gabriella narrowed her eyes. Even with Dilys gone, she still woke each morning to a balcony carpeted with her favorite fragrant flowers and no clue as to how they got there. Thinking to catch Dilys’s cohort in the act, she crept over to the balcony doors and flung them open, crying, “Aha!”

  But the man on her balcony wasn’t anyone familiar. Not a Calbernan. Not a Winterman. Not a Summerlander either. He was, in fact, the most unsavory-looking man she’d ever clapped eyes on. Scarred, skinny, and swarthy-skinned, he was clad in a smelly, filthy amalgamation of patched, ill-fitting, and mismatched clothes that included a badly stained naval officer’s jacket, an infantryman’s black breeches, and what appeared to have once been an elegant gentleman’s knee boots. The man caught sight of her and grinned, displaying a handful of blackened teeth and swollen red gums.