The mermaid raised a hand, and another mermaid leaned over Brax and covered his mouth with her own. When she lifted her head, Brax gasped in air. He coughed as water rose up from his lips.
Valoria breathed with relief. She could not dwell on the truth of the matter, that he’d fallen prey to the mermaids’ advances, that he did not love her. She would deal with that knowledge later. For now, she had to settle for the fact he was alive.
Three mermaids carried Brax to the boat and dumped him over the side. Still coughing, he crawled to a sitting position as Valoria spread a blanket over his shoulders. His lips were blue. She touched him and gasped as her fingers turned to ice. It was as if his inner fire had burned out.
Nathaniel threw the velvet pouch into the water. It sunk into the depths. “And the blue fire?”
A webbed hand reached from the surface by the boat. The webbing unfurled to reveal a glass bottle stopped with a snail shell. Inside, a blue substance glimmered and swirled.
Valoria’s heart quickened as Nathaniel leaned over the boat’s edge and reached for the vial. She reminded herself he was not susceptible to the mermaids’ spell. He had a love in his heart. Blanca. Now the truth was clear and it ate away at her insides like acid fire.
Nathaniel took the bottle and studied it in the light. “This is enough?”
“One drop will burn lake.” The mermaid lowered herself waist deep in the water. Her tail undulated in the waves.
His eyes widened. “Why do you have something so powerful, it could be your demise?”
“We stole it from enemy.” She’d slipped in up to her neck. Fins along her sides unfurled around her like wings.
“Thank you.” Nathaniel bowed his head.
“Thank us by saving the world.” She disappeared under the sea.
Chapter 26
Facing Truths
Valoria’s arms burned as she paddled with Nathaniel back to Amok’s ship. Brax huddled in the back under the blanket, his eyes staring at the horizon with a blank expression. He hadn’t uttered a single word since they’d left the Sapphire Isles. Perhaps the mermaids had tricked them into bringing home a ghost.
“Will he recover?” Valoria whispered to Nathaniel, even though she doubted Brax would hear or care.
“He’s had a tough blow.” Concern crossed Nathaniel’s warm eyes. “But he’s stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.” Nathaniel nodded to himself. “He’ll come back. Give him time.”
Give him time. The queen had asked her to promise as much. Valoria had given Brax time—days, weeks, almost a month. Hadn’t she given him enough?
She knew the answer to that question. She had to give him as much time as he needed, whether it took days, months, or years. Or a lifetime. A rock fell in her stomach.
Valoria studied Nathaniel’s perfect features. “You are fortunate to have such a love as to prevent the mermaids from reaching you.” The words escaped her mouth before she’d had time to think upon them.
Nathaniel jerked as if startled. “Fortunate is not the word I would use.”
Valoria snapped her head up in confusion. Who would curse love?
“Ahoy maties!” Amok shouted from the bow of The Manta’s Tail. “Bring the boat about and I’ll lift ye up.”
They secured the boat to the moorings, and chains clinked as Amok turned the wheel and lifted them from the sea. Valoria wanted to pursue their conversation further, but Nathaniel turned away, watching the chains rise and fall around them.
Amok’s wrinkled face peered over the railing. His eyes widened when he saw Brax. “Looks like someone had a fall.”
Valoria cast him a glare that advised against further comments on the matter. Even though Brax had teased her and made her feel like the lowest form of princess in Ebonvale, she would not have someone treat him with disrespect.
Amok turned to Nathaniel. “Did you find what ye were looking for?”
Nathaniel nodded, providing no other explanation. “Help me take Axel to his room.”
Amok positioned himself under one shoulder, while Nathaniel positioned himself under the other and they walked Brax across the deck and into the belly of the ship. Valoria followed them, wishing she could help more.
They dropped him onto his bed. Nathaniel retrieved a bowl of soup from the pantry as Amok went above deck to chart the course home.
Valoria pulled a chair next to his bed. “I’ll stay with him.”
Nathaniel nodded as if it was the more logical choice, handing her the bowl. “I’ll be above deck making sure we don’t run into any more mythological creatures.”
She nodded and held a dampened cloth to Brax’s forehead. If they did, they’d be in poor shape to fight with their boat falling apart and their best warrior down. Valoria wasn’t even sure she had the energy to play her harp.
After Nathaniel left, she brought a spoonful of soup to Brax’s lips. He ignored her, gazing out the window to the waves. She’d never seen this downcast side of him before, and she suspected he didn’t show it often.
“You have to eat to regain your strength.” She lifted the spoon again, but his lips wouldn’t part.
“I thought it was real.” His voice was soft and hoarse, as if he were waking from a long sleep.
“What?” She dropped the spoon. “You thought what was real?”
“In the water.” His voice trailed off, his gaze still locked on the sea.
Here was a chance to glimpse his soul, to truly know him, yet he would not share himself. Valoria resisted the urge to push him. “It does not matter now. Have some soup.”
He turned toward her, seeing her for the first time. “It does matter. I have failed you.”
He had. She could not avoid the ugly truth. He did not love her. There was something in the water he wanted more, the key to his heart. She’d never have it. But, did he truly have the key to hers? He’d failed her as much as she’d failed him.
“Here.” She dug in her cloak and brought out his flask. “You need this more than I.”
Brax closed her fingers over the flask. “’Twas a gift. You must keep it.”
“It does not belong to me.” Nor did his heart.
“It will someday.”
But would it, truly? She did not have the courage to ask. Instead, she set the flask on the bed beside him. “But not today.” She pushed the soup closer to him. “Eat. You’ll need your energy for the battle to come.”
“I cannot eat until I have your forgiveness.”
Had the mermaids shown him her heart, she’d be the one asking for forgiveness, not him. She gave him the spoon. “There is nothing to forgive.”
* * * *
Nathaniel joined Amok at the wheel. Twilight spread across the horizon, and the first stars of the night peaked through the dull canopy. “How long until we reach shore?”
“The wind is in our favor.” Amok winked. “With this northwesterly gale, I can skirt the Sea of Urchins and have you back in Shaletown in three days.”
Three days. Nathaniel hadn’t thought he’d be eager to return, but the quest had taken longer than anticipated, so he welcomed any way to speed their course.
Amok clucked his tongue. “You’ll be seeing your sweetheart soon.”
Nathaniel massaged his forehead. He still didn’t know what he’d say to Blanca. Earlier in the boat, he’d said too much to Valoria when she’d spoken out about true love. How could he tell her she was the reason why the mermaids hadn’t attacked him? It was impossible. But, how could he refuse Blanca after revealing there was a deep love in his heart?
It wasn’t that Blanca was so unbearably dreadful or unsightly. She was a pleasant woman. But, he’d spent his whole life trying to forget about his past, and Blanca tied him right down to it. And he couldn’t marry a girl who’d picked on him as a boy and pulled his hair. To her he’d always be that little rascal waiting outside the pastry shop for handouts.
What he wouldn’t admit to himself was
the real truth that ranked high above all others; Blanca wasn’t Valoria. If he accepted that, he wouldn’t be able to find anyone who would compare, and that thought made his chest ache.
“Know why I wasn’t killed when the wyverns came to Shaletown?” Amok leaned over, narrowing his eyes against the horizon.
Nathaniel shrugged. It wasn’t a subject he cared to talk about.
“I was in the sea, collecting conch shells for a local merchant who sold them at the market up north.” Amok pursed his lips. “Saw them coming, I did. Like ribbons in the sky. First a few, and then a horde, flying right over my boat.”
Nathaniel shifted uncomfortably. “What happened when you came to shore?”
“Everything was blackened ash. Not a soul in sight.”
Nathaniel’s stomach hollowed. The queen had found him in that pile of ash. “Did you have family in Shaletown?”
Amok shook his head. “I haven’t had family in many years. But that didn’t take away any of the heartache. I knew everyone in that village, watched the wee ones grow up and take on their own shops, like Blanca. The village was my family.”
“And is it now?”
Amok shrugged. “I make do. They are all affable people. But, I miss the ones who came first, the ones who I had history with.” He sighed. “’Tis not the same.”
Nathaniel would have to make do with someone who was not Valoria. But, Amok was right, it would not be the same.
Chapter 27
Sharpened Blade
New Shaletown filled the morning light with tidy brick buildings and slate roofs. Valoria soaked in the familiar sight, eager to walk on land.
As Amok steered to their mooring, a young woman with a basket of chickens on her back sauntered across the dock. An older man smoked a pipe, and a young boy threw bread crumbs to the pigeons. It was hard to imagine such a horrible scene of tragedy had occurred so many years ago.
A woman in veils standing at the end of the dock caught her attention. Blanca. Had she been standing there every day waiting for Nathaniel’s return? Valoria’s stomach sickened, and this time it wasn’t from the rock of the sea.
“There you are. Twice what we promised to cover the damage to your ship.” Nathaniel handed Amok two bags of gold.
Amok shook his head in wonder. “I don’t know how such a young man as you came about all this fortune, but I thank you all the same.”
“We thank you for your silence on the matter.” Nathaniel gave Amok a hard stare.
“Of course. Won’t utter a word to a seagull.” Amok pocketed the gold. “Glad to be of service.”
Valoria approached the two men. When she caught Nathaniel’s attention, she gestured toward the dock. “Someone’s glad to see you.”
He stiffened and his lips thinned into a firm line. “Wait for me a moment. There’s something I need to attend to.” With determination, he pushed by Amok and jumped onto the dock.
Amok clucked his tongue. “I’d look after my heart if I was her.”
“Why do you say that?” Valoria’s stomach was tied in knots. She tried not to watch, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Nathaniel as he approached the innkeeper. She lowered her veil and reached out with her arms. Nathaniel stood apart, refusing to embrace her.
“There’s something off about him. Something he’s hiding.”
Valoria turned back to the old man, studying his sharp blue eyes. Could he sense Nathaniel was hiding their true identities? Nathaniel hadn’t been good at keeping secrets.
Blanca took a step back, covering her heart with her hand. She looked down, teetering as if she’d fall. Nathaniel did nothing to help her. He stood rigid as a dock mooring.
Valoria stepped forward and used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. “What is he telling her?”
“What I suspected all this journey.” Amok spit into the sea. “The lad’s not taking her.”
“Well, I’ll be Lyric’s teacher.” A guilty wash of relief came over Valoria. She didn’t like Blanca, but that shouldn’t mean she shouldn’t want her to be happy. And she did want her to be happy, just not with Nathaniel. Because he deserved someone who admired him for who he truly was, not because of his past. But who would that someone be? It couldn’t possibly be her, even if she wanted it to.
Blanca dropped her arms by her sides and walked away, leaving Nathaniel standing alone. He waited a few heartbeats, then turned back to the boat. A calm, solemn expression stretched across his face.
But, he had a true love. The mermaids had sensed it. Valoria blinked in shock as he returned to the ship. Who had his heart?
“Better tend to your friend.” Amok muttered under his breath.
At first Valoria thought he meant Nathaniel, but Brax had risen from below deck dressed in his traveling cloak and leather pants. Although he’d prepared for travel, his face was still pale and he moved with a slow hesitation, as if he didn’t trust the deck to hold his feet.
Even though Valoria had a thousand questions to ask Nathaniel, she turned to Brax and met him at the railing. “Are you feeling better?”
“Well enough to travel,” he grumbled, glancing at her with a cursory nod.
She moved to touch his arm and he swatted her back. “I can manage.”
“I had no doubt of it.” She pulled away as embarrassment and hurt burned in her neck and cheeks.
Nathaniel reached them as they walked the plank Amok had placed connecting the ship to the deck. “Blanca says a stable boy will bring our wagon. We can start our journey back.”
“You do not want to say farewell?” Brax must have missed their recent exchange.
“I already have.” Nathaniel’s tone was curt and final.
Brax raised both eyebrows, but did not pursue the matter further.
“That you did.” Amok wiped his dusty hands on his trousers.
Nathaniel clapped the man on the shoulder. “I did all I could, and I thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Watch over Blanca for me, watch over the town.”
Amok nodded. “No need to ask.”
By the time they reached the end of the dock, a small boy had pulled their wagon up with the horses well rested and fed. Nathaniel handed him a piece of silver and they climbed aboard, Brax in the back, and Nathaniel in the front. Valoria once again had to choose between them.
She climbed in the back where Brax had already begun sharpening his dagger, his favorite task. He glanced up and grumbled, “I wish to be alone.”
Valoria ignored him and sat on the bench across from him. “Do you think Ardent’s still here, working for that fisherman you set him up with?” Perhaps if she talked of what he’d done and not what he failed to do, he’d come around.
Brax shrugged. “Hard to tell.”
“I bet Lyric’s lyre he is.” Valoria smiled and glanced around the wagon, imagining Ardent working on a fishing boat. “I bet he’ll own his own boat someday, just like Amok.”
“If you’ve come to talk of fantasies, then I’m not in the mood.” Brax returned to sharpening his dagger.
She reached over and put her hand on his, stopping him. “Isn’t it sharp enough?”
He gave her a warning look. Valoria did not take her hand back. What would he do? Stab her with the dagger? She knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t hurt her, even if he didn’t love her.
Brax pulled away, letting her hand fall, then returned to sharpening with a vengeance. “It will never be sharp enough for what’s to come.”
* * * *
Nathaniel whipped the reins, guiding the horses through streets that should have been familiar, but were not. His conversation with Blanca still weighed heavy on his shoulders, but it was something that had to be done. He couldn’t marry her if he didn’t love her. He owed her the truth, and the truth was what he’d given her.
Almost all of it.
He breathed deeply, taking in the briny sea scent and listened to the gulls cawing above him. He’d told Bl
anca he couldn’t live in New Shaletown. She was brave where he was not. He had responsibilities elsewhere, and a life he’d made for himself that he could not turn his back on. All of it was true. But, what he didn’t tell her was his heart belonged to someone else. The mermaids had only confirmed what he’d known ever since he saw Valoria’s silver eyes.
If he could not have her for his own, then he’d lend his aid to her kingdom, fulfilling his promise to the late king. The path was so clear, yet to walk it took more strength and conviction then he’d ever known.
The leather parted behind him, and Valoria climbed out. She joined him on the bench. She’d braided her hair in a complex pattern down her back in tiny, amber rivulets. She’d tied a gold cord around the waist of her simple servant tunic, showing her tiny figure.
Nathaniel kept his eyes on the road, mostly. “How is Brax?”
“Grumpy as always.” She crossed her arms over her chest and sulked. “I tried to cheer his spirits, but it’s clear I have no effect on him.”
Nathaniel shifted in his seat. She had an effect on him, that was certain. “He is a stranger to failure.”
“Not one of us is perfect.” Valoria plucked an idle note on her harp and the sound resonated like a bell. “The sooner he understands that, the better.”
“He will always strive for perfection.” Nathaniel turned the corner and the city gates loomed above them. The guards only inspected the people coming in, and the line of departing travelers only stretched to the first shop. They’d be in the countryside soon.
“Well, if I cannot bring him out of his gloom, maybe the raiders will.” Valoria’s hands tightened around her harp.
Nathaniel nodded, whipping the reins as the line moved through the gates. “He does thrive on battle.”
Valoria suddenly looked small and vulnerable in the shadow of the gate. “Do you think they will attack us again?”
Nathaniel pursed his lips. The mermaids had bent to their cause once they were shown the alternative. He’d already seen how one raider could change. All they needed was a push in the right direction, and he had a few tricks up his sleeve. “I’m planning on it.”
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