by Starla Night
Jolan nodded.
Torun stopped the recording and set down the cell phone. “Where is Lucy?”
“We will find her, my king. What of our enemy?”
Shots erupted from the deck.
Torun took Ailan’s trident. Now, he would put down the man who had injured his Lucy and dimmed her soul. “Pray for him.”
Chapter Thirty
Lucy was drowning. The sea in her lungs was cold and heavy. Strength left her body. The world went black.
A man shouted at her from the cave entrance. “Will you please stop screaming?”
She broke off and opened her eyes.
“Thank you.” Malem crossed the distance, his purple tattoos flashing. “It is difficult to enter with an alarmed cave guardian blocking the way.”
“I thought I was drowning,” she choked. Her bubbles erupted for the surface.
“You know you are a mer queen, right? The only thing you will drown is your opponent’s war cry.” He cut the zip ties with his trident. “Hurry and transform. We must go to King Torun before the other warriors attack.”
“King Torun?” she repeated, stretching out her arms and legs. Her T-shirt floated up around her neck. She yanked it down.
“The new seed was planted in his inner courtyard. It took root and has begun to grow.”
Oh yes. The seed broke from her shout. Lassie escaped with it. Of course the octopus had returned it to their castle. Apparently only the husk had broken, and it allowed the seed to germinate.
Thank goodness. A new Life Tree meant the city would not wither. Sireno, and all the mer within it, would continue strong and healthy.
Including Torun, as soon as they released him from Blake’s sick death trap.
“Transform,” Malem ordered.
“It’s not so easy,” she snapped and flexed her feet. “I can’t do it on command.”
“You must.” Malem darted to the bend and returned, impatient. “King Torun broke the covenant and dishonored our traditions. Because Prince Jolan has never fathered a young fry, the order of kings is broken. Many support King Torun’s grandfather as ruler of both the Council and the throne. Warriors are coming to ensure this unprecedented domination.”
She forced her feet into awkward positions. “So now you’re on Torun’s side?”
“The Life Tree has selected his castle. However, his castle was also once his grandfather’s, and King Torun broke many traditions.”
“His grandfather is trying to murder him so he can break the rules unopposed. You people only care about ‘traditions’ when it’s convenient.”
“Why is that any surprise?” He frowned at her. “If you understand, please hurry. We must placate the cave guardian and escape.”
“How did you get in? Did you steal a jewel too?”
“I did not.” He held up a Sea Opal. Anger crossed his face. “A human was dropping them like pebbles from an overfilled net.”
Blake.
Malem huffed. “Are you truly focusing?”
“How long did it take you to transform the first time?”
He avoided the answer. “Time is of the essence.”
“Well, what do you expect me to do?”
“I expect you to summon the powers of the new Life Tree, defend King Torun, and destroy all his attackers in a brilliant flash.”
She flushed hot and cold. A stranger who barely seemed to like her had complete faith that she was a badass.
Well, maybe she was worthy of his faith. Two weeks ago, she would have laughed him out of this cave. But today, thanks to Torun, she was changed. “Fine. Give me that.”
He handed her the Sea Opal. It was small and pearlescent and, somehow, it tasted faintly of dark chocolate and cinnamon. Lucy paddled to the surface, clambered out of the water, and ran to the empty pool. She dropped it in with a satisfying plop.
One mating jewel for one bride. Herself.
She put on her plastic magenta fins and dove past Malem’s stunned disapproval. “I’ll transform next time. Let’s swim.”
He flicked past her. Yep, he was faster. She’d work on that, too.
At the mouth of the cave, a panicked giant octopus poked a tentacle deep into the cave. Mr. Huggles! Her song gurgled, dark and worried, like the buzzing of bees.
Malem held back. “Where is the mating jewel?”
“I left it in the offering bowl.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
“We don’t need it.”
“Do you enjoy being squeezed to paste? To pass the cave guardian, you must show an offering.”
“I’ve got your offering right here.” Lucy snagged the dropped spear gun and swam directly into Mr. Huggles’s wildly curling arms.
The giant octopus wrapped around her and dragged her out, into the open ocean. Her grip squeezed Lucy with back-breaking strength. She clacked her beak.
An octopus’s beak was dangerous, but it was the last defense of an octopus about to be killed. Therefore, it was also the octopus’s most vulnerable place. Mr. Huggles was showing her exposed belly.
“I’m fine,” she told Mr. Huggles. “And I’ve got a present for you. Check it out.”
The octopus’s song lightened from angry beehive to bedraggled seagull. She loosened her grip.
Lucy worked her arm free and shot the spear into the open ocean. The spear flew out and hit the end of its tether with a jerk. Lucy wound up the string again and re-mounted the spear. The giant octopus watched her carefully. Lucy shot the spear gun a few more times.
“Don’t aim at anything important.”
Mr. Huggles released her, collected the spear and gun, and descended with happy, horrible crooning.
Malem floated out of the cave. “You commanded a cave guardian with no offering. You truly are a queen.”
“Thanks.”
Lucy rolled in the water and swam hard for the distant yacht. Other parties converged on it too. She pushed herself faster.
Malem swam ahead.
On one side of the yacht, the force sent by Torun’s grasping grandfather faced off against the smaller force that had turned her and Torun over to Blake.
Overhead, the water was pierced by a warrior. Ailan. He carried the bag of stolen Sea Opals.
Yes!
He swam hard, struggling for depth. Both groups surrounded him. He disappeared into their protection.
The water was pierced again by pop-hiss sounds. Gunfire! The groups remained too close to the surface. Didn’t they know about guns? Someone would get hurt.
“Run!” she shouted at them.
The warriors looked at her.
“Swim away!”
Malem, much farther ahead of her, took up her call. “Dive!”
Bullets slithered through the liquid, streaking deadly trails.
She focused. Summon the power of the Life Tree. A boiling white light curved like a dome over the warriors. The bullets hit it and skidded wild.
Some warriors startled and kicked away.
The leader of the new force snapped a sharp countermand. Those who had started to descend stopped and returned to their formation.
Crap. She struggled to swim faster.
A big, black-suited human crashed into the water.
Blake.
He paused on the surface, fully suited for scuba, and began to descend. Fearless of the warriors and their tridents, he swam for the Sea Opals. The warriors faced him equally fearless, their tridents poised for battle.
He clenched a gun.
“Move!” she screamed and raised her hand. Her shockwave appeared a moment too late.
Blake squeezed the trigger. The shot banged through the water, loud as a nail to the forehead, and the bullet zipped through the crowd. The bullet smashed into one of the BCUs, deflating it. The Sea Opals inside shattered with a scream.
The warriors finally scattered.
Blake brought up his second hand and leveled the gun on the fleeing warriors.
Torun dove into the water, a
trident tight to his side.
Relief nearly made her weak. He had survived and emerged strong. She renewed her swimming to close the distance.
Torun slammed the trident base into Blake’s hands.
Blake screamed. Bubbles ripped for the surface. The gun dropped from his hands and fell into the depths. Blake yanked out his long, deadly dive knife.
Why couldn’t she swim any faster? She poured on the kicks. “Torun!”
Blake dove at Torun.
Torun dodged beneath the blade. His trident flashed. He sliced Blake’s regulator line in two.
Bubbles poured from the hole. Blake spit the severed regulator out and grabbed the loose hose, pouring his oxygen out of the tank uncontrollably.
Around them, the mer warriors reformed into units and surrounded the battling males.
Torun poised to battle. Malem, who was so much faster than Lucy, swam through the other warriors to reach Torun’s side. The two proud, beautiful warriors faced off against an army.
The army’s leader, a noble merman with a deep, commanding voice, floated forward. “Give up, traitors. Our forces are too uneven for an honorable fight.”
Torun grinned broadly. “That is true. But I think you will find it is you who are outmatched.”
The leader of the army growled.
Torun turned to face Lucy. “Make way for Sireno’s queen.”
The mermen of the army also turned to look at her. It would have been an awesome entrance if she weren’t, you know, still half a football field away. She paddled maniacally. In the air, she’d be gasping.
Meanwhile, Blake let go of the regular hose and turned, searching the water. While holding his breath, he was still fighting? Yes. He swung to bury his dagger in Torun’s back.
“Behind you!” she cried.
Torun kicked forward. The dagger whooshed past his spine.
Blake cartwheeled.
Torun twisted and poked Blake’s BCU with his trident. It popped. Bubbles released like caged doves, escaping to the surface. The emptying oxygen tank slipped free of the deflating vest.
Blake scrambled for his weight belt. Without the counterbalance of the inflated BCU, the weights dragged him for the sea floor. He yanked the release and kicked free. Murderous rage transfixed his face. He swam to Torun from beneath, knife out, single-minded in his suicidal fury.
Swimming up so quickly with a held breath was dangerous. “Blake, stop!”
Torun wheeled to bare his teeth at Blake. His trident sliced past Blake’s throat.
Beyond reason, Blake kept coming.
Torun easily moved out of his path, rotated his trident, and bashed Blake in the face with the base. It struck Blake’s mask and spiderwebbed.
Blinded, Blake drifted. He put his hands out and kicked up, down, and sideways. Wait, was he disoriented? And only now realized he was out of breath and needed to breathe?
Lucy reached the last hundred feet. “No, Blake!”
He opened his mouth and sucked in water. But he was no mer.
Blake convulsed. He clawed at his throat. His body twitched.
She wished him dead, but not right in front of her. “Torun!”
Torun spoke to Malem. “Return Blake to his boat.”
Malem’s eyes widened. “My king?”
“He will face Lucy’s human justice. She is right to punish her own, as we would punish our own. He attacked so incompetently under the water, no mer was injured here today.”
“Of course.” Malem bowed at Lucy, grabbed the convulsing criminal, and dragged him roughly to the surface.
Lucy finally reached Torun.
He opened his arms to accept her.
She barreled into him. They tumbled over and over in the water. His heartbeat filled her with deep relief. The tightness in her eased. She wrapped her arms around his broad back and squeezed.
“I was so worried,” she cried.
He held her.
But it was not over. The army of mer assembled around them to finish the fight.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Lucy.” Torun held his soft, curvy queen. Her body felt whole in his arms. “You are unharmed.”
“But you aren’t.” She stroked his bruised cheek. Her dark eyes shone with concern.
He bore many nicks from the short fight with Ailan’s warriors. The salt water tingled as he healed.
Torun moved his hand under her waving clothes and squeezed her bare skin. “I will soon be well. And did you hear? The Life Tree is reborn. Our house seed responded to your power and has put down a root. Sireno will re-form.”
She swallowed hard and withdrew. “I heard that makes you a king.”
He needed her close. Torun drew her to his side again. “You are unhappy.”
“I still can’t have kids.”
“The new Life Tree will heal you.”
“But what if it doesn’t?”
Her question contained all the sadness, all the longing, all of the tears she had shed. The evil Blake made her feel less than a female because of her problem. The new Life Tree would certainly heal her in future. But right now, she was the one who had been captured by her people and sterilized.
She would have stayed with him after he endured that punishment. In the reverse, he would stay with her. She needed to hear him say it.
“If the new Life Tree does not heal you, and you are never able to bear our son, I do not care.”
“But Torun, your species is endangered. You have to—”
“Another will take my responsibility.”
She shook her head on those doubts.
He held her gently. “Lucy, you are my queen. From the moment your soul shone onto mine, you earned my devotion. Every action since has only strengthened our bond. I love, honor, and desire only you.”
“You love me?”
His heart swelled with the truth. Speaking aloud made it more right. “I love only you.”
She covered his mouth with hers. Her sweet promise shimmered in the water. He held her close.
The army of warriors murmured.
Curse their interruption.
He calmed his excitement and drew back. She licked her lips, sharing his promise. He would claim her, and she would welcome his claim.
Torun faced the superior force. Jolan had been captured and was surrounded by warriors, and Malem was on the deck, guarding Blake. No other help would come from any quarter. He and Lucy were on their own.
She was all Torun needed.
The sooner they ended this, the sooner he could be alone with Lucy. “Disperse now before you are needlessly hurt.”
The warlord leading the army, Sulan, faced him soberly. “Exile Torun. The Council demands you return to face final justice.”
Lucy turned in Torun’s arms to face Sulan. “Torun’s your King.”
“He has broken our traditions.”
“So you’ll break them back?” She snorted. “You’re hypocrites. All of you. It’s disgusting, and you should be ashamed.”
Sulan shifted uneasily. He was an honorable, duty-bound warlord who had trained in the same age group as Torun. Back in their youth, multiple sacred islands sent brides to Sireno, and more than one young fry was born in a year. But where Torun had chafed by the increasingly strict bride restrictions, Sulan had hardened himself to endure, serving year after year faithfully, knowing he would never receive the bride he deserved.
Now, he quoted the law. “It is for the Council to decide.”
“Grow some balls. You’re going to need them if you expect to be a father.”
Sulan’s brows rose.
Ailan clenched the bag of stolen Sea Opals. “Address Warlord Sulan with respect!”
“Ailan,” Sulan growled.
“But she is a would-be bride who is already married, and she dishonors you and Warlord Tor—”
“I am a queen!”
Her proclamation rang through the ocean. A shing sound, like a chime striking a blade, flowed outward and surrounded her t
rio in a protective sphere.
Ailan’s eyes widened. His unit darted behind him, tridents out. They hadn’t witnessed her powers before. Sulan’s units moved back smartly, in formation, with a much better understanding of what they risked.
Torun stroked his beautiful queen’s soft bicep. Her hair floated like kelp, tickling his face. She had never glowed so strongly. Truly, she was his queen.
She looked up at him, resting on his support. “They’re all going to challenge you like this, aren’t they?”
“You will win them over. It will take time.”
“I’m not really interested.” She tightened her hands around the arm holding her to him. “You need to solve your women trouble. Of course, the males of Sireno have to stop being such pig-headed jerks first.”
“It is possible to change. Falling in love clears a clouded mind.”
“Great. So, let’s gather some willing brides and organize a big speed-date.”
“You do not wish to meet the new Life Tree first?”
“When your Council can promise I’ll never, ever have to see you tied up with a knife in the town square, I’ll visit.”
“You would abandon this ruling position?” He tilted his head. “An air-breathing queen who controls the Sea Opals would amass a great fortune among her people.”
Especially since “her own people” were willing to kill to possess the Sea Opals. Torun knew his queen’s answer. He wanted to be sure that the rest of the listening warriors did also.
“I never wanted the money. I only wanted to find another Sea Opal to prove that I was right. And when the rest of you admit that Torun and I belong together,” she pointed at the warriors, “then I’ll have all the treasure I need.”
He chuckled. The day was coming. Even now, the warriors could see what their old traditions cost them, and what new traditions could lift them with hope.
Torun swelled with pride. “Then, if you will not be the queen of Sireno, I do not wish to be king.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip. “Are you upset?”
“No. I am a warlord, not a liege.”
“Let’s form a club. Right now.” She tugged him toward the surface, seeming to forget the fact that they were still surrounded by a hostile army. “Mel and Elyssa will be our first members. We’ll start organizing.”
