I respected that the king would have me doing this for the right reasons, but I would not lie to him. “I believe in the human cause, in their rights as Elydorians. I believe the Gate should not have trapped some here unwittingly. I also wish for Mev to be reunited with her mother. But aye, your majesty, my primary reason is because Nerys wished it and, as I said, she is a good friend of mine. Has been for many years.”
The king sat back, as if taking it all in. I chanced a glance at Issa, who sat wide-eyed beside me. By the tides, the woman was lovely.
“You are a loyal friend, Captain Marek.”
“I like to believe so, your majesty.”
“We are lucky it is so as there are few, if any, who would dare such a feat. A toast, to the bravery of Captain Marek of Thalassar,” he said, using the more ancient term for my clan.
You’re braver than that.
I lifted my goblet along with the others, Kael’s words coming back to me.
Drinking deeply, I considered them, knowing he was right. If I could face death for the sake of a friend, could I not face the inevitable loss that would come with loving Issa?
I looked at her, wondered what she was thinking.
Wondering, after everything, if I did survive… would she even have me?
20
ISSA
“We have a plan,” the king said, our dinner meeting with him seemingly at a close.
After being trussed up by Mev, who seemed to take great delight in my “makeover,” I’d been forced to confront Marek, still thinking of what he’d said to me in front of the palace.
I regret leaving at all.
His words played through my mind all eve, but now was not the time to dwell on them. Or how good he looked in his formal attire. Or the way he glanced at me throughout the meal.
Take care of them.
My father’s final words, uttered repeatedly as he lay on his deathbed, my mother newly gone and buried. It was my duty to Hawthorne Manor that needed my attention, and Mev had promised to raise that very topic at this meeting.
“A solid plan,” Mev responded. “We will discover the meaning behind Rowan’s warning and send word to you at The Siren’s Rest.”
“I will recruit every scholar and mage and the Committee of Elders,” the king said. “Do not,” he added to Marek, “attempt to enter the Depths before we can fully understand them.”
“I’m not certain we will ever truly understand the Maelstrom Depths,” Marek said, but at the king’s stern glare, he conceded. “I will wait for word, your majesty.”
“I should go,” Kael said, not for the first time. “It’s my clan, my land. Adren?—”
“Will meet up with Marek and Issa,” Mev concluded. “You will bring too much attention, returning home, as it were. Attention Marek does not need.”
Kael’s scowl deepened.
“Trust Adren,” she said. “He discovered the Crystal’s location and will take care of Marek and Issa.”
“I trust him with my life, but Gyoria and its people are…”
He stopped.
We waited.
I understood his frustration, feeling helpless to protect people you loved.
“Your father’s and Terran’s responsibility.”
