“It’s that simple? You just say it?” I scrunched up my nose.
Peisinoe squeezed my hand. “Do not underestimate the power of gratitude.”
37
Skye
Ididn’t know how long I’d slept when I awoke in my chambers. Perhaps only a few hours, judging by the watery light about me, suggesting it was still day. I sat up, bringing a hand to my temple, then sank back down.
Weariness clung to me from the dream weaving, a heavy shroud that had settled deep in my bones. I stared at the ceiling and thoughts began to creep in. Parker’s blood on my hands... I shoved the sponge pillow over my face, but they kept coming. Aranare’s grief-stricken face... the grotesque wings that had torn from my back before I’d sliced into the flesh of Parker’s throat.
I threw myself out of bed and grabbed the vat of Thálassian wine—refilled daily and left out for guests—turning it over in my hands. With an exhale, I set it back down.
No more hiding behind drink.
My breaths came ragged as I flung open the door to my chambers and rushed to Edward’s room. I found him at his mirror, carefully combing his copper hair into its usual immaculate quaff. Relief coursed through me atthe sight of his familiar face, a fleeting refuge from the storm of thoughts tearing through my mind like a flock of raging blackbirds.
He grinned, moving from his bathing chambers into the main space. “I’m just off to combat training.”
“Oh.” My face fell.
“Why not come along?”
I’d always hated sparring with Aranare, and the exhaustion from dream weaving still hung over me. Still, the alternative was to stay here alone with... with...
“I’ll come,” I said quickly. “But you know your hair will only get messed up during training, right?” I plastered on a grin, rifling through the items in Edward’s bathroom to find a strand of seaweed to secure my ponytail.
We descended the expansive stone steps and entered the throne room, moving beneath the arch that led to the gardens.
“How are you doing with all this?” Edward asked, waving a hand over the carefully curated corals blooming in beds on either side of us.
Had he seen something in my expression? I bit the inside of my cheek as the thoughts I’d been avoiding surged forward, but I mastered a quiet laugh. “Now,thisI don’t mind.” I gestured to the gardens.
“You know what I mean. Coming to terms with this new life can be awfully difficult. I know Morgana found it a struggle.”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” I mused, thinking of the strength that seemed permanently etched onto her features.
“She endured quite a lot.” Edward’s brow furrowed. “Not only with Finn, but with the Drowned, and the mystery surrounding her missing father.”
I exhaled a sea of bubbles. “Right, and I’m all torn up because I killed one lousy asshole who deserved it. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Of course not. What I’m saying is you’re not alone. Morgana and Iwere thrust into this world, albeit in different ways. We may feel lost and bewildered, but at least we have each other.”
“Thanks, Edward.” My voice softened as I leaned in, gripping his wrist. “Do you think you’ll be any good in combat?”
“I’d rather spend my time in the magnificent library, but I suppose I’ll give it a go.”
I chuckled, looping my arm through his, the darkness retreating to the periphery of my mind.
Around fifty Thálassians had turned up for Pisceon’s combat training, which was being held in an expansive open area not far from the castle, where the sand was arranged in turrets and drifts and hemmed by flowing bushes of seaweed.
“Pair up,” Pisceon called as more Mer drifted into the glade. Glacies supported him from the sidelines, wearing her silver breastplates.
We lined up in pairs along the sandy seabed, and Edward and I became a team.
“Face your opponent!” Pisceon’s cry carried down the line of Mer as he hovered at the far end.
I tightened my ponytail and turned to Edward.
