Before she’d made it out of reach, Nalu grasped her wrist, stopping her progression. At his movement, every spear rose once more behind the queen.
This time she didn’t motion them back into place.
Lelas turned her head to look at her mate. Enough time passed that it was clear they were speaking, but it was not shared with anyone else.
With an expression that made it seem like he was ripping his heart from his chest, Nalu let go of Lelas’s wrist. Their fingers entwined briefly, the tips of their fingers the last to touch as she began to close the distance toward the queen.
Watching the pain and fear flicker across Nalu’s face made any remaining barriers to my acceptance of him crumble.
When I turned my attention back to Lelas, she was nearing the queen. The contrast between them was nearly laughable, if it hadn’t been so terrifying.
Next to the queen’s muscular girth, Lelas looked like a fragile seahorse swimming toward a ravenous shark, the small thing only hoping it would be considered too insignificant to bother with.
My irrational fear over Lelas since leaving the Scarus hadn’t been misplaced at all. It was Lelas approaching the Volitan queen. All by herself. Not that Lelas was really in any more danger than the rest of us, but having her so close to the queen made it nearly impossible for me to control my fire. My logical side told me that, if anything, she was safer by the queen. No way would the Volitans risk accidental harm to their queen.
When Lelas stopped in the location she’d seen in the queen’s vision, the spears in the background returned to their resting positions, save the two pointed at Dad and Wrell.
Being wiser and more patient than I would have been, Lelas simply waited, allowing the queen to set the pace.
At long last, I saw the vision she offered to Lelas—the five of us small and silhouetted in a vast, empty ocean.
Lelas’s tone was just as I expected it to be, steady, clear, and even.“We are seeking answers to tragedies that have struck our family. Already we have found that other tribes are also being afflicted.”
She paused. Though I wasn’t sure if it was due to giving the queen time to respond or if she’d noticed the shift in the wall of warriors in the distance. About half of them swam or drifted down to be on the same level as the queen and the five of us. As they did, they moved forward, gradually taking spots across the meadow behind the queen.
Though their number was cut in half, the wall remained at the same height and breath. Their fins flared to such an extent, it almost appeared as if none had moved.
A sense of impatience wafted through me, and it took a heartbeat to realize the feeling had been endued by the queen.
Perfect. Bring down half your army and then get irritated when your visitors aren’t sure what to do. Bitch.
Lelas continued, amazing me at her control and tenacity.“May I make an inquiry…?”She stumbled for a moment, and I realized we didn’t know the queen’s name.“If it would not offend the queen.”
Another flash of impatience.
And I thought Syleen had been bad.
“Has the Volitan tribe suffered any losses? Have any of your number been taken? By vampires, perchance?”
The queen bristled at Lelas’s words. Her spines flared even more, and her fins trembled, in anger or surprise, I couldn’t tell.
I saw the wall of Volitans fully intact once more, their strength accentuated in the vision. Pure offense enveloped the scene.
Anger, definitely anger.
Every Volitan’s spears rose in unison at their queen’s display.
“I meant no offense.”Lelas made no motion, and though her voice didn’t quaver, a hesitation underscored it that hadn’t been there previously.“We have lost those we love to capture. We have also learned the Scarus believe vampires have taken some of their family as well.”
For a second, I thought Lelas was going to launch into the story Akamaii had told us about the deal the mers had made ages ago with the vampires. She didn’t.
The queen continued to posture, staring daggers at Lelas.
To her credit, though, Lelas didn’t continue to speak, but did nothing more than tilt her head down in a show of respect.
To my left, I saw Nalu start forward. Much as Nalu had done to Lelas, Wrell grabbed his arm and held him in place.
A number of the raised spears pointed in our direction.
