“If I was going to run, I'd have done it earlier, when Arach was near.” I grimaced. “I would have done just that if I hadn't been afraid of him catching you.”
Nori stopped. Turned to me. “What did you say?”
“I was afraid that if I ran, you'd try to chase me.” I shrugged. “At the least, it would have delayed your escape. And then, you would have died.”
“You . . .” He let out a sharp exhale. “Is that the truth?”
“I like you, Nori. You're the first Kelpie I've met that doesn't give me the heebie-jeebies.”
“The what?”
“You don't make my skin crawl.”
He kept staring blankly.
“Uh, you don't make me uncomfortable.”
“Ah. Well, I guess I can say the same for you. But then, I've never met a Dragon-Sidhe before.”
I chuckled. “The next one you meet won't be half as charming as me. At least, not to you. He can be plenty charming to me when he tries.”
“I hope to never meet King Arach.” He started walking again.
“I hope that for you too.”
We went on in silence for a few minutes before he said, “Thank you.”
“What?”
“Thank you for not running.”
“You're welcome. I'll try not to hold this against you. I know you're only doing what you feel is necessary.”
Nori cursed. “You are making this very difficult.”
“Aw, poor baby.” I grinned. “Sucks to be you.”
Nori chuckled. “Come on. We're almost there.”
We slid through another narrow passage and came out into the city of Under. I stared across the vast cavern. Its ceiling was similar to the one over Nori's village, covered in glowing blue algae. Lights floated across it as well and it was brightly illuminated, but it seemed less so than Nori's village. Probably because the homes in Nori's village were made of white stone while those in Under were made of a translucent green stone. The white helped magnify the glow. Still, it was as bright as day down there.
To my right, I saw the lofty entrance to the city. Lofty in both meanings—it was higher than the city, reachable by stairs, and it was grand, with a black metal gate hung in an archway of the same green stone that formed the houses. I'd seen that gate up close and knew its arch was carved with images of fey sea creatures. The archway and buildings weren't the only green things in the cavern. Gardens full of rubbery plants added more of the color, making the cavern feel lush. Fountains added humidity to the air, bubbling away in courtyards and the village square. Big surprise, the Water Fey liked water, especially when they were out of it.
The seashell paths meandered around homes that seemed haphazardly placed, but they all led to a main road that shot straight to the castle in the center of it all. The Royal Castle gleamed, its white stone reflecting the light so that it stood out amid the green city like a beacon. Its towering height disappeared into the ceiling where it continued through thick layers of stone, past the seabed, and into the ocean. The castle, just like Nori's home, transitioned from dry to wet, giving its occupants the option of two very different living conditions. Who doesn't like options?
Nori walked me up to the main path and then to the imposing castle. We were given lots of odd looks but no one stopped us until we reached the castle gate. A Selkie and a Water Fey were on duty. They both eyed me as they stepped forward to block the open passage.
All I understood of their conversation was Nori's name. Although it was pretty clear by the way their eyes widened, that Nori had told them what I was. Not that he had to—I was obviously out of my element. Ha-ha, out of my element. Sorry, that deserved a chuckle.
The guards not only stepped back, but they also called to two others atop the walls. Those men—both Water Fey—joined us to march to either side of me while Nori took the lead. We went up the path, then up the stairs to the main doors of the castle. There, more guards stopped us, but this time, it went faster. After all, we'd already made it past the gate and had guards accompanying us. Soon enough, we were striding through the glossy corridors of the Under Castle, past gaping courtiers and beneath coral chandeliers. It was pretty enough, but it felt stuffy to me. And cold.
“Hey, how long does the Kiss of Water last?” I asked Nori.
Our escorts eyed me as if I'd suddenly gone from shocking to horrifying.
“It will be gone by tomorrow,” Nori said.
“Great,” I muttered. So I had less than 24 hours to find a way out of Water.
