The crew was confused when I made my goodbyes, but then Teng announced that I had only returned to make sure we were safe and now I was going home to my lover, the King of Morilren, where I'd live in luxury's lap—and the King's—for as long as I could milk it. The crew cheered. There's nothing a pirate loves more than sex and treasure. Combine them and they just about come in their pants.
I shed a few tears on my way to the railing. Everything I owned was packed in a waterproof satchel, and not a very big one at that. I had my blades strapped to my body, so they weren't taking up room in the bag, but other than weapons, my treasures were small. A pirate generally values experiences more than trinkets. Don't get me wrong, we love shiny, expensive things, but that's because we know how much they're worth. We sell them and buy what we really want—good food, strong liquor, nice clothes, fine blades, and sex. I would hopefully get most of those things for free from King Vaxarion.
After one last look at my family, I grinned at Teng, then I dove overboard. I had worn skin-tight shorts and a slim tank top without shoes. My boots were in my bag along with the rest of my clothes. I knew the journey was far, and I didn't want leather or heavy fabric hindering me. Nerakies are fast swimmers, very agile both in and out of the water. But we weren't as fast as SeaDragons. Where it had only taken hours for that guard to swim me to Vix, it would take me a couple of days to get back.
But I faced the journey with a smile, my hearts lightened by the thought that I was returning to him. Vax. My king. I would make him forgive me. Teng's advice rang through my head, and I knew I would take it. I would do anything to get Vax back. Anything. I might even tell him I loved him.
I put on speed and headed for the center of the Morilren Sea, where I'd find the city of Shasenai and the Sea Dragon King who now ruled my hearts.
Chapter Twenty
I spent the entire journey thinking about Vax. Going over our last minutes together again and again. I noticed details now that I had missed before. Like the way his hands shook when he claimed my life. The way his eyes flashed with need and fury. He'd been battling his dragon. Did his beast need me too? Was there a separation between them? I just didn't know enough about Sea Dragons to be sure. They'd been hibernating my entire life. Then the Dragon God had been freed, and so had they. But their rule was still new. The seas were still adjusting to their return. And people like me were getting to know them for the first time. Some of us a little more intimately than others.
And then I saw it. Shasenai. It looked even more glorious than it had that first time. A beacon still, but now that beacon was leading me to Vax. I dropped down to the seabed before the city gates with a smile on my face. There were guards on duty there, but they didn't stop me. People of all the sea races went through the ward and entered the city through that gate. All were permitted to pass. If war ever threatened, the gates would be closed, but they wouldn't be as useful as the ward. The very ward that kept water out and air in would condense under the King's will and keep out everything. Nothing would pass through without his permission. It made the position of gate guard rather superfluous. Still, they seemed pleased to do it, holding theirchins high and nodding to people as they passed. Even me. But then I didn't look all that piraty in my swimming clothes.
The ward wrung the water from my clothes, so I stopped off to the side of the foot traffic to pull on more layers and get into my boots. Feeling more like myself in my loose pants and vibrant vest, I grinned and sauntered to the sidewalk. Not the street, mind you. Even underwater, there were carriages rolling down the streets. And yes, they were pulled by horses. Don't ask me how they got the poor beasts down there, but they didn't look all that bothered by their precarious position under billions of tons of water.
I considered hiring a carriage to take me to the palace, but I was enjoying the anticipation too much. And the city.
When Vax had first brought me there, I didn't have the chance to see much of Shasenai, swimming over it as we had. Then he'd kept me sequestered in his apartments. And when I left, I was in a bit of a rush. But now, I could enjoy the sweet and savory smells coming out of bakeries and restaurants. I could take in the stone carvings on the delicate architecture and the flowing clothes of the residents. It was another world down there, with its own style and culture.
But the closer I got to the palace, the more antsy I became. I was there. Vax was near. I had to get to him. I started to walk faster and faster, nearly breaking into a run. Just before I reached the palace, I paused to collect myself.
The guards at the city gate may have been welcoming, but the palace guards were not. As this was a palace, not a castle, there were no fortifications around it, only a golden fence. But when a palace was full of Sea Dragons, a fence was all that was needed to keep out the riffraff. Except for this bit of riffraff. Ijust sauntered up to the gate, expecting to be allowed in. The Sea Dragon knights took one look at me and crossed their pikes across my path.
“Turn around, Neraky,” one of them said.
“I'm here to see King Vaxarion. I know it sounds crazy, but he'll want to see me. My name is—”
“I said turn around!” the knight growled.
“And I said I want to see the King!” I shouted.
The man jerked back in shock but then narrowed his eyes at me. “Get the fuck out of here before I stick you like a fish.”
“King Vaxarion!” I shouted. “It's Zixin! I've come back, Your Majesty!”
“Who the fuck is this guy?” the other guard muttered.
“Hey, shut your mouth!” the first knight said. “The King isn't seeing anyone right now.”
“He'll see me,” I said and settled into a wide-legged stance. “And I'm not going anywhere until he does.”
“Iwillspear you.”
“You can try. And that's going to really make your king mad. He generally doesn't like people spearing his consort.”
The knights looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
I grimaced. “Don't believe me? Send for Yavess.”
At the mention of the Steward's name, they both went still.
“How do you know that name?” one of them demanded.
“Yavess!” I shouted. “Yavess, I need your help out here! Yavess!”
I saw the doormen scramble inside and grinned to myself.
