“Interesting. It may mean nothing.”
“And everything.” He filled me in on the few, court-relatedthings, catching me up on what I’d missed, though it hadn’t been long since we’d last spoken.
“I wish you all the best,” he finally said. “It’s done and there’s no turning back.”
“We’ll both do our parts.”
“We have no choice. In fact—”
9
REYLA
Iwoke to sunlight, feeling almost myself. Even the rough rock of the ship didn’t unsettle my belly.
Farris rose to his feet and stretched his front legs out, his bushy tail flopping around while he yawned.
From the slant of the muted light, I gauged dawn must still be scraping away at the night.
My new husband must be wondering if I’d died. When I met him later, would he be understanding or irritated that I wasn’t available to attend to his needs? A quiver rippled through me. I didn’t know this man, and the thought of being chained to someone I’d hate made me nervous. Yet I’d soon meet him. Be with him for the rest of my days.
A walk would clear the cloud of worry from my mind.
Rising, I made my way into the bathroom and took care of my needs. After cleansing my teeth, I bathed and sat at the vanity to arrange my hair, doing my best to make it look decent.Dressed in a tunic and pants and with Farris by my side, I left the suite and took the stairs to the deck, bursting out into blooming sunshine. Sailors bustled about, taking care of the sails and using magic to spin a mop around, washing the deck. One man stood near the windrams, tossing them big fish from an enormous tub. The windrams caught the fish in their mouths and swallowed them down, chortling, eager for more.
The captain stood at the wheel, swaying to the motion of the ship, and the calm morning settled into my bones like a warm caress.
Lore’s spell had worked. I felt normal—great, in fact. I almost felt ready to meet King Merrick.
I strolled around the side of the cabin and up to the front of the ship where I leaned against the rail. The high drop sucked away my wind, but this had nothing on flying on the back of a dragon, let alone the exhilarating feeling I got when the dragon spiraled toward the ground. The wind would whip through my hair and steal the tears from my eyes and only then did I truly feel free.
I was going to miss working with dragons, flying on them. While Tempest was the true beast master, I did alright myself. I’d learned a lot from her. If I ever worked with dragons again, I’d treat them differently. Perhaps that was why I’d befriended Farris. He had a heart as big as my own, and he’d deserved a second chance like me. He had the same right to live a joyous existence.
Did I?
Each plunge of the ship through the deep blue and green water sent vibrations into my feet. White foam sprayed up inbursts. The sun hit the waves, making them sparkle like shattered glass, and the sight mesmerized me. I grinned and tipped my head back. Closing my eyes, I drank in the warmth of the sun and sucked in deep breaths of the briny air before leaning over the rail to watch the water again.
Sails flapped in sync with the wind while wooden beams groaned softly, singing along with the splashes of the sea. The endless stretch of blue and green capped with white fascinated me. If only I could paint, though I wasn’t sure anyone could capture the sea’s raw power on canvas.
“There you are.” Lord Briscalar hustled over to join me. “Are you feeling better, my lady?”
“Much.”
“Delightful.”
“Thank you for sending Lord Lorant to me.”
He tilted his head, his brows wedging together. “I did no such thing. You specifically asked me not to speak with him, and I didn’t.”
How had Lore known I was sick? It probably didn’t matter.
“Oh, my,” the lord said as his gaze raked my form. The raised-eyebrow look he gave my outfit would’ve made a lesser woman cringe. “I thought we discussed—”
“How much I love wearing tunics and pants? We did.” I smiled and turned back to the sea.
His breathing stuttered for a moment, but he regained control, slipping back into the kind, yet slightly stern, attendant. “I brought your breakfast to your suite, but you weren’t there.”
“I had to come up on deck.” I swept my arm out. “Look at it. Isn’t it amazing?”
