A lump formed in my throat. Was this a terrible mistake? “Where in confinement are we?” Not even the howling wind could mask the unease in my voice.
Clasping her hands together, she sounded amused as she responded, “Why, we are currently off the coast of the mortal kingdom of Solvardunn.”
I’d heard of it. I had spent countless hours studying the map of Orradon with Doran, painstakingly memorizing every kingdom. From what I could remember, he had vaguely mentioned visiting Solvardunn, but he’d never shared any anecdotes about the kingdom. Not with me, anyway.
My teeth chattered. “And that’s where I’m supposed to complete this… task?”
A slight incline of her veiled head was the only confirmation she gave. I got the sense that she was thoroughly enjoying this.
Hugging myself tightly against the frigid breeze, a fresh worry crept into my mind. “How do I know you won’t interfere? Manipulate the circumstances so I fail?”Shit.Why didn’t I think of that when I was naming my terms? I was as brainless as a jellyfish.
“I cannot step foot inside the kingdom of Solvardunn. There are powerful wards around its borders.”
Every tightly-wound muscle in my body relaxed a fraction. I probably should have bitten my tongue, but I was never one for restraining my curiosity. “Wards that keep you from entering the kingdom?”
“No, they do not prevent me from entering.”
“Then I fail to see how they’ll keep you away.”
The Crow stared at me for a moment, most likely considering how much to reveal. “Because it is a trap. A trap that only a fool would fall victim to. And I am no fool, so I keep my distance.”
I furrowed my brow. Wards were complicated magic that required spell casting. If there were wards in Solvardunn, they could only have been raised by a witch or a Velcarin with an elevated power to create wards.
Witches were beings who used spells and rituals to channelambient magic and bend the world to their purposes. Becoming a witch was a choice, and even mortals could be trained in witchcraft, though such cases were rare.
The witch community were highly secretive and closely guarded their spells and rituals.
To hear of a witch in the mortal lands was enough to give me pause. “Who set a trap for you? And why?”
“Someone with an ancient grudge. As for why, you needn’t worry—it’s of no consequence to your task,” she said. The sudden edge to her voice suggested she was done taking questions on the matter.
I nodded, though I was far from satisfied. “What about my tail? You said it was taken care of.”
She stepped aside to reveal an object wedged inside the fissure of a rock. Squinting, I could see it was a leather pouch—tree bark-brown and roughly the size and shape of a large tome.
“In there, you shall find a potion. Anexceptionallyrare potion. A single sip at the same time every day and you shall have no need to return to the ocean to replenish. Once you start taking the potion, if you do return to the ocean, your legs will transform back into your tail.”
I had never heard of such a potion. Could I trust that she was telling the truth? “How do I know it will work?”
She clicked her tongue. “So quick to distrust. You will have to take my word for it. That, or risk transforming in front of the mortals. Need I remind you of what will happen to our bargain if you return to the ocean or reveal your true nature?”
I shook my head. “Is this what my mother bargained for? This potion?”
Ignoring my question, she said, “There is enough in the vial to last you until the full moon. Now, in addition to the potion, you will find a dress fashioned in the mortal style and a single animal bone.”
“Lovely,” I muttered, my lip curling in disgust.
“Use it if you wish to speak to me. Hold it in the palm of your hand and say, ‘By bone’s sacred decree, I summon thee.’”
I could confidently say that there was no circumstance in which I would everwishto speak to her. If the goddesses were kind, the need would never arise.
Using a shark fin-shaped boulder for support to prevent my feet from slipping, I retrieved the leather pouch. “Go to the kingdom of Solvardunn, pretend I am a mortal, charm the prince into falling in love with me, and then break his heart before the next full moon. I take the potion at the same time every day and stay away from the ocean. Am I missing anything?” I kept my tone irreverent to mask the panic avalanching through my body.
She snickered in a way that did little to put me at ease. “No, you are not,” she said. “In fact, I believe it is time you were on your way.”
My eyebrows bunched. “Am I to swim to Solvardunn?”
“Oh no,” she said, putting emphasis on the vowels. “You will not find the prince there. You see, he is currently on a ship in the middle of that storm.” Her marked hand gestured out to the distant ocean.
