A plea for deferral was lost as I whisked from the chasm back into the temple of Celear. I lay sprawled on the cold, wet floor of the temple of Ihdos, staring up at Le’ral, who was bent over me, his face ashen with worry. Water filled my lungs. I coughed violently as brine and seaweed rushed out of my mouth. Le’ral and Asdren flipped me to my side. Gallons of seawater flowed from me. Finally,finally,when I was sure I would certainly die, air entered my lungs. Drowning was not a fun death. The message from the sea witches struck home like a shot from a war hammer to the back of the head.
“By Ihdos,” Le’ral panted, easing me up with an arm around my back to help expel more water. A small blue fish tumbled out of my mouth to flop about on the wet floor as the din of terrified nobles could still be heard. “Coelum, are you well?”
“Fine,” I coughed, my skull pounding as my gut clenched. Turning my head, I vomited another gush of saltwater. Chills ran through me. Le’ral pulled a red satin shawl around my shoulders, a fine shawl that probably belonged to a rich elf who had just shat their pants, no doubt. “I’m fine. Just…” I coughed lightly as he tucked a strand of sodden hair behind my ear. Surely everyone in the main nave witnessed that tender moment. None said anything. Pasil and V’alor were barking orders as they kept an eye on me. Beiro, his damned wyrm, andAsdren knelt at my side, the dragonling chewing on the silver circlet that was to be mine. “I have a need to speak to the king and his advisors about building plans.”
Le’ral stared at me in confusion. “Did you hit your head when you fell backward?”
That made me chuckle then cough. Ugh, the taste of fish, rotted seaweed, and dank saltwater lingered on my tongue.
“Not overly hard.” I held Le’ral’s gaze. “We have little time and much work to do.”
My sight moved from those gathered around me to the stained-glass windows. The sea no longer beat upon them. The puddles on the floor were just pools of briny water. A reprieve from the sea witches. But a short one. We’d best make the most of it. I yanked the circlet from Jaculi, who tried to nip my fingers.
“Sorry, I’m going to need this,” I said as the silver coronet shimmered brightly, changing before our eyes into a diadem of azure coral, abalone, and black pearls. Le’ral gasped, his eyes wide as he gaped at me. “I’ll explain once I’m dry and have some wine. Oh, and the king’s ear.”
I’d wear it later. When there weren’t bits of shell and sand in the crack of my arse.
“I AM SORRY, BUT I SHALL NEED TO HEARyou say all of that once again,” Aelir said while pacing his solar. I sat in a chair that had been pulled near a roaring fire, wrapped in a blanket, soaked through to my very soul. Standing around me were many high-ranking officials: the king, the queen, the two royal consorts—Le’ral and Mahouk Nouradi—and the king’s and queen’s personal guards—Beiro and Asdren—as witnesses to the incident, as it was now being called, along with a lazy blue dragonling curled up with a Sandrayan spotted cat beside me at the fire. The only ones missing were the twins, their guardian, and Prescott. They were in the nursery making puppets from socks with Nanny Vilde. “Surely you did not just say that elder gods stole you from this plane for a scolding under the sea.”
I nodded and smiled thankfully as the Sandrayan ambassador pressed a cup of hot tea into my clammy hands.
“Thank you, Mahouk,” I whispered, sneezed, and found the king staring at me. “Sorry, yes, you heard correctly. The sea witches yanked me from the temple of Ihdos, which I feel I should avoid for at least fifty or so seasons, to let me know of their displeasure with me and all who live on land generally.”
Aelir looked to his trusted confidantes for their thoughts. None spoke. “I know it’s a large gulp of bitter tonic to get down but many here saw what took place.”
“Here one tick and gone the next,” Asdren tossed out around a bite of a sour pickle. “Soons he disappeared, the dewraiths melted back into their puddles. Then he popped back up just as we were about to dip our toes into the pools to see if they’d take us to him, fell to the floor, and harked up a few gallons of water and a fish.”
Thankfully, the tea was helping to wash away the fish taste. “That’s the above-ground version. Under the sea, things were more tense.”
“Things were very tense above ground as well,” Le’ral said from his seat beside me. He’d not left my side since I’d been returned to the temple with undue respect for my tailbone. I shot him a look. He was guarded now, even more so than usual.
“Aye, I’m sure they were.” I blew over my second cup of red tea and took a sip. “The sea gods are displeased with those of us who sail the waves. And you all as well. They see their followers leaving them for lesser gods—”
“You call Ihdos a lesser god?” V’alor asked with bite.
“I don’t. The old gods do. They see him as a usurper. Don’t stab the messenger. I’m relaying what the sisters said to me. I did what I could to placate them, for they were ready to bring forth a wave so large this isle would be washed into the cold depths of the Silvura.”
“Why would they wipe out those who would possibly convert?” Raewyn asked aloud, her knowledge of the seas and the deities that ruled them surely as good as mine. She’d been born into a sailing dynasty.
“Because divine beings have a tendency to overreact when threatened with extinction,” Mahouk Nouradi said, sparing me from saying it and angering my touchy magical sponsors.
Aelir rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers. I felt the warm touch of Le’ral’s gaze on me, so I glanced to the side. Heseemed intent on my face. Unsettling to be sure. Did I have something stuck to my cheek?
The doors opened behind us, all in the solar turning to see two people slipping inside. A tall elf with wide shoulders and a slim wood elf with white plaits. They stalled just on the other side of the door to place a fist to their chests and bow their heads. I sipped my tea while Aelir rushed to the wood elf to embrace him.
“Your counsel is sorely needed,” the king whispered to the elves. “You have missed much while away at Mossheart Grotto.”
“My deepest apologies, Aelir. As soon as our required time of meditation and reflection in the breathing grove was completed, we found ourselves buried in missives from Avolire,” the wood elf explained, his sight darting to Beiro, who bowed to the two druids in dark brown robes. “We rode with the greatest of speed from the sanctuary to heed your summons as well as to speak with the new wyrmwarden and soul kin.”
Ah, the dragon. Beiro had spoken of the druidic religion on our sail to Celear. The goddess they worshipped considered dragons to be divine beings to be revered. If the druids offered the wyrm some rings and bangles, Jaculi would be pleased to let them worship him as an elder godling. The dwarves, on the other hand, considered ice dragons to be horrid beasts that ate stone folk, so there was a bit of contention over the wyrmling.
“There is much to catch up on, true. This is my half-brother, Coelum Stillcloud,” Aelir said as he led the two druids to me. I rose, offered them both a hand to shake, and then sneezed into my shoulder. “This is Kenton Amergin and Beirich Drayath, arch druids and envoys of the wood elves here in Celear.”
“Your Highness,” both druids murmured, lowering their heads in respect. Then Kenton glanced at the king. “Your missives left much out.”
“We shall fill you in after you are settled back at your school. For now, our main concern is the fact that we seem to have stepped on the toes of the three sea witches.” Aelir motioned to me. “This one was taken to their cave for a firm dressing down, after which he made several promises to the titan’s daughters that we are currently trying to grasp.”
“Ah, the sea witches. Danubia mentions her cousins in passing several times. Most of the elder gods have withered into extinction due to their followers’ disenchantment with their deity or the old ways,” Beirich stated, his gaze now on Jaculi, who sensed people were admiring him, so he began stretching like the cat he napped beside. “Knowing they still exist is heartening. Odd they spoke to you, though, Your Highness, as most of the current faithful of the sea witches are privateers or those who make a living on the sea.”
