Trapped By Claws (Of Seas and Tides)

17. Intruders

Istarted to curse, but Corvin clamped his hand over my mouth. He leaned against me, his breaths ragged. "Stay quiet." His claws dug into my cheek momentarily. "I have to deal with this. They'll torture and kill you if they find you."

My nerves still frayed and raging, I nodded.

He hefted me into the smuggler's space behind the bookshelf again and pulled the panel shut. Then he crossed to the door.

The fae who stood on the other side was all silver-scaled with diamond-shaped eyes. Several others stood behind her. "The King of the North Sea demands your attendance immediately."

Corvin released a tight breath. "I am aware of my summons. I have?—"

"You will come now. Your blood is required."

Sighing, Corvin leaned against the door frame. "Just let me have the next two hours. The venom from the claws has left me weakened. My blood will be stronger and of more use if I am allowed the rest."

"The king's orders are the king's orders," the fae said, her voice cold as the waters she'd come from. "I have been instructed to bring you into his presence. Your blood is required immediately."

He sighed, then straightened. He pushed his thick black curls out of his striped face. "Let me make sure Tagger has his instructions. I don't want him running off again."

Tagger stood near the bookshelf, tense as a bowstring. He cocked his head and squeaked as Corvin approached. Corvin crouched and stroked him.

"I suppose this is sooner than I thought and rather unexpected. But I will only be gone for a little bit," Corvin said, far louder than usual. "But if I do not return within a day or so, you are free to leave, to hunt and swim and follow the paths to whatever places you wish. Take a friend to the Kabroks. Hmmm? Look after each other. Stay alert. You won't be alone for long."

I pressed my face to my forearm, forcing back a sob.

They were going to punish him.Hurt him.

They were going to torture him for not killing everyone on the ship.

"You think that otter can understand you?" the fae guard scoffed. She snapped her fingers and pointed toward the doorway. "Go. Sooner you answer, sooner you can return." She gave him a nasty shove. As he staggered forward, she pressed something into the lock with her long silver claw.

My eyes widened. Salt's bane, I hated this fae guard as much as the fae warriors who had attacked him. They were coming back, weren't they?

As the door clicked shut, I scrambled down and pulled the panel shut. I hurried to the door and pulled it open with ease. Despite the clicking sound, the door wasn't locking. I tried to pry the silver out, but I only loosened a bit of it.

Not good enough.

And dangerous.

If those goons returned, I had to make sure there was no trace of me here. Tagger squeaked, trailing after me as I ran to the door.

"If I find a way to block it, they're going to know I'm in here," I said, pushing my hair out of my face. And I wasn't strong enough to remove that bit of silver. Whatever I did couldn't be something that would make it easier for them to convict and torture Corvin.

Tagger offered a series of trills as he hopped up on the stool. It tilted to the side, almost sending him reeling.

Think. Think, think. Think!

I grabbed the mini-crossbow from the counter and then pulled out the blue-tipped bolts. Two of them were in good enough condition to use again. The other two had been damaged in the struggles and swim. If I made my own sedative or poison, they could be useful.

I then stoked the fire and filled the stew pot almost to the brim with water so that it wouldn't burn.

I had a bad feeling about this. If Lishen and his fae came back, they would be searching for proof of my existence and who knew what else to condemn Corvin. The bookshelf was tricky to get into without Corvin there to help me, but they had missed it already.

Uncomfortable as it would be, this was where I would stay. I gathered up some supplies for myself, including one of the butcher knives, a little ball, my spoon, my flint, and a waterskin. Before I climbed inside, I fixed the bolt into the mini-crossbow. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary. I started to climb in, then stopped.

Should I bring Tagger with me?

The otter stood by the bookshelf, staring up at me with his snout wriggling.

I couldn't risk leaving him out here.

It was just a feeling, but the last time one of the fae had tried to kick him. "Come on, sweet baby." I scooped him up as I would a toddler, his paws resting on my shoulder. I climbed up the shelf and slid inside. "You're going to have to be so quiet," I whispered. He was a smart boy. Surely he understood.

Once I was safely situated behind the hidden panel, I drew it mostly shut. There was just enough light for me to read. And this little book might now hold a way for us to get out of here together.

Tagger sniffed at me and chewed on the ball. He then nuzzled me, asking for scratches.

I obliged.

Time passed slowly. Tagger's soft, huffing breaths were almost masked by the crackling of the fire.

I pored over the pages of Mama's book, my heart hammering as I searched for answers. Her tidy handwriting, even blurred from the sea, held many secrets and theories regarding the portals and staircases. I wasn't certain what had made Mama obsess on these particular ones months ago. But—this could work.

Soon, I'd be able to ask her. I'd ask her and thank her. Yes. I could imagine hugging Mama again. I could practically imagine the arguments sure to ensue when I told Mama that I wanted to be with Corvin. And oh—they would be good arguments. Tears blurred my vision, and I forced myself to focus on the pages. I'd tell Corvin all about this when he got back. And we'd run away.

Some of the notes were hard to read, but several points confirmed what I remembered: the portals summoned at the top of the grounded staircases could be managed, unlike the wild staircases which appeared and disappeared without a trace. They were actual holes that opened up into reality. One could escape any boundary or restriction thanks to these portals.

And there was that temple close to here—the remnant from the one on the island, a temple lost in the sea or perhaps built inside a mountain in the sea—perhaps built into the same stone that this cave was in. If we got to it, we could see if the portal responded. If it had enough strength left and the staircase its magic reached was likewise prepared, then we could escape through it.

Tagger snuffled.

I stroked his head. "We're going to figure this out. We'll fix it. Together."

The door slammed open. I clenched, curling tight around Tagger. It took all my presence of mind to slide the panel fully shut once more.

Lishen strode in. "Come out! If you're hiding, human, come out, and we'll show you mercy."

Blue Ridges and Black Claws followed behind, searching the area with calculating gazes.

I closed my eyes and released a tight breath. Tagger wriggled.

The three began wrecking the place. They were even more thorough this time than before. Any place that they could see that was large enough to hold a human, they opened and tossed all the items onto the floor. Books, pottery, trinkets. One of the pale-blue orbs dropped from its iron holder and shattered, emitting an unpleasant lightning-like scent.

Blue Ridges came to the bookshelf where I hid. He raked his arm across the shelf, knocking out the pieces.

I held my breath.

Tagger pressed hard against me, miraculously staying quiet. Such a good, smart boy. He did understand.

"If he does have a human in here, he's hidden her well," Black Claws growled. "Maybe he put her outside in the cave."

"He wouldn't do that. Too dangerous. He's a shifter fae. They're primal. When it comes to their mates, even before the mate bond goes into place, they get obsessive and irrational."

I tensed. They were referring to me as his mate as if it were an obvious fact. Was it just an assumption? Or did they know something else?

"If he has anyone here at all," Black Claws grumbled. He turned over one of the cupboards. The top cracked in a jagged split.

"He's got someone," Lishen responded. "It's the only thing that explains how fast he's burning through it and everything else. It's treason. Keep looking. Look for anything. Any proof."

"Why doesn't the king just execute him if he's so convinced?" Black Claws demanded. He shoved over the stool, then kicked open the guest bedroom again. Blue Ridges had gone into the storeroom. From the rustle and clatter and shattering that came from inside, he was doing a great deal of damage.

Lishen turned on Black Claws and seized him by the tunic, his eyes flashing with rage.

"The king wants proof first. Evidence that Corvin has betrayed us by harboring a human."

Black Claws scoffed, but his voice shook. "So the king needs proof of something he already believes? Seems foolish. You know he's guilty, Lishen."

"Perhaps. That doesn't change the need for proof. The king likes his fun. These charges are no fun without proof," Lishen growled.

The fae ransacked the cave, overturning furniture and smashing anything they deemed suspicious. I huddled in the hidden nook, heart pounding, willing Tagger to stay silent. He burrowed against me, his dark-purple eyes glittering through the thin slice of light that pierced our hiding place. I held my finger to my lips.

Not a sound, baby.

He tucked his head against my arm.

It seemed to go on forever, the two fae ruthlessly searching every inch of the cottage. Finally Lishen spoke again, his voice tight with frustration. "There's nothing here. No sign of any human. Not even another female." He spat a curse.

"I told you," growled Black Claws.

"Silence!" Lishen snapped.

Black Claws cringed and then bolted out of the room as the larger fae lifted his armored hand.

Blue Ridges chuckled darkly. "I'm going to hang back here. That otter'll come back soon. Asha said he commanded it to remain. It probably just went fishing. I'll gut it and string it up. Good lesson for the flesh scraps about what happens when he considers disobeying the king."

I hugged Tagger tighter. The otter wriggled in my arms, but he remained silent, poking my neck with his nose and whispers.

Please don't make a sound, baby. I closed my eyes and pressed my head to his.

Lishen gave a careless wave of his hand. "Do as you wish. But do not delay in returning. If the king gives the word, the hunt begins in a matter of hours. The skin scraps will be good for a chase, even if his mate dies fast."

"It won't take that long." Blue Ridges closed the door behind Lishen. He then strode over to the stool and sat down facing the door, as if he expected Tagger to return at any minute.

Rage burned within me. Over the years, I had met so many despicable people. And this waste of fae magic was one of the worst. I picked up the mini-crossbow and checked the bolt. Good. Perfectly in place. He'd have one hell of a headache when he woke.

I slid the panel back slowly. The stew continued to bubble and simmer on the stove, the lid rattling occasionally as the logs hissed and popped.

Blue Ridges continued to stare at the door, ready to pounce when Tagger returned.

My upper lip curled as I took aim.

Then, easy as breathing, I squeezed the trigger. The tranquilizer struck him dead in the back of the neck.

With a half-uttered curse, he grabbed at his neck and slumped.

I rolled out of the hiding place and struck the ground feet first.

Tagger leaped down and chittered. "That's right, Tagger," I said, setting the crossbow aside, rage like ice in my heart. "We're going to conduct our own interrogation."