Chapter 22
HEMMING
A ny relief I felt at seeing Ariel was eclipsed the moment I saw her standing there with pure terror in her eyes, held captive in a male’s half-embrace. I wanted to rip off the arm holding her against his body with my bare hands and beat him with it before I crammed it down his throat. The beast within me shot forward to take over; but one subtle shake of her head brought him to heel in an instant.
Shayfer pushed past me, whispering “remember what Kier said” as his shoulder brushed mine. He is a god… A god holding the woman I loved hostage. I feared there would be no way to keep my rage at bay for long.
“The outsiders, as you requested,” the man who’d escorted us through the castle announced before walking out, hands clasped behind his back.
Shayfer bowed low, the image of diplomatic grace, then stood to address the male I could only assume was Vesstan, the all-powerful god. “Our most gracious thanks for finding us and bringing us into your home, and for taking such wonderful care of Ariel in our absence. Allow me to introduce our trio. I am Shayfer. The two behind me are Hemming and Eldrien, respectively.”
Vesstan eyed us in silence, disdain clear in his sour expression. “These are the men you entrusted your life to, sweet Ariel?” His hand flexed against her shoulder, gripping her tighter, and she closed her eyes to steady herself. She was scared—that much was plain—but she was angry too. When her eyes opened again, fury simmered in their pale green depths.
But she snuffed it out before craning her neck to smile up at him in apparent adoration.
“They are, though they look a little worse for wear at the moment.” She laughed a little at the end, and he smiled at her amusement. She was strumming him like a harp, and I relaxed a little at the thought. Ariel was no fool. Like most women of the Nychterides, she knew how to avoid engendering the wrath of males. How to placate them, though she rarely applied that knowledge.
She was doing what was necessary to survive, and a small part of me was proud of her for it. The rest of me still wanted to destroy the one forcing her to do it.
“Apologies for our current state. All was lost when our ship sank.”
“Should we allow them to clean up and join us?” Ariel asked, still beaming up at him like a besotted youngling. “They did risk their lives to bring me here.”
“They may clean up. I will provide them with appropriate clothing and something to eat once they are settled into their room.”
“If I may be so bold,” Shayfer said, taking a cautious step forward, “we would love the opportunity to discuss what happened to Ariel after we were separated?—”
“Later,” Vesstan said with a dismissive wave. “We’re dining now. Alone .”
Ariel spun in his hold and pressed her palms to his chest as she looked up at the ghostly-looking god. “Perhaps I could accompany them to one of the many rooms I passed on my way here and help get them settled, then hurry back to resume our dinner?” She glanced at the table full of food next to them. “I’m excited to try that intriguing dish in the middle.”
He looked down at her like she’d already bewitched him. “You may show them to a room, then return promptly.”
“That’s very generous,” she replied as she slowly pulled away. “I’ll see to that right now.”
She turned to walk away, but he caught her arm and pulled her right back. This time, there was no affection in his gaze. “You have ten minutes, Ariel. Do not be late.”
“Of course,” she said with a small curtsy.
He released her, and she waited a breath before retreating a pace. She turned and walked toward us with even, measured steps, doing all she could not to run from the monster in our midst.
“I’m so pleased to see you all. Please follow me.” She walked past Shayfer, then split Eldrien and me as she made her way into the hallway. I tried to ignore the way her shoulders relaxed once she was out of Vesstan’s sight. “Are you injured?” she asked, keeping her tone neutral as she led the way past various servants in the hall. “I have to admit, I was quite worried about you when I washed up on shore alone.”
“As we were you,” Shayfer replied. “It’s regrettable that we were separated.”
“Indeed.” She stopped and opened one of the many doors for us. “Right in here, if you would.”
Shayfer gave a nod as he walked past her. Eldrien stared at her as though her body had been possessed by some unknown being. And I let my hand brush against hers, our fingers intertwining for a fleeting moment before we pulled away.
Once we were all inside, she pulled the door closed behind her and let out a nervous exhale. A second later, she launched herself at us. “Thank the gods you’re alive,” she said as she threw her arms around Shayfer’s neck with reckless abandon and nearly choked the life out of him.
“I’m glad to see you too,” he said, trying gracefully to escape her hold.
As abruptly as she’d attacked him, she pulled away and turned to Eldrien. Much to his surprise, she hugged him with nearly as much enthusiasm. “Are you hurt?” she asked as she released him to assess the bruising on his face.
“No…” He scrutinized her with narrowed eyes. “But I am concerned about what I just witnessed back there.”
The elation she felt dissipated. “I know—I’m sorry for that. I’ll explain.” She turned her head to me. “But first I need to do this.” She walked over slowly and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her head against my chest. “I was so worried about you...”
Fighting the urge to bend down and kiss her like a man possessed, I instead hugged her back as the others had in an attempt to maintain the pretense for Eldrien. “You and me both. I feel like I should take this moment to remind you again about the ‘no more splitting up’ pact.”
She looked up at me and smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. “I didn’t exactly slap myself with a sea monster’s tentacle and attempt to drown myself. Perhaps you can overlook this infraction.”
“I’ll allow it—but only this time.”
“Of course.” My body stiffened as she released me. The urge to pull her right back was almost impossible to ignore. “Now,” she said, wiping her eyes, “I have little time and there is much I need to tell you.”
“As we do you,” Shayfer replied as he shot me a look of uncertainty. It seemed even the fae spy with the silver tongue didn’t have an elegant way to tell Ariel we’d found her father.
“That will have to wait, because you need to understand the situation we’re in?—”
“But Ariel?—”
“Shayfer, please . Vesstan is not to be taken lightly. As you can see, I’ve had to put on quite a show to appease him, and I must continue to do so until we get what we came for?—”
“That’s just it,” Shayfer pressed, trying to get a word in edgewise, “you don’t understand who you’re dealing with?—”
“I understand his type as well as any female in the presence of a powerful man would. And I know exactly what he wants. But I also know that he is familiar with the Oracle, and once I’m done charming him at dinner, he will tell me where it is.” A low rumble filled the room. The beast liked nothing at all about this plan—nor did I. “I don’t have time to argue about this. You will all have to trust me.”
“It’s not our trust in you that’s the issue,” I replied as I took a step toward her.
She fisted her hands on her hips and pinned me with the look she had so many times when we were young. “Then your trust in my ability to pull this off will just have to outweigh your doubts about him.”
“He’s dangerous, Ariel!”
“As am I, Hemming. Though I may not have his magic abilities, I'm not without resources of my own.”
“But he is something you’re not,” Shayfer said gently as he slipped between us, making himself her target.
“A cold-blooded killer?” she asked, her challenging tone escalating the tension in the room.
Shayfer pressed closer. “No, Ariel. A god .”
Her eyes went wide with astonishment—then fear. “H— how ? How is that possible? And how can you know such a thing?”
“We encountered someone while looking for you?—”
“The tracker,” she said. “Vesstan sent him to find you. He said that all survivors wash up where I did, and that you must be dead because you hadn’t, but I convinced him to search for you to assuage my grief.”
“Yes, the tracker. That’s who told us who and what Vesstan is.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And how do you know he can be trusted?”
Shayfer looked back at me, his eyes wide. “It should come from you” was all he said.
“What?” Ariel asked. “What aren’t you telling me?” The silence stretched on as I tried to find a gentle way to share the news. “Hemming? What is going on?”
“The tracker that found us,” I began, hedging slightly. “We knew him.”
Her mouth fell open as disbelief took hold. “ Knew him? How could you know him?”
“ Recognized him,” I corrected myself, stepping closer to her.
She shook her head as though that could dislodge her confusion. “I don’t understand.” Her eyes darted from me to Shayfer, then Eldrien, and back again. “Will one of you just tell me? Please ?”
A knock at the door startled us, dragging our collective attention away from the matter at hand. Ariel’s confusion quickly gave way to terror. “Oh no,” she whispered. “It’s him—I’ve lingered too long.” She rushed toward the entrance, smoothing her dress as she walked, calling out her apology. “Has it been ten minutes already? I’m so sorry. I saw no clock in the room, and I?—”
She swung the door open with a flourish, expecting an angry god on the other side.
Instead, she found her father staring back at her.