Chapter Forty-Three
Skylar Cathal
“On second thought, I’m not a fan of this plan,” Shaw said in a shaky voice as he peered over the side of the ship.
“Why?” Fjorda asked with a raised brow. “Afraid of gettin’ wet, kitty-cat?”
Shaw’s deep growl rumbled the decking beneath our feet. “No.”
“The water nymphs… You do realize they eat anyone they take under the waves? I was almost killed by them after the first trial.”
“Ah, but who was it that vowed you would be unharmed?”
I paused, blinking against the shadows of the evening. “Their… their king.”
“There is a water nymph king?” Shaw grumbled, palming his face with a weighted sigh. “Any other royalty I need to be aware of while I’m here?”
“King Malek,” I answered, ignoring Shaw’s complaining.
“Exactly!” Fjorda stepped to the railing and placed his fingers to his lips, releasing a long whistle that rose and fell in two swift breaths. “Prepare yourself for a trip under the waves.”
My stomach turned as we waited. I recognized the familiar red-orange coloring of a scaled tail as the king of the water nymphs appeared along the surface.
“Champion,” Malek greeted me with a knowing smile. “Glad to see I was right in sparing your life that day. You’ve done well for Valdor.”
“You’ll have one more to take with you!” Fjorda hollered over the railing.
Malek tilted his head to the side and glanced at Shaw. “Ahh, another shifter.”
“This is Shaw. He’s my beta,” I answered. “It’s good to see you, King Malek. And thank you for your aid.”
“It is our pleasure. Hold on for a moment.” The water nymph king nodded before he dove under the waves. When he reappeared, a beautiful raven-haired female with green scales and bright eyes swam at his side. “My queen, Iara, will escort your beta while I ferry you.”
“Lovely as always to see you, Your Highness,” Fjorda said, coming to my side, his eyes falling on the queen.
“Likewise, Fjorda,” Iara answered, her angelic voice singing over the crashing waves under the enchanting moonlight. “May the seas be in your favor, and the winds watch over your ships.”
“And may the grace of the sea be with you,” Fjorda replied, bowing to the king and queen.
“You’re familiar with them,” I said.
“Yes, Champion,” Fjorda replied. “Do you remember our conversation last week before setting sail through the veil? About—”
“I do,” I quickly answered.
“She was…” Fjorda paused. “She is their daughter.”
My eyes widened with surprise. “Their daughter was your mate?”
“Is,” Fjorda corrected. “She is. Not even death itself can change that fact. My heart belongs to the sea from which she came, while my soul is anchored to hers. No matter where that soul is.”
For a heartbeat, I witnessed the sea captain’s sorrow emerge before swirling beneath the crashing waves of his caged grief.
“If my mate, Andrea, is no longer among the living, then she waits for me at the crossing.”
“Waiting for you?”
“Yes,” Fjorda said with a sad smile. “In our culture, fae believe when one mate passes on, they wait for their other half. They do not cross the great river to be with the Mother and Father until their mate can cross with them. A bond that stretches across eternity itself.”
“That’s…” I paused. “Beautiful.”
“We must hurry,” Malek cautioned from the churning seas below. “Word of your success in the trial of the soul has spread throughout the Inner Kingdom.”
“Hold on,” Shaw said, shaking his head. “How will we make it that far under the water?”
“Well,” I began, “there’s no time for the details of their magic, but they exhale into your mouth under the water, and you can breathe.”
“And that’s after we’re already under the water?” Shaw didn’t seem convinced.
“It’s the only way to get you onto the mainland without raising suspicion,” Fjorda said. “While you two go with the water nymphs, I’ll sail to Starfall Island.”
“The queen will believe we’re still on board and returning to Daxton’s territory,” I added. “When in reality, you’ll be gathering ships to sail to Solace.” I fixed my bow across my back before securing the dagger strapped at my side.
“I know,” Shaw groaned uneasily. “It’s just that—”
“Come on,” I said, grasping his arm as Fjorda moved the railing aside. “Don’t overthink this. Just jump!”
I pulled Shaw with me as we leaped into the ocean, splashing next to Malek and Iara.
Before we could resurface, Malek pulled me into his arms under the waves.
His lips gently pressed over mine as he gifted me his magic, allowing me to breathe under the cerulean waters cast in the shadow of the clouds hovering in front of the beaming moon.
“It won’t last long,” Malek said as he turned to Iara, who finished gifting her magic to Shaw. “Let’s go.”
Tucked safely under their arms, the water nymphs gripped us tightly as the king and queen beat their magnificent tails, speeding off into the darkened abyss.
I could barely make out the surrounding ocean, the depths of which disappeared underneath us in an obscured trench of mystery. I grasped Malek’s arm, not wishing to fall from his hold and be trapped in the open seas.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered with a chuckle. “We need you to finish these trials. I wouldn’t dare drop you into the abyss below.”
“That’s reassuring,” I mumbled.
“It won’t be much longer,” Malek said.
The sea’s sandy bottom began encroaching beneath us, and relief washed through me at the sight of it. We meandered along the tan sands. The powerful tails of the nymphs propelled us through the seas with ease, riding the natural flow of the waves that crashed along the shoreline.