CHAPTER TWELVE
THE BONDS BETWEEN NEREIDS and their hippocamps are known but rarely do they discuss them.
From Ozora’s personal journal.
PRESENT DAY ...
“All Athypsos'inar is desperate, isn’t that right, Cleobah?” Taenya leaned forward, bracing her forearms on the table. Her sharp emerald gaze sought the sphinx, reclined on the rugs. “You tell him why it must be the three of us here in Hastrior defending it against a Cilirian invasion.”
Fraser’s laugh was bitter. I understood why he’d feel that way, Taenya’s statement would sound crazy to anyone. If I didn’t wear the bruises from being dragged by a supposedly extinct Cilirian, I would’ve laughed too.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t know how to argue with a dragon, or a sphinx. You can try to fight it, but see how far that gets you,” Taenya said, then added, “After all, look at the three of us sitting here. Would you have thought that possible?”
“You are talking to the wrong guy.” Fraser scraped his black leather boots on the table, leaning away from Taenya’s intensity. “I’m not a hero. Not unless you pay me.”
“You and your hippocamps are essential, handsome, that’s not negotiable,” Cleobah said.
It seemed like the world tilted underneath me, even though the padded wooden chair I sat on stayed level. Fraser’s hippocamps? Had he gone ahead somehow with his plans after all?
Fraser rose when Cleobah said ‘hippocamps’. Stiff, muscles tense, and expression solidifying into granite. I knew that look; it meant Fraser had already decided on his course.
“The very last thing I need right now is some magical beastie giving me cryptic advice.” Fraser’s brows lowered into a steady, unwavering glare. “And my hippocamps are not for sale. Do not bring them into this.” His attitude promised death for the implied threat to his creatures.
“Bit late for that isn’t it?” Cleobah asked.
“I mean, they’re kind of why you’re here, why we’re all here if you think about it.
Hippocamps are why Ozora blew up your ship, hippocamps are what you went after when you left Hastrior.
Am I right? Of course, I am.” She punctuated her last words with flips of her bouncy curls.
I let my breath out slowly, waiting to see what Fraser would do, his face red with fury at the sphinx’s flippancy.
“This was all a mistake.” Fraser stabbed his forefinger on the table in quick staccato to emphasize his point, and finished with a dismissive wave.
“Look, just let me go.” He cast one last scornful glance at me before adding, “Do what you will with Hastrior, and good luck against the emperor. If he even still exists. But keeping me here with her—” he jabbed that finger at me now—“is a really bad idea and will doom this mage school to failure. Let me go, and I will leave you to Hastrior and wish you every success.” The dead look in his eyes at the end said he didn’t mean it, but I was certain he’d leave as fast as a ship would carry him.
Good riddance. I held my breath, hoping Taenya would agree with him.
“Gonna steal another ship?” Cleobah tilted her head.
He shoved his chair back so violently, it toppled over. “Damn right, I will,” he snarled at her and spun, his back tall and rigid as his mainmast as he marched away.
“He is an arrogant ass,” Taenya muttered, closing her eyes. “Cleobah? This one’s on you.” She opened them and turned slightly to the sphinx, who rolled her eyes.
“You know, Cilirians consider hippocamps a delicacy,” Cleobah called to Fraser’s wide back as he crossed into the bright sunlight from the tent’s shadow.
That stopped him.
Birdsong and the breeze through the grasses filled the silence behind Cleobah’s words. He stood there with his hands clenched on his sword belt, eyes tilted to the sky as if begging the gods for patience.
“What Cilirians?” he asked, contempt dripping from him. “All I have is your say-so.” He turned his head just enough to send those tight words back at us over his shoulder.
“I just told you Cilirians dined on your scout’s hippocamps after dragging them aboard,” the sphinx said, her golden eyes hardening to metallic and sharp as her words. “Do you want those details? I can talk all day about the past.”
His teal and turquoise hair gleamed and shimmered when he raked his fingers across his scalp and shook his head. An anguished groan ripped from him as if yanked out with a hook.
He spun and marched back, death in his eyes, but not to the table. Oh no, he stalked right up to Cleobah, who’d risen to her feet as he strode back into the tent. Fraser didn’t stop until he was nose to nose with her.
“Is Killian okay?” This Fraser was calm and precise, but menace colored his every move despite the soft concern in his voice.
“He’s fine,” Cleobah said. She hadn’t flinched when he marched up to her. “He’s telling everyone how the fight went, how he barely escaped, and how he saw Cilirians pulling his squad and their hippocamps aboard.”
Fraser’s body bowed as if his belly were cramping, and his face twisted into grief, but he held his bright blue gaze on the sphinx.
“Is that all?” It sounded as if he’d chewed up gravel.
“It’s not. Go ahead, tell me all of it. I can see you want to.
” He dared the sphinx, dared her. I grimaced, not sure it was such a good idea to taunt a potent magical creature.
Especially one that held her ground and lifted the corners of her mouth with a knowing smirk in the face of his threat.
“If Cassyrra hadn’t taken out the Cilirian ships last night, where do you think their next stop would be?
Your warriors were still alive when the Cilirians brought them aboard and extracted all they needed to know to find Mayhem’s Rest.” I didn’t know what she was talking about, but Fraser sure did from the way his face paled and his eyes brimmed with silver for a moment.
With a blink, his implacable mask dropped back in place. I wondered if I’d really seen Fraser Connell bent in agony at Cleobah’s words. That one looked nothing like the fierce man who looked over at me now.
Blue eyes burned hotter than Cassyrra’s flame, and seared through me, but only for a moment. I didn’t flinch, but I did look away first. Fraser turned back to face Cleobah, whose expression was still and smug.
“I will do this only if you can guarantee their safety.” He didn’t waver, his menacing stare locked on the sphinx, demanding her promise.
My heart gave a couple extra beats in response to his lethal intensity, but Cleobah purred, unmoved by his threatening posture.
Her curled lips and curving eyes glowed with satisfaction.
“This is the only way you can guarantee their safety.”
FIVE YEARS AGO...
Fraser found me an empty shop faster than I expected. I’d made it a clause in our contract. One hundred air amulets seemed extravagant, but he said crew safety was paramount. An expensive order too, but he didn’t seem to lack the resources. Hastrior was a wealthy city, and now he controlled it.
We didn’t talk about how he had come to run the city, or the prince’s death. There was still some controversy, and I could not care less about politics.
The little shop had charm, and lots of passing foot traffic. One in a string of stores set along a wide avenue near the market, it was a sought-after location on a prosperous street, as I’d learned a few days after moving in.
It was wonderful having an entire shop with the space to store, craft, and display all my supplies and wares.
An unexpected but much appreciated luxury, along with the little bungalow attached in back.
I’d checked out of my hotel and moved in without a twinge of guilt.
Best of all, my customer base kept growing.
The longer I stayed, the more people stopped in, and they became repeat customers.
New clients mentioned my spells had helped their friend, and would I put together something for them?
All because I had insisted to Fraser that I needed a proper workshop to produce that volume of amulets and keep the supplies I’d need. It was wonderfully scary; my growing business and our relationship had me dizzyingly happy, but I was out of my depth.
With the shop and with Fraser.
He wasn’t at all what I expected. He had a side that...well, no one would ever call him soft, but I caught glimpses of the man he might have been if he didn’t command the mercenaries of his crew. If he wasn’t a hired killer himself.
We didn’t talk about that either. On the surface, I had a business contract to fulfill, and we were having a bit of fun on the side.
That’s all. I might have believed it, too.
He was handsome and charming. A romantic summer fling in a lovely city before moving on did make this place a perfect stop. No need to get attached or make it out to be more than casual fun.
So what was I doing with a shop? There was no future between us. Surely, we both knew that?
Besides, did I really want to settle down? That worried me, and lately, Fraser looked at me, especially when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, with a question in his eyes. One he never gave voice to but let linger before glancing away, and I wasn’t brave enough to ask him for his thoughts.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. He well and truly swept me off my feet.
Impossible not to fall for those looks and that intensity.
He wooed me slow and sweet after he signed my extravagant contract for all those amulets.
I presumed it was to make up for groping me on our first meeting.
Heat rose to my cheeks when I recalled how angry I was with him.
However, since that disastrous first encounter, all I craved was for him to pull me close, and take me.
The irony never failed to poke my conscience.
With a huff to drive off my lurid thoughts, I drummed my fingers on the top of the display cabinet I sat behind.
It held potions, talismans, and crystals temptingly placed to entice customers and gave me a place to sit and work while the shop was open.
The pile of spell components resting on the wooden planks seemed to chastise me.
I debated starting another amulet, but it was getting late, and I was drained and hungry.
Amulets of air were difficult to make because they required the cooperation of air elementals; which meant I could only craft so many in a day.
I had to coax sylphs with summoning spells and loads of sugary candies to bespell the devices, and after three or four amulets, I needed to pause and recharge my numin.
With my growing customer base, I had to reserve numinous energy for their spells as well.
Because of this, my amulet production had slowed down quite a bit, but that didn’t seem to bother Fraser. I suspected this wasn’t just a business deal with added benefits for him anymore, that his emotions went deeper.
I just can’t accept that he’d fall for me. He was a wealthy mercenary and city ruler, and when all was said and done, I was a Journey mage. I wasn’t part of, or interested in the social circles of the rich, and I refused to let my head fall as hard as my heart.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
I would not take him seriously. The reasons were so many, I didn’t even want to look their way. I only wanted to have fun and enjoy our time. Even though when Kiry came through the week before, I smiled and waved him on, telling the caravan leader I was staying.
The butterflies that knocked against the inside of my belly whenever I thought about us as something more had lately begun to seem like a warning.
It’s inevitable. We have to end.
I jumped, startled out of my reverie, when the little bell above the door jangled. Fraser’s second-in-command strolled into the store, and I smoothed my silky sundress as I rose to greet him.
“Hello, Gordon, what brings you here today?” I gave him a welcoming smile.
“Hello, Ozora, pleasant day to you,” he greeted me. “Many customers today?” He raised his brows, looking both sincerely interested and mildly concerned that he was the only one in the shop.
“Plenty enough,” I answered. “How can I help you?”
“It’s rather a matter of if we can help each other,” he said. “I know how strongly you feel about protecting our local hippocamp pods. I thought you might want to know that there’s some scuttle about an illegal roundup being planned. How would you like to help put a stop to it?”
A ripple of delight ran through me. I wasn’t quiet about my passion for protecting animals, and to end some criminal’s plans to kidnap the ‘camps appealed to me.
“Of course I would!” I said. “Nothing would make me happier.” I waved at a padded stool with glee, thrilled I could help make a difference. “Have a seat and tell me about it.”
His answering smile was sincere, but respectful.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” In his eyes however, I caught the quickest flicker of.
..something. It looked like numin, silvery and bright, and flashed from the back of his eyes, like a cat’s eyes will shine in the dark.
As fast as I saw it was gone, and then, I forgot about it.
It was such a small detail that I lost it, buried under Gordon’s description of criminal traffickers hunting hippocamps, and how he was going to find them.
I was all in, and nothing would stop me from getting to the truth.