Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
The calm is the warning.
–An Incomplete Guide to Kraken Survival
Leaving my bodyguard behind, I let Sebastian escort me forward.
I couldn’t work out why my teasing brag had sharpened his smile. He expected me to win. Ja? He’d seemed so sure yesterday. Now, I wondered if I’d misread him before.
“Those calm waters are stirring,” he said for my ears alone. “Are you worrying about the rune again?”
“Ja. Nein. I don’t know.”
“I’ll teach you after the game, and you’ll see how easy it is.”
Okay. Ja. “I would like that. Thank you.”
A second later, we were climbing up the dais, and the tide was changing. Literally. The luminous channels etched into the coral floor brightened, their glow sharpening from a soft pulse to something more intent.
We stood at the edge of a series of rings, six other couples taking places around us. Kraken citizens linked shoulder to shoulder, eager to begin.
A murmur moved through the spectators, subtle but immediate as Sebastian’s hand settled at the small of my back.
I didn’t mean to, but I gasped at the moment of contact. His touch was an unexpected brand that seared my skin. A light but unmistakable caress, and a reminder as much as a signal. Like it or not, we were now a team. But my dragon stretched and calculated, wanting… more.
Bending closer, Sebastian whispered, “You are used to keeping others at a distance, Ice Queen, even your partners on stage, but today you must pull me in close.”
Excitement sparked, and there was no snuffing it out.
Worse, he wasn’t done dropping truth bombs.
“Everyone is watching you. Can you feel their gazes?” His warm breath fanned the side of my neck, firing up nerve endings I hadn’t known I possessed.
“They’re wondering if you’re the reason I’m participating in the game for the first time in decades.
Speculating how long before I have you in my bed. ”
“Or I take you to mine,” I teased before I could think better of it. Then his words hit me, and I groaned. “Why would you tell me this? Do you want me too nervous to play?”
“Nei, Brona.” His fingers flexed on me. “I want you to win despite it. And do not think anyone will hand us the victory because I am king. I taught my people better than that. We must earn it.”
Laughter floated up behind us, along with a few competitive jabs among competitors. No one dared trash-talk the king and his chosen partner.
“I hope you’re ready,” Bjarki called, striking the coral rod again. “Tideweave begins on the third pulse.”
The floor answered him, flashing a bright light. Once. Twice.
I inhaled. Trust the training.
With the third pulse, the light surged outward in concentric rings, mimicking waves, flowing beneath our feet.
I kept my attention half on it, half on the people around me.
The rhythm started slow. Deceptively so.
An attempt to lull the unwary, but the vibrations running through my bones told a different story.
A tempest brewed.
I let my body take over, years of rehearsals flooding to the surface, allowing me to keep count with muscle rather than a musical beat. When the floor altered, one ring rising above the rest, I was right there, Sebastian with me.
One couple didn’t make it before the glow ebbed and swelled.
The rings spun, some clockwise, still more counterclockwise.
I followed the tide, gliding from one to the other, growing more aware of Sebastian on every pass.
With anyone else, I would have led, not him.
He seemed to know what I would do, before I did it, and never, not once, did he break contact.
More and more, my body trusted him to steer. When he spun me, I added a low backward arch, just for show, and he grinned with a slow satisfaction I wanted to see again and again and again.
“I knew you would excel at this, Brona.”
His praise went straight to my head.
Focus. Balance. A delicate spiral of light bloomed briefly between two pulses. I pivoted, skirt flaring, and brushed my fingertips through the sparkling upshot as it peaked.
Without missing a beat, the king shifted with me.
For one fleeting moment, his hand firmed at my back.
Not just physical but ethereal, thin dark ribbons seeping from his skin to wrap around my waist and hold me tight, somehow as tangible as his flesh and blood.
Those ribbons didn’t feel like a weapon to me.
They felt like being held by him, and all that awareness pulled tighter, deeper. I almost missed my next step.
Sebastian hauled me even closer, keeping the beat for us both.
Our gazes met briefly. A millisecond when we were the only two people in existence. Him, ferocity made flesh. Me, hope on fire. My whole body ignited, embers crackling beneath my pores.
The crest vanished, and a wave of approval passed through the crowd.
The game. Right.
The next peak came faster, the rhythm tightening. A couple stumbled, their laughter brittle as they stepped aside. My confidence soared.
Sebastian’s voice brushed my ear. “Perhaps we should play every day of your stay, hmm?”
“Are you sure you could survive it?” I teased, caught up in the moment. I moved, never too fast but always precise.
The floor surged, then stalled, a trick meant to throw off our timing. I adjusted mid-step, trusting the count I’d already committed to. Sebastian adjusted with me… ja! We succeeded where two others failed.
The tide quickened, the lights beneath our feet brightening, the rhythm growing erratic, testing instead of guiding. I felt Sebastian’s awareness hone, the hand on my back becoming an anchor.
For the first time, I realized he wasn’t watching the floor. He was watching me.
As soon as I noticed, he yanked me against him, our lips suddenly only a breath apart.
I almost kissed him. The rising of another ring saved me from making such a silly mistake.
The crowd whispered. Two pairs left. Us and another. Either I handed the king his victory, or his first loss in decades.
The next crest rose on the off-beat. I jumped without thinking, expecting Sebastian to spin me midair. He did it seamlessly, appearing to melt into the light.
A hush settled over the garden. A split second later, the fourth and fifth peaks rose and fell in rapid succession, testing endurance rather than grace.
My calves burned. My breath came shorter, but I didn’t care.
The dancer in me recognized the careful give-and-take for what it was.
Two partners matching perfectly to the choreography.
The crowd leaned in as the tide gathered. I felt the wave before I saw it—a pressure beneath the light, building as the final crest rose. Too fast. Unpredictable.
When it exploded upward, I moved with it. The floor shifted, but I swept my palm through the beam.
The dais went dark, and silence crashed down. Then the garden erupted, cheers breaking out. We’d done it! We’d won.
Nobles leaned toward one another, voices overlapping, speculation already blooming. I caught fragments:
Never seen the king—
Who is she—
Did I see an outline of smokewings—
An outline? Truly I knew I hadn’t unleashed my smokewings, but maybe tendrils of smoke escaped.
Sebastian kept his hand on my back, warm and steady. I glanced up, and we shared a genuine smile without any hint of artifice or practice. Until his gaze iced over. The gloved hand at my spine curled briefly before falling away. Cool sea air rushed in where his warmth had been.
Did he regret the moment of unguarded vulnerability we’d shared?
Bjarki cleared his throat, visibly shaken. “The winners are His Majesty and Ambassador Bronwyn Drachenveil.”
Applause surged around us.
Sebastian faced me again, his expression now schooled into bland politeness. “I can take no credit,” he announced to one and all. “My partner is the incarnation of grace.” He smiled once more, but it wasn’t the same.
At the edge of the crowd, Gunnar caught his attention and made clipped motions with his hands.
The king’s eyes narrowed. “I must go. We’ll study runes when I finish this.” Without offering an explanation, he strode from the dais, then the garden, never looking back.
Okay, what just happened? First the ice over, now this.
Every gaze whipped toward me. Yes, of course, his people would be curious about the woman he’d chosen as his partner. My tongue sealed itself to the roof of my mouth.
Pretending this was any other performance, I lifted my head and glided off the stage. As the spectators braced to throng me, Gunnar approached, his mere presence keeping everyone else at bay.
“What did you tell him?” I asked at low volume.
He jumped right over the question. “Let me take you to your room, princess.”
Hint taken. No details given in public.
As soon as we were inside the palace, Gunnar filled me in. “The primordial requested… a word.”
I pressed a hand to my heart. “You should be with the king, not me.”
“I go wherever he wishes, whenever he wishes, and he wishes for me to be here, with you.”
I sighed. We reached my suite, where I holed up. Pacing, watching the connecting door, and worrying about the danger Sebastian might be facing for one hour, then another. I didn’t relax until a servant arrived with a feast and a note.
In a crisp script, Sebastian had written:
All is well. The threat diminished. Eat. Read. Your books are now stored in your nightstand. Your lesson begins in two hours.
First, relief bathed me. He was good, the realm was good, and I would see him again in two hours. Enough time to do what he’d suggested. Eat and read, two of my favorite things. But this didn’t explain the ice-over.
Had I gotten it right? Had our moment of vulnerability surprised him?
He was a puzzle, and I would figure him out. For now…
Different scents registered, and my mouth watered. I checked out the dishes. Salt-kissed kelp crisps, tidepool stew with sea vegetables and fire- charred lobster. For dessert, candied seaberries and tiny cakes shaped like dragons.
My stomach rumbled. A meal fit for a dragon and a kraken.
Alone, I sampled every dish, loving the rich complexities of the flavors. But by the fire’s blaze, I wished Sebastian were here with me. I wanted to know more about him. The real him, not the king, but the man. I’d very much enjoyed dancing with him. And his smile, there at the end…
I needed to see it again.
The ring on my index finger vibrated, and I closed my eyes, needing a moment to brace. Olyssa. She’d already heard something about my performance, thanks to Adelaide, who had her fingers on the pulse of every kingdom, including this one. Now, my sisters wished to discuss it, I’m sure.
The vibrations intensified. Finally, I lifted the ring and tapped the large morganite center stone. Olyssa’s image appeared several feet in front of me. A tall, gorgeous redhead brimming with confidence and authority.
She anchored her hands on her hips. “You’ve already rendered your verdict then? Sebastian is your firebrand? Word is you’ve moved in with him.”
Knew it. “Shh! Keep your voice down,” I whisper-shrieked.
I didn’t want anyone overhearing us. And really, I must tread carefully here.
Lying to my sister and queen wasn’t an option.
But betraying Sebastian’s trust was likewise off-limits.
“We’re… dating. Kind of. It’s complicated, and I’m not ready to talk about it. ”
“Don’t worry. I can get my info elsewhere.” Adelaide stepped in front of Olyssa, taking over the call. The stunning brunette looked me over, assessing everything at once. “Do you want your spywork grade now or later?”
Please. “I’ll take nothing less than an A minus.
” I’d kept her words of warning in the forefront with every interaction since entering Krakenstrond.
Maybe I hadn’t always done it well, but I’d done it.
In a mimic of her snobbiest I Know All attitude, I said, “If you can’t see their flaws, you’re not looking hard enough. ”
“That’s adequate,” Adelaide replied with a nod. High praise from her.
I took a bow. Now, for the problem. “We might have a kraken spy in our court.”
“Oh, there are all kinds of spies here.” She arched a dark brow. “Just as there are many dragon spies there. What I don’t know is when you’re seeing Sebastian again.”
“Soon.” My gaze flickered to that connecting door. Would he invite me into his room? “After I finish eating and read the next chapter of my romance novel.” And that was enough intel for now. “Goodbye, ladies. I love you.”
I moved to disconnect, but both women protested, and I hesitated.
“He knows we’ll kill him if he hurts you, ja?” Adelaide asked.
Without missing a beat, Olyssa peeked around her. “I love making introductions with my dragon fire.”
End. Their smiling faces vanished, along with their ridiculous threats and subsequent laughter.
I did exactly as I’d told them. Finished my meal and read a chapter of my romance, a delightful story about a healer who falls for the enemy general she’s supposed to poison.
I would have read more, but my gaze continually strayed to that closed door. The two hours should end in… five. Four. Three. Two.
Freyja’s now familiar knock sounded at the front door.
I erupted to my feet and smoothed my skirt. “Come in,” I called, heart thudding.
She bustled in, her ever-present clipboard in hand. “Greetings, princess. Your meeting with Mr. Thorson is soon. He’s a renowned kraken etiquette specialist. The best of the best, usually booked two years in advance. At the king’s request, he has agreed to meet with you.”
What? “Nein. I’m supposed to be with the king.” Studying runes.
“I was told to fetch you, so that is what I’m doing.”
I pursed my lips. I didn’t see how kraken etiquette advanced our goal. But fine. Maybe Sebastian had been called away again. In Ashmorra, someone was always pulling on Olyssa, needing an answer, or direction, or an enemy piked on the royal lawn.
“I can assure you, I’m already well-versed in etiquette.” I was both a royal and a prima ballerina used to performing before dignitaries. “But I will do this.”
“A wise decision. Kraken etiquette is like no other.” She turned on her heel. “This way, princess. His Majesty informed Mr. Thorson that he cannot begin until both students are present. Currently, you are the only one absent.”
My brows knitted. “Both students?” Had he recruited a backup consort? He’d said only me. Twice. But he’d also mentioned he’d go ‘a different route’ if I refused. And I had told him to.
As Freyja marched on, I followed, my stomach in knots.