It had made no sense to her that a man could surrender decades of his life for petty offenses of theft and lesser battery. One of her first acts, after the hell at the sunken temple was over, had been to assign all nonviolent offenders into work-release programs.
The Council of Lords met her edict with scorn.
It will never work.
They’ll only turn to theft again.
Desperate to prove them wrong, she imported books from the surface on recidivism and crime, restructured the system, and carried out her plans.
Very few mers returned. Kai wasn’t sure if they simply improved at their criminal craft to avoid recapture or if they became law-abiding citizens, but the improving crime rates implied it had been the latter.
As they passed heavy stone doors, Manu rested his hand on the small of Kai’s back. She hadn’t realized until that moment how much she’d leaned on him in the recent days through treachery, assassination attempts, and an uprising from the noble class.
“Lead the way then,” he rumbled.
“There’s one thing.” Heracles rubbed his jaw with one hand, appearing as tired as Kai felt. “Aegaeon asked to see Kai alone. He says he can’t speak of anything until then for the words he must tell you are for your ears alone.”
“Why?” Kai asked.
“He trusts no one. Even me. That should be some indication of how deep this plot against you goes if even my loyalty to you is suspect.”
“It could be a trick,” Manu mused. “What do you think?”
A long sigh left Cosmas. “Had you asked me a week ago if Aegaeon were capable of harming Kai, I’d have told you never in a thousand years. Now, I am not so sure.”
“I’ll do it.”
The guard commander’s mouth flattened. “Truly?”
Kai forced a tight smile. “What choice do I have? I hide, or I face him. He was someone I loved, and in some ways still do love. Hiding will only harm us. Lead the way.”
Imprisonment had been unkind to her uncle, and so had his guards, she suspected. Here, in the royal jail, there was no caviar, no sweetmeats, no urchin or succulent crab. Prisoners received the minimal necessities for their survival, which was often tuna and seaweed alongside basic grains and vegetables. Sometimes, when fortunate, they received junkfish stew. All offerings were nutritious, but far from the tasty meals preferred by mers of upper-class origins.
The cell smelled of the latter. Aegaeon, due to his noble background, had been secluded from the rest of the inmates for his own safety.
Dark circles beneath his eyes and his sunken features told of many sleepless nights since the arrest. His blond hair hung lank and lifeless around his shoulders, and the joy in his blue eyes had long fled.
Looking upon Aegaeon made her furious for many reasons.
“I did not expect you to come.”
“Heracles said you had information you would give to me, and only me. We weren’t given much choice.”
“I apologize for that.” When Aegaeon moved, Kai involuntarily flinched toward the door and tightened her already white-knuckled grip over the scepter. His gaze flitted to her weapon then to her face. Something came over his features—a fleeting emotion she could have mistaken as remorse or even sadness. “I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“You sent Keres to murder me.”
“No! I didn’t. It wasn’t me, Kai. Please.”
“I have no reason to believe you when the evidence gained by Demetrius, as well as your attempt to flee the city, proves otherwise.”
Aegaeon paced the cell, raking one hand through his hair. In the prison rags, he was hardly recognizable as her uncle. “Yes. I understand the way it appears. I asked you here because I know what they aim to do.”
“You could have told anyone.”
“I do not trust anyone!”
Kai stood her ground, though she was trembling with rage and tears persistently burned the corners of her eyes. Even now, her soul wanted to believe him. “And why is that?”
“Thalia’s agents are everywhere. For weeks, she and Nammu conspired behind my back. I didn’t realize—she played me. And I know now that my time here in prison is short.”
“Planning to escape?”
He smiled grimly. “No. They’ll have me killed before I can spill what I mean to tell you now. Whether you believe me doesn’t matter, but know this. They’ve found the directions to the lost temple once devoted to Nyx. They believe it to be where Thalassa has hidden all this time to recover and…they mean to absorb her power, the way Manu absorbed the gifts of Pontus.”
She jerked, unable to help the way her mouth fell open. “What?”
“They know where to find what remains of Thalassa’s spirit, and as there is no way to discern who is on your side, I dared not risk telling you everything I know with an audience. I dare not risk endangering Cosmas, if anyone were to realize that he knew.”
“I’ll have to tell him anyway.”
“You can’t. If you do, he’ll insist that he go with you to this temple.”
The man pacing the cell was a withered remnant of the proud mer who once gave her rides on his shoulders through the Royal Quarter. Imprisonment had not been kind to Aegaeon, and no matter how much she thought he deserved it, a lance of guilt prodded her chest until she thoroughly reminded herself that he chose his own future.
“Why are you telling us? Is it because you believe I’ll have mercy on you? Un—” Abruptly, Kai sucked in air and halted. He isn’t my uncle anymore. He’s a traitor. He betrayed me. He signed my life away to benefit and claim the throne. “Why this change of heart? Your fate is out of my hands.”
“I am aware,” he said. “It isn’t about leniency or an appeal, Your Majesty.”
Weeks ago, he called her niece. She’d been Kai.
“It’s about accepting responsibility for the wrong I have committed. When I suspected Nammu may have ordered your death, I did not act. I am as guilty as she.”
“How do I know this isn’t another trick?”
“You can’t know. I can only tell you that Thalia has long had researchers seeking the lost temple, and at this very moment, she and Nammu hope to devour the essence of a goddess.”
“They’re fools. Even Pontus had the power to defend himself in his final moments. They won’t stand a chance against her.”
“Pontus did not receive a mortal blow from Calypso. Thalassa is on borrowed time. Even if you had not called for our arrest, Thalia planned to leave the city soon. Your actions only sped their timetable.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Her archaeologists have made great progress and claim they heard Thalassa’s song. Whether or not you choose to believe me is up to you. I can only tell you where to search for their plans, if any evidence remains.”
His words only amplified her worries.
“You do realize that by going there, we’ll fight Thalia and the end result may be taking Nammu into custody, don’t you?”
“I do.” He sighed. “I fought for her as any husband should. Because I love her.”
“More than you loved me. You’ve only had a change of heart now because she abandoned your ass at the docks and left you to this.”
“I won’t waste my breath convincing you otherwise. I deserve this. But I have one last confession.”
“Shoot. You can’t disappoint me any further than you already have.”
Her uncle’s dead eyes told her otherwise. “Loyalists didn’t attack Amerin. Nammu’s hired men did it that day. They both deserve to know the truth. I can’t shield her any longer from her actions.”
It hurt like no betrayal ever should, slicing through her soul. “No… You both—you did it?”
“Not I. Nammu. When she told me of it, it was too late. I discovered afterward.”
“You’re monsters. You knew all this time who attacked her. You’ve been in on in from the beginning. For that, you share her crime.”
Aegaeon didn’t speak again.
Kai d
idn’t need to know anything more from him. “When Heracles enters, you give him whatever coordinates or data that you know. You and I—we are done. I will allow no one to harm you, but I’d just as soon pretend you no longer exist. As of today, I have no uncle. My father’s brother died months ago.”
27
By Stone and Leaf
The argument that transpired in the hour following Aegaeon’s confession was nothing like what Kai expected. She’d thought because they were fierce and heroic Myrmidon commanders, they would be eager to to rush into battle. Cosmas should have been a wreck, but he seemed all the more focused, as if feeding on his fury.
“Absolutely not,” Heracles said.
“My mers are already en route,” Loto assured her. “Leaving now would place you in unnecessary danger.”
“I am in agreement with Loto. It would be unwise to leave the city now,” Hipponax said, the old priest rubbing his tired face. He’d been brought in as one of the war council, trusted due to his position and because he had yet to steer them wrong.
Even El betrayed her, the redhead’s grave expression followed by damning words of disapproval. “Our medics are already in short supply. The assistance from the fae has helped. They’re terrific healers and have a vast understanding of our underwater flora, but if you were to travel aboard any vessel, Thalia will know. One disloyal Myrmidon is all it will take to have a fight on our hands.”
The only person who did not speak, as the verbal altercation surged back and forth, was the merman standing beside her. Manu had fallen suspiciously silent during her outlining of the plan in her head.
“I have personally vetted each Myrmidon aboard the vessel sent to apprehend Thalia and Nammu. They can be trusted to do what is right.”
“Oh?” Kai spat. “You personally vetted Erasmus as well, didn’t you, Loto?”
The general frowned. “That is a low blow, and unfair. At the time, we did not know of any treachery among us.”
“And now we do.”
“Dividing our forces now would be suicide,” Heracles said. “We can all accompany you, but we’ll need enough mers traveling in our entourage to guarantee it isn’t a repeat of what killed your parents. They took an army with them, but Calypso was prepared. Narkissa has tested our strength once already.”
“We have fae on our side and gargoyles on the way.”
“What good are gargoyles under the sea?” Heracles exploded. “Your Majesty—Kai, I beg you to reconsider.”
At that moment, a knock echoed against the door.
Kai practically jumped out of her skin as Heracles opened the door to reveal Jason. The tired Royal Guard appeared as ill-slept as all others in the room.
“Apologies for the interruption, Commanders, Your Majesties.” He bowed. “But I was told to inform you that the gargoyles have arrived. They’re at the northern gate awaiting entrance to the city.”
“What? How?” Kai asked, while Loto fumbled with the televiewing pane and brought up several security panels.
The image displayed precisely what Kai had expected, but also doubted from the beginning. She should have known from the mischief dancing in Charmeine’s eyes.
There, walking along the bottom of the gate, were ranks upon ranks of stone soldiers. They marched in slow-motion to what she would presume was an upbeat rhythm if they weren’t pushing through thousands upon thousands of pounds of water pressure. In those moments, Kai could only marvel at the beauty of them. They came in all shades of stone, from white as pearl to black as obsidian, some the brilliant caramel brown of granite or the rich red of sandstone. Some shone and others gleamed a polished satin. But all were living.
As they watched, more of them pulled free of the sand bed.
“They traveled through the earth. Gods,” Loto breathed.
“Do we have enough of an army now?” Kai asked. She turned her gaze upon Manu, expecting him to take the side of their friends and advisors. What she’d suggested was a risky prospect and she knew it.
“It is. Our queen is correct. Now that we know the spirit of Thalassa lives on, we cannot stand idly by as Thalia’s arrogance brings her harm. It is up to us to protect our goddess as she once protected our people. We have gargoyles on one side and fae covering our tails on the other. We can do this.”
Loto sighed. “Mate, the moment we leave, they’ll know, and we’ll have to face whoever on our vessel happens to be enough of a psychopath to follow her. We know the words she told them. They’re convinced Kai is ruining Atlantis and has only war on her mind.”
Kai paced the room as they spoke. Leaving certainly put them in danger. Myrmidons were sworn to protect Atlantis as much as the queen, and now, they could not be trusted that they weren’t Thalia’s plants, or paid off by Aegaeon and Nammu. In her mind, she imagined sabotaged vessels, midnight assassination attempts, or outright warnings to Thalia allowing her people to prepare.
She snapped her head toward the televiewer. “Then we need to leave without her ever knowing. Someone fetch Captain Nissa at once. If we’re to leave without anyone being aware of it, we need the help of someone who arrived without us knowing.”
They didn’t need any magic.
They needed fae magic.
28
Sacred Duty
The mer commanders loathed the plan, but Kai already had her mind set on it, and Manu knew their options were limited under the circumstances.
What could he do but support her?
Heracles argued until the bitter end, but slowly, and quite surely, they all came around to the plan one by one. Even Hipponax agreed.
It was simple. Leaving Elpis and Kassandra behind—they knew not if they could trust the latter—Loto and Cosmas left on a patrol to scout for the Gloom, taking with them a number of bottom-walking gargoyles who controlled the sand beds and earth itself beneath the water. The gargoyles would travel through the earth itself, following the disturbance trail created by the general’s ocean glider against the sand.
Meanwhile, Nissa left Atlantis in the company of two large fae, one surprisingly muscular, his blond hair radiant as sunlight against his murky green flesh, the other a woman of blue skin and long ears with a charming smile. Her water pixie wings trailed behind her like the long, diaphanous fluke of a betta.
The weirdest thing about the spell was that he felt the breeze against his fin-like ears.
Nissa was a master when it came to magical spellwork and traveling incognito. Not long after they were some distance away from Atlantis, swimming together side by side, they stopped alongside a coral skipper parked out of the way of any patrols. There, Nissa dissolved the powerful glamours concealing Kai and Manu’s identifies.
“That was some of my best work,” the fae said, sulking. “I’m a little disappointed it had to come to an end. You’re both quite attractive this way.”
Kai rolled her shoulders. “It felt like actual wings attached to my back.”
“For a while, there were actual wings attached to your back,” Nissa confirmed, smiling. “The wonder of fae glamour. Now, your steed awaits, m’lady.” She gestured toward the abandoned coral skipper. “A pleasant journey to you both. May your gods keep you safe.”
It would take a half day to reach the Erebothian Trench at full speed, and more than that for anyone to realize the king and queen had gone missing from Atlantis. If they were lucky. They bid Nissa farewell then boarded the vessel Jason had stowed for them hidden among the rocks.
“I can’t believe I’ve let you talk me into this,” Manu muttered from behind the primary steering column. Kai shot him a cheeky half smile, but he saw the exhaustion in her face and felt the fragile strands of it through a link he still didn’t understand.
More and more each day, emotions shimmered between them like electrical current, each jolt of her thoughts another burst of electricity reminding him that they had been bound by magic. And without her parents around to speak with them, he could only assume it was typical.
“What els
e could we do, Manu? This is… It feels like it’s our duty.”
“It does,” he agreed, stealing a sidelong glance at her. He watched her features, the way she studied the underwater kingdom without the awe that once filled her eyes at every turn. “Do you truly believe they’ve found Thalassa?”
“When Thalia came to us, she asked for permission to excavate the ancient ruins at the bottom of the Erebothian Trench. We don’t know what she found. It could be anything.”
“It could be a trap,” Manu suggested.
Kai shook her head. “No. Because… I think I dreamed about the Temple of Nyx. During the rituals and ceremonies before my coronation. I dreamt of a long corridor of dark stone, and at the end, there was an altar. I had a choice, and…” Her brown eyes raised to his and searched his face. “I made the wrong choice. And that choice let loose all the evils and plagues of the world.”
“Kai…”
“And you’ve been having dreams too. The gods have been communicating with us, but they’re too weak to outright tell us what we need to know. They’re weak because of Keto and Phorcys.”
“All right. All right. We’ll do this your way then.”
They drove for what felt like hours using a signal generated by the Pearl Shark, cloaking their own energy signal in the shadow of the larger vessel. Once they reached their destination, they’d have to depend on the infantry and the gargoyles to provide a distraction. It was their hope that they could draw any of Thalia’s loyal people from the trench.
Because if Loto couldn’t, they had one hell of a fight on their hands—Thalia and dozens of crooked Myrmidon against one king and queen.
Wary of arriving exhausted, Kai insisted they switch off piloting duties and alternate as drivers. Manu argued initially, but the moment he relinquished control to her, his eyelids became incredibly heavy, and he fell into a deep sleep from which he didn’t awaken for hours. When he did stir, it was to the whisper of song on the edge of his hearing, the words too soft to discern.
Goddess of Sea and War: a Fantasy Romance (Kingdom in the Sea Book 3) Page 21