[Phantom Islanders 02.0] Storm Revealed

by Ednah Walters

  What did “discuss” entail? Maybe he’d go to my home and pay for Tommy’s surgery. All we needed were a few freshwater pearls. I was still imagining my brother walking when the horn went off. I dragged a skirt to cover my chest and ran to the window.

  The ships were by the docks, and I could see my pirate on the deck of his ship. My pirate. He looked up at the tower and waved. I blew him a kiss, then moved away from the window to finish getting dressed. I raced downstairs, almost bumping into Delia.

  “There you are, lass. I’m happy you came to see the ships off.”

  I was downstairs for one person only—Storm. I followed her outside. Once again, the entire village had come out to send them off. Shieldmaidens and swordsmen kissed and hugged their parents, mates, and children. Even Nerissa ran to give Delia a hug.

  “Be careful, muh’Nerissa,” Delia said.

  “I will, Ma.” She hurried to her ship. She’d given it the name, Salacia. I wondered which pantheon the goddess came from. I’d never heard of her either.

  “I worry about her every time she leaves,” Delia whispered. “Yet I’m so proud of what she’s accomplished. Do you know Tullius does not allow women to serve on his ships? Yet my Nerissa is captaining her own ship.”

  Maybe I’d serve under her. No, I wanted to be with Storm. “If a shieldmaiden is mated, can she be on the same ship as her mate?”

  “No. They might be too busy trying to save each other during an attack and forget they are part of the crew. The crew must watch out for each other, regardless of whether they are mated or not. You see those two?” she indicated a couple lost in each other’s arms. “She’s on the Mac Lir while the husband serves under Levi. They meet at ports.”

  When you are a shieldmaiden, I’ll stalk you at every port…

  Damn. That meant separate ships. The couple walked hand-in-hand down the pier. The husband escorted the wife to her ship before joining his crewmates. The Mac Lir was anchored the farthest, leading the ship while the Yemaya was last. I’d noticed Levi’s ship always took the rear.

  Most of the crew just grabbed ropes and swung from ship to ship. Zale and Levi, dressed in their captain outfits, including the tricorn hats and doublets, left Storm’s ship and crossed planks to their ships. They waved to the cheering crowd.

  Someone blew the horn again and planks were removed. Where was Storm?

  I watched his ship as someone raised the anchor and the crew disappeared below deck. Finally, Storm left his cabin, walked to the helm, and spoke briefly with the helmsman. Then the man left the deck and disappeared below.

  Some of the children ran along the canal, waving to Storm as the Mac Lir pulled away. He waved back and looked toward our tower one last time. His ship didn’t go far before it started the slow descent. He hadn’t expected me to be down here mingling with the people. I was going to count the days until he returned.

  “I’m sorry, lass,” Delia said. “I think the lad didn’t expect you to be out here.”

  “It’s okay. He’ll be back.” And he’d better be okay.

  I stayed with the villagers until the last masts disappeared under the water, then walked back to the Great Hall. Despite my happy mood, I couldn’t shake a weird feeling of impending doom.

  It was that damned silver dagger.

  Chapter 5

  Delia and I spent the afternoon visiting expectant mothers and widows, but the island seemed empty even though kids were playing in the water under their parents’ watch, and the marketplace seemed busy as usual. This time, I heard a few yearlings and foals talk. Maybe it was because I was watching their mouths while listening.

  The tower was the worst. Storm’s scent lingered, but without his vibrant presence, it wasn’t the same. As nightfall approached, I stopped reading and went to the roof to watch the trainees.

  Kai and her shieldmaidens were doing hand-to-hand combat. I didn’t realize I was imitating her moves until she glanced right up at me. I paused with my hand in midair, feeling ridiculous and probably looking it.

  I waved. She didn’t respond, just went back to training.

  “Nice to see you, too,” I mumbled.

  A snicker came from behind me, and I whipped around, expecting to see one of Kai’s guards. I grinned when I saw my visitors.

  “You talk to yourself a lot,” Max said.

  “Everyone is a critic. What do you want, Kelps?” I asked.

  “I’m a Selkie,” Max said and pointed at Glyn. “He’s a Kelpie.”

  “Then I’ll continue calling you little pirates.” I received scowls from both of them. “Swordsmen?” I asked, and they grinned and nodded. They were so adorable. Something about their smiles reminded me of my brother. “Junior swordsmen it is.”

  “We looked everywhere for you. Delia said to check the tower, but you weren’t there,” Glyn added.

  “I’m watching them train. They are good.”

  “They’re better than good. They are the best.” Glyn moved closer to the edge and looked down. “Max, there she is,” Glyn whispered.

  Max slid beside him, and for a beat, they stared at Kai with awe.

  “She used to be a mermaid,” Max said and sighed. “Mermaids don’t like her because she left the sea. They usually like the men to move to the Undine City and live with them. Most of their mates are Tuh’ren.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because they can turn them into Mer-men.”

  Hmm, interesting. “What happened to her tail?”

  “Fin,” they corrected me in unison.

  “She traded it to marry Aelfric,” Max finished.

  “No, she did not,” Glyn retorted. “She did it to become a shieldmaiden and sail the seas. She was a shieldmaiden for many years before they mated.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Max yelled. “She knew Aelfric was her true mate before he did and got a position on his ship so they could be together. When he realized she was his true mate, he had her moved to another ship.”

  “She was sailing before she met him,” Zale shot back. “She became the first woman to captain a ship.”

  “Okay, guys.” I separated them. “Enough of that. Agree to disagree. Who wants to know how I defeated Tullius?” They were busy glaring at each other. “How about I ask Kai what she did first after I join the shieldmaidens?”

  That got their attention.

  “You can’t join them. Tuh’rens make babies,” Glyn said then blushed.

  “Excuse me? Says who?” I asked.

  “You mate and create future swordsmen and shieldmaidens,” Max added as if I’d missed what his friend meant the first time around.

  “Bull. What if I don’t want to make babies? What if I want to be a shieldmaiden? What then?” The two boys exchanged grins. “What?” I asked, not liking their smirks.

  “You belong to Storm, and he’s old,” Max said.

  “He’s not.” I narrowed my eyes. “Take that back.”

  They grinned.

  “And all old swordsmen want babies,” Glyn chimed in.

  I grabbed Glyn’s wooden sword and pointed it at them. The two boys shuffled away from me. “Listen to me, Kelpies. Uh, junior swordsmen. First, do you see a frigging tag on my forehead?”

  They shook their heads.

  “Damn straight. No tag. No barcodes. No sign. That means I don’t belong to anyone. Second, I’m going to join the shieldmaidens and learn to fight just like them.”

  Of course I’d never be like them, but someone had to stand up for humans. Making babies, my butt. Wait until Storm came home. He was going to get an earful. Delia had said he’d helped create the laws. Laws where women like me were treated like broodmares. No wonder he wanted poor Skylar sent to Undine City. They’d kidnapped a fighter. Bet she’d make one heck of a shieldmaiden.

  “And I’m going to make the best shieldmaiden you two Muh-rens have ever seen,” I added.

  The boys still wore skeptical expressions.

  “Do you know why, doubting Thomases? Without eve
n leaving my bed, I sent Tullius running like a scaredy-cat. Now if you want to know the details, follow me. And no more talk about Tuh’rens and making babies, because that shit is not cool.”

  “You swore,” Zale said, staring at me with a weird expression.

  “Ma would box my ears for that,” Glyn added.

  Pirates taught not to swear? I chuckled. I guess things changed, as they grew older because I’d heard Storm let Ryun have it, and he’d been colorful.

  “Next time I’ll say kraken’s breath,” I said, and they nodded.

  Shaking my head, I pushed open the door to the tower apartment, and they followed. They were so quiet I checked to see why. I expected them to be following me meekly. Instead, they were staring around the room with awe. I guessed they’d never been inside Storm’s quarters. They pointed and whispered to each other. I walked back to listen.

  “Don’t touch that, or you’ll break it,” Glyn whispered.

  “Da would ground me for a week,” Max said. “Wait ’til I tell my brother I was in the captain’s tower. He won’t believe me.”

  Boys at home got excited over new video games. These boys went crazy over knickknacks I hadn’t paid much attention to before because I had no idea what they meant. They peered at an array of weird looking pieces of black rocks with strange writings.

  “The centennial games trophies,” one of them said.

  “He won eight events before King Tullius said he couldn’t compete.”

  “I bet he would have gotten more if the mad king hadn’t butted in.”

  They stood in front of the fireplace and stared at a mirror with a gilded frame. It looked old, and I’d assumed it was just like the furniture.

  “What’s special about it?” I asked.

  “That’s from a huge Tuh’ren ship called Ty-something.” Glyn looked at Max.

  “I don’t know,” Max mumbled. “King Tullius sank a lot of Tuh’ren ships.”

  “The Titanic?” I asked.

  They nodded.

  “How do you know?” Glyn asked.

  “It’s a famous ship in my world.” I explained how we believed it had hit an iceberg and sunk.

  “I heard King Tullius sank it. They said they brought a lot of things and future mates from it.” Glyn pointed at a candelabrum. “The captain took this from Prince Tullius’s own quarters at the palace the night they escaped.”

  “The royal guards were still searching for them in the city when they doubled back and outsmarted them,” Max added. “They sneaked into the palace and went to the prince’s chambers.”

  “Why?” I asked, studying the candleholder.

  “It belonged to his mother,” Glyn said. “I’ve only heard about it. I didn’t think it was real. It’s beautiful.”

  The boys stayed there for a bit. I was sure they wanted to touch it. Finally, they moved on to another piece, but I continued to stare at the candelabrum. The others in the room were gilded metal or wood, except this one. It was made of porcelain. At the base were two cherubic kids with their arms wrapped around a tree encrusted with flowers. The five arms had rosebuds, but the candleholder part was shaped like a rose in full bloom. The craftsmanship was exquisite.

  Delia had raised Storm because his mother had gone somewhere and never returned. And Storm had hinted that mothers tended to watch over their more vulnerable children. Could he and Tullius be brothers? Had his mother left with Tullius? There was so much about Storm I still didn’t know.

  “This came from Prince Tullius’s cabin in his private ship,” I overheard one of the boys say. They were seated on the floor in front of the large globe. I went to join them.

  “Prince Tullius was asleep when the captain entered the cabin and took this, a chest of gold and swords, from right under his nose,” Glyn said gleefully, glancing at me. “By the time Tully woke up, they were gone.”

  “Don’t forget the note,” Max added. “He left Prince Tullius a note, thanking him for the donations to Vaarda.”

  “He always leaves a note,” Glyn added, and the two laughed.

  “Who tells you guys these stories?” I asked, joining them on the floor.

  “My da and brother,” Max said.

  Glyn nodded. “Sometimes the crews tell stories in the hall when they return from raids. The captains are all brave, but he’s the best. That’s why Prince Tullius wants his head the most.”

  Max whispered into Glyn’s ear.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Max said Prince Tullius hates the captain because he is better at everything than he,” Glyn whispered. “We’re not supposed to say that.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “Because he is the captain’s brother and future king after the mad king retires,” he repeated and looked around.

  “But he’s not the rightful king,” Max added. “The captain is the oldest.”

  Holy shit. Didn’t see that coming.

  “Is their father still alive?” I asked, feeling a little bad for pumping these kids for information. The boys shook their heads, and fear flashed in their eyes. I decided to change the subject.

  “Can I show you guys where I come from?” I pointed at Idaho, feeling nostalgic. Before I knew it, I was telling them about life in Clairefield and my family.

  “You should ask Storm to bring your brother here,” Max suggested. “I bet Elder Moria could make him walk again.”

  “She knows powerful magic, but she’s scary,” Glyn mumbled.

  “You’ve never seen her,” Max retorted.

  “Have too,” Glyn shot back. “I saw her from the corners of my eyes and closed them. When I opened them, she was gone.”

  Max nodded. “Good. If you see her, she turns you into an abomination.”

  “Doesn’t she live in the north by the lake?” I asked, and they nodded. “I visited Sidhe Boann.”

  Glyn grew pale. “No one goes there.”

  “No one,” Max repeated, his eyes wide. “You must be brave.”

  “I told you I faced Prince Tullius.” Although at this point, I wasn’t sure which one was worse, the prince or his grandfather, the mad king. Having them both named Tullius only added to the confusion.

  “What happened?” Max asked.

  “Yes, how did you chase him away?” Glyn piped in.

  I focused on their animated expressions. “Where did I stop?”

  “You were in bed and he was creeping closer,” Max said.

  “Well, there I was in my bed, thinking this is it. This mean-looking stranger is about to grab me and take me away from my family forever. His gnarly hands reached for me, and I knew I had to act fast. But what could I use? I wasn’t at home. There were no knives or weapons in the hotel.”

  “What’s a hotel?” Glyn asked.

  “A resting house for wary swordsmen and shieldmaidens. So when he reached for me, I balled my fist and punched him hard on the nose. There was a crunch, so I knew I’d broken it. He yelled ‘My nose. My nose. You broke my nose.’ I laughed in his face and said, ‘Get out, you creep.’ The next thing I knew, he was running out of my room, his coat flying. And I went back to sleep.” The boys stared at me with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure whether it was fear or disbelief. “Well? What do you think of that?”

  “You were brave to break his nose,” Glyn said. From the awe in his voice, my job was done.

  “He loves to kill people, especially women.” A knock interrupted us, and Meris entered.

  “Ma, are you looking for me?” Glyn asked.

  “Yes, lad. It’s time to go home. You too, Max. Muh’Delia wants you downstairs, Lexi. She said to wait for her at her place. I hope they were not being a bother,” the woman added as we walked downstairs.

  “No. They keep me busy, and I’m hoping they can teach me how to fight with their swords.”

  “We can?” the two boys asked in unison, and I laughed.

  “Of course. How else am I going to impress Kai with my skills and join her team? You two have to teach me everything
you know. We should start tomorrow after your training.”

  “But your hand, Lexi,” Meris said. “Storm will not like it if you injured yourself again.”

  “It should be healed by tomorrow.” The left hand was already healed, but Delia decided I should let the right one air out. The blisters had scabbed.

  The boys grinned. All the way downstairs, they kept cutting me glances. Delia was waiting when I arrived at her place.

  “I’ve arranged for merchants to stop by tomorrow with samples of their work. Pick whatever you need, starting with the bed.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the bed or the mattress.”

  “I know, but Storm wants it replaced, and arguing with him is pointless.”

  “Can I ask you something?” I asked, eating some of the fruit salad.

  “Sure, lass.”

  “Have you met Elder Moria?”

  She chuckled. “You mean the scary one that turns people into abominations if they venture near her lake?”

  I grinned. “That’s what the boys told me.”

  “That’s the story all parents tell their children. It keeps them away from the lake and the waterfalls. Fresh water is not good for our kind. As for Moria, I met her for the first time when I became an elder. She knows more magic than everyone else on the island, including Gráinne.”

  “Is she from Hy’Brasil?”

  “I don’t know, but she, Gráinne, and Murchadh lived on this island before Storm brought our people here.” Delia frowned. “By the time I arrived, there were a couple hundred people living here already and even they never interacted with her. Ask Storm about her. He talks to her often.”

  I was tempted to ask her about Storm’s family, but I bit my inner cheek and kept quiet. Storm will answer all my questions. The problem was every time I thought about him, I saw that damn silver dagger and my stomach hollowed out in panic. He’d better come back.

  I couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was the lumpy mattress, or my worries about Tommy, or the fact that Storm was headed to enemy territory. Sometime during the night, a knock resounded through the door, and I recognized Ryun’s voice.