This time, a murmur rippled through the crowd. Their shock was on their faces.
“I dare, General Fearghas”—I continued—“because all I want to do is go home, hug my brother, sit in the hall, eat a meal prepared by the most cantankerous woman to ever live on these islands, and bitch about her nasty sauce. I want to listen to the swordsmen break out in songs about sailing and the shieldmaidens who stole their hearts while they bounce their babies on their knees and steal kisses between each serving.”
Laughter came from behind me.
“I dare, General Fearghas, because all I want to do is have a moment with my true mate so I can love him like no woman has ever loved a man, and he can love me back. I’ve waited eighteen years for him, and I refuse to wait any longer. Everyone deserves a true mate.”
The silenced had returned, but I was tired, and I was done talking. Reaching behind me, I retied my bow from where it was secured on the bag and pulled an arrow from inside the bag.
“Who are you?” someone yelled from among the civilians in the back.
“She’s Lexi from the marketplace,” a tiny voice called out from the back, and people murmured my name.
I peered in the general area of the voice. The fog had lifted, and I hadn’t even noticed. Several fathers carried the little ones on their shoulders, but I saw the skinny arms waving at me.
“Is that you, Cascade?” I asked.
“Yes, Lexi,” he called back. I smiled and waved.
“It’s nice to see you again, buddy. By the way, the trick worked.” I mounted the arrow in the bow and added, “Now cover your eyes, Cascade, because I’m about to show General Fearghas something. Tell your friends to cover their eyes, too.”
The boy indicated to his friends, then covered his eyes.
I aimed the arrow at the general.
“I should have introduced myself first, General Fearghas, so you knew exactly who you are addressing. I’m Lexi Greendale, Storm Orath’s true mate. If you ever talk to him the way you did or call my people mules, you’ll find this arrow lodged in your chest so fast you won’t know what hit you. By the time you’d realize what’s happening, the silver powder sprinkled on the tip would already have spread inside you, liquefying you from inside out.”
A buzz started, and the people closest to us moved backward.
“She’s just talking,” the general said. “There’s no silver on the islands.”
“Do you want to test that theory, General?” I angled my bow and aimed for his chest. It was broad enough for me not to miss.
He swallowed and looked at two men in front of the crowd to our right. They looked like officers, too, but they lacked his arrogance and confidence.
I lowered the bow and arrow, propped them on Storm’s back, reached down, and lifted the hem of my dress to expose the blade Storm had strapped on me. I pulled the dagger from its sheath and removed the thin cloth covering it.
“Aaah,” swept through the gathered men, and more pressed away from us when I raised the dagger.
“There’s a reason they call me Silver, General Fearghas. I am Storm’s violet-eyed lass, wielder of the only silver dagger on the islands. Every time I sharpen it, I collect the powder and sprinkle it like pixie dust on the tips of my arrows.” I wrapped the dagger and slipped it back in its sheath, then picked up my bow and arrow. “Now. Order your men to move back and let us pass, unless you want to taste my silver.”
Those closest to us were already moving back and the buzz had grown in volume, but the general did not budge.
Asshole.
“Can I shoot him?” I leaned down and whispered so only Storm could hear me.
A chuckle escaped Storm. “Can you hit him?”
“Maybe. Like I said; I’m a work-in-progress. I might end up hitting the pimply faced guy to his right.”
Storm studied the young man. “The one mentally undressing you because you showed them your thigh? Shoot him.”
“Be nice.”
“How about you point at the general’s feet and tell him to move or feel your wrath, and I’ll do the rest?”
“Have I told you how much I love you?”
“No, but I can wait, mo stór.”
Grinning, I straightened and aimed my arrow at the feet of the general. “General Fearghas, move your people about twenty feet to the left so we can pass, or face my wrath. It’s my last warning.”
The buzz went down while the general smirked.
“It’s my duty to make sure all pirates face the gallows—”
Lightning hit less than a foot from where he stood, and he squealed and jumped back. Another followed, forcing him to jump. Then another. He tripped and fell over the people behind him.
I fought a grin. This was what Storm meant by making them dance. I liked it.
“I warned you, General. Get up and tell your people to move. We need more space, and we don’t want people to get hurt.”
This time, the bolt split as it zigzagged through the air and hit the ground in multiple places in front of the entire front line of the general’s people. The space between us grew as the people moved back. I turned to the right, but the other two officers were already telling the crowd to move back.
“We need a path in front, too,” I called out.
“Move!” filled the air.
Storm continued to mark the boundaries, until we had a clear path. I waved our people forward. They rode ahead and disappeared into the night. Levi was the last to pass us.
“Nice speech, Silver,” Levi said when he reached us. “You made us proud tonight.”
I laughed. “I spoke the truth. From the awe on their faces, they think I’m controlling the lightning. Can we tell them Storm is?”
“No-ooo,” Levi and Storm said in unison.
“After that speech, you do not want to mess with your reputation,” Levi said.
“This story is going to spread among the islanders, cinching my fame, mo ghrá.” Storm sounded amused.
I smacked his forehead. “Your fame? I’m the one who gave the speech.”
“But he’s the Kelpie mated to you, a shieldmaiden who carries a silver dagger and summons lightning,” Levi said as he passed us.
“Doesn’t that make me sound like some evil witch?” I mumbled.
“No, it makes you sound invincible,” Storm said. “And you’ve given my people here in Hy’Brasil something to think about. Whether they choose to have their voices heard is up to them. You stood up to a bully and won.”
I wondered if this was what the oracle had seen in her vision. The beginning of the fall of King Tullius’s reign.
I studied faces as we followed Levi, who’d disappeared ahead. Some smiled and waved. Others stared with awe or revulsion. Yeah, well, we couldn’t win them all. The humiliated general, the guards, and the army were headed to the palace. Would they come after us when they found Tully and Lord Conyngham?
“Lexi!” a chorus of tiny voices called. Cascade and his friends waved frantically.
Laughing, I blew them kisses.
“I’ll be back,” I called.
“No, you won’t,” Storm said as he took off.
“As a captain of my own ship, you don’t know where I’ll visit, he’lahn.”
“You’re not even a shieldmaiden, my she’lahn, and you’re already a captain?”
“A girl’s gotta have goals, and being a captain of my own ship is one of them. Besides, mates don’t sail together.”
“We have a new rule, starting today. Mates can sail together as long as they can watch each other’s backs.”
That was the best compliment he could ever give me. He’d accepted me as an equal even though I still had to learn how to fight with a sword and a dagger and handle an ax and the bucklers I’d seen Nerissa use. Not to mention my bow and arrows. The arrows would be my signature.
~*~
We caught up with Levi and the others at the park outside the palace. They seemed to have doubled in number, was my first though
t, until I recognized Banan on a horse. Then the two guards who’d watched me.
I felt bad for not having tried to get to know them, yet they were part of the underground movement. More rode out of the dark, foggy park and flanked our little group, forming a barrier between us and the locals on the sidewalks. If we’d been under attack, they would have been the perfect allies because they outnumbered us two to one.
Despite the fog, I recognized the same road I’d used with the farmer Lachlan. I spied Levi in front. He’d shifted, gotten dressed, and was on a horse. Or a Kelpie. It was hard to tell the difference.
Just when I was sure we were headed toward the marketplace, Banan led the way down a side road, cutting through more side roads and parks. The houses were bigger and in total darkness, and the streets were empty. It looked like Lady Morgana’s neighborhood. I guess the wealthy were perfectly happy hiding behind their closed doors when pirates came into town.
The fog thickened, making the night and the big houses ominous.
Still heading downhill, we passed another park then reached a gated and walled compound with a row of long buildings. There was a field to our left, but part of it was covered by the fog, and the light from the torches at the entrance of the buildings didn’t reach far.
Riders hopped down just as one of the doors opened, and Nereus stepped out with a lantern. He waved us inside.
“Leave the horses outside,” he said.
He led the way inside. While the others followed him, Storm turned and faced the people who’d escorted him.
“Thank you, my brothers and sisters. I heard about your movement to change the laws on Hy’Brasil, and I couldn’t be prouder. My father couldn’t be prouder because he was the first in my family to defy these same laws when he claimed my mother in a beautiful ceremony. He was only one person, and he was silenced. A century ago, my friends and I picked up where he’d left off. We were only six, and we were silenced. Today, there are hundreds of you continuing the fight.”
“Thousands,” someone called out.
Storm chuckled. “Thank you. Thousands of you. Tomorrow there will be tens of thousands. Soon you’ll have the whole kingdom united, demanding changes. The more you are, the louder you’ll get, and the louder you get, the higher the chances you’ll get what you want. What you need. And you need to be free to live, love, and marry your true mate to be truly happy. And that is only possible if you scent and claim the right mate. Like my Lexi said; don’t let the palace or their representatives bully you or silence you. Your happiness depends on it.”
My throat closed listening to him. First Storm’s father, then Storm. What the hell was wrong with the mad king? What was he scared of that he’d refuse his people to live in both their human and animal forms? It couldn’t be because of the wings. Bet he couldn’t shift without looking like a gargoyle.
“You are all descendants of the gods, immortal, magical, and resilient,” Storm continued. “We live a long time, and the last thing you need is a long, monotonous, unhappy existence. That’s what a lifetime without your true mate by your side is like. No one should ever make you live like that or make you feel ashamed of who and what you are. Kelpies. Selkies. Dragons. Mermaids. Those are who you are. Embrace your true nature, my brothers and sisters, and continue the fight my father started. Thank you for tonight.”
“Will you ever come back and claim your throne, Prince Orath?” one woman asked.
“No, lass, but my island will always welcome new brothers and sisters if that’s what you want, and you’ll always have my support in whatever you do. I’m not Prince Orath. That title belonged to my father. I am Storm, a swordsman and a sailor.” He glanced up. “The fog is shifting, and we need to be at sea before it does. Thank you and keep fighting.”
I waved to the group, not surprised to see a few wipe their cheeks. I wiped my cheeks as we entered the building.
“Are you crying, muh’Lexi?”
“Me? Nah. The damn fog has that effect on my eyes. You should have seen your people out there. They were ugly crying.”
He chuckled. The others had already shifted and changed. They closed in on us when we entered the building. I got down, clutching Storm’s things and hoping no one noticed my wet eyes, but I shouldn’t have bothered. Quite a few of his islanders had been moved by his speech.
“Beautiful speech,” Levi said, and the others echoed it.
“It was the truth. The mad king can only crack the same whip for so long before someone forces him to stop or takes it.”
While Storm shifted and chatted with his people, I focused on our surroundings. The only light came from Nereus’s lantern and one from the other end of the hallway, but I could tell we were inside a stable. Buckets of horse feed hung by every door, and bridles dangled from pegs on the opposite wall. Outside, the sound of hooves slowly faded as our escort rode away. The other two guards from the tower joined us and closed the door.
Nereus directed them to the back before focusing on me. I hugged him.
“Where is the first group?” I asked.
“At Athol’s, but Banan is waiting in the last stall.”
He pointed at the other end of the hallway, where the guards were headed.
“This is one of the stables for the Royal Guards’ horses, so we built a tunnel right under their noses.” He grinned. “Earlier, we got rid of all the horses so they couldn’t use them to come to the palace. We’ll leave the horses in the park for them to collect tomorrow. Everyone, follow me.”
I stayed with Storm since he was still getting dressed and I had his shirt, vest, and sword. I still wore his coat. Someone had already handed him his boots and breeches.
“That was more than a beautiful speech. It was a confession,” I said.
He chuckled. “About?”
“About your father. Someone told me the king blamed Atlantis for your father’s death and that started a war between your kingdoms. Do you think he was killed because he broke the mad king’s laws?”
“King Tullius is very good at shifting the blame, and yes, I think he is responsible. A ship with over twenty crew members could not simply vanish without leaving a single survivor. That’s never been heard of. After tonight, I hope the people can carry on in my father’s name and give him the honor he deserved for what he started.”
No wonder he’d mentioned his father. “Did your father have wings?”
He frowned, taking his shirt from my hand. “Not that I remember. He taught us how to shift, but I don’t remember seeing him with wings.”
“And Tully?”
Storm shook his head. “He doesn’t have them.”
“Is there something special about winged Kelpies?”
He shrugged on his waistcoat without bothering to tuck in his shirt, then took his sword belt and tied it around his waist. I had a feeling he was sorting through what to tell me, or how much to tell me. The others had already disappeared, and I could see Nereus and the two guards waiting for us.
“Traditionally, winged Kelpies were viewed as more powerful and favored by the gods and, therefore, the rightful leaders of our people.” He tucked in his shirt as we walked. “Even before our people migrated to the islands, when a winged king died without leaving a winged heir, they’d choose a winged relative to take his place. If there weren’t any, they’d search the kingdom for anyone with wings to take his place as the true leader of the people.”
“Only boys?” I asked.
He grinned. “No, she’lahn, so stop plotting mayhem.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re forgetting we’re linked, lass.” He caught my hand. “We’ve had winged female leaders, but they’re even rarer than boys. Our goddesses are powerful and are known to get really mean if we favor men over women or boys over girls.”
“I heard quite a bit about your goddesses, and I’m in love with them already. So does that mean anyone, from a beggar on the streets to some snooty lord, could become the leader of Hy’Brasil?”
“Yes, but King Tullius did away with old traditions, including the succession to the throne.”
And kept the power within his family. That was the definition of a dictator. No wonder Storm’s father had turned down the throne. He’d probably believed he wasn’t the rightful leader of his people. If my guess was right, King Tullius didn’t have wings either, hence his rules against shifting. Man, I was lucky I didn’t get to meet him. Tully might be a psycho, but the king sounded evil.
We reached the stall, where Nereus and the two guards waited. They’d opened a trap door and propped it against the folded mat covering the floor. The others were already downstairs. Storm chatted with Nereus, but my thoughts were on what Storm had told me.
His world never ceased to amaze me. I liked the idea of someone from humble beginnings becoming a king. It kept the palace humble and stopped the abuse of power. They should definitely bring back old traditions.
I headed downstairs ahead of Storm. The steps were narrow, and my nose twitched at the acrid odor of horse urine. Light from Nereus’s lantern and the torches the others carried lit the way, and I could see the wet urine spots on the landing. The others were waiting to the side.
Like tunnels under the Great Hall at home, this one was cold, too. I pulled Storm’s coat closer to block the chill and secured my bag of arrows. Storm and Nereus followed. Then the two guards closed the trap door from outside. Sounds followed as they dragged the floor mat to hide the trapdoor.
Banan and Levi led the way while Storm and Nereus took the rear. The tunnel was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It sloped downhill and appeared endless. Conversations swirled around me, but I focused on putting one step in front of the other. Storm and Nereus were discussing the tunnels and how often they dug new ones, creating a labyrinth only a select few could escape. I grinned. It sounded so much like the tunnels of Vaarda.
Vaarda. My home. I was going to go on a baking binge once we got home. If Gráinne let me. Glyn and Max could get the treat I’d promised them. And Tommy had a sweet tooth.
Tommy! Crap! I hadn’t asked anyone about him. Was he okay?
Storm Unleashed: Phantom Islanders Part III Page 20