“How long ago did they build it for you?” she asked, having a slight suspicion. If what she’d heard about the Sìth was correct, this might be a slight disaster. They were the Scottish fae, kin to the Sidhe in Ireland. And mostly, they were trouble.
Seventy years ago when my grandfather struck the deal with them.
Cam sighed, having come to the same conclusion as Macey.
“I’ve been travelling the Staran for centuries. They didn’t build them for you. All they did was give you access to it. You’ve been tricked, your Majesty.”
The King rose to his feet, roaring his displeasure. For a species not using their mouths to talk, he certainly had a very loud voice. Their vocal chords seemed to be intact.
Cam squeezed Macey’s hand reassuringly and she frowned. Did he think she was scared of the merman? She’d met a lot of scarier creatures, that was for sure. One of them being her Aunt Nessie.
The thing with scary people is that once she got to know them, she could see behind the façade. Most of them were more scared of themselves than scared of her. All they do is project their own fear to the outside world.
Father, calm yourself. You’re scaring our guests.
Muahwa, the crown prince, put a hand on his father’s shoulder and gently made him sit down again. The silence that had fallen quickly became a buzzing noise again as people resumed their conversations and feasting.
That reminded Macey that she hadn’t even started to eat. With all that Staran conversation, she hadn’t even noticed how one of the servants had put a covered plate in front of her. Well, not a real plate. It was a massive, white scallop containing... algae soup? Perhaps? It was hard to tell from the green slime staring back at her. It looked very alive. And disgusting.
There were several ways of preparing algae, and this was not one of them. She took her fork and aimlessly stirred the green mass. It squelched.
This feast was going to be one big disappointment.
Are your rooms to your liking? Muahwa asked, having taken a seat on his father’s side.
Macey blushed at the thought of what she’d done there not long ago, but court etiquette had schooled her not to show embarrassment. Instead, she nodded curtly.
“Thank you very much for your hospitality. I’m assuming we’ll talk about the reason why we’re here after the feast?”
Yes, we will. Do you not like our sea snail algae mousse?
Her stomach did a flip. Now she was glad she hadn’t touched the food yet. Sea snail! What barbarians!
She cleared her throat. “I’m a vegetarian.”
That was as good an excuse as any.
What is that?
Okay, maybe not such a good excuse.
It was strange how both kelpies and na fir ghorma both lived underwater, but had such different lifestyles. Maybe living in a loch surrounded by human civilisation had made her more aware of the outside world than these people stuck on the bottom of the ocean.
“I don’t eat meat,” she explained and the crown prince looked at her in wonder.
But what else non-meat is there but algae?
“Kelp, water lilies, water chestnuts, reedmace and many others. There’s a wide variety of plants in lakes, if you look closely. Most of us don’t eat the other creatures we share the lochs with. Don’t you have fish as pets?”
Muahwa laughed. We don’t live in the water. How should we have fish in here? He pointed at the hall, completely dry and filled with air.
Macey felt like an idiot. Of course, they didn’t have fish living with them. Which probably explained why they ate them - just like the King, who was currently munching on the fried fin of a seabass.
Chapter 11
Come, Muahwa said after the meal had finished. Macey sighed. She was hungry, grumpy and really didn’t want to have to deal with whatever it was Muahwa wanted. Regardless, she stood up to follow him, dimly aware of the three men doing the same. Good. That meant she wouldn’t have to face whatever this was alone. There was a certain kind of comfort in that.
No one said anything as they were taken into a small, but comfortable looking room. Like everywhere else, the roof was entirely see-through, allowing a rare glimpse into a world no one else could see. Unlike everywhere else, the wall to the outside was also unencumbered, and Macey drifted over towards it, entranced by the underwater world.
She’d never felt as small and unworldly as she did at that moment, looking into the great abyss before her, with the creatures she’d never swum with going about their lives. The bottom of the sea held wonders and dangers that she couldn’t even imagine, and hadn’t had a reason to until now. In fact, the home of the na fir ghorma only proved it more to her. She hadn’t even realised the other kelpies existed, so what else did the sea hold? Other than mermaids and selkies, she had no real clue. And she wasn’t in any rush to meet any of them given her Aunt Nessie’s stories about them.
Beautiful, isn’t it? Muahwa asked, stepping up beside her to look out into the ocean. A large shadow passed overhead at that moment, and Macey looked up in awe as what looked like a basking shark swum over head. The huge, but surprisingly graceful and gentle creature was something to behold. She couldn’t even work out whether she wanted to swim with it or not. It’d be an experience that was for sure. But at the same time, the sea was a lot bigger than the loch she’d grown up in.
“Yes,” she whispered.
It’s in trouble. He sounded resigned, and she once again marvelled at the emotions he could convey just by speaking in her head. Or maybe he could convey more because he was speaking in her head. She was just going to go with it. After the events of the past few days, that was really her only option. Especially if she wanted to stay sane
“In trouble from what?” she asked, conscious of the silence in the room which meant her men were likely listening intently too. Though given that Muahwa could speak directly into their heads anyway, it wouldn’t matter if there was an entire brass band playing the loudest fanfare they could muster, they’d still be able to hear.
The Sìth.
“But you father sai—”
My father is a fool. He thinks that the world revolves around the na fir ghorma, that we’re far more than the tiny drop in the ocean than we are.
Macey chewed on her bottom lip, not quite sure how she was meant to respond to that. She hadn’t been particularly expecting a Prince to speak so blatantly against his father.
“What are the Sìth doing?” She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know, but needed to nonetheless. Especially if she was a Warden.
We’re not entirely sure. She wondered briefly who ‘we’ were, but now wasn’t the time to ask. Hopefully, it would come clear in time.
“Helpful,” Jared muttered behind her, and she just about managed to stop herself from throwing him a glare. Comments like that really weren’t helpful.
“What do you think they’re up to then?” she asked instead, hoping Muahwa would ignore Jared. She made a mental note to punish him for it later. Maybe she’d find out what his deepest fantasy was and then do it in front of him with Flint or Cam. Or Flint and Cam. Oops. Probably best not to have thoughts like that while discussing something as serious as she was.
We need you to find out.
“Wait, what? I thought you wanted us here so you could explain the problem to us?” She felt a little outraged. This was a complete waste of time if it wasn’t actually going to help them get any further forward.
Did you know there was a problem before coming here?
“No,” Macey said.
“Yes,” Flint countered, stepping forward and pressing his hand into the small of Macey’s back. “We couldn’t get to Earth,” he reminded her, his eyes softening with affection as he looked at her. She could get used to that. Very much so.
And you weren’t doing anything about it? Muahwa’s face didn’t change, but his inflexion brought raised eyebrows to mind.
“We’d only just discovered the issue,” Flint countered.
“We were on our way to do something about it.” Macey placed a calming hand on his arm, hoping that he wouldn’t go any further. She could tell just from the way he was speaking that he was on the verge of getting defensive. And while she kind of liked his riled-up side, here really wasn’t the place. Flames were easily doused by water, and that was all around them.
Ah.
“We were on our way to visit Malan before you interrupted us,” Macey said softly, using all her diplomatic skills to try and ensure that this didn’t end badly. How had she ended up with someone so hot-headed? She smothered a snort. Hot-headed. She wondered exactly how far that would go...
Malan won’t have the answers.
“Do you know that for sure?” Cam asked. “Malan is a prophet.” He sounded so reasonable, particularly compared to the other two.
No, but Malan’s powers are limited, I doubt he will know any more than I do.
Macey crossed her arms and turned to face the Prince. “So what you’re saying is that something, somewhere is wrong. You think it’s the Sìth doing it, but no one knows anything that might help us.”
Pretty much. He sounded amused. Least that made one of them.
“And why aren’t you doing something about this yourself?” Macey asked, annoyed at the expectations he seemed to have. Just because that Malan guy had come up with a prophecy didn’t mean that she’d actually have to believe in it. And even if it was true, nowhere did it say that the Wardens had to help the na fir ghorma deal with the Sìth. Couldn’t they just fight it out among themselves? Macey had more important things to do, and most of them involved the three men standing behind her. Waves, they promised her a waffle!
We cannot leave the sea for long. We are bound to the water and wither away the further we are away from it. The Staran are a grey zone in which we can stay longer than on land, but now that it is no longer working as it used to, we are stranded here in our underwater home.
Muahwa actually looked quite sad, if his expression could be interpreted as such. The giant mouth made it hard to guess what he was feeling.
Maybe the na fir ghorma weren’t that similar to the kelpies after all. Not many kelpies wanted to leave their lochs, but it didn’t do them any harm if they did. Most didn’t like their human looks though, so they preferred to be half or fully shifted in the water.
Thinking of shifting made Macey’s skin itch. She was surrounded by water yet she wasn’t able to swim in it. Maybe she could persuade them to give her some alone time later on. The seawater was calling to her and after the terrible chlorinated pool water in the guys’ home, this would be pure bliss.
“So what do you want us to do?” she asked, still not sure about the blue man’s intentions.
Travel to the Sìth. Talk to them. If they control the Staran and they’re no longer working as they should, it must be their doing. Force them to return things to how they were before. Maybe that will calm the storms.
“Wait, how are the Staran linked to the weather?” This was getting more confusing by the minute.
This time it was Cam who answered. “The Staran link the worlds. Imagine it as the glue that keeps them connected. That they allow us to travel on it is just a side effect, I believe. I don’t think that the Sìth created them, either. It’s sentient somehow, and much more powerful than they are. No, if the Staran are not allowing us to travel on it, it’s a symptom that something is seriously wrong with them.”
“Could it be... ill?” Macey asked, still getting used to thinking of this bridge between worlds as sentient.
“Not sure that is the right term, but yes. I think something bad is happening to it.” Cam shot Muahwa an annoyed glance. “And I still think that Malan will be able to help us.”
Go to him if you wish, but I believe you are wasting your time. If you manage to get to him in the first place.
That was true of course. If it hadn’t let them travel to Earth earlier... wait a moment.
“We’re on Earth now, right?” she asked, the wheels in her head turning.
Yes. We’re on the Earthen Plane.
She ignored the weird way Muahwa described her home and turned to the guys.
“Flint, you said the Staran didn’t let us travel to Earth, but they did. Just not to the destination you had in mind. So it’s not completely broken. Maybe it knew we were needed here. Maybe it wanted us to meet the na fir ghorma. If it’s sentient, then it knows something that we don’t. Maybe it’s trying to send us a message. Maybe it wants us to investigate the Sìth just like Muahwa says.”
“Or maybe it just wanted us to see how other races are affected,” Cam pondered. “I bet that when we next travel on the Staran, they will bring us to where we need to be and not where we want to go.”
“Goodbye waffles,” Jared sighed and inside, Macey did the same. The food at the feast had not been satisfactory in the least. She could do with some sugary, fatty goodness. Like waffles. Or something fried. The Scots loved to fry their food, even sweets. Deep-fried Mars bars... heavenly.
But she was itching to find out if Cam’s theory was correct. Not knowing where you’d end up was exciting, in a way. Also a little scary, but as long as she wasn’t travelling alone it should be fine. If she’d had her powers, it would be different, but without them, she was as helpless as a human.
“Maybe we could stop at my father’s palace to get my powers unlocked?” she said to nobody in particular.
I think I can help with that.
She looked at Muahwa in surprise. So far, she hadn’t seen any of the na fir ghorma display magical abilities. With the exception of them talking in their heads, if that counted as magic.
He laughed at her surprised expression.
Not me personally, but our fearsaidh, our tribe’s wise man. He will know what to do.
“Then let’s go to him. I want to leave as soon as possible.” Macey noticed how impolite that sounded. “To find help for you, of course. Your hospitality has been much appreciated.”
The fearsaidh was the ugliest storm kelpie she’d seen to date. His scales looked grey and brittle as if they’d fall off any second. Half of his teeth were missing and the others were yellowed with age. His eyes were milky white and Macey assumed that he was blind.
Welcome, daughter of the lake. Welcome, men of the wind, fire and earth.
“Pleased to meet you,” Macey replied, proud of her diplomatic training. She didn’t think her expression gave away the slight disgust she felt for the old man’s appearance. “Muahwa says you can help me with my magic? My father locked it but I have need of it now.” She skipped the small talk this time. She’d had enough of that. All she wanted was her powers back so that they could leave this strange place and people. She loved being underwater, but she preferred to actually be in the water. This weird in-between state was giving her the creeps.
Your father had good reason to lock them. For some reason, you are stronger on earth than you are on the water. You could have unknowingly destroyed yourself and others, had you tried to use it. But now things have changed. You are no longer alone. You are part of the Seven, and with each Warden you bind to, your powers will become more controlled. Stronger, too.
“Wait a second. I need to bind to the other Wardens to get my powers back? What does that mean?”
You should know. You’re already bound to one.
Waves. The strange tattoo. Did she unknowingly bind herself to Jared? To an incubus?
Fuck.
Malan, the Prophet
Chapter 12
She couldn’t believe she was about to go through the Staran again. To feel the nothingness. But this was the only way they had to get to Malan apparently. She felt the waves singing in her blood, a sure sign that the fearsaidh was right, her magic had already started unlocking. All she needed to do to finish unlocking it was to bind with the other Wardens. Well, that wasn’t happening. Not if her life depended on it. But even so, she was pleased that she knew it was possible to get access to her powers agai
n. It made her feel a lot more in control of herself.
“I still say we should stop off and get some waffles,” Jared murmured under his breath. Macey threw him a dirty look over her shoulder. And not the kind of dirty look he’d want either. No. He lost the right to any of those the moment he claimed her and made a fucking tattoo appear on her back. Sure, he claimed he had no idea how it happened, but somehow, she didn’t believe him. Or didn’t want to believe him. If she did, she’d likely have to accept the stupid Warden thing too. And she wasn’t prepared to do that yet. Not until she’d heard it from Flint’s prophet.
“We don’t have time to stop for waffles,” Cam reasoned. She was surprised by how calm he sounded, and not at all like they were responsible for some serious saving. Actually, she kind of liked how assured he was. There was no doubt he’d do what needed to be done. There was something about the voice that heated her up in places she really shouldn’t be thinking about right now.
“Maybe Malan will have some,” Jared added. Macey rolled her eyes, thankful that none of them could see her from where they were stood behind.
“I doubt ghostly prophets stock the kitchen,” Flint said, amusement lingering just below the surface. Macey didn’t turn to look at him. If she did, she’d probably see the smirk that was surely on Jared’s face, and then she’d melt. And forget to be mad at him. Come to think of it, she was kind of melting a little already. Damn incubus.
“How would you know? Are you a ghostly prophet? He loves waffles.”
“I find it highly unlikely that he makes them himself.” Flint’s voice cracked, and Macey almost stifled the giggle she’d been suppressing.
“Ah, so you’re not too mad at me then, little kelpie.” Her giggle ended, and something very different to amusement flooded through her. Especially as Jared’s voice sounded closer than it had before. A lot closer.
Strong arms circled her, and without meaning to, she leaned back into him, enjoying the closeness.
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