Treasure

by Megan Derr

  "Yes," Taka said.

  "What do you do to relax?"

  "Read or sleep," Taka said shortly. "I'm a royal secretary; we don't have time to fritter away our days. I did not rise from the son of a royal gardener to Prince Nankyokukai's secretary by relaxing."

  Raiden finished his wine and set the cup aside, then moved around the desk to sit against the edge of it—putting him right in Taka's personal space and making him more than a little uncomfortable. Taka stubbornly ignored it, drinking his own wine and savoring every sip. "Everyone is permitted a chance to relax. Surely your mother demanded your attention now and again."

  "You clearly have no concept of what being a royal gardener entails," Taka said. "My mother worked herself to the bone only to have drunk nobles and careless royals trod over the flowers she spent hours tending. My mother slept most of the time she wasn't working, and when she had free time I read to her or she talked with other friends in the palace occasionally. For the most part, she worked or slept. Servants are servants, and our job is to ensure our betters may relax."

  He stiffened when Raiden grabbed his chin, tilted his head up, and turned it so he was forced to look into those dark, too-knowing eyes. "No one should spend all their life toiling. That is not the way it is meant to be. Certainly no one in my employ works constantly. Even the sailors enjoy plenty of time to relax. I'll not have you be the only one on this ship who works without rest. You're in my employ, Taka, not a slave—slavery was never tolerated by the gods, and those who tried it were quickly removed from power."

  Taka broke free of his hold and resumed sipping his wine. "That is easy for you to say when you have the wealth of kings and the luxury to say and do what you want."

  "I am giving you permission to say and do as you want. I have no desire for a slave."

  "Merely a trinket."

  "A lover," Raiden corrected, making Taka tense and glower at the desk, refusing to look up no matter how badly he suddenly wanted to do precisely that.

  "Trinkets and playthings are as common as shells on a beach," Taka replied to the desk. "You haven't known me long enough to know whether or not we'd suit as lovers."

  "Which is why I keep trying to get to know you," Raiden said, and Taka had to concede that one, at least silently. "That aside, I make my mind up quickly. I knew from the moment I saw Kin that we would be good friends, and I was correct. Every gamble I make as regards my business pays off. I have a talent for throwing myself into the deep and rising to the surface." He tilted Taka's face up again.

  "If you were that confident, you would not have purchased me," Taka said.

  Raiden gave a soft sigh. "I was bartering. Start obscenely high, work your way down. I fully intended to walk away from that meeting with a royal secretary, but I did not expect him to hand you over so easily. I knew you would be along for the voyage; everyone knows his highness keeps you close at all times. I planned on securing a secretary and having time on the ship to … "

  "Seduce?" Taka asked, and he jerked away again, attempting to stand and get away even if he had no storming clue where he was going to go.

  "I was going to say 'court'."

  Taka rolled his eyes at that. "Courting does not include putting a pretty collar around my throat, so I will treat your words with the skepticism they are due."

  Raiden laughed. "You're as feisty as a cat dropped into the surf."

  "If you want to jump into the ocean, know how to swim if you want to come out again," Takara recited. He moved away from the desk, annoyed when Raiden followed him, caught his arm, and turned him around.

  "If you are going to jump into the ocean for a swim, enjoy the swim," Raiden countered, and before Taka could form a retort to that, jerked him close and covered Taka's mouth with his own. The taste of the black wine on his lips distracted Taka enough that he responded to the kiss for a moment before recalling himself. Jerking back, Taka shoved Raiden away.

  "I do not believe that's called swimming."

  Raiden smirked. "Depends on which house you visit and the company you keep."

  "Indeed," Taka replied and fled the cabin.

  Out on deck, the sky looked surprisingly overcast. He saw the ship's first mate, Mr. Samé, standing nearby. "Are we expecting a storm?"

  "Feels that way," Samé said, looking up at the sky with him. "We were hoping the clouds would pass over, but they're getting darker and heavier, and you can taste the change on the wind. May yet leave us, but I wouldn't bet fish scales on it."

  Taka frowned. There shouldn't be a storm. Kyo was better at using dragon magic than even his family realized; the Eye might have been overwhelming to him at first, but Taka knew that in the two weeks they'd been at sea, Kyo had gotten the grasp of it.

  Nodding to Samé, Taka headed for Kyo's cabin, swearing when the ship abruptly rocked and slammed him into the wall. Rubbing his nose, he hammered on Kyo's door, then pushed it open—and stopped short when he saw that Kyo was fast asleep and looked caught in the throes of a nightmare.

  Well, that would explain the storm. Taka strode into the room and knelt beside Kyo's bunk, reaching out to shake him awake. Kyo's eyes snapped open, hands shooting out to fasten around Taka's arms, and Take drew a sharp breath when he saw Kyo's eyes. They weren't right, weren't normal at all. He had never seen eyes like that save in a snake or a lizard. They were the prettiest swirls of blue, as if someone had fit the ocean into his eyes.

  As suddenly as he had woken, Kyo slumped again, going as limp as a dead fish. Taka shook him again, suddenly frantic, and did not relax until Kyo woke. This time, his eyes were normal, and he glared at Taka in irritation. "Is there a reason you've woken me, Taka?"

  "You're causing a storm," Taka snapped, abruptly hurt. "But if you prefer I take my leave, certainly I can have his grace brought to wake you from your slumber instead!" He shot to his feet and stormed toward the door—and yelped in outrage when Kyo grabbed him about the waist and another heave of the ship sent them crashing painfully and awkwardly to the floor. "Dragons eat you," Taka said sourly.

  "My head feels like they've been trying," Kyo said in the same tone. "Of course you should have woken me, and why would I want Krasny to do it?"

  Taka shoved Kyo off and rolled to a sitting position, shoving his hair from his face and attempting to fix his skewed robes. "Why wouldn't you? He's the only person you ever speak with, anymore."

  "He's been teaching me how to speak Ancient," Kyo said. "I can only read books and laze about so many hours in the day, and I have no duties now that I am away from the palace."

  "You've been doing more than practicing Ancient," Taka said flatly. "I know how you look when you're discussing secrets. But as I am no longer your secretary and therefore no longer your concern—"

  Kyo cut him off with a laugh then leaned forward to shove him hard, sending Taka toppling over again. Kyo leaned over him and smirked. "Do not go acting like a fishwife, Taka. It does not suit you. What have you to be jealous about, anyway? I have been trying to leave you alone to spend time with your merchant."

  "He isn't mine, and I am not interested," Taka replied.

  "Taka, if you were not interested you would have figured out how to remove that choker already. Not that you should; the pearls suit you beautifully. Far better than they ever suited me."

  "Not that you ever wore them."

  Kyo smirked. "I wore them as needed, but I hated to take them away from you. You guarded all my jewels so closely. It's just as well you're not of a mind to have children. They could never compete with jewels for your affections."

  "There is also the fact I work—worked—for you," Taka pointed out. "I would have had no time for children, even if I wanted them."

  "Very true. Children are bothersome, anyway. I am glad I am a third son and more likely to marry for other reasons."

  A sudden thought struck Taka, something that he realized should have occurred to him ages ago—especially when he had signed the documents Raiden had given him. "Is that what this is
about? Are you running from or toward a marriage?"

  Kyo stared at him then laughed so hard he rested his head against Taka's shoulder to avoid collapsing to the floor. "Dragons, no! If my father were interested in marrying me off, it would not require this. There is also no point in running away from a marriage, though I admit I might have considered it depending on who he selected. No, my father has very different plans for me, Taka. Marriage is not charted on my map. Now help me up, so we can go see if the storm has abated, hmm?"

  Bemused and at a loss for words, Taka obeyed, standing up and then hauling Kyo to his feet. He helped Kyo sort out his clothes and hair then followed him from the cabin and back up top. Above them, the skies were once again blue and clear, with no hint of cloud anywhere. Several sailors stood in a cluster nearby. "I see the storm abated," Taka said.

  "Aye," said one of the sailors. "Quick as you can blink it was gone. Mighty strange."

  "We've seen stranger," Kin said from behind them, making the sailors jump. "Get back to work." The sailors fled, leaving just Taka, Kin, and Kyo. "Something you need?" Kin asked, looking at Kyo.

  Kyo stared back, and Taka had the feeling he was missing something—but he always felt that way when Kin and Kyo were together. It gave him a headache, and he thought yet again that it would all go away if he just pitched Kyo overboard.

  Fed up with all of them, Taka decided to the storms with the consequences, he was going to steal Kyo's bed and have a nap of his own.

  Chapter Ten: Dragon

  Kin had just taken a bite of the fish that had been taunting him the whole time the cook was preparing it when he felt it. He dropped his fork, barely noticed the clatter it made as it struck his plate, the way it caused an abrupt silence. He turned his head to the door then threw his napkin on the table and stood up. Of course they would show up right then, when dinner was his favorite, and he was wearing one of his new sashes. Kin ran his fingers over it briefly, admiring the pale gray and shell-pink stripes with true regret.

  Then he yanked open the door—and froze abruptly when he saw Kyo had left the table as well, and clearly had every intention of following him. "Return to your seat! There are mermaids—"

  "There are a lot of them coming," Kyo cut in. "More than usual, I think. Their presence is giving me a throbbing headache. How many do you normally face?"

  Kin frowned at him. "Thirty or so. You can—well, of course you can feel them, I suppose. How many do you think …?"

  "At least fifty, but I have never dealt with them before so it is hard to say. I thought I was keeping them at bay, but I suspect they have merely been biding their time."

  "Stay inside and out of my way," Kin replied. "I don't care what sort of magic you might possess, highness, you're not fit for this sort of fight. I'm Captain, and I'm giving you an order, and on this ship in the middle of the ocean, my authority exceeds yours."

  Kyo swept him a mocking bow. Kin bit back a snarl and turned away, stomping out onto deck. He bellowed for Samé. "Prepare for mermaids," Kin told him. "Twice the usual number and possibly still more."

  Samé's eyes widened. "We can't—that many—"

  "Do it," Kin said, then more quietly. "It's not as though we have a choice."

  "Dragons protect us," Samé muttered then drew himself up and whirled away to convey Kin's orders.

  Kin let his own hand fall to the hilt of his sword, not even attempting to keep his sharp teeth and scales back. He could feel the mermaids drawing closer, like ice in his veins. He half-turned when he heard the door open behind him and relaxed slightly when Raiden joined him. "Shima, keep them all safe. I won't be able to focus on that when I have so many to kill. I'm going to lose men tonight, and if they damage the ship significantly we'll be dead in the water and easy prey for the royal navy."

  The door opened again before Raiden could reply, and Kyo stepped out. "Get back inside!" Kin snarled.

  Kyo quirked one brow at him in a manner so imperious that Kin wanted to shake him until his teeth rattled then lock him a sea chest. Where that urge came from, he did not know. A desire for the days when he felt like a calm sea rather than adrift in a turbulent one washed over him. Two and a half weeks was no time at all, but Kin felt as though he had been trapped on his ship for two and a half months, and some days—

  Some days, when Kyo stood at the prow and watched the sea with that look of longing on his face … some nights, when Kin pretended not to notice the way Kyo wandered the deck looking lost …

  Those times, it felt more like two and a half years. The only thing more aggravating was the cozy way Kyo and that smirking duke huddled together speaking in that strange language Raiden fawned over. He was more than a little surprised that Raiden never joined them, but he was not interested in discussing any part of the matter. "Get inside, highness."

  "I think you underestimate—"

  Kin snapped, striding toward Kyo, grabbing his shoulders, and shoving him up again the door. "I am not in the mood for the bratty displays today, highness. I told you when we began this voyage that I was to be obeyed without question in these situations. Men are going to die tonight, and it will be because you and I are upon this ship and the mermaids hate us with a passion I doubt you've ever seen, let alone felt."

  He started to say more, but faltered at the way Kyo's eyes … shifted. He must have been going mad because, for a moment, they had looked almost snake-like. Dragon like his mind whispered, but that was absurd because Kyo might wield dragon magic, but that did not make him a dragon.

  Then his eyes were normal again, and that smirk Kin loathed curved his too-pretty mouth. "I can handle myself, Captain, and you do not have time to argue with me."

  "You're right, I don't," Kin said flatly—then slammed his fist into Kyo's gut and, when he doubled over, struck the back of his head, then scooped the unconscious Kyo up before he could fall to the deck. He glared at Raiden, who moved to open the door, and hauled Kyo through it.

  Taka and Krasny looked up, and Taka stood up so quickly he nearly knocked over his chair. "What in the Storms' names did you do?"

  "Knocked sense into him," Kin snapped as he crossed the room in several quick strides and deposited Kyo on his bunk. Why, he thought irritably, was everyone but him enjoying his storming bed—his storming quarters!

  The temptation to linger and ensure Kyo was comfortable was stronger than he liked, and Kin hastily drew back. Turning around he braced his hands on his hips and glared. Taka, who had been walking toward him clearly ready to pick a fight, stopped short. Krasny and Culebra sat quietly at the table, and Raiden looked amused where he stood in the doorway. Satisfied he had everyone's attention, Kin said, "If anyone else tries to ignore my orders, you'll find yourselves in the same state as his highness. I am Captain, my orders are final. Stay in here and do not come out until I give you permission."

  He didn't wait for their replies, simply stomped off to return to his men—only to find that a storm had hit, and where in the dragons' names had the squall come from? He'd been inside for mere minutes!

  Looking around for Samé, Kin saw he had things well in hand ordering the men around the ship. Kin focused his attention on the crawling sensation along his skin that grew stronger with every moment. Water stuck his clothes to his frame, but it sluiced easily off his scales. The scales also protected him from the chill of it.

  As the feeling of the mermaids' presence grew so strong the tension made him want to scream, Kin drew his sword and braced his weight—and fell anyway as the ship was struck hard from below. Kin hoped they hadn't already done enough damage to sink it.

  He saw her, just barely, as she crept over the side. The storm made everything far too dark, and the rain made using the lanterns impossible. Kin darted, half-sliding, across the deck. Snarling, he lunged at her, slashing out her stomach and shoving her back over just in time to catch another one.

  Then, as suddenly as the squall had come up, the ship was flooded with mermaids. His world narrowed to blood and rain, shout
s and screams. Kin snarled at another one, barring his fangs and losing himself in the violence, determined to drive every last one of the sea bitches back.

  Something slammed into him, and he screamed as fangs sank into his shoulder, nails digging into his arms. Reaching back, he grabbed the bitch by her hair and yanked her teeth from his flesh. Dropping his sword, he pulled a dagger from his sash and reached back to thrust it into her side. When she let go, screaming in pain, he whipped around, jerked the dagger out, and shoved it into her throat. Shoving the body aside, he looked around for his sword—and saw it only as a mermaid threw it over the side.

  He started for her when he was slammed into from the side and driven into the main-mast. He fell with a grunt to the deck, vision blurring from pain. Arms grabbed him roughly and dragged him away from the mast to the middle of the deck. Another mermaid yanked his head up, claws biting into his scalp. Kin stared, completely unsurprised, at the mermaid standing before him.

  She was beautiful, lithe and muscular, completely naked save for a thick belt of pearls around her hips. Her hair fell to her hips, black in the dark light, but he knew it was deep purple and that her scales usually had a gold tone to them. He remembered almost nothing about his mother, but he remembered that deep purple hair. "Hello, grandmother," Kin said, and he snarled at her, baring his teeth.

  He grunted when she backhanded him, licked the blood from his lips, then snarled at her again.

  "You must be losing your touch, Kindan. Catching you was far too easy this time. Now to finish the job I once started."

  Kin just snarled again. If he was going to die, she was going with him because he would never let her feed on him as she had fed on his parents. "Do your best, grandmother."

  She did not reply, merely knelt and drew the dagger from his boot, dragging the sharp edge lightly across his throat. Above them, the storm began to abate, the rain trail off, and the barest slivers of sunlight slipped through cracks in the dark clouds.

  They all looked up startled—and Kin hissed as out of nowhere, lightning struck. He turned away, braced for—