Ben grinned, gold tooth glinting in the lights of the waiting yacht. ‘Then you’re in for a bit of a shock, aren’t you, Lil’chick? One full-blooded Tean, one Perilous: the islanders are just going to love that. I can’t wait to find out how they take it.’
The implications of taking Kel to such a place struck Meri hard. She turned to Kel. ‘It’s not too late. We can go ashore. Do this another way.’
Kel framed her face in his hands. ‘It’s your inheritance—your future. You should claim it.’
‘Our future, Kel. We’ll go together.’
‘If you’re determined, then you can take me into the arena, just as long as I have my Tean gladiator who reads the manuals with me.’
‘Always.’
The motor launch drew up alongside the yacht. Taking care with her injury, Ben carried Meri on his back up the rope ladder to the deck of the yacht, Kel just behind them. The vessel had four decks so they had to go up another three sets of stairs to reach the control room. Like something out of NASA, it held a bewildering number of screens and switches. Francis Frobisher waited for them at what Kel took to be the wheel. His wife stood beside him, arms folded, no more friendly than she had been on last meeting.
‘All clear?’ the captain asked Big Ben.
‘Got away by the skin of our teeth but yes.’
‘Right. Good to have you both onboard. Has Ben told you the plan?’
Meri nodded. ‘Yes, but not where Atlantis is exactly.’
‘You realize it will be dangerous for you both? I could take you somewhere else, France maybe, and you could both disappear.’
‘And do what? Live how? Always in fear, always on the run?’ Meri shook her head. ‘I don’t want my life to be like that anymore. Kel agrees.’
Francis flashed his wife a quick grin as if Meri’s reply had pleased him. Mrs Frobisher rolled her eyes at her husband. ‘So which course shall I set, Meri? France, or the place we call our ancestral home: Atlantis?’
Meri looked up at Kel. He gave her a nod. ‘Take us to Atlantis.’
‘I hoped you’d say that.’ With a flourish, Francis gave the order for the engines to be started. ‘I’ve always wanted an excuse to go.’
‘You mean you’ve never been?’ asked Kel.
Francis shook his head. ‘No, far too dangerous.’ He patted the console. ‘I hope you like your yacht. The island leaders sent it to fetch you once they heard of your existence. I thought it might come in useful when I got your message earlier.’
‘It’s very impressive,’ then she added in an undertone for Kel, ‘but not exactly me.’
Ken helped Meri onto a high stool while Mrs Frobisher fetched a medical kit. They gazed out the window of the control room, keeping out of the way of the busy crew setting sail under the stars. London disappeared behind them, leaving just a smudge of light on the horizon.
‘I hope you’re ready for an adventure?’ Meri asked.
‘The adventure started when I first saw you.’ Kel ran his hands over her shoulders, urging her to relax. They were safe—well, almost. There was a lot still to do: Theo to save, Meri to make secure, their future to settle, but for the moment they had reached a place where the Perilous could not get to her and he could briefly drop his guard.
She turned her head to look up at him. ‘It’s been a rollercoaster, but I’m pleased you’re here with me now. It’s going to be OK.’
She couldn’t promise him that—and it wouldn’t be her fault if things went wrong. ‘I wouldn’t get off the ride even if I could. I say we should sit in the front carriage and make the most of it.’
She smiled. ‘Like sitting at the front of the bus?’
‘Exactly.’ He bent down, brushing her hair away from her eyes. ‘So we’re a Perilous-Tean couple—the first in history.’
Meri stroked his face. ‘It’s time the world moved on. I think we’re up to that challenge.’
About the Author
Joss Stirling is the author of the best-selling Savants series. She was awarded the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2015 for Struck, the first YA book to win this prestigious prize.
A former British diplomat and Oxfam policy adviser, she now lives in Oxford.
For more information, please visit
www.jossstirling.co.uk
Also by Joss Stirling
Savants series
Finding Sky
Stealing Phoenix
Seeking Crystal
Misty Falls
Angel Dares
Summer Shadows
Struck series
Struck
Stung
Shaken
Scorched
Peril Page 27