by Dima Zales
Could she manage to live her life with him here, in his house, on land, and forsake her kingdom? Could she leave everything she had ever cherished behind in order to love him? No, those were not the right questions. She knew without a doubt that she easily could; the strength of her feeling attested to that. The real question was should she? She knew the answer to that question as well. She should not.
She had always been Princess Aazuria Vellamo of Adlivun. How could she suddenly be Mrs. Trevain Murphy, Alaskan housewife?
He saw the thoughts and emotions dancing in her eyes, even in the darkness of the room. Her eyes still had that certain subtle shine to them, reminding him again of a cat in the dark. He reached out and brushed the wetness of her tears off her cheeks, now that they had stopped falling.
“You don’t have to tell me your answer now,” he said. “I know it’s crazy and sudden. I’ll ask you again and again until you know for sure what you want.”
She exhaled a breath that she did not realize she had been holding. She turned over in bed to face him completely, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she embraced him. “I do need to think about it,” she said softly, “but it is a rather nice idea.”
“I know you may not love me yet, but if you’re willing to waste a few years beside me… maybe you’ll grow to care for me more.” His voice was hesitant but hopeful. “I don’t really know how this love thing works, but I know I’ve never felt this way. I never thought I would, and it’s kind of crazy powerful. I can’t stand to be separated from you for a few minutes. I’ll do just about anything to make you happy, and see you laugh—and it’s really tough to make you laugh.”
She smiled. She did not know how to tell him that she already believed that she loved him. She had entertained, and disdained, many proposals before, but usually from distant strangers who had sent an envoy to her father. Never from a man who was holding her tightly in his arms, and professing that he cared for her in spite of… and because of the fact that she was a murderess. This was new.
“Don’t run away from me anymore, Zuri,” he said burying his face in her hair. “You’re all I have left.”
She sighed deeply, remembering his recent loss. She guiltily thought of how Callder lay wounded in her infirmary. She wished she could give Trevain some small measure of optimism, and tell him that there was a slim chance his brother might pull through—but there was too much explaining to do. She felt awful at having to keep this from him.
“There is so much about me which you do not know,” she whispered.
“I want you to feel comfortable telling me all your secrets,” he answered. “I promise that I can handle them. We can get through anything together. Now that I know about your father, nothing can faze me.”
“Did Elandria tell you why I did it?” she asked.
“Yes… she told me what he did to her,” he said, swallowing. He could not think about it without feeling emotional. The main emotion was anger.
“I let him harm my sisters for years. I did not do anything to stop it,” Aazuria said, struggling to vanquish a new onslaught of tears. “But that’s not even why I killed him.”
“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Trevain said, rubbing her back soothingly. “You don’t have to think about it now.”
“I thought his actions were going to destroy us. He did not care about who he hurt or trampled to get what he desired. I thought that killing him would save us. Now, I am not so sure. The damage has been done. The people he wronged… they are already coming after us. I may not be able to stop them.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Zuri,” he said, kissing her nose. “You’re safe here with me.”
“I wish that my own safety was all that I needed to consider,” she lamented. “That would be easy.”
23
Aazuria placed her teacup down violently. “I strongly recommend you do not return to work. Not yet.”
“I have to,” Trevain said. It had been a few days since Aazuria’s return, and he had been catching up on his messages and chatting with his shipmates. He had decided that it was time for a return to normalcy. “It’s been a while since we lost Callder and Leander, and the crew is getting restless. Everyone still has to live.”
“I command that you do not go back to work yet!” she said, leaning forward with both of her hands gripping the edge of the table.
He chuckled at her intense body-language. “Zuri, we’ve missed most of the fishing season. If my men all go off and join other crews then I won’t know what to do with myself in the years to come. The Fishin’ Magician will be blacklisted and no one will want to join my crew…”
“If you must go off to sea then you will allow me to join you,” she insisted. “You are short two men, and surely I can take over some of their duties.”
“Aazuria!” he said with a laugh. “It’s hard work. Dirty, wet, and exhausting.”
“Please,” she persisted. “I just want to make sure that you are safe.”
“And I want to make sure you are safe. You’ve never been on a crab fishing boat before, have you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I have been on many boats,” she answered, “so many kinds of boats that I cannot remember all of their names. You know that I am a strong swimmer as well.”
“It’s too dangerous for you,” he said inflexibly.
“Dammit, Trevain, that’s not fair! I want to be involved in your life.”
“Then agree to marry me,” he said with a grin as he sipped his tea.
“I will not agree if you do not either heed my warning, or take me aboard.”
“And you will if I do?”
She shut her lips tightly.
“Very clever, Zuri. Nice try.” Trevain smirked at her. “You’re already trying to use all the leverage you have over me to manipulate me into doing what you want. I think you’re going to make the perfect wife.”
The sound of an annoying car horn being honked multiple times interrupted them. “That’s Brynne, no doubt,” he said. “I’m going to carpool with her to the docks.”
“You are in grave danger,” Aazuria whispered, putting her face in her hands. “How can you not see this?”
“Look! Wifely concern,” Trevain teased, putting his hands on her shoulders, and kissing the top of her head. He gently massaged her shoulders to ease her tension. “Relax. As Brynne likes to say, it’s not my first rodeo. I know how to take care of myself.”
Brynne’s car horn impatiently sounded again, startling both of them.
“Crazy Brynne Ambrose,” he said, shaking his head. “I swear that woman will be the death of me!”
“Do not joke about the death of you!” Aazuria said harshly. “I have a very bad feeling about this. When you have a bad feeling you listen to it, and make your whole crew listen—will you not believe me this time? I am certain that there is a menace out there of which you cannot even conceive. I know these things, Trevain. I am being completely sincere; this is not paranoia.”
“I’ve been doing this my whole life. It’s a cinch,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile.
She was not reassured. She could see that he also was anxious, but he was trying to push past it and remain calm. She wanted to pull rank on him and tell him exactly what she had been doing her whole life, just how long that was, and how much she had seen. She wanted to tell him what had actually happened to the boats in the Bermuda Triangle, and to the boats in Japan’s Dragon’s Triangle, and how it was happening again now, right here. Instead she just shook her head. “I hope you know that I am deeply displeased. Nothing good can come of this, and one of us will surely suffer for your mistake.”
He reached out and squeezed her arm before kissing her on the temple. “I’ll see you in a few days, okay?”
With that, he left. She let out a huge sigh, returning her head to her hands. She sat there, wallowing in worry for several minutes before she heard her sisters entering the room. Elandria came and sat close to her.
“What�
��s wrong, Zuri?” Corallyn asked. “Still bummed about Trevain heading back to work?”
“I asked him not to go. I strongly recommended him not to go. I ordered him not to go! I demanded he let me come along!” she said angrily. “Why did he not listen to me? How dare he ignore me like this?” She wanted to smash something, but she had enough composure to restrain herself. She had learned to control her temper long ago, in her youth. It had taken three centuries, but she no longer acted on foolish impulse and whim. At least not when anyone was looking.
Corallyn smiled. “This is his jurisdiction. You can’t order him around here. Besides, he doesn’t know you’re a crown princess, and even if he did it would probably make no difference.”
“Atargatis is out there,” she said uneasily. “I threatened him that I would not marry him if he left, and he still left.”
“He must have known that was an idle threat,” Corallyn said with amusement. “Do you think you’re going to refuse him?”
“Yes! I cannot do this,” Aazuria said. “I cannot be his wife. He does not even consider my words significant.”
“You know that is not true,” Elandria said. “You must understand that he has obligations to his crew just as you have obligations to Adlivun.”
“Fine,” said Aazuria, standing up and slamming her fist on the table. “Then I will follow him. I will not sit idly by as he plunges himself into dangers unknown to him. The sun sets so early; the fishermen spend most of their time working in the dark.” She pointed to her eyes. “I have a tapetum lucidum, so I can see more clearly in the night than they can. I will be beneath the water, so I will also have a better angle of view.”
“Sio and Viso won’t be pleased about this,” Corallyn warned her.
“It is just a reconnaissance mission, really. You know that I am fast, and I will not be seen.”
“Then take the twins,” Corallyn urged sternly.
“Sionna is in the infirmary taking care of people who are close to death! Visola is busy pawning my jewels and buying illegal weapons on the black market. Both are busy; I do not wish to disturb them.”
“You promised Sionna you would stay here,” Corallyn reminded her. “This is your sanctuary for now.”
“Coral,” Aazuria said, looking at her sister with authority, “it might be the Clan of Zalcan out there. Do you know how much fun they have killing unsuspecting sailors and fishermen? It is their trademark. They sunk hundreds of boats in Japan. Hundreds. Do you know how many people died? Those people had nothing to do with the Ningyo—that was just ‘while we are in the neighborhood’ killing.”
“Yeah, exactly—so if they’re so dangerous do you really want to run into them without your warriors? Elandria and I would go with you, but if there is any trouble, how much can we really help?”
Elandria placed her hand on Aazuria’s arm to elicit her attention. She fixed her sister with a somber gaze. She opened her lips ever so slightly and murmured, “Take the twins.”
Aazuria turned to her sister in surprise. When Elandria used her voice to speak, it was always imperative. Aazuria often said that her silent sister was the wisest person she knew, and she would never take any action against her counsel.
“Fine. I will.”
24
“He really proposed to you? Poor guy, I bet he was so devastated when you flat out rejected him! I hope you weren’t too mean about it.”
Aazuria did not respond, and Visola froze in the middle of wrapping a thick forest-green fabric around her chest. “You did refuse him, right? Zuri?”
“I have not given him an answer yet.”
“You’re joking right? You’re actually considering marrying this guy?” Visola’s vivid green eyes widened. She held up her hand in order to count on her fingers. “Here are a million reasons why you shouldn’t: one, you barely know him; two, he barely knows you; three, you belong in Adlivun; four, I don’t like him; five, you’re way too pretty; six, you have no idea if he’s well-endowed, seven, you don’t know if he’s any good in…”
Sionna interrupted by throwing an arm around her sister and smiling. “Viso, I think it might take a little while for you to give her a million reasons. We are still mortal creatures and our time on earth is precious. Why don’t we talk about this later?”
“Okie-dokie,” said Visola, continuing to wrap the green fabric around her midsection. “Strip, Zuri. You get suited up next.”
“What is that stuff exactly?” Aazuria asked as she slipped her dress off. The three women stood in a private area of the docks. “It had better not slow me down.”
Visola grinned as she began to wrap the fabric around Aazuria’s chest. “Relax! It’s something innovative and fun.”
Sionna assisted, wrapping the material around Aazuria’s legs and hips. “Is it truly necessary?” Aazuria asked again.
“Yes, if you’re really concerned about your boy-toy’s safety. This is fifteen layers of Kevlar: a super lightweight, bulletproof body armor, covered in water resistant fabric.”
“It is green.”
“Such a lovely deep forest green,” Visola mused.
“I call it ‘slimy seaweed’ green,” Sionna said in embarrassment. “Viso was drunk and complaining that the drab color didn’t match her complexion and hair. She dyed all the armor.”
“That’s not the only reason,” Visola said with a blush. “Malachite green has always been our nation’s color! And if we ever need… uh, camouflage…”
“We’re not supposed to be drinking,” Aazuria reminded her friend, feeling guilty for her recent indulgence. “It affects us poorly.”
“Lighten up,” Visola said, grinning, “and take one of these beautiful babies.”
“What is that contraption? How am I supposed to carry it while swimming?”
“Here, I have it all figured out.” Visola hooked the instrument over Aazuria’s arm, fastening it onto her back.
“You two never answer me when I ask questions! I want to know what this is and why it is important before I allow it to slow me down.”
“It’s just an underwater assault rifle, sweetie.” Sionna strapped one onto her own back and nodded at Aazuria reassuringly. “We probably won’t need it, but it’s just for extra safety. Shall we do this?”
Aazuria wanted to ask how the twins had managed to procure such weapons, but she thought better of it. “You two really outdid yourselves this time,” Aazuria commented. She checked that the rifle was secure on her back and smiled at the other two women. “Let us go.”
In one fluid, fishlike motion, Aazuria extended her arms and dived off the docks into the water. Visola and Sionna followed in perfect synchronization behind her.
25
“We’ve been following him underwater for two days and nothing has happened.” Visola yawned, opening her mouth widely to take in a huge breath of water. “We’ve been down here so long your hair has bleached itself. I think he’s going to be safe, Zuri.”
Aazuria pulled a lock of her hair before her face and saw that Visola was right. She looked up at the twins. “Let us wait a little longer.”
“Fine. But I hate camping out in open water. Eating whatever grows or swims nearby—this is barbaric.” Visola and Sionna had followed their leader in search of Trevain’s boat for several hours, easily keeping up with her effortless high speeds. They had found several other fishing boats before they located The Fishin’ Magician. Initially, they had all felt the exhilaration of being in the water again, strength infusing their bones and spirits. However, now that they were just hovering around deep beneath the boat, waiting for the crew to exhaust themselves and head home, they were feeling rather bored.
When a metal cage was lowered nearby, Visola grinned. “Don’t get caught! You’ll be used as sushi by the sailors for lunch,” she signed to her sister as they lurked deep in the shadow of the ship they stalked.
“At least I’m palatable and won’t give them food poisoning,” Sionna retorted with her hands.
&nbs
p; “You’re right, but they would probably lose their appetites at the sight of you and toss you out with the bad seafood.”
“Viso—we look exactly the same. Quit insulting yourself!”
The sisters were startled out of their mindless time-killing banter by a hand signal from their newly platinum-blonde leader. They were further surprised when she reached behind her and pulled the assault rifle off her back. She stared down at the device in her hands, before looking to the twins for help.
Visola swam forward and quickly mouthed the instructions on how to use the weapon, giving plenty of gestures for rapid training.
“What did you see?” Sionna asked, frowning.
Aazuria pointed above them, to shallower waters, her eyes squinting in the darkness. The boat was turning around very slowly. Approaching the ship at high speeds, but still at a distance, was what looked to be a school of large fish. Upon more careful examination, and as they drew closer, one could see that they were actually people swimming in a military like formation and diverging around the boat. Their legs were covered with some sort of black fabric which made it look as though they all had black tails.
Aazuria could just barely make out the white glint of shark’s teeth strung around their necks. Legend had it that the Clan of Zalcan trained their young warriors by pitting them against sharks in wrestling matches. Every single tooth on their necklaces came directly from a shark that the wearer had actually killed in hand-to-hand combat. If a warrior killed another warrior in a duel of honor, they would take the other’s necklaces as a trophy and wear them as his or her own. The greatest warriors wore so many strands of necklaces that their necks were fully armored by them—they also wore them around their wrists, ankles, waists, and around their foreheads.
“It is them,” Aazuria said. “I am sure of it. It is the Clan of Zalcan. Well, a few of them; maybe scouts or raiders. ” She felt her blood boiling and knew instinctively that they were going to attempt to cause some sort of trouble on Trevain’s boat. She began swimming up to the surface with the rifle in her hands, but she felt herself restrained. The twins began to hastily pull her back down deeper into the waters.