by A
one leg, but it had come through it just fine. I‘d spent a fortune getting it done, in honor of my
baby sister. Thinking of my sister usually brought me a sense of her spirit presence. Not today.
I didn‘t know if she couldn‘t follow me onto the boat or just hadn‘t, but neither she nor Vicki
was here. Of course, they weren‘t always near. They came and went as they wished. Ivy
usually came if I called her—but not always. Unlike my sister, I‘ve never had actual power
over the dead. Thank God. Just thinking about the horrors Ivy‘s uncontrolled talent had visited
on our family in my childhood gave me chills. She‘d been so young and so powerful it had
been really hard on all of us.
I shook my head to clear it. I needed to eat and get topside. It was only a couple of steps
from the door of the stateroom into the kitchen and dining area. The tiny, galley-style kitchen
was well organized and spotlessly clean. The microwave and dorm-size refrigerator were built-
in, and everything else was designed to keep things from moving around in rough weather.
Opening the fridge, I grabbed one of the three cans of diet shake that had made it through
last night‘s adventure, flipped the top, and drained it as fast as I could. I‘d been getting
increasingly tired of them. The Creamy Chocolate Mocha didn‘t taste too bad, but I seriously
regretted the loss of the toothpaste and toothbrush I‘d had in the bag that got shot. And I
definitely needed a hairbrush and . . . aw, crap, sunscreen. I‘d completely forgotten to buy any.
―Bubba, do you have any sunscreen?‖ I shouted. I really hoped he did.
―I think Mona‘s got some stashed in a cabinet in the bedroom. Help yourself. But hurry up.
You gotta see this.‖
He sounded both awed and amused. Curious, I hurried past Dahlmar and Ivan as they came
down the stairs from the deck. Based on their expressions and the tones of their voices, they
seemed to be arguing, but they were doing it in a language I don‘t understand, so I didn‘t
worry too much about it. Either I‘d find out about it later or I wouldn‘t.
I grabbed the sunscreen and stepped out onto the deck while slathering it on, momentarily
blinded by mid-morning sunshine. I could still hear and I heard boats: lots of them; and the
raucous call of gulls. Lots and lots of gulls.
Holding up a hand to shield my watering eyes, I looked to the west. A group of perhaps a
dozen boats of various sizes and styles was coming up fast, moving in perfect arrowhead
formation. Above them, the sky was dark with seabirds, also in formation.
Wow.
―See what I mean?‖ Bubba lowered his camera to grin at me. ―Told ya I knew where the
island was. Pretty cool, huh?‖
It was cool, assuming they didn‘t mean any trouble. Twelve to one would be rotten odds if
things went south.
Creede grinned at me. He looked a little rough around the edges. There was stubble on his
cheeks, but the look suited him, gave him kind of a rakish charm. Today he smelled of salt air,
fish, and charcoal in addition to the cologne. Very outdoorsy and nice. ―Your relatives know
how to make an impression.‖
Eleven of the boats stopped about five hundred yards away. The lead boat continued moving
closer. I could see a bearded man in jeans and a T-shirt standing at the prow, a loudspeaker in
his grasp.
― Ahoy, captain of Mona‘s Rival. Is Celia Kalino Graves on board? ‖
Bubba set down the camera and headed behind the wheel. A moment later his voice boomed
across the water, only slightly distorted by the megaphone in his hand, ― She is.‖
― Stand by for her escort,‖ was the prompt answer.
―Your escort?‖ Creede turned to me.
I shrugged. ―How the hell would I know? I didn‘t even know they were expecting me. I
thought I was going to surprise them.‖
We didn‘t have much time to wonder about it. The words were barely out of my mouth
when Ren stepped out of thin air and onto the deck of Mona’s Rival, accompanied by a
stunning woman of about twenty or so with Hawaiian features and a dark braid twined with
flowers. They each wore the colorful lavalava common in Polynesian cultures and they looked
damned good doing it. Ren‘s hands were empty, but her companion carried a paper-wrapped
package.
―What the—‖ Creede doesn‘t like being surprised, and admittedly he should have felt magic
being crafted nearby. He stepped back, reaching his hands out in the same stance he‘d had
during the Will reading. He froze in mid-motion at a signal from me. I didn‘t think they meant
trouble and I‘d learned from experience that sirens are a touchy lot.
―Celia.‖ Ren dipped her head, more an acknowledgment of my existence than any show of
respect.
―Ren.‖ I gave her the same in return.
Even her hand wave was as graceful as flowing water. I hated her. Well, okay, not hated—
not the way Cassandra thought of me, more in the California sense. She was just so much
better at the elegant stuff than me. ―This is Hiwahiwa. She is Queen Lopaka‘s foremost aide.
Hiwahiwa, this is Princess Celia Kalino.‖
Creede‘s eyebrows just about climbed off his face at the title, but he kept silent. Probably
just as well. The sirens were pretty much ignoring everybody but me.
Hiwahiwa bowed, her braid swinging forward to brush the ground. ―It is an honor,
Highness.‖
―The pleasure‘s mine,‖ I answered. Only then did she straighten up.
―Her Majesty assumed that since you were coming on such short notice you wouldn‘t have
time to pack.‖ How the hell had they even known I was coming? Sigh. I did not need to be
messing with sirens who were also clairvoyant. ―She asked that I bring you something
appropriate to wear.‖
They were dressing me for a meeting I hadn‘t even known I was having. Great. Just great. I
smiled and took the package she held out. Turning, I made introductions, then excused myself
to go change.
I went down to the stateroom, carrying my package. The Rusland contingent was in the
mess/kitchen area. They‘d quit arguing in favor of glowering silently at each other. I should
probably find out what was going on, but I figured it could wait until I got changed.
The queen had sent me a lavalava. I‘d never worn one before, so it took me a few minutes to
get the knack of tying the skirt. Both the sleeveless top and the ankle-length skirt were a
vibrant red that I expected to look hideous on me but just didn‘t. The fabric wasn‘t cotton. In
fact, I couldn‘t identify what it was. But it was natural and it breathed beautifully. Much better
than the jacket I slipped on over my new outfit. If anyone complained about the jacket, I‘d
explain about the sun sensitivity. If they complained about the weapons, I‘d remind them about
my upcoming duel. But I was wearing it and I was going armed. Both Ren and Hiwahiwa had
been barefoot. I didn‘t do barefoot much. I hoped there were no rocks. Because sneakers would
be . . . gauche.
When I finished dressing I stepped once again into the tiny space that served as the ship‘s
head. I was delighted to find toothpaste and a couple of unopened toothbrush boxes in the
cabinet above the minuscule sink, along with a hairbrush. I wished for makeup, but that was
too much to ask. Still, in just a few minutes, I was dressed and presentable.
When I opened the door, Dahlmar was standing outside. His hands were clenched into fists,
but his voice was calm. Almost serene, in fact, which made the fists all the more noticeable.
―Ivan has reminded me that my first duty as king is to remain alive. He also pointed out that
I have no immunity to the siren glamour. Thus, we are staying hidden downstairs.‖
Ah, so that was what the argument was about. Couldn‘t say as I blamed Ivan. But it does
take balls to stand up to a king like that. Then again, Ivan had brains and power and had
somehow managed to get his king to safety in the middle of a coup. A sure sign that Ivan had
great big polished brass ones.
King Dahlmar brought my attention back to the matter at hand. ―It is traditional in this
situation to present a gift to a monarch . . . something of significance to you personally or of
great value. It would be a grave insult not to do so. Do you have such a gift? We had little time
to plan this trip.‖
No, I didn‘t. I could probably come up with something. Maybe. ―Do you have something
that would work?‖
His expression grew rueful. He made a gesture to include his Disneyland getup. ―If I did,
would I be dressed like this? I just felt I should warn you. But she anticipated your need for
clothing, so perhaps she will understand—‖ But he sounded doubtful.
―Don‘t worry about it,‖ I told him. ―I‘ll think of something.‖
He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn‘t let him. ―I said, don‘t worry about it.‖
I‘d had a thought. Not a welcome or happy thought, but there you go. I had something that
would work as a gift. It was magical. It was valuable. And I really, really, didn‘t want to part
with it. That should make it perfect.
I pushed past him, moving quickly up the stairs. I was tired. Tired of not being able to eat, of
having to slather myself with sunscreen; tired of political bullshit, constant near-death
experiences, and narrow-minded assholes stalking me. I hated it all. My life was completely
out of control. I was still reacting because everybody else kept anticipating my plans. Worse,
there wasn‘t any guarantee that any of this was going to change, no matter how much I wanted
it to, tried to, change it. And today I was going to have to part with one of my most treasured
possessions because of some political bullshit nobody‘d bothered to warn me about, and then
defend my right to exist.
Sucks to be me.
I stepped onto the deck; the ladies were waiting patiently. Bubba raised a brow at the
lavalava, which admittedly hugged every curve. Creede didn‘t take his eyes off the women
who‘d managed to surprise him. I didn‘t blame him at all.
―Let‘s do this.‖
14
A four-seat motorboat was sent to fetch us. Ren explained with some embarrassment that she
could only teleport herself and one other person. I pointed out that this was exactly two more
people than I could manage. It made her laugh. Even Hiwahiwa managed a smile, though she
tried to hide it. The sailor driving the dinghy didn‘t bother. He was grinning ear-to-ear.
I returned Bubba‘s wave as we drove off. He actually seemed happy to be staying behind
with Dahlmar and Ivan. Creede wasn‘t happy at all.
I didn‘t blame him. I was nervous as hell, bordering on frightened. Would I make it back?
Maybe, maybe not. I might be able to talk my way out of this, assuming the queen would
listen. But I was already at a disadvantage because she thought I‘d insulted her deliberately. I
doubted I‘d get a chance to explain. Even if I did, Adriana and Ren were both princesses. I was
betting their word would carry more weight than mine.
Then, if I made it past the hearing, there was the duel. But that didn‘t bother me as much. A
straight-up fight I could handle. Until I‘d been locked away, I‘d trained nearly every day. I‘m
familiar with most weapons and have made a serious study of a couple of different disciplines
of unarmed combat. And when it comes to experience in flat-out dirty street fighting, well, I‘ve
got plenty of that.
So I just had to get past the talking—which I wasn‘t good at—and on to the fighting, which
I was. Piece of cake. Yeah, right.
The dinghy pulled up to the mother ship. She was huge and gorgeous. I don‘t know enough
about boats to describe the ship with any degree of accuracy, but suffice it to say that I
imagined her featuring prominently in Bubba‘s wet dreams. Strong arms helped me up the
ladder and onto the deck, releasing me as soon as I was standing safe on my own two feet. As
soon as we were all on board, the fleet began to move away from Mona’s Rival.
You seem worried. Are you well?
I didn‘t recognize the voice in my head, so it wasn‘t Ren. Since the crew all appeared to be
male, I looked to Hiwahiwa by process of elimination. She smiled.
―I‘m fine, thanks. Just a little nervous about meeting your queen.‖
Queens. You’ll be presenting yourself to the high queen, yes, but to the others as well.
Okay, so Ren hadn‘t been messing with me and neither had Jeff. Multiple queens with one
high queen. And Hiwahiwa was thinking at me, which meant I probably was supposed to
communicate telepathically as well. One problem: I hadn‘t been able to do that before the bite
and I hadn‘t actually learned how since. Still, the basics had been covered way back in grade
school when they were testing all of us for the talent, and there was no time like the present to
learn new party tricks.
I concentrated, forming the words in my mind while I pictured her face. How many queens
are there?
Again she smiled, apparently pleased I‘d responded in kind. Currently five. The Pacific line
is home to High Queen Lopaka; the lesser queens are from the Aegean, the Baltic, the Sea of
Japan, and the Indian Ocean.
None from the Atlantic?
Not since the end of the first age.
The end of the first age had been quite a while ago, B.C. According to the legends, which were
really all that was left, the first age had ended with the destruction of Atlantis.
One of the sailors came up with a message for Hiwahiwa. She excused herself, leaving me
alone looking out to sea with plenty to think about. I wasn‘t sure where Ren had gone off to or
if she was even on the boat. Hard to keep track of someone who can teleport. I didn‘t mind. It
was kind of nice, feeling the breeze against my skin. I had a few more minutes before the
sunscreen gave out. Judging from how quickly we appeared to be approaching land, I could
stay right here until we arrived without risking skin damage.
I did turn to look back, see if I could catch a glimpse of Bubba‘s yacht. I could see Mona’s
Rival, but she was a goodly ways out on the horizon. Hard to judge the exact distance,
particularly with the visible haze caused by the magical barrier that separated us, but too far to
swim for sure. I was betting she would be invisible from the island. Nor were they being
guarded. Not a single ship had been left behind. Was that a good or bad thing?
I watched the seabirds swirl and swoop in what truly appeared to be organized chaos, a sort
of dance that seemed to be for the sole purpose of my p
ersonal entertainment. They scattered
once we reached the inlet, and then I watched the sailors go about their duties. Hiwahiwa
didn‘t return until the boat was fully at rest, at which point she approached, smiling broadly.
―I‘m sorry we weren‘t able to talk more. Having so many royals on the island is making my
job a bit more complex than it normally would be.‖
―It‘s all right. I was enjoying the trip.‖
―You like the ocean?‖
I didn‘t answer right away. I wasn‘t sure how to put what I felt into words without sounding
like an idiot. Then the words formed in my mind like magic. I love the ocean. It’s where I go
to find peace and calm when life’s storms are too much for me, the one place where I can truly
relax and clear my head. Its beauty restores me, its majesty awes me. I need it like I need the
air I breathe and the food I eat.
Another smile, one that lit up her whole face. I understand. It’s like that for us all. And your
affinity with the birds shows that you are truly one of our own. You belong here.
I wasn‘t sure how to respond to that. I‘ve never belonged anywhere.
The captain approached. ―Ladies. If you are ready.‖ He gestured toward the gangplank.
Hiwahiwa led me down onto docks that were absolutely ordinary, perfectly modern, and, I
guessed, well designed. Stepping out of the harbor area, however, was like taking a step out of
time. A perfectly tended path wound through lush greenery, past tiny waterfalls and other
natural wonders. Overhead rang the raucous calls of birds and small mammals. A heady
perfume of tropical flowers and rich, damp volcanic earth filled my nostrils. Higher in the sky,
the gulls soared ahead of us as though announcing our arrival.
The trail wound slowly upward. My companion and I rounded one last bend and stepped
into a secluded glade ringed with brightly colored hibiscus.
As we passed into the clearing, musicians began pounding a compelling rhythm on skin
drums. We moved forward, along ground that rose in ripples that looked as if they had been
formed by the downward movement of an ancient lava flow. The rising ground made for a
natural dais at the far end of the clearing, perhaps a hundred yards to the right of a steep
waterfall that splashed noisily into a wide pool of water so clear and pure I could clearly see