The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  For a moment, she could hardly see. But as the throbbing sensations faded away, she realized he’d moved away from her to the edge of the bed. “Brody?”

  “I’m sorry. I—” His body began to shimmer. “I’m out of time.” He collapsed onto the floor.

  “Brody!” She sat up and peered over the edge.

  His human form blurred, and then suddenly, he snapped into the familiar form of a black-and-white dog. He looked at her with his beautiful blue eyes.

  “Oh, Brody.” She slipped out of bed.

  With a whining sound, he hung his head.

  “It’s all right.” She fondled the ruff of fur around his neck. “After midnight tonight, we’ll have two more hours.”

  A sudden knock on her door startled her.

  “Are you awake, Your Highness?” Ruth’s voice called as she cracked open the door.

  Maeve glanced at the window, where early morning sunlight was pouring into her room. “Oh, no.”

  Brody had immediately crouched down to remain hidden. He jabbed at her nightgown with a front paw and slid it across the floor within her reach.

  She pulled the nightgown over her head, then peered over the bed. “I’m awake.”

  “Oh, good.” Ruth swung the door wide open, and another servant marched inside, carrying a breakfast tray. “What are you doing on the floor?”

  “Oh, I—I dropped something.” Maeve sat on the edge of the bed. Oh, dear goddesses, how would she explain the presence of a dog in her room? She slanted a frantic look at Brody. The door to the Seer’s bedchamber was wide open, but he couldn’t make a mad dash for it with two servants nearby.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Cahira’s voice shouted from the hallway. “Burien’s door is locked!”

  “It’s all right, Your Majesty,” Ruth told her. “You can enter from this room.”

  Oh, no! Maeve gritted her teeth. If her mother went into the Seer’s bedchamber, she’d find an empty bed.

  “How am I supposed to check on Burien?” Cahira stopped at Maeve’s doorway and glared at her. “How dare you lock me out?”

  Maeve jumped to her feet. “Please forgive me. Father had a difficult night, and he just now fell asleep. I wanted him to be able to rest undisturbed.”

  “Silly child, I can check on him without waking him.” Cahira stepped into the room, glancing at the open door. “You took care of him during the night?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Hmm.” Cahira shrugged, looking a little less annoyed. “I suppose you can be useful. Hurry up and eat. My seamstress will be here soon to take your measure—what?” She jumped back when an orange blur shot past her. “How did that damned cat get in the castle?”

  The orange tabby zoomed around the bed and stopped short when it spotted Brody.

  The Seer’s cat? What was it doing here? Maeve wondered as the cat jabbed a paw at canine Brody.

  “My apologies, Your Majesty.” Ruth curtsied. “I figured Gavin was looking for his sister, so I brought him inside the castle last night to see Gabby.”

  Cahira glowered at her. “You overstepped yourself.”

  Ruth bowed her head. “Gabby was so happy to see him, she promised to work twice as hard for you.”

  “Really?” Cahira tilted her head, considering that. “I suppose it’s all right, then.”

  “Excuse me?” Maeve lifted a hand. “Are you saying Gabby’s brother is this cat?”

  Cahira waved a dismissive hand. “It’s a long story.”

  Maeve glanced down at the floor and blinked. Now there were two orange tabbies! Brody must have shifted into one.

  One cat dashed through the door into the Seer’s bedchamber, while the other one slipped underneath Maeve’s bed.

  “That damn cat,” Cahira grumbled as she walked toward the open door. “He must have missed the Seer.”

  “The cat knows my father?” Maeve asked, playing for more time so Brody would have a chance to shift.

  Cahira stopped and glanced back. “I sent the cat to Burien two years ago, so he wouldn’t be so lonely.”

  “Oh, that was nice of you.” Not really, Maeve thought, if the cat was actually Gabby’s brother. She followed Cahira into the Seer’s bedchamber.

  “Burien?” Cahira asked softly as she drew back the curtains surrounding the Seer’s bed.

  Maeve heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted the fake Seer lying in bed, pretending to be fast asleep. It was a bit of a jolt, though, to see Brody looking so old and frail. His shoulders were so thin, his skin like gray parchment. Only moments ago, he’d been in her bed with a young, healthy, muscular body.

  “Why is he not dressed?” Cahira demanded.

  “He . . . he took off his clothes,” Maeve said. “He said it was too hot.”

  Cahira snorted. “Of course it’s too hot. You closed the bed curtains.” She jerked them open. “Go fetch one of his shirts from the dressing room.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Maeve ran into the dressing room, noting the tub still filled with water. Brody had used the buckets of water she’d left him. She brought a shirt of fine white linen back to the bed.

  “Burien.” Cahira touched his shoulder.

  He shook his head. “I’m fine,” he mumbled. “I just want to sleep.”

  “Very well.” Cahira drew the covers up to his chin and left the shirt on a pillow next to him. “I’ll check on you later.” She strode toward the adjoining bedchamber, pausing by the Seer’s table, where Maeve had left a tray of food the night before. “He seems to be eating well.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “Good.” Cahira walked into Maeve’s room. “If Kendric arrives today, I’ll arrange for a small party this evening. Hopefully, Burien will be rested enough to attend.”

  “Yes, Mother.” Maeve groaned inwardly. She had no desire ever to meet the Chameleon, though it might be interesting to see what he actually looked like. The real problem would be Brody. Could he meet his archenemy without trying to kill him?

  * * *

  “Are you hungry?” Maeve tore up a piece of her bacon and set it on the table next to her tray.

  She was alone in her bedchamber, eating breakfast, when the orange tabby crawled out from beneath her bed and approached her.

  “Thank you for coming to the rescue,” she told the cat.

  With a yip, the tabby jumped onto the chair next to her and nibbled at the bacon pieces.

  “So you lived with the Seer for the last two years?”

  The cat nodded and continued to eat.

  Maeve added a spoonful of scrambled eggs to the cat’s breakfast. “And you’re Gabby’s brother, Gavin?”

  The cat nodded again.

  So he was a shifter, Maeve thought. Why wasn’t he shifting back to his human form so he could talk to her? “I know you’re trying to help Brody and me, but please be careful. All right?”

  Gavin studied her a moment with intelligent eyes, then resumed eating his bacon and eggs.

  After a few minutes, Ruth returned for the breakfast tray.

  “Oh, there you are,” she greeted Gavin. “Are you ready to go back to your sister now?”

  The cat purred in agreement.

  Maeve sidled up close to Ruth and whispered, “Is he unable to shift back into his real self?”

  With a sigh, Ruth nodded. “Her Majesty did this to him. She told Gabby her brother would never be normal again if she didn’t turn the iron coins into gold.”

  “How awful.” Maeve cast a sympathetic look at the orange tabby. “But how could my mother make Gavin unable to shift?”

  Ruth winced. “She cursed him. It’s one of her abilities as a witch.”

  A trickle of unease slithered down Maeve’s spine. “My mother is a witch?”

  “Aye.” Ruth nodded. “Some call her the Sea Witch.”

  Maeve stepped back. Wasn’t that what Lobby had talked about? A sea witch who was powerful enough to destroy his boat and drown all his friends.

  Ruth picked up th
e tray. “I’ll be going now. The seamstress will be here soon.” She strolled out the door with Gavin following her.

  The guard glanced in at Maeve, then slammed the door shut.

  Slowly, Maeve turned and walked into the Seer’s room. Brody was sound asleep, exhausted from all his flying the night before.

  The unease inside her grew as her thoughts raced. Her mother was more than a powerful shifter. She was a witch. The Sea Witch. Able to destroy ships. If Leo and Rupert came here to do battle, would she destroy their ships? Would she drown all their soldiers?

  Her mother had also cursed Gavin, making him unable to shift back into human form. Good goddesses, this sounded too familiar.

  As Maeve watched Brody sleeping in the form of the Seer, tears gathered in her eyes. Apparently, he could impersonate the Seer or another human for hours. It was only his own form that he couldn’t hold for more than two hours.

  Cursed by a witch. She’d heard in the past that the curse could only be lifted if he found the same witch who had originally cursed him. But he’d never been able to find her.

  Until now?

  Maeve pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a cry. Brody’s curse and all his years of suffering—was the one responsible for it her own mother?

  Chapter 17

  In the kingdom of Eberon, King Leofric was standing by his desk in the privy chamber of Ebton Palace. He finished reading the latest report from Captain Shaw, then passed it on to his wife.

  Luciana sat on a settee between her adopted sisters, Brigitta and Gwennore, and all three of them read the report together. Gwen’s husband, Silas, was anxiously pacing across the room.

  “Any confirmation yet on the Embraced army?” Silas asked.

  “No.” Leo shook his head. “Shaw was reporting from Ebport. Our navy will be ready to leave in an hour. General Harden has arrived with five troops of soldiers, one for each of our five ships.”

  “Excellent.” Silas continued to pace.

  Leo wandered to the window that overlooked the Ebe River. The royal barge was tied off at the pier, ready to take him and the dragon shifters, Silas and Dimitri, downriver to Ebport. Silas had offered to fly there, giving Leo a ride on his back, but Leo had thought it best to decline. If he accidentally gave Silas a lightning shock while in flight, he might severely injure the dragon and cause him to crash.

  On the front lawn, Dimitri was playing chase with Leo’s twins, Eric and Eviana, and Brigitta’s son, Reynfrid. Leo smiled to himself, relieved to see that Eviana was comfortable with the dragon shifter. Eric looked back to see how close Dimitri was and tripped, falling onto his face.

  Dimitri swooped him up and tossed him in the air. When Dimitri set him on the ground, Eric was laughing and Eviana was demanding her turn.

  Silas glanced out the window and snorted. “Dimitri must be practicing. His wife is expecting.”

  Leo nodded as the familiar twinge of regret jabbed at his heart. How easy it was for someone else to play with his children. They were four years old, but because of his lightning power, he’d never been able to touch them.

  He flexed his gloved hands. He’d realized while the twins were mere babies that all the regret in the world would not change his situation. But still, it hurt.

  To keep Luciana from being distressed, he tried to hide the pain, but deep down, he knew she understood. She was expecting again, and he loved resting his hand on her belly so he could feel the babe moving inside. He cherished those moments, for it was as close as he would ever get to the child.

  There’s no point in dwelling on it. He turned away from the window and focused his mind once again on business.

  Yesterday, late in the afternoon, Captain Shaw had arrived from the Isle of Moon with a message from Nevis. Maeve had disappeared, and Nevis suspected she’d gone to a mysterious island to the south to see if the Embraced army was hiding there. Leo suspected Maeve was right, since all four mainland kings had scoured their countries and not found the army anywhere on the continent.

  Of course, Luciana had been alarmed by the news that her youngest sister could be in danger. She’d insisted on sending the navy right away to search for Maeve and rescue her, but Leo had convinced his wife that they needed to be prepared in case Maeve was correct and the Embraced army was, indeed, stationed on the Isle of Secrets. And so, they had immediately sent messages by carrier pigeon to Tourin and Norveshka, urging the kings there to prepare for a possible sea battle.

  Brigitta had arrived late last night with her son and a small troop of Tourinian soldiers. Her husband, King Ulfrid, whom she preferred to call Rupert, was busy preparing the Tourinian navy. They were leaving Rupert’s general and old friend, Stefan, in charge of the country while they were gone.

  Once Silas had received his message in Norveshka, he’d used his telepathic powers to communicate with his dragon friend, Aleksi, in Woodwyn. Aleksi had passed on the news to Sorcha and her husband, King Brennan of Woodwyn. They had headed south down the Wyn River to Wynport, where the elfin navy was being made ready to sail. Six ships, fully manned with soldiers, Aleksi had reported.

  Silas and Dimitri had flown in this morning in dragon form with Gwennore riding on Silas’s back. They had left Annika in charge of Norveshka. She’d wanted to come and fight, but Silas and her husband, Dimitri, had convinced her to stay at home.

  Annika wasn’t the only woman who had wanted to go. After Luciana, Brigitta, and Gwennore were reunited, the three sisters had announced their intention of traveling with the naval forces. Leo and Silas had objected, of course. All three women were expecting, and it was simply too dangerous for a country to risk the lives of both its king and queen. Besides, none of the three queens were trained to fight. Nor were their Embraced powers of any use during battle.

  Leo winced, recalling the hurt look on his wife’s face when he’d said that last part. But he’d been determined to keep her safe. Finally, they had reached an agreement.

  The three queens would wait here at Ebton Palace, and as soon as their husbands were successful in defeating the Embraced army, Rupert would come take them to Maeve. With his wind power, the Tourinian king could deliver them in just a few hours.

  The plans were ready, Leo thought. They just needed to know where the Embraced army was hiding.

  Some shouts on the front lawn drew his attention, and he turned back to the window. Luciana’s father, Lucas Vintello, the Duke of Vindalyn, had arrived and was happily hugging his grandchildren, Reynfrid included. Since all the queens considered themselves sisters, Lucas had declared himself the grandfather of all their babies.

  “The duke has arrived,” Leo said as he watched Dimitri, Lucas, and the children climb the stairs to the palace entrance. Down on the lawn, servants were taking the duke’s horse to the stables and his guards to the kitchen.

  Last night, Luciana had sent a message to her father, urging him to come to the palace as quickly as possible. Lucas must have traveled all night to arrive before noon. As they climbed the steps, Dimitri was talking and gesturing with his hands. No doubt he was explaining what was going on.

  Luciana joined Leo at the window. “Papa made it here faster than I thought.”

  Leo took her hand, and she gave him a smile. He thanked the Light every day for bringing her into his life. Hell, he even thanked Luna and Lessa, the moon goddesses. And every star in the heavens. According to his wise cousin, Tedric, they were all made by what he called the Great Creator.

  It was a shame, Leo thought, that he couldn’t make Tedric his chief counsel. Unfortunately, though, Tedric was a ghost, murdered over four years ago by the Chameleon. It was only because of Luciana’s Embraced gift that Leo was able to communicate with his late cousin.

  “Let’s go see your father.” Leo led her into the Great Hall.

  Silas, Gwen, and Brigitta followed them just as the front doors opened and the children dashed inside.

  “Grandpa’s here!” They pulled the duke through the doorway.

  “Your Maje
sty.” Lucas sketched a quick bow to Leo, then embraced his daughter. “I came as quickly as I could. Dimitri tells me you might know our enemies’ location?”

  “Maeve may have found them,” Luciana said.

  Leo nodded. “We’ll leave as soon as we have confirmation.”

  “I want to go, too!” Eric announced, and the other children joined in.

  “Right now, you’re going to the kitchens for lunch,” Luciana told them as she motioned to a servant. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  Eric rubbed his tummy. “I am.”

  Eviana huffed. “He’s always hungry.”

  “I am, too,” Reynfrid added.

  “Can you eat with us, Gwennie?” Eviana tugged at Gwennore’s skirt.

  “I’ll be along in a little while.” Gwennore touched the little girl’s cheek. “Save some food for me.”

  “We will!” Eviana followed the boys and the servant through the door that led to the kitchens.

  Gwennore sighed. “They think we’ve come here for a fun family reunion.”

  “Aye,” Luciana agreed. “But I’d rather they not hear about their fathers going to war.”

  Lucas winced. “I wish I had known about this. I could have brought you several troops of soldiers from Vindalyn.”

  “We have enough soldiers.” Luciana took his hand. “What we need is you.”

  Her father nodded. “I’ll gladly fight. And the guards who came with me.”

  “We need you here at the palace,” Leo told him. “There’s no one we trust more than you.”

  “What?” Lucas gave his daughter an incredulous look. “Don’t tell me you’re going!”

  “I wanted to,” Luciana grumbled.

  “We all did,” Brigitta muttered.

  Gwen nodded. “I still think my healing powers would come in handy.”

  “I need to know that you’re safe,” Silas said quietly, reaching for Gwen’s hand.

  “It’s too dangerous—” Lucas began.

  “We know.” Luciana interrupted with gritted teeth. “So we’re going to stay here and worry ourselves to death.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Leo assured her, giving her hand a squeeze.

  Lucas regarded his daughter with a stern look. “You must be strong, Luciana. It is your duty to rule Eberon while your husband is away.”