Page 59 of Bright Soul

She breathed a disbelieving laugh. “I don’t know a place farther from King Laiken’s enemies than this pocket dimension. We have more to worry about than merfolk politics.”

“Really? Because merfolk politics is the only thing keeping Ocean Gate 438 open. We’ve been turning a blind eye when groups of unnatural hunters go in and survivors come out. All because the king is waiting for his daughter to return to safety,” he said.

My mouth popped open at the implications. “All because of me?” Willow asked in a small voice. “But…if I go with you, he’ll close it?”

“The moment you’re through, princess.”

“What if the unnaturals realize it’s open first?”

Zander quirked his lip. “If things here would grow too dire, I’m sure he would close it. But only if you refuse to leave and the evil goddess is heading for the gate.”

Willow was practically sparkling as she turned to me. She gave me a meaningful look, one that promised she had an idea. “Cress,” she whispered. “It’s my time in the sun.”

“I’d say so, princess,” I replied.

A flush didn’t dim her toothy grin. “Thank you, Zander. I need some time to consider your offer,” she said to him. He hesitated, looking confused by her gentle dismissal.

“In the meantime, will you help me learn how to wield some of my magic?” she invited.

Willow remained with Zander, encouraging the rest of us to go back to sleep. I only left because she seemed to trust him and he was already holding a globe of water to begin a practice session she needed quite badly.

While everyone else filtered back to our shared room, I sat on the side of an upturned couch and closed my eyes, reaching for Braza over our soul tether. She’d left me when I’d fallen asleep, and my head seemed too quiet without her.

“Good morning, brightest of souls,”she said.

“Hi, Braza. Do you want to come hang out?”The question seemed too casual, considering she was hitchhiking along in my body for this particular brand of “hanging out,” but what else was I going to call it?

“Perhaps later. I sense you had an exciting morning.”

I took a moment to show her the complete memory of the early wakeup and the merman’s revelations for Willow.“Do you know anything about the king they were talking about?”

“I would ask a librarian, but…”After letting that hang for a moment, she laughed softly.“I already know some. The affairs of mer didn’t reach Moongrove Library often, but King Laiken is a particularly old figure. He was one of the last mer rulers to agree to relations with the greater supernatural community. His kingdom’s wealth suffered for his decision. Such a thing breeds discontent.”

“Enough to murder his family members?”I demanded.

“Certainly. Up until now, he has been too powerful to kill. Not all demigod supernaturals are built the same. I can recommend some fascinating books on the lives and times of the truly godlike amongst us once we escape this pocket dimension.”

“That sounds amazing.”At this point, I’d take even a textbook to tuck into for an evening. I missed the escapism of reading.

“Phaeron is awake, by the way, and heading your way,”she added.“I gave him as much privacy as I could when he retired to the room you two shared the night prior.”

“Hopefully he slept,”I said.

She withdrew from my awareness with a feeling of farewell. A few moments later, something tickled under my chin. Playful tendrils of shadow transformed into solid fingers attached to the Moihan dimensional that leaned over to kiss me briefly.

“Do you need me to right this couch?” Phaeron asked. Though his eyes were lidded as if he’d just woken, purplish shadows were starting to color the hollows underneath them.

“Maybe if you lie down with me,” I said seriously.

“Don’t tempt me, bright soul. We are in public,” he purred.

My breath hitched despite my concern for him, and I held up my index finger. “For a nap.”

He lifted me by the hips and flipped the couch onto its feet with a twirl of his shadows.

“Showoff,” I teased. The corner of his mouth lifted, but he didn’t sit, even when he placed me back down. “If you don’t want to sleep, just resting for a while won’t hurt. I’ll tell you about the meeting you missed.”

“Joy,” he sighed. But he lay out, holding his arms out for me. He guided me so he was the big spoon, tucking my back to the line of his body. Our legs twined, and his breath ghosted over my ear. “You’ll find that the older you get, the more meetings occupy your time.”

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