Page 7 of The Kraken's Queen

“For now, your concern should be the Leviathan. I would argue they are just as dangerous, if not more, than their cousins. Because, if the Leviathan take charge of the sea, the Nephilim have safe passage into any port within Mescos. What did this man say exactly?”

“He mentioned their song can be heard outside their prison. That it’s faint but grows stronger. I don’t have any verification of this yet. Delmare is?—”

“Ugh, Delmare’s about as useful as a turtle without its shell.”

“Delmare is a good man and an even better guard. He’s served our family well over the past decades,” I say sternly. I won’t let anyone speak badly about my faithful guards, especially ones I consider friends. Not even my sister.

“‘Decades’ being the key word.” She rolls her eyes. “Listen, let me and my crew look into this too. Delmare can only get you so much information. I can provide you more.”

Well, she’s not wrong. Not only is my sister an expert explorer, but her true talents lie in digging up information people believe to be buried.

“Very well. Take time to investigate Kaleo’s claim and report back with anything you find.Anything that needs my immediate attention, call for the merpeople. They will deliver the news.”

“I’ll deliver the news personally on land.” She picks herself off the couch. “I better be going, then. No time like the present, or some shit like that. Make sure you give that salve to your human mate.” Atina does her exaggerated bow that would be an insult coming from anyone else, but since it comes from my sister, I find it amusing.

“Safe travels, Guppy.”

“Shut it, Kraken,” she growls before grabbing her hat and leaving the house as suddenly as she came.

Once again, I’m faced with the reality of my wife-to-be. And no one, not even my sister, can advise me on this decision.

Erin is mine to deal with alone.

Chapter 5

Erin

Idon’t touch any of the food Allarick brings me. Part of me feels bad since he obviously went through the trouble of getting it together. But my stomach is still in knots, and the thought of eating makes me want to gag. Not to mention my throat can barely stand swallowing right now.

My entire body aches; James caused more harm than I originally thought. A person can only withstand so much damage before there’s nothing more to give. I was prepared for death, even wished for it, until I sought out Ender.

Finding him was fate, of that I’m certain. James had just gotten off a grueling day of work and was too tired to pay me much mind. He went to bed immediately, and I went out to do a few errands since the car was back.

It was my last stop of the day, grocery shopping, when I overheard a familiar voice speaking loudly to her companion. I turned my head to see Sister Tammy and a poor woman she had cornered. Sister Tammy is GrymHollow’s nun, taxi service, and the biggest gossip in town. I don’t make it a priority to listen to other conversations, but I overheard familiar names.

“—another one. Can you believe that? First Rose, bless her heart, and now that troubled girl, Hettie, followed. That’s two in the last month! The Guardian should be ashamed of splitting up families?—”

“Did you say The Guardian?” All heads swiveled in my direction. I hadn’t meant to speak, but there was no taking it back once it was out. The woman offered me a thankful smile as she slipped away from Sister Tammy while her attention was on me.

“I did, but I don’t think I should tell you. Don’t want you to get the wrong impression, Erin,” the woman said, though I saw how desperately she wanted to talk about it. And I was the only audience she had.

“Have you seen him recently?” I asked.

The Guardian is Grym Hollow’s protector, or at least that’s what the town says. He’s a recluse who monitors all who enter and exit Grym Hollow. But no one ever leaves—until recently—because they claim this town has everything they could ever need. I beg to differ, but leaving isn’t easy. It never is, especially when you have nothing and no support.

That’s what narcissists do. They alienate you from everyone else until you have no one but them. By the time you realize what they did, it’s already too late. You’ve burned too many bridges, and there’s no coming back from that.

“Well, I haven’t seen him per se,” she said, and I instantly deflated. She sensed mydisappointment and hurried on, “But I’ve taken Rose and Hettie both to see him. Do you know those girls? Lovely things, though they have a lot of baggage. Probably why they left.”

“Where did they go?” I tried my best to hide my rising curiosity, but Sister Tammy caught on.

“I hope you’re not thinking of following in their footsteps. I can’t tell you where they went because I don’t know. I guess the strange Guardian did something to them, but that’s none of my business,” she said as if she hadn’t spent the last ten minutes speaking about this in a grocery store for all to hear.

I don’t know what possessed me to say the next words, but maybe it was years of pent-up anger and fear finally bursting through, needing something to change. “Can you take me to him?”

Sister Tammy hadn’t been happy, but after I promised to go to church—a promise I didn’t expect to uphold—she reluctantly gave me his address.

That was how I ended up at The Guardian’s house. Except he wasn’t there when I walked up and knocked on the door. I remember the bitter taste of loss, being so close to something but having it not work out in my favor. I knocked again, hoping he would come eventually.

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