Page 22 of I Summon the Sea

Taking the rusk, I make a questioning gesture and mouth the name.Tyrren?

“I mean Tru. That’s his real name.”

I point at him.And yours?

“I’m Arkin.” He sketches a small, perfectly sarcastic bow where he’s sitting. “Arkin Ath Rubeun. That is, Lord of the House of Ruby. It matches my hair.”

I almost choke on the hard bread I’m eating, snorting.Very funny, Arkin.But who knows, maybe his family did choose the ruby as their gem for being redheads. Why not?

He offers me the flask of water again, and I take a deep draught. Gods, I feel as dried-out as this rusk. I dare take another long draught before relinquishing the flask to him.

“We’ve followed him since he came to court,” he goes on, and he doesn’t have to explain who he means. Of course he’s talking about Athdara. “He became the king’s favorite right away, got promoted to commander after a few years. Tru says the king knows what he’s doing.” Arkin frowns. “I bet he does.”

I wave a hand to get his attention, then I point at his head and shake my hand back and forth to indicate a question.You disagree?

“I don’t know how the king knew,” he mutters, and I’m not even sure whether he’s paid attention to my gestures or if he’s continuing his monologue. “About Phaethon. About the dragons and the gates.”

Now, that gets my attention. That name again. I tap my lips to draw his focus there.Phaethon? Who is he?

Arkin’s frown deepens. “Someone you should not wish to meet.”

Right…Talk about non-answers. Sighing, I concentrate on eating the rusk in my hand. It’s hard like stone, but I need to eat. Keep my strength. I’ve made it so far. It won’t do to pass out and fall off the barge while in sight of the Sea Palace.

“Speaking of hair color…” He takes a long draught from the flask. “Cast out of your town for yours, were you? Unusual in such a young human lady, though it wouldn’t be strange on a fae. That would explain why you were standing in that sinking boat in the swamps.”

I stiffen. I had wondered how long it would take until someone started thinking more seriously about it, questioning me, and looking for the truth.

Time for a little theater and distraction.

So I mime sagging, pull the skin under my eyes, and hunch over.

“Yeah, sure, your hair is white because you’re so incredibly old.” He laughs. “So senile and decrepit.”

I shrug. The main thing is that he drops the question.

And he does.

“When we arrive…” A thoughtful look enters his blue eyes. “Steer away from the imprisoned humanfolk. And the water. Stay on the Temple Island, and stay indoors. That’s the safest place. The arena is like a walled lake, an enclosure in the sea, but separate. Inside, they throw the monsters of their choice, waiting for the games to start. Anything could crawl out at night.”

I give him a skeptical look, swallowing my bite of rusk. Why is he telling me this? Not that I won’t take any help I can get, but I already knew or suspected as much.

“Tru seems fond of you,” he says as if reading my thoughts.

Ah, right…His friend likes me, so he decided to help me. Fair enough.

The darakin from before circles over our barge, its barbed tail swinging as it dives and rises. It looks like it’s playing.

Dolphins jump ahead of us, silver backs shining, mouths looking like they’re laughing. Glittering fish arc over the waves, entire schools of rainbow-hued atherine and narrow-mouths. Blue jellyfish bob in star formations, pushed away by the boats’ path.

I think I can make out sea sylphs on a rocky reef, playing with a golden ball.

The whole world is at play.

It’s so fitting, then, that we’re heading straight for the games, even if they are games of death.

Every game can turn deadly in a heartbeat, and these definitely are.

For the first time since I boarded this barge, doubt hits me like a punch.

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