Page 25 of I Summon the Sea

With difficulty, I turn my gaze away.

So what if his form is so damn pleasing—his body so powerful, from the muscular shoulders and chest to the tapering of narrow hips and long legs, and that face, composed so perfectly, from the straight nose to the square jaw and high cheekbones, the thick brows and dark eyes and even those dark blossoms staining the skin underneath?

The brighter the light, the greater the shadow, isn’t that what they say? And he delivers on both, stark beauty and brutal darkness.

Pressing my lips together, I turn away resolutely and stomp to the opening of the hold. The smell of cured meat and fish wafting from inside turns my stomach. Maybe it’s the pain still thrumming through my arm, filling my veins with fire and making my head spin.

The guards hover at the sides of the barge as the drak flies away, joining the swarms crisscrossing the rose-and-gold afternoon sky.

One of the guards yells a name. Another yells another name. People start bowing over the sides of the barge, staring into the water.

Looks like we lost a few guards.

It makes me feel even luckier for managing to hold on.

The Sea Palace glows ahead, so close now, the Pillar phosphorescing behind it in the distance, taking up a good part of the horizon.

I’ve never been so close to the World Pillar in my life. It’s hard to describe its enormity and the power it exudes. It’s a pulse, a distant drum inside my head. A flashing beacon at the edge of my vision. An entity, so powerful and alien it twists my mind.

Someone steps in front of me, and a long shadow falls over me. The wind carries his scent first, smoky and masculine.

“Are you hurt?” Athdara barks. His black hair is wet and tousled, brushing his pale jaw and falling into those piercing eyes.

I frown up at him. Gods, he’s so tall. I have to crane my neck to meet his gaze. The dark swirls under his eyes seem to move, but that can’t be right.

“I said, are you hurt, little lady?” he demands again.

Rae, I mouth the word, since this is now my name, and tap my chest.I’m Rae.

“Rae,” he concedes. “Are you cold?”

I shake my head slowly. Why is he asking? I can’t figure him out.

“You shouldn’t be here at all. It’s dangerous.” He steps closer, way too close, and I take a precarious step back, still clutching my arm. “It’s a dangerous place, a dangerous time, and… and I…”

I stare at him. I stare as a grimace twists his handsome face. His lips peel back and his dark eyes flash. Gold glows in their depths.

“Tenebra,” he grunts, jerking back, the shadows thickening around his shoulders, lifting his black hair. “Khora…”

That’s not my name.I glare at him and slap my chest again.It’s Rae.

But the gold in his eyes intensifies, and his mouth warps into a sneer. “Who cares about your name? You’re but a weak little human. Why did we allow you onboard? We should have left you to rot. Get out of the way, and let us do our job.”

I stare at him in shock.What?

Again he steps closer, but the cruel light in his eyes chills my blood. “You should be cowering in one of the human towns, crawling into your hovel or a hole in the ground to hide, not daring to show your face during the biggest games of the last hundred years. What do you think will happen at the palace? Pretending to be some lady?Nefasta.Thinking you can pass for one of them? Think again. I can’t wait to see you get thrown into some dungeon to die.”

Now I’m gaping at him. I can’t believe this man. And I wasworriedabout him?

I was, wasn’t I?

Stowing my shock away, I glare and lift my little finger in a rude gesture.What iswrongwith you?I mouth and I hope he can read lips.You asshole.

“But I am sure they will notice nothing unusual about you, a human, bedraggled and infested with lice and worms. Infested with death.” He takes a step toward me, closing the distance between us again, then suddenly stops. He bows over with a gasp, eyes going wide, black hair falling over his brow. “Mesadia halikras.Nefast onar. daraka anass… anass…” He goes down to one knee, the thump making me wince.“Fuck!”

What is he muttering? What’s going on with him? My arm hurts too much, and my head is too full of noise for me to reach a good, boiling point of anger. That will come later. Right now, I’m only focused on backtracking, not sure what he’ll do next.

“Come on, Athdara.” Tru appears beside him, pulling him to his feet, and I can’t look away from the dark bruise on his jaw where Athdara hit him earlier, or Athdara’s white face and the strange confusion in his dark eyes. “Let’s go get you cleaned up. Drink some water, eat something, how about that, huh? Be good for you.”

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