Page 28 of I Summon the Sea

“Those glowing, winged creatures living in the sky,” she mutters. “I know. They keep falling through the cracks of other worlds, they say.”

“Be that as it may.”

“And the bit about a dead soul?”

“Like I said, it’s complex. Some fae scholars have been studying it for all their long lives. What chance do we have of figuring it out?”

“Ark…”

He lifts a hand to her cheek, and a burn starts in my neck. Quickly, I avert my gaze, feeling as if I’ve intruded on a personal moment. Maybe fraternizing between guards is not an issue here. I wouldn’t know the rules for the Royal Guard.

The ache in my chest, that hollow feeling I thought I’d gotten used to by now, spreads through me as she smiles at him.

Sometimes I feel so… alone.

But an arrow racing for its target cannot feel alone. Its only purpose is to strike, and strike true.

Speaking oftrue…

“He’s asleep.” Tru makes his way to them. “Finally.”

“You tucked the great Athdara in for the night?” Neere asks, the smile lingering in her voice. “Sang him a lullaby to sleep?”

“What if I did?”

I realize they are friends. Most guards seem to share a feeling of camaraderie, which makes sense, but these three fae seem closer than most.

Tru’s shrewd gaze then fixes on me. There goes my invisibility charm. “Human lady. I hadn’t seen you in the dark.”

I make a vague gesture in the direction he came from and wag my brows.

“Are you… asking about Athdara?” he mutters, a brow lifting.

He saw this just fine, didn’t he? I shrug a little. Any information is welcome at this point.

“He’ll be okay,” Tru says.

That asks more questions than it answers, and I frown. It implies that he wasn’t okay earlier, and screw him. Why does he get to be tucked into bed whenIwas the target of his ill temper earlier?

“I know what you’re going to ask,” Neere says, rattling the dice in her hand. “Why is everyone waiting for Athdara to risk his life for them?”

I shrug. It had crossed my mind, though it wasn’t what I’d wanted to ask.

But I’m annoyed, so I tap the side of my head and twirl my finger.

“Yes, it’s because he’s a crazy bastard,” Arkin agrees with a grin. “No sense of self-preservation. As you’ve seen. And an asshole, to boot.”

“Shut up, Ark,” Tru mutters. “Don’t be such an ass.”

I make a questioning gesture at Tru. What about the way Athdara treated him earlier?

“Tru thinks Athdara can be saved,” Arkin says.

Frustrated, I make another questioning gesture.From what?

“From himself,” Tru says. “I thought that much was obvious.”

Was it?

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