Page 85 of I Summon the Sea

Is it infatuation? Am I drawn to mysterious men with shadows and dragons, men who are ambiguous and antithetical, inconsistent and annoying?

Probably.

I shouldn’t be thinking of Jai right now, though. Here I am with the means to express my questions and a man who may have the answers.

Of course, I’ll need to be careful, think about how to phrase what I need to ask, what I need to know.

But instead of any other question I could have penned, I look down, and I find I’ve written this:

‘Who is Jaien?’

The look Tru casts me is dark. He seems so outraged it’s funny. “He told you his name?”

I sit back and gaze steadily at him. I know names are important, I, of all people, should know that. Sea magic has to do with voice and music and naming, hence the loss of my voice to the spell.

But among humans and the fae, names are just names. Is he upset because he thought that, except for Arkin and himself, everyone else has to use the titleAthdara?

When he says nothing, standing there looking absurdly incensed, I lift the paper and shake it at him, the ink running and smudging the letters.

‘Who is Jaien?’

He swallows hard. “He’s… a friend.”

I shake my head incredulously.Yeah, right.

“He is,” Tru insists. “He has saved my life many times.”

Sounds like something Jai might do, I think.

“I know he’s abrasive sometimes.” At my breathless laugh, he gives a rueful smile. “That he’s vitriolic. Cruel. Violent. I know. But he has this other, kind side. You’ve seen it. I know you have.”

My shoulders slump. I have, though I try not to recall it because it confuses the hells out of me. I wave the paper at him again.

“What do you want me to say?” Tru chews on the inside of his cheek. “Nobody really knows who he is. His majestyAnaxRouen has said that he heard rumors about him, about a human boy calling down a dragon. He went to investigate the claims and decided to bring him back with him. The rest is history.”

I sigh. That’s kind of old news.

“There are those who wonder if he’s a fae lady’s unwanted bastard, manifesting the magic and not the physical traits. Yet again, his magic is unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time.” When I stare at him, Tru shrugs. “Our old homeland chronicles claim that a long time ago, the hero Cadmus had also controlled shadows, serpents, and dragons. But it’s a myth. We’ve never seen anyone like Athdara before, and yet here he is.”

But the king—?I start writing, and he lifts a hand.

“Yes, he receives his orders from the king and executes them. If you’re asking why he would obey the king, work as his army commander, rounding up humans and torching villages, capturing the human sacrifices…?”

I tap the side of my head.

“Because he’s crazy.” Tru gives a short chuckle, his brows knitting. “Perhaps, perhaps…”

But no, Tru doesn’t believe that, does he? He doesn’t believe Jai is crazy. Which begs the question…

So I write,‘Why does he obey the king?’

Tru actually glances at the door, as if afraid someone can hear what Iwrote. Now who’s the crazy one? “They have… an agreement.”

Agreement.Pressing my lips together, I try to piece together the scattered clues.

I write down,‘Who is Phaethon?’

I lift my piece of paper triumphantly. The ink is running without any blotting paper to dry it, but the words are legible.

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