Page 64 of A Forgery of Fate

“This is where you’ll be staying,” said Elang. “I realize the space is not fitting of the lady of the Westerly Seas, but it’s all the castle has to offer at the moment.”

“You’re talking to a girl who’s been sharing a toiletanda kitchen with three other families for years,” I replied. Then it occurred to me: “Wewon’t be sharing this room, will we? The turtles won’t expect us to…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

“What?” said Elang, his brow raised a provocative fraction. “Itisour wedding night.”

An unwelcome heat crept to my cheeks. Gods, I could kill him. “That’s not funny.”

“Rest assured, my curse precludes any such expectations.” His mouth set into a thin, dispassionate line. “And, to answer your other question, I reside on the other side of the castle—near the barracks. It is an area you’d do well to avoid.”

My relief gave way to curiosity. “Why is that?”

He ignored me and went to the window, and drew my attention to a cloud of silvery haze high above. “Ai’long’s days do not align with the mortal calendar,” he said. “We measure time by the tides. As they fall, the upper seas will glow silver, meaning it is evening. As they rise, the light turns red.”

“Meaning it is day.” I understood.

“That’s correct,” said Elang. He gestured outside. “There isn’t much of a view, but when the water is clear, you might make out the Floating Mountains. They surround Jinsang, the capital of Ai’long.”

“Where your grandfather lives.”And where Baba might be.“When will we go?”

A shadow fell over Elang’s face. “Not anytime soon. Right now it isn’t safe to leave Yonsar Castle. The Dragon King has eyes and ears everywhere in Ai’long, in the stones, in the crevices behind the rocks that you cannot see.”

“But—”

“I will help you find your father,” he interrupted. “This I assure you. But you must help me first, with Nazayun.”

When I said nothing, he passed me his umbrella. It’d been refitted with a strap along the length of the canopy, permitting me to swing it over my shoulder. “I advise you to keepthis.”

I cocked my head. “Don’t tell me it rains in Ai’long.”

“Your kind is known for being slow and clumsy underwater,” said Elang, ignoring the remark. “This will help you navigate your way until you can swim properly.”

He had a way of being insulting and helpful at the same time.

Remembering how I’d nearly floated away upon arriving in Ai’long, I took the umbrella. I turned it in my hands, noting its lacquered handle—still a carved and unsmiling dragon. “You’ve stopped calling me krill.”

“I think it best to save such indignities for humans I’mnotmarried to.” He paused. “Further, you didn’t seem to like it.”

“You’re observant,” I said dryly.

“If there’s a term of endearment you prefer, you’re welcome to share it.”

My jaw dropped, ever so slightly. “Just Tru.” I didn’t ask him if he had one. The idea seemed absurd.

“Just Tru, then.”

I let out a breath. “Just how often are we supposed to see each other?”

“Dinner is the only time I request your company. Usually I take it alone, but it would arouse suspicion if we didn’t eat together. Will that be tolerable?”

That wasn’t so bad. I nodded. “Does that begin with our private banquet?”

He gestured at the door. Blundering swimmer and all, I beat him outside.

Chapter Eighteen

I’d arrived in heaven.

A feast awaited, a dozen platters lining a round banquet table. No noodle soups, but each dish looked tantalizing. I edged along the marble surface, breathing in the aroma as I narrowed my choices to the plate of rice noodles smothered in glistening gravy, the nest of translucent bean thread noodles bathed in a scramble of crab and egg, and the bowl of wheat noodles still sizzling atop an evergreen bed of watercress. I was so preoccupied with my decision that I didn’t see the merman descending from the ceiling, holding a gourd of wine.

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