Page 71 of A Forgery of Fate

“I don’t have a—”

He reached for the end of my sleeve, sparks of magic rushing from his fingertips. When I glanced down at my jacket, a new pocket had appeared, with a button to keep my brush and ink safe.

I looked up at him.Thank you,I meant to say, but the words caught in my throat. He was still holding my sleeve, his human side facing me. This close, I could feel the vibrations of water thrumming from his skin, could see my reflection in the glow of his yellow eye. It was beautiful, that eye, in a feral and unearthly way. But it belonged on the dragon half of his face, not the human one. The way it was, I couldn’t tell which side was more beastly. Which side might bite.

“Someone’s coming,” Elang said, drawing me back with a claw. “I know it’s difficult for you, but try to keep quiet.”

No sooner did he finish speaking than a giant turtle came storming through the doors. “Where is that treacherous ingrate?” he demanded, waving his spear.

“General Caisan.” Elang’s voice sharpened. “I thought I made it clear we were not to be disturbed.”

So this was the general. He had bright green eyes like Mailoh, though that was where their similarities ended. His neck was spindly, head jutting out like a flower on the end of a stalk, and his dark shell resembled a beetle’s carapace more than a turtle’s. Long slash marks mutilated the plates, such that some were cracked and even overlapping. He didn’t have the look of someone who’d bring me cake in the morning.

“Do you know what she’s done?” cried Caisan. “I speak of the demon Shanizhun.” Another wave of his spear. “Come out, you ingrate!”

In a dramatic plume of mist, Shani burst out of the ring.

It was the first time I’d seen her since leaving Gangsun. She wasn’t a phoenix anymore and instead had taken on what I suspected was her natural form: a stingray-like fish with a downturned mouth and a lengthy spiked tail. It suited her better.

She flapped a fin over Elang’s shoulder. “It was only a snack,” she said. “After so long on land, you can’t blame me for missing a taste of home.”

“You see how brazen she is?” Caisan spluttered. “Have sense, Lord Elang. First she abandons you to Nazayun’s patrols, then this morning my third lieutenant is found with his memories tampered with. She is clearly up to something.”

“Enough, both of you.” A low growl rumbled out of Elang’s throat. “General, if you wish to disrupt my dinner, the least you could do is properly greet Lady Saigas.”

I didn’t know how humans appeared to turtles—perhaps we were as insignificant and gormless as stalks of kelp—but it seemed that only then did General Caisan finally noticeme.

His round eyes swiftly took in my blue hair, then the opal ring on my finger. “Welcome, human. I see that you have already made your allegiances known.”

“She’s smarter than she looks,” quipped Shani, “marginally. Which is still more than I can say about you.”

Elang sent the demon a silencing look. “It wasIwho requested that the lady wear Shanizhun’s ring,” he said, turning to the general. “And she has a name.”

“Yes, I am aware.” Caisan glowered. “Truyan Saigas of West Gangsun, daughter of Arban and Weina. Master artforgerof the Dor’lin District.”

I flinched. Those were the exact words I’d used to introduce myself to Elang.

“You will address her as Her Highness, Lady Saigas, the High Lady of the Westerly Seas.”

Caisan viewed me with clear disdain. “Is the above world so wretched that there was no other creature to ally yourself with than this…this—”

“Visionary painter?” I suggested wryly.

Caisan glared. “Scoundrel.”

“Careful where you tread, Caisan,” said Elang. “Thisscoundrelis now my wife.”

Did I imagine it, or was there a touch of menace in Elang’s voice, and a firm emphasis on the wordwife?

Caisan landed into the sand banks with a thud, bowing his head low. “I beg you allow me to find you a proper partner, Lord Elang. The fate of Yonsar rests upon His Eternal Majesty believing you’ve found your Heavenly Match. This creature is neither believable nor suitable.”

“I found it hard to believe as well,” said Shani, “but he did marry the krill.”

“Enough!”

Elang took my hand in his. “The strongest bridge is made of truth,” he said, bringing my fingers to his mouth. “Deception will crumble, given enough time.”

I thought he was going to bite me. It wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion, given how the sharp tips of his teeth were skimming the water above my fingertips. But no, instead he placed the gentlest kiss on my knuckles, the heat of his breath warming the chill from my skin.

---