Page 39 of Whispers Beneath the Deep
“Elias?” My voice echoed against the walls. That echo was my only reply.
Panic wrestled into the center of my chest. He was gone? How could he be?
A gasp tore from my throat. Had the royal guards found him somehow? I discarded that thought. If soldiers had found him in here, they likely would have awaited my return to arrest me for aiding him if they knew whose rooms this cavern led up to.
No, perhaps he’d foolishly gone out, thinking I would be none the wiser. Hehadleft a conch playing on the recorder. I swam closer to the device. A conch sat mouth down upon it. It twirled and twirled, but no image seemed to flow from it. I placed my hand over it, moving it slightly to fit on the centerpiece. As soon as I did, bubbles rose into a soft recording glow of gold.
I took a stroke back, eyes widening as Elias’ image appeared on the recording.
I’d never seen him in a recording before. It was strange, to see his lively face a little devoid of color, like a phantom wisp of silver around his edges. He was looking into the conch record, but I felt like he was looking at me.
“Little fish,” he breathed, his voice strange and echoing. “Forgive me…” I lowered myself onto the couch, keeping my hands clasped tightly in my lap. “I should have waited for you to get back to say goodbye, but I couldn’t.” A pause. He ran a hand through his hair, and I swore he almost looked remorseful. “We both have things to do. I’m off to see some of my contacts…” Another pause. He was cautious about giving away too much, in case this conch fell into the wrong hands. “We will see each other again, little fish, but do not come looking for me.” His eyes looked up at me, and I swore I could feel his commanding presence in the room with me. “Goodbye.”
The bubble burst and fell into tiny dusting of silver and gold, the device stopped turning and only the quiet followed.
No tears came, and my heart didn’t break. Where sorrow should be, instead there was an unending loneliness, and a lack of surprise.
What had I expected? Elias was not a pet. He couldn’t have stayed here forever. He was the Black Blade. The merman of whispers and shadows. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the merman of shadows had slipped away into the night, leaving nothing but the trace of his darkness behind.
I ignoredthe rest of my duties that day. Even when Percival, servants, and guards came knocking, I called out from the confines of my room that I was feeling unwell. Of course, royal medics were rushed down, and they too went ignored.
Officially alone, I wallowed in words I’d wanted to forget.You are more like the princess than you know.Wear a face that wasn’t yours long enough, and you became the one you were impersonating.
But I didn’t want to be like her. I realized, even as I told myself this, that Captain Saber had been right.
I’d possibly torn apart a friendship in Odele’s cousins. I’d been rude to the captain. And worst of all, I’d done nothing to help the mer of Thalassar escape the shackles of Selection. And how could I help them? I was in over my head. Why had I even thought I’d be able to do this? I was no closer to discovering secrets, no closer to saving anyone, than I had been when I first started this whole charade. I was no closer to getting answers and no closer to the queen or her council.
Odele had worked to get everyone in her court to hate and mistrust her. The only problem was that I was now on the receiving end of it. No one would ever take me seriously because of her, and everything I’d wanted to accomplish would be for naught.
With that knowledge, I went to sleep, and didn’t wake up till morning.
It was a knockingat the door that woke me. I tumbled out of bed, still half asleep and unaware of the hour. It was harder to tell in salt waters because of the depth, and lack of sun or moonlight.
Rubbing my eyes, I reached for the handle and yanked it open. I was halfway through a yawn when he said, “Princess, I hope I didn’t wake you.”
My face heated into tones I couldn’t imagine. Hair floated towards my yawning mouth which I almost inadvertently swallowed. I spat the strands out, and sputtered, “Prince Kai!”
He floated demurely before me. No longer did his eyes gleam with the promise of danger and adventure. His brown eyes were set intently on me, roaming from my mouth all the way down my body.
It was then that I recalled what I wore.
A thin nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. The material was see-through, and my breasts pressed against it.
With a groan, I covered myself, crossing my arms over my chest. The prince’s eyes followed the movement down there. He raised an eyebrow ever so slightly before his eyes found mine again.
His posture made it seem like he was unaffected, but the blush that suddenly sprouted on the height of his cheekbones told me otherwise.
“Prince Kai.” My voice betrayed the nervousness I was suddenly feeling. “Is there something you required?”
He was trying really hard not to look down the length of my body. I could tell. “Princess…” His voice came out in a breathy rasp. “Today our schedules coincide, and I thought we could ride around Eramaea. I’m still relatively new to your city and I thought a… tour…” His eyes wandered down, then back up. Like his gaze was being pulled over every inch of me by its own volition. His face flushed even more.
“Sounds great!” I took a stroke back, grabbing the door and easing it closed. “Let me just get dressed, yeah?”
His eyes were once again glued to my body. He tore his gaze away long enough to nod. With that acquiescence, I slammed the door closed and let out a soft screech of mortification.
Oh. My. Gods.
The prince had nearly seen me naked. I may as well have been with this nightgown. I yanked it over my shoulders and tossed it into a bundle on the floor. I’d thoroughly embarrassed myself in front of the Dragon Prince.Again.
