Page 1 of Whispers of the Starlit Sea
Chapter one
Thearchitectsofoldhad made use of the landscape to build the Iskarraig castle in the most defensible position on the cliffs above the harbor. The harbormasters had protested, pointing out the need for a light in the same spot to warn ships of the deadly rocks and guide them to safety. In the end, a compromise was reached, and the eastern tower was expanded and raised to house the light that now lit up the sky in comforting intervals, a stark contrast to the capricious lightning that cut through the heavy clouds.
The floor below the light was an open terrace with views that stretched from the harbor and the town nestled at the foot of the cliffs to the vast Maighdeann Sea and the steep hills on the far side of the castle.
The rolling thunder made talking almost impossible, but at least Arick knew no one could overhear their conversation. He paced the octagonal floor, careful not to get too close to the open archways. The rain being driven sideways drenched the mosaic tiles, and he wasn’t keen on a soaking.
“Are you sure?” he asked his cousin, wishing he were wrong.
The other man nodded. “Yeah. Because I look like this” — he gestured to himself — “they don’t think I would make a good king.”
The hurt was evident in his voice.
“They’re wrong, you know,” Arick told him.
Thomas nodded. “I know, but it doesn’t feel good to hear it.”
A flash of lightning revealed his scrunched-up face as he struggled to hold back tears. Arick moved to him and wrapped him in a hug, a fierce sense of protectiveness filling him. Thomas might have been different, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know when people were talking about him. And it certainly didn’t mean he couldn’t fulfill the role he’d been born into.
Lightning rippled across the sky again, casting the two in white light. Arick towered over Thomas, though that wasn’t uncommon; he was frequently taller than most. They were both stocky, with ruddy-blond curls. The family resemblance faded there, as Thomas’s speckled hazel eyes lifted in the corners while Arick’s crinkled. Arick had sharper features than Thomas, whose rounded face often made people think him younger than his true age of twenty.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Thomas said, his voice thicker than usual.
“Me too.” Guilt pricked at Arick. He nearly hadn’t come. Thomas’s letter couldn’t have arrived at a worse time in Arick’s training, and the summer storms had made the travel difficult.
But now that he was here… Well, he was here. And he’d support his cousin as best he could, even if he wasn’t entirely sure what he could do.
Thomas pulled back from the hug, looking at the ground. “They want you to be king instead.”
Arick stared, certain he had heard wrong amid the raging storm. “Me? But I’m not… Why not Princess Ailsa?” Even as he asked the question, another face, another option, crowded in.Daniel should be here, not me.He shoved the thought away.
Thomas splashed at the pooling water with his toe. “They figure you could marry her and that would make it right.”
Arick shuddered. They weren’t direct cousins — their grandfathers had been brothers — but even that was too close a relationship for him to want to marry Thomas’s younger sister.
Lightning snapped, blinding them. Before the deafening thunder came a different loud crack.
The two rushed to the railing that overlooked the sea as more lightning lit up the sky.
A ship bucked on the towering waves, struggling to stay upright. Its mast lay broken across the deck.
Ignoring the rain that stung his eyes, Arick scanned the water for lifeboats as tiny figures clung to the ship. A small dot headed for the shore with a directness that surprised him. Waves crashed over it, yet the little boat stayed upright.
“The rocks!” Thomas pointed with a shout.
Arick stared in horror. Surely the sailors in the rowboat could see they were headed for the jagged rocks that lined the coast. Why weren’t they turning?
He held his breath as the waves stalled their progress. They had time to turn, to angle away from the waiting jaws of the coastline. Farther into the harbor, they’d have a chance. He glanced at the stairwell, knowing it was impossible for him to reach the shore in time to help them.
The light from the lighthouse washed over them, timed perfectly with a massive wave. The men gave up all semblance of rowing, and instead clung to the sides of the boat.
But it was no use. The wave washed over them, pushing the boat onto the rocks.
Arick pulled Thomas away from the railing. They didn’t need to watch the men die.
Thesoul-piercingcrackofthe ship’s mast breaking in two sent splinters into the hearts of the merfolk gathered to wait out the storm. Even at that great distance, the cries of the sailors could be heard over the crash of thunder. Muffled by the water, any sound that reached them carried the promise of devastation.
With every bolt of lightning, the bioluminescent carpeting of the ocean floor flashed in response, turning the sea beyond the cavern into a flickering world of wonder.
