Page 42 of A Song of Saints and Swans
A regal-looking older man burst into the room—trailed by eleven identical blonde women—before stomping past me as if I didn’t exist. Thanks to Vasi’s tale, and my intuition, I instinctively knewthiswas the Sea Tsar.
Which means those must be his daughters.
“What do you mean your sister couldn’t return home with you?!” The king was seething as he spun to face his entourage before slumping into his throne.
One daughter swallowed hard, but bravely stepped forward. “A human prince somehow knew to steal her featherskin to stop her from flying away. We escaped, but circled back to spy. The Tsarevich hadn’t harmed her, but we overheard him mentioning how his father made a deal with you—”
“So he thinks he can strike a new bargain by using Naia as leverage?” the king sputtered, enraged. “That’s not… that’s not how this works!”
These immortals get mighty pissy when things don’t go their way.
While I didn’t have personal experience making deals with divine creatures, Vasi had shared enough of her adventures for me to know the rules were often in the eye of the beholder.
The door to the chamber banged open again, and a damp-looking attendant headed towards the throne.
“Your Radiance!” the man cried out as he hustled by, close enough that I saw he actually hadgills.“Naia awaits you on the shore, along with the Tsarevich who stole her from you.”
You mean,outwittedyou.
The Sea Tsar pressed his lips into a thin line. “Let me guess. He’ll return my daughter to me if I free him from his father’s bargain?”
“No…” the attendant replied nervously. “It appears he’ll willingly join your court, but only if he may wed Naia and gain immortality.”
Judging by the Sea Tsar’s expression, he was as surprised as I was. But then again, who would want to return to a father who traded you away to some fishy kingdom?
“Very well.” The Sea Tsar chuckled slyly. “Tell the Tsarevich I will accept his terms, as long as he can pick out his wife from among my identical daughters.”
My surroundings blurred as I suddenly found myself at the edge of the vast forest I knew well. A handsome, tawny-haired man wearing outdated Russian clothing was carefully leading one of the Tsar’s daughters through the trees.
My mother.
“Come, Naia,” his tone was urgent but not unkind. “There’s a clan of swan shifters who said they will take you and Anthia in.”
Although they couldn’t see or hear me, I still brought a hand to my mouth to stifle my gasp. Looking closer, I could see that my mother was clutching a tiny cloth bundle to her chest, using her body to shield it from branches and wind, as if it contained something precious.
Me.
My mother’sface was tear-stained, and her voice was ragged. “I don’twantto live among strange creatures. I don’t want to be separated fromyou.”
“I know, my love,” my father replied, the sadness in his voice heartbreaking. “But I need to know you’re protected while I throw the Tsar off our trail. I will send a message when it’s safe enough for you to join me.”
The letter I found in my mother’sVardo!
I blew out a sign of relief. This meant my father had successfully escaped the Sea Tsar and felt secure enough to send for his wife and daughter.
But why was I left behind?
When my surroundings blurred and refocused again, I found a familiar sight. Colorfully paintedVardowagons dotted a small clearing next to a lake, while swan shifters bustled about, mostly in human form. My eye snagged on one shifter in particular, and my heart cracked all over again.
Gerard.
My…
He was squatting next to the lake with a small child kneeling next to him. The young girl’s blonde hair was obscuring her face as she leaned over the water, dunking her entire arm in and almost falling in herself. Gerard laughed as he caught her by the back of the dress, hauling her back to dry land.
The smile faded from his face as he noticed my mother walking toward him at a brisk pace. Leaving the child unattended by the shore—swans could swim, after all—he met the tall blonde halfway.
Probably so I wouldn’t overhear.
