Page 6 of Sea and Sky
They were at the gilded front door now. A servant took the reins, and Damon slid gracefully from the beast’s back, dropping with a hard thud to the paved stone. Gavin dismounted his horse and swiped his hands down his thighs, trying to smooth the wrinkles. He really needed a wash. But he retrieved his mer journal from the saddlebag and hoped for the best.
“You’re the worst informant, you know,” Gavin said.
“Good thing I’m a bodyguard, then.” Damon waved Gavin in front of him.
Gavin stomped into the palace through the huge gilded doors, barely taking in the tapestries that lined the hallway. Standing candelabras and glow stones lit the space.
Damon kept pace with Gavin, though his steps were gentler on the polished marble. Gavin ignored the pedestals with vases, or busts of other rulers. He ignored the suits of armor, displayed swords, and the glittering jewels embedded in the walls. One thing consumed him, and that was getting his Task.
Before long, an archway opened into the extravagant throne room. More glow stones and candelabras lit the way even though the glass roof let in the moonlight, which spotlighted His Majesty.
Why had His Majesty waited until so late to send for Gavin? This could have waited for morning, though now Gavin knew he had a Task ahead of him he was eager to start.
The king lounged on the massive gold-sheen obsidian throne, tapping long fingers on the silk cushioned arm.
The same features in the king reflected back at Gavin in the mirror when he bothered to examine himself. Their silver horns, for one. Started above the ear and gently looped down and around, much like ram horns. His Majesty’s were significantly larger with age and the silver was painted gold. Then there were their eyes, silver like the color of their dragon, though Gavin also had a touch of violet thanks to his mother. They shared the same strong jawline. Wavy dark hair, though Gavin kept his short compared to the long locks His Majesty wore. There was no doubt Gavin was his father’s son.
His Majesty frowned upon seeing Gavin’s disheveled look. “You know I like a tidy court. Skies, what is that smell?” He held a hand to his nose.
“I was—”
His Majesty held up a hand. “I have no desire to know what pig-stye of a place Damon found you in.”
Damon chuckled next to Gavin. “It wasn’t so bad.”
Gavin shifted on his feet, unsure how to proceed. He’d never had a back-and-forth relationship with his father. The king was always so inaccessible.
“I’ll get right to the point.” His Majesty smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “For your Task, you’re to bring me the phoenix stone.”
Prince Gavin blinked back at His Majesty. He was sure he hadn’t heard correctly and took a half step closer to the throne. “What?”
His Majesty shrugged, something Gavin had never seen the man do all his life.
“You heard me. Bring me the phoenix stone and you’ll get your Grand Mage status.” He raised his hand, pulling the tasseled rope just above his shoulder.
Had the king gone truly mad? Gavin was stunned into silence. The phoenix stone. Created hundreds of years ago by a crazed mage. Or so the rumors went. Everyone knewwherethe stone was—sunk into the ocean—but no one could retrieve it. There had always been an impenetrable barrier. Rumors, of course. Gavin had actually been to the site of the stone in his youth. His mother had taken him and his brothers to experience the vortex of power it created and tell them tales of hubris.
No one knew the exact extent of the phoenix stone’s power. The necromancers would have everyone believe the stone could defy death and bring loved ones back to life. Others would say it took away the cost of magic. Gavin wasn’t sure what to believe. He just knew he had to have it to get what he wanted.
A human servant came out from a side door Gavin always forgot was there. Draped in a sheer silver dress, her breasts were in full view. She hurried with a goblet and bottle of wine, offering it to the king.
“Be sure to bring me the stone before your wedding to Princess Ailey.”
Gavin’s heart dropped to his feet. One month. That wasn’t enough time. “It’ll take at least a week there and back. And that’s not to mention the time it’ll take to gather a crew and—”
His heart stopped.Howwould he retrieve the stone? He could only think of one way. Merfolk. Dragons couldn’t breathe underwater, and neither could any other shifter type he knew of. None other than merfolk. “Is this a cruel joke? Give me a Task with an impossibly short timeframe and the need for something I’ve never been able to find to watch me fail?”
“No. It’s a test of your true abilities. How resourceful are you now that you have to be?” His Majesty sipped from the goblet before handing it back to the servant with a grimace and waving her off. “Too sweet.”
Gavin paced the floor. How could he pull this off?
“Do what you see fit to finish your Task, but don’t neglect your bride-to-be. Princess Ailey will be here in three days.”
Gavin opened his mouth to ask why she’d arrive early, but the realm of Avondra worked differently than Lane. They wanted to know their spouses. The dragons of Lane just wanted to know who would bear the next batch of heirs. Gavin wasn’t sure his legacy was to continue the family line with Princess Ailey. He wanted to leave behind books of research.
“You’re dismissed.” His Majesty waved his hand at Gavin.
Heat throbbed through Gavin’s body, threatening to shift him right there in the throne room. “Why have you made me wait forthis? Seven fucking years. And why do you need the phoenix stone to begin with?”
