Page 60 of Chasing Tail
Chapter 32
We were here with a purpose, but Taron and I were both gaping at this place. I’d seen some ornate homes under the sea, and I’d been invited to the home of mermaid royalty once. They had all been beautiful, but this was something else. We had artists in the ocean, but they didn’t have the same materials they had on land.
Homes had different levels in the ocean, but you could just swim to them. They did that here on land too, but we came to this enormous structure it looked like we were meant to climb to get to the next level. I didn’t trust it. You didn’t float on land like you did in the ocean, and it hurt when you fell. Taron felt the same because we both stopped.
“These are stairs, and they are perfectly safe. You can hold on to me or the banister. It’s just one foot in front of the other. You didn’t come this far to stop because of a staircase, did you?”
I didn’t ask him to, but Taron was Taron. He dropped my hand and scooped me up.
“I will carry you.”
“Taron, put me down, or we’ll both fall.”
“The mermaid is right,” Jorah said. “Stairs aren’t difficult on your own, but if you’re carrying someone, it’s a thousand times more difficult. You could both fall and get hurt.”
Taron set me right back down again.
“You walk, Kishi. But I would have carried you.”
“We figured out legs. We can manage the stairs. Let’s go.”
Jorah was looking at us strangely.
“I always knew when you settled down, it wouldn’t be with a druid like your father would have ordered. The three of you have always been cut from a different cloth. I figured Callum would eventually take the throne when the king decided it was time, and Forrest and Beck would be married off to other kingdoms to seal alliances. I’d miss you two assholes if you left.
“I’m well aware of the fact that Forrest and Beck like to sneak off to break that stupid decree your father made as soon as he took the throne that supernatural races shouldn’t mix. Many of the older guards know and haven’t said anything because we lost wives and lovers because of it.
“A lot of people have been unhappy with all the laws he’s put into place telling people who they are allowed to be in a relationship with and how. The three of you in a public relationship with a mermaid and a shark, and a man and woman at that will makea lotof people happy if you allow them to do the same.”
All three princes started smirking.
“I thought you were convinced we were lying, and he didn’t have a wolf pup in his room,” Beck said.
Jorah just grunted.
“Now that I’m not staring at an angry mob and trying to plan how to call for reinforcements while defending the palace, I’ve had time to think about all the things I dislike about both of them.”
By the time Jorah finished telling us he was working for and defending two people he really didn’t like, Taron and I had managed to get up those stairs without embarrassing ourselves. They were a little exhausting, and my legs hurt by the top we got to the top.
There were two armed men at the door who didn’t leave their post when everyone ran out to defend the front doors. They saw us coming and drew their weapons. I gathered Jorah was their boss, and everyone else stood down when he gave the order. I thought it would be the same here, but he drew his weapon and jumped in front of us.
“The king handpicked these two as his personal bodyguards against my advice. I’ve never trusted them. He handpicked them from the jails and said they deserved redemption. Ifanyonewas going to plant evidence or kidnap a wolf pup, it’s these two.”
I didn’t like those two men even before I heard all that. I just got vibes off both of them that everyone would be better off if I stabbed them. They were outnumbered, but they still stepped forward like they were going to fight us. Finally, one of them turned to the other.
“Get in there and destroy the evidence.”
The only evidence in that room that would topple everything was Cassandra. Yeah, everyone had been told he was framing people and kidnapped a wolf pup. Harland and the wolves could tell everyone she was missing, but there was no proof without Cassandra. And what kind of men were willing to kill a child to protect an evil king? Especially one that was about to go down.
We all felt the same about hurting children. Jorah might not entirely believe us Cassandra was in there, but he wouldn’t risk it. I liked him.
Harland had changed back into a man as soon as we got to the palace, but he shifted back into his wolf. I could hear snapping as his body rearranged itself. It sounded painful, like when I got my tail back, but he pushed through it quickly.
Harland lunged at the guard, but I really hoped he didn’t think we were going to let him have all the fun. I drew my enchanted dagger, and Taron bared his teeth. The druids were sending magic to their weapons, but I had an alternative.
Mermaids had their own magic, and I’d tested it on land in private. The king had a lot of decorations in his palace that could be used against him. There was a large sculpture just outside his door that spouted water into a pool. Mermaids could control the weather and water. I might have lost my home and had legs. I might intend to live on land with my princes, but I’d never forgotten who I was or where I came from.
I flicked my wrist and stole the water from the pool. I sent it to both guards and wrapped it around their faces in a bubble. Let’s see them fight for that awful man when they were drowning. Jorah turned and beamed at me.
