Page 24 of Of Songs and Silence

But there’s also a platter of raw fish, with slices of different fruits and grains. We eat with our hands, using the seaweed to scoop up each bite.

It’s delicious. And most importantly, it doesn’t stare at me with wide, judgmental eyes.

The corner of Ari’s mouth tilts up, and I could swear I get a hint of amusement from him. I glance over at him from the corner of my eye.

“Something funny?” I ask.

“No,” he lies.

“Really?” I press. “Because I could have sworn I saw you smirk.”

“You must not be able to see well through the water with your human eyes.”

“Well I can hear your chuckle just fine with my Mayiman mind,” I say wryly.

He shakes his head, his stern expression firmly back in place and his walls feeling even more solid than they had a moment ago. My shoulders sag a little, in spite of myself. I miss my sisters, Aika’s bawdy sense of humor and Zaina’s quieter one.

Ari lets out what appears to be his underwater version of a sigh. “Napo…he’s always had interesting ways with food.”

“Oh?”

“Octopii are the only thing in our kingdom not strictly controlled by the king,” he explains. “But Napo is one of the few I’ve seen who deliberately takes advantage of that. He has force fed many a warrior those tiny, live fish, and food off the king’s plate.”

A soundless laugh escapes me.

“Has he always been your pet?” I ask.

Ari shakes his head in warning, but it’s too late. Something connects with my leg—the tiny biting fish Napo has lobbed at me.

“Not your pet, then?”

“No,” he says, holding back what I am fairly certain is a laugh. “Just a willing companion. We don’t have pets here.”

“My apologies, Napo,” I say.

He folds two of his tentacles.

“Sincerely,” I add. “There is no excuse for my ignorance. Please…forgive me.”

Reluctantly, he nods. Then he offers me another live fish, his eyes daring me not to take it. Ignoring Ari’s barely suppressed amusement, I take the fish.

I bite its little head off, chewing it up and swallowing it before the scent can waft up to me on a salty wave of sea air.

And I smile at Napo the whole time.

* * *

After breakfast,we head outside, and I brace myself for another long day of swimming. As it turns out, I needn’t have bothered.

A pair of large, elongated black fish wait outside. They each have armored saddles with a high-backed seat. Sharp metal covers their long, spear shaped noses, turning them into swords.

Send back some marlins,Ari had told Kane. This was nothing at all what I had expected.

“Climb up,” Ari instructs.

The marlin is staring ahead, not paying me any attention. It looks tame enough, but there are no bridles, nothing to hold onto. I’ve never so much as ridden a horse.

With all of the enthusiasm of someone forced to handle a fetid, rotting corpse, Ari reaches out and places a hand on either side of my waist, lifting me up and positioning me on the saddle. He guides my leg into the open strap on the side, buckling it solidly around my thigh.

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