Page 56 of Lore of the Tides

“We can also dogoodwith our song, you know. We can call a pod of whales who have beached themselves back to the waters before they die, crushed by the weight of their own bodies. We can soothe our children’s nightmares with a single note or comfort those who return from war with demons they cannot shake. But do any landers ask for our help?” She speared an oyster and pulled the meat out of the shell before popping it into her mouth and chewing with gusto. “Never.”

Her tapered canines were needle sharp.

That may be true, but Cuan had corrupted Lore’s mindcompletely. Whittled her like wood into a puppet and drew her into the deep where she came inches from death.

“Now that I have provided you with food and drink—”

“—and breath and relief from Great Water’s weight,” Prince Jaladri huffed through a mouthful of fish.

“Yes, dear. Those are a given, though, as our guests would be dead without them.”

“Well, go long enough without fresh water and food, and they would be dead without those too.”

“I suppose you have me there, dear.” Queen Naia cleared her throat, patting his hand, before turning back to the four of them. “As I have provided you with food, drink, and, as my lover so unnecessarily pointed out, breath and relief from the pressures of Great Water, I can finally tell you why I have gathered you here with me and hopefully answer any pressing questions you may have.”

“They are the ones who need to be answeringyourquestions, my pearl,” Prince Jaladri grumbled, butting in again.

“Yes, dear, I’m hoping they will. I am also hoping to do a sort of trade with them, you see. I’ll answer some of theirs, and they, hopefully, will feel inclined to answer some of mine.” She smiled at him, affection and warning swirling in her eyes.

“They’ll answer them, all right.” The old siren prince consort squinted across the table at Lore and Finndryl, his lips pulling into a threatening grimace. Lore fought the urge to lean backward.

The queen gave his arm a light slap. “You old squid, don’t start with the demands. I know how you get.”

Prince Jaladri opened his mouth to retort, when Cuan cleared their throat. “Perhaps we can start withwhywe have brought them here, Your Highness.”

“Now, Cuan, don’tyoustart with me, I was going to get to that before my husband butted in—”

“—I have never ‘butted’ anywhere in my life—”

Lore bit her lip, holding back a smile. Despite the current circumstances, the royals’ bickering was just... so typical of an old married couple. Apparently, it didn’t matter if one was raised on land or beneath water, if a couple had been together long enough, they were bound by the very laws of nature to squabble.

Cuan’s brown face turned a bright shade of red at the admonishment from their queen, and they closed their mouth with a snap. They had obviously been trying to steer the monarchs in the right direction, but it had backfired immensely.

“Cuan, might you procure more water for Lore? She needs to keep herself hydrated.”

Lore lifted her brows at Finndryl, surprised by his request. Cuan, who seemed eager to escape the cutting words of Queen Naia, nodded eagerly and escaped through the door.

Queen Naia yelled something unintelligible at her prince, picked up a snail, and hurled it at her husband, who, surprising everyone at the table, caught it before it could splat on his shirt.

Lore pressed her hands to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. The royal couple continued to bicker, completely ignoring their four guests at this point.

A few moments later, Finndryl held out a fresh glass of water to her. “Here you are,” Finndryl murmured as he placed the glass gently in her hands.

Lore clutched the water tightly, her cheeks warming, as she placed the mouth of the straw between her lips. Finndryl had surmised correctly that she was still thirsty. She drew a mouthful of water before tipping the glass back to him to share. His original glass was empty too.

“That’s all for you. Drink it down,” Finndryl ordered.

Why was it so... attractive that he wanted her to be hydrated?

She consented, taking another large pull through the straw. Had fresh water ever tasted this wonderful to her before? She couldn’t imagine when it would have.

A moment later, she placed the empty glass next to her other one. “Good girl,” Finndryl purred in her ear, his voice like velvet. Lore’s stomach did a flip at his words, and her core immediately melted at the praise.

Good girl.

He’d said that to her when they had been in the woods and Lore had held up her dagger, ready to fight. She hadn’t remembered it being so... delicious.

Finndryl reached across the distance between their chairs and squeezed Lore’s thigh under the table. “Do you want more, or are you satisfied?”