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If you wish to practice such skills, do so here where you cannot be seen by the palace.

Remembering his words the first time Caelum had taken me to this place, I watched as Rowan removed his boots, tossed them onto the sand, and made his way across the rocks. His movements were agile and effortless, the words he’d spoken to Queen Lirael still playing in my mind.

“Why did he bring you here?” I asked without preamble. Though the tempest inside me had somewhat settled, it hadn’t yet been replaced by the calm I needed to return to the palace.

“He said that he believes you put your trust in me. If that is true, your trust would not be misplaced, Nerys.”

I turned to the sea, watching as the waves rolled in, one after another.

“Some believe it is Thalassa, the sea goddess who created all we see before us. But how is that possible, when Elydor was all one before the clans were created?”

“I cannot claim to know any more than you, with certainty, of Thalassa, or Zephyra or Terranor or my human god.”

“Hmm.”

Rowan moved closer, facing me. Waiting.

“It is true, I had begun to put my trust in you, but it is also clear there is much I did not know, including your true purpose here.”

“That was not my story to tell, but King Galfrid’s and his daughter’s. But I am glad Queen Lirael asked you to stay. You know the truth of it now.”

I turned to him. “Why you?”

Rowan’s smile faltered. “Another story that is not mine. If it were, I would share it, Nerys. Surely you know, at least, we want the same for Elydor. It is my fervent wish the Gate is reopened, my people who never intended to remain able to return and be reunited with their loved ones. I believe, as you do, we are stronger working together, all four of Elydor’s kingdoms united.”

“Too many still do not see Estmere as a legitimate clan.”

“Perhaps because we continue to call it a kingdom.”

That did make me smile. It was a minor detail, but highlighted an important difference between us. “You have assimilated but still keep many of the human ways.”

“As do all the king… clans… in Elydor.”

“True,” I said, feeling calmer with each passing moment. A distraction to my thoughts was needed, it seemed.

“You are troubled.”

“As evidenced by my fleeing from the throne room, ignoring the queen’s command?”

“As evidenced by your expression.” He grinned. “And your fleeing, too.”

Could I trust a man who admitted there was more he could not, or would not, tell me? As an ally, perhaps. Though there was a part of me that wished for more, if I were being honest with myself.

“None know the Tidal Pearl had been stolen. Or if they did, the queen kept the circle of knowledge small. We knew the seaquake was coming. There were signs, and the queen was the only one powerful enough to stop it. But she was unable to do so. Afterward, there were many questions about how, with the Tidal Pearl amplifying her power, the queen had failed to harness its strength to calm the waters.”

Understanding dawned on Rowan’s face. “She did not have it. That quake occurred not long after Balthor closed the Gate. Some believed the two occurrences were related.”

Further words refused to escape my mouth. I could remember learning of it, rushing to the water’s edge and falling to my knees, surrounded by wails and shouts of disbelief. Not since the War of the Abyss had so many Thalassarians perished at one time.

His arms were around me before I could stop him, though I would not have tried. Lying my head on his chest, I relished Rowan’s embrace as I might a lover, but he was nothing of the sort. This man was a human. A near stranger. And yet nothing in recent memory had felt more natural than slipping my own arms around his waist.

He smelled of sea salt and cedar, like the ocean meeting the shore. The warmth of his body against mine steadied me, as if I no longer felt adrift.

For a moment, I allowed myself to forget the questions and secrets. In his embrace, everything faded into the background except the sound of sea meeting surf.

“I am sorry, Nerys,” he whispered above me. “For the loss of your parents. For the queen’s deception. And for learning about the latter from me.”

It was not his fault, and though Rowan likely knew as much, I told him by pulling him tighter, unwilling to let him go just yet.