Page 27

It was like stepping into a dream.

The water was bluer than the richest indigo, and it was warm!

I’d gotten so used to Yonsar’s wintry bite that I’d forgotten what it was like to not be constantly shivering.

Below the carriage, the gray rock beds had become plains of vibrant green algae, and shoals of little fish poked in and out, flurrying about in darts of color.

This much was exciting enough, after so many long days shrouded in gloom.

I’d forgotten Elang’s presence next to me when he suddenly tugged on my sleeve, pointing.

“Look there, a pod of flash whales.”

I glanced to the left just in time to see a pair of white-streaked whales gliding below us.

They were enormous, as long as Dattu Street.

Our clamshell carriage rumbled from the vibrations they made in the water, and I jutted my head out to keep watching them.

“They’re incredible,” I breathed.

“Did you see how they swim? Like they’re dancing.”

Elang actually smiled.

Then he faced forward again, assuming his usual solemnity.

“We’re nearly at Nanhira. It will be a more pleasant experience for you than Yonsar.”

I heard the thickness in his tone.

“Yonsar isn’t so bad. It has its charms.”

“But it’s gray.”

Like his eye, I thought.

“Gray is the color of truth. The same in art as it is in life, nothing is ever as black and white as it looks.”

Elang regarded me, taking a long moment before he responded, “Well said.”

He inclined his chin, diverting my attention to the city ahead.

“There it is, the Veiled Realm of the Merfolk.”

Framed by a lush kelp forest, Nanhira was a colossus of crystal and marble.

And the energy!

Schools of fish fluttered, their fins dancing like dragonflies, and the sea anemones flowered their colorful tentacles when we passed.

As the carriage picked up speed, I lost count of how many arched bridges we swooped over and under.

Merfolk sped down the highways, riding dolphins and whales and turtles, many laughing and shouting out to greet their queen.

At the end of our journey was the palace.

The walls shone a creamy pearl, and each door was inlaid with subtle jade carvings.

It was plain, compared to the magnificent spiraling towers and shell-bricked villas outside, but upon entering, I felt more serene than I had in days.

Elang escorted me out of the carriage, and the guards led us to a receiving chamber.

There we were seated at a wide coral table studded with colorful anemones, and I was offered Red Hearts tea, a specialty of the realm.

According to Queen Haidi, its leaves grew at the bottom of a red canyon and could only be cut with magical scissors.

I inhaled, savoring its rich aroma, until I glanced at Elang, who hadn’t been offered a taste.

“You may drink without unease,” Queen Haidi said, taking the seat across from us.

“To mortals, Red Hearts tea is floral and light, whereas immortals find it earthy and aromatic. I would offer your husband a cup, but—”

“He is not permitted?” I guessed.

Haidi gave a guarded smile.

“I am not a god, Lady Saigas. My tea is not restricted to divine palates. I merely withhold a cup because he’s had a taste before and did not find it to his liking. A story I’d best leave to your Elangui.”

My Elangui.

At the invitation, Elang leaned forward, wearing the charming facade I’d seen him put on for Governor Renhai and my family.

“It was in this very room that I met Her Majesty,” he recounted.

“We sat at this same table.” He folded his arms over the surface.

“A rare and ancient coral, beautiful upon first glance—but be wary of its anemones. They’ll sting if they don’t like you.”

“You sound like you have experience,” I said mildly.

“I was a boy when I was first brought to Nanhira, and the anemones dislike being poked by curious dragon claws. They gave a few warning stings.” The corner of his mouth made the barest lift.

“Her Majesty kindly sent this tea by way of consolation.”

“What did it taste like to you?”

“It was sweet. My predilection is for more bitter brews.”

“He has the taste buds of a dragon,” Queen Haidi commented.

“Just like his father.”

His father, whom he never mentioned.

“He brought you here?” I dared ask Elang.

There came a wrinkle in my husband’s charming facade.

“Yes.”

“Elangui doesn’t like to speak of his parents,” Haidi murmured.

“We’d do well to change the—”

“There is no need,” said Elang.

“I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to tell Truyan what happened to my family; they are as much hers now as they are mine.”

The ends of Haidi’s hair swirled about her arms.

She was observing us keenly.

I only wished I knew what for.

“My mother was human,” Elang began, “a sorceress of considerable talent. She protected me, taught me, and raised me on land—until my father interceded. Against her wishes, he brought us both to Yonsar. He thought that I’d be safer in Ai’long under his care, and that he might convince my grandfather to let me live. He was wrong.

“My mother died protecting me from the Dragon King’s assassins.

Soon after, my father brought me to Nanhira to seek sanctuary.

”

“I came close to taking him in,” said Haidi.

“Very close. But in the end, I refused.”

Hearing Elang recount his past so calmly and without feeling, I could venture a guess why.

“Because he has no heart?”

“That was the reason I gave Lord Ta’ginan. But truthfully, I refused because your husband asked me to. He came to me, disguised as one of my folk, and declared:

“?‘With due respect, Your Majesty, I cannot stay trapped in your realm. I am going to find my pearl, and when I do, I will become the greatest dragon Ai’long has ever seen.

Greater, even, than the Dragon King.

’?”

I mustered a smile.

I could envision this young Elang, full of pride and mettle—and desperately yearning to become a dragon.

I wondered what had changed him.

“Grand words for a boy, no?” Haidi tickled one of the sea anemones that had opened by her side.

“I see that his quest is still ongoing.”

“I’ve had setbacks,” Elang said.

“Yes, banishment and a curse, so I’ve heard. And now your castle is falling apart.” Haidi cocked her head.

“To be frank, I used to think you would have fared better staying in my realm.”

“But then, I wouldn’t have met Lady Saigas.”

“Indeed.” The queen lowered her cool gaze to me.

“Tell me, Elangui, if she breaks your curse, will you choose to rule the Westerly Seas as a dragon, or will you become a human and live out your mortal days with your wife?”

“You make the choices sound so disparate,” Elang said.

“Don’t evade the question.”

“I will go wherever Truyan is.”

“But what if she is not accepted by the Oath of Ai’long? What if she doesn’t want to become immortal?”

“We have yet to cross that bridge. And when we do, I might have a better option.”

“Oh?”

His lips lifted an infuriating fraction, almost a smile.

“I will persuade her to become a whale with me.”

“A whale?” I repeated, choking on my tea in surprise.

“They’re fascinating creatures,” he replied seriously.

“They sing and play together, they grieve, they love.” Was it my imagination, or did he linger on that last word?

“It would be nice to be a whale.”

Haidi’s fins unfurled over the carpet, and her hair slowly sank below her shoulders.

“You have changed.”

“Then will you help us?” he asked.

For the first time, she laughed.

A short laugh, but I sensed Elang had eased some of her doubts.

“Ever the businessman. I suppose some things do not change. Unfortunately, if it is safe haven in Nanhira that you seek, you know I cannot grant it.”

“I am not asking for sanctuary. My request is to borrow magic, enough to repair my castle and protect it against my grandfather’s future attacks. We will only need enough to last through the Resonant Tide.”

“Is that when your curse comes to an end?”

“It is when many things must come to an end.” Elang gave me a meaningful look, and my stomach made the smallest flip.

Come the Resonant Tide, our arrangement together would draw to a close.

I thought I’d been looking forward to it, but now I wasn’t so certain.

“In exchange, Your Majesty, I will give you the secret to sangi.”

Haidi arched an elegant eyebrow.

“Your most prized secret in exchange for a few weeks’ protection?” She was considering.

“I am no stranger to the kindnesses you have granted the merfolk of Yonsar, but if I help you, Nazayun will surely retaliate.”

“And if you don’t, the consequences of inaction could be far graver. You are mistaken if you think you can prevent Nanhira from suffering the same fate as Yonsar.”

“Truth,” Queen Haidi allowed.

“You’ve gotten better at negotiating, Elangui. I will take that risk, then, but I will need assurance from your end.”

“How can we prove ourselves?” I asked.

With a flick of her hair, Haidi sent her guards and servants away.

“Do you know how Nanhira protects itself from the Dragon King?”

I shook my head.

“Look around you. You will find that my realm is shielded by a cloak of silk. Enchanted silk spun by my ancestor Liayin, long ago, when the merfolk and dragons were at war. She was the most gifted weaver in all the realms. But despite the admiration that Liayin’s talent brought her, she wished only for one thing.”

I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know the story.

“Love,” said Haidi softly.

“You see, she’d wed a human, to her family’s great distress. It wasn’t even a prince or a king, but a young shepherd who played the flute. To be together, they were forced to endure many trials. Like you and Elangui, Lady Saigas.”

I gave a tense nod, sensing these parallels might lead to an unsavory end.

Haidi rose from her bench, her hair billowing behind her.

“In honor of the lady Liayin, I have invited you to my court, because I am sympathetic to plights of the heart. I know, Elangui, that you are without one, but I see the changes in you that Lady Saigas has wrought. And so, my request is simple: Show me that there is love between you. Real, genuine love that might break the curse upon Elang. In return, I will give you my aid.”

Show me that there is love between you.

Never had my mind gone so blank so quickly.

How did two people show that they were in love?

They make excuses to be near each other, Fal would say, quoting one of her romance novels.

They look at each other as if there’s no one else in the world.

Until a few days ago, I could hardly look at Elang without recoiling.

I still thought him beastly.

This was not going to work in our favor.

Elang apparently had the same reaction.

“There is no need for such a trial,” he was saying.

“I value Truyan’s life more than my own. Any spell will prove this as truth.”

“I do not question your devotion, Elangui,” replied Haidi.

Her gaze gravitated to the red strings around our wrists.

“I have seen that your marriage bonds are made of merfolk silk. No thread in this world is stronger. Some say it’s strong enough to unite lovers from one life to the next. But only when that love is earnest and true. Show me that your love is indeed deserving.”

At my side, Elang had gone rigid.

I couldn’t blame him.

How embarrassing this was, for both of us.

But what choice did we have?

I turned to him, venturing close enough that our elbows touched.

His nostrils flared, and as I laid my hand on his sleeve, his muscles went taut, cording up his arms.

He pressed his palms to mine.

We faced each other the way we had during our wedding, and the red strings tied around our wrists touched, ever so briefly.

Elang parted his lips.

“Truyan,” he started.

“I love—”

I don’t know what struck me.

The acute realization that he was about to lie to the merfolk queen—or how much I didn’t want to hear that particular lie.

But my every instinct told me I needed to silence him.

I grabbed him by the neck.

I’d never seen his eyes so wide.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I’m going to kiss you, I rushed out silently, a beat before I crushed my mouth against his.

It was strange at first, kissing a mouth with two sides.

The dragon half was covered in scales that were smooth and cool to the touch, while his lips—his human lips—were warm.

Softer than they looked.

And it sounded crazy in my head, but I found I didn’t mind it.

With my free hand, I entwined my fingers with his.

It was meant to look romantic, but I did it mostly so he couldn’t push me away.

He didn’t push me away.

In fact, at first he seemed frozen, every muscle so stiff I wondered if I’d shocked the life out of him.

Then the hard brackets around his mouth soothed away, and he took me by the waist, pressing me to him as he kissed me back, his lips molding to mine, surprisingly urgent in a way that I didn’t expect.

Heat pooled in my stomach, and damn my heart for the way it started to race.

This was an act to convince the queen; I wasn’t supposed to feel anything or be anything other than curious about what it’d be like to kiss a dragon.

My plan was to count to ten, then let go, but I’d long since lost track of the numbers, and instead of shunting him aside, I was pulling him closer.

I became aware of our hands.

His were pressed firmly against the valley of my spine, and I could feel them caressing the ends of my hair as he tilted my head back.

And mine?

One had climbed up to the crook of his elbow, and the other was on his face, my fingers dancing along the hard scales on his cheek.

The tips of our tongues were touching, just beginning to explore one another, and as I let out a soft sigh, I gathered the courage to move my hand up his arm to his chest.

And there, for the most fleeting of moments, I was sure I felt the ghost of a heartbeat drumming inside.

Elang’s eyes went wide.

With a jolt, he stepped back.

His hair had turned black, and his face was pale, contorted like he was trying hard not to retch.

I reached out to him, thinking it was his curse making him ill.

Then I realized it was me.

With a pang, the heat in my stomach vanished, and my face burned with humiliation.

Sometime during our kiss, we had begun floating, and now I let myself sink, curling my toes into the orange sea flowers carpeting the ground.

Elang wouldn’t look at me.

He remained at my side, intent on pretending I didn’t exist.

I wanted to kick him.

After all this effort, the least he could do was go on with the act instead of showing Queen Haidi how much I repulsed him.

Now there was no chance she would believe us.

Under the folds of my sleeve, I clenched at my skirt.

Pride be damned, I would beg her if I had to.

“Your Majesty—”

“Are you convinced?” Elang interrupted.

“Your Majesty.”

Queen Haidi leaned back.

She wore an inscrutable expression.

“It is late,” she said, after what felt an eternity.

“Rest with us until morning. I will need the night to prepare some silk.”

I was stunned.

“Does that mean…?”

“You may keep the protections until the Resonant Tide,” she confirmed.

“The merfolk hold a tenuous peace with the dragons. This is all I dare give.”

“Thank you,” I breathed.

“You don’t know what this means to us.”

I was so happy that I backed up into Elang, forgetting he was behind me.

As my head tipped against him, I listened again for that faint pulse in his chest.

There was only silence.