Page 136

A straea welcomed her scout Calix into her chamber, then motioned for Larisa to halt her lovely singing. “Please, sit.”

Calix frowned, light eyebrows bunching, and glanced at the chaise. “My queen, the tracing spell you set on the oaken sword is awake.” He touched his chest.

Grinning, she swam around him. “How does it feel? Does it hurt?” His shoulders were smooth under her fingers, the edge of his sealinen and shell vest shined to military perfection. He’d once worked with Ryton. But now, now he was all hers for this very special mission.

Calix looked down, his jaw working.

Astraea took his lightly bearded face between her finger and thumb. “It’s all right. You can tell me.”

The whites of his eyes were red, and the veins in his neck grew more pronounced with every moment they stood there. “It is quite painful. But I’d endure this and more for you, my queen.”

“Aww. My loyal warrior.” She leaned close to his ear. “If you succeed in this, I will reward you beyond imagining.” She took his hand and set it on the exposed flesh above her navel. He shivered and swallowed, obviously fully smitten with her, as he should be.

“Larisa,” she said taking up her spear, “I’m off. I do hope you’ll head into the western waters for a brief respite. This battle will get quite messy, and I want you protected.”

Larisa gave her a weak smile. “Of course, my queen.”

Sadly, she hadn’t been the same since their terrible experience on land. But it was a small cost, those lesser smiles. Nothing could pull Astraea down this day.

The stupid human had taken the bait.

Astraea had known Queen Vahly just loved a challenge and that cursed, boiling water and the binding were the perfect project for her and her foolish rebel cohorts.

With all the pain the idiot Earth Queen had surely experienced, she likely had no sense of the tracing spell that had entered her blood through the hand set upon that horrible sword.

The very moment she left her beloved land, Calix—the anchor Astraea had chosen for the tracing spell—would feel it like bolt of lightning.

And he was plenty strong enough to withstand the jolt.

“Time to turn the seas to blood, Calix. Let us go.” She led Calix out of the castle, all the way to the army’s training fields past the blackgold seaweed where Echo, a probable spy for Lilia, and General Venu had called up the full army.

“Did you find enough new trainees to raise our numbers back to one thousand?” she asked Venu.

“Almost, my queen.”

Her nostrils flared. “What number have we gathered here?”

“Eight hundred nine.”

The infuriating Earth Queen, her elves, and her dragons had culled nearly three hundred sea warriors in the battle.

Shaking off her disappointment and swimming above the gathered fighters, Astraea held out her spear toward Calix.

“This male is our hero for today. Celebrate him!”

Raising their spears and fists, the army erupted into cheers. Venu gave Calix a respectful nod while Echo just appeared pale around the gills, which made Astraea grin.

“Calix has taken on the role of anchor to a tracing spell I placed on the Earth Queen. When I allowed her to capture me, I stole a hair of hers and set up a binding and a tracing. It was rather torturous for the human to endure, I’m sure.

” She raised an eyebrow and smirked. The army chuckled, murmuring appropriately about her cleverness.

“The spell awoke in him, and now we will follow his lead to where the Earth Queen believes she will surprise us with her piddly dragon force. Come. We leave now.”

Astraea swam behind Calix, Venu at her side and the army trailing in disciplined rows by unit and rank. They had been down the coast past the old human capital of Bihotzetik with its obsidian cathedral, but now the spell on Calix was leading him northward again.

Gritting her teeth, Astraea forced a smile when she turned to Venu. “This relocating will confuse any of Lilia’s spies quite well. They will be reporting our location as being anywhere from one end of the island to the other.”

“It should prove to confuse the enemy, my queen. Did you read the reports on the pocket of rebels we put down in Tidehame’s southern end?”

“I did. All dead now, yes?”

Venu blinked but answered quickly. “Yes.”

They swam on quietly, stopping at the Blackwater well to revive their magic before following Calix back to álikos Castle.

But all was still, normal. Sea folk going here and there as ordered. No dragon or gryphon shadows marred the light coming from the surface.

Pointing at a young female warrior, Astraea said, “You there. Check the surface for approaching dragons.”

The female’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “Yes, my queen. I am yours to command.”

“I like her. What is her name, Venu?”

“Sansya.” A darkness flickered over his features.

“What is it?”

“She was one of Ryton’s select warriors.”

And again the ache of his loss pierced the Sea Queen’s chest like a spear. She looked away, toward the castle walls where they’d spent so many nights together in happiness.

“Why did he forsake me, Venu?” she whispered.

“He lost his nerve when Grystark died. Then the Watcher tempted him with false promises. I believe his mind was twisted, broken.”

“You’re most likely right, General. It is such a sadness to me.”

“They are here!” Sansya shrieked.

Then the earth beneath the army buckled.