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“ T ake her to the tower,” Astraea said to the guards before turning to Ryton.

“And you will come with me, General. I would love to hear about the fine work you’ve done.

” She eyed the glistening creature that rode across his upper back.

Its legs were like jointed spears, and power hummed from its body, rippling the water in lines that surrounded Ryton’s head like a halo fish’s flamboyant fins.

“I need to know all about the magnificent magic you gained along your journey.”

Two of Astraea’s strongest, swiftest guards—one ginger-headed and the other a head taller than Ryton—took up the limp Earth Queen and swam her toward the back of the palace where the tower rose from the sea bed.

Surprisingly, Ryton shuddered as he glanced at his shoulder at one of the creature’s legs. “Yes, of course, my queen. Will General Grystark attend our meeting?”

Before Astraea could craft a lie, one of the remaining guards opened his stupid mouth.

“Oh, General Ryton, General Grystark is no longer with us.”

Astraea bit back a snarl, linked her arm in Ryton’s, and hurried them through the gates and into the corridor that led to her chambers.

“Did you send General Grystark on a mission?”

“We have been busy since you left. Using your genius tunnel, we attacked the elven homeland.”

Ryton pulled to a stop, his eyes flashing. “I didn’t realize… And it worked? The tunnel allowed safe passage under the entire island?”

She forgave him for not using her title. He was excited and deserved mercy. “Indeed. We had to rid the world of those foul beasts. They were aiding our enemies and had in truth become enemies too. All is well now.”

Two guards opened her chamber doors, and as Astraea and Ryton entered, Astraea left Ryton’s side to rest her tired legs. The singer she’d taken in—Larisa—bowed deeply as Astraea sprawled on her couch and rubbed the fatigue from the fins along her ankles.

“Sing something for us,” Astraea said. “An old song, one of the early Sea Queen ballads.”

Larisa’s voice rose to a ringing, mellow note before tumbling down, her words bringing the golden age of the sea to mind.

“ …on glittering currents,

Deep lengths to explore,

Gold and pearl and marble halls,

Dancers in the coral court… ”

Ryton hovered in the center of the room, the nautili and seaweed casting golden light over his shoulders and forehead. He looked confused at Larisa’s presence.

“My queen. So you weren’t simply baiting the human about the elves’ demise? The elven alchemist who traveled with her lives still. I saw him with my own eyes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to slay her cohorts.”

That elf would die the moment he was within reach. “Who else was present when you abducted her?” Astraea asked. “Tell me everything.”

Astraea half listened as he detailed his visit with the Watcher, how she’d set that magical beast upon his back to enable his body to live out of the water, about the gryphon familiar the Earth Queen had bonded to her, and the dragons who aided her consistently.

Astraea’s mind was on Grystark’s wife, Lilia.

She should have had the female killed so she didn’t race to Ryton to tell him of Grystark’s death, but Lilia was sly and difficult to nail down.

To make matters worse, in a display of how shallow her loyalty to her kynd was, she grieved furiously instead of showing the proper pride in her husband’s sacrifice.

And now, Lilia had completely disappeared.

Astraea could have had her hunted down, but honestly, she wasn’t worth the trouble as long as she stayed away and didn’t rile Ryton up about the loss.

Astraea would tell him in time. At the right moment. He would understand. After all, Ryton had given up the simple life he loved so much and taken on that magic beast to save the sea kynd and ensure Astraea’s success. He was truly loyal. It would be fine. He would understand Grystark’s sacrifice.

Unless perhaps he heard the story from a soft-hearted warrior who’d witnessed the events and the way Grystark had fought Astraea’s order to move forward in the face of the tunnel’s probable danger.

The loss had been well worth the cost. The plague was no more, and her kynd mated and gave birth every day now. Plus, with the new magic of multiplying water, they had no need for massive armies to fight the dragons.

Astraea rose from her couch and went to Ryton, who was collecting a net of tideberries for her. She ran a fingertip along the shiny shell of the beast clamped onto his back. The thing’s power snapped against her finger like a small lightning bolt.

“Will you always wear this, then, able to crawl out of the sea?”

She hoped there was a limit to the time he was permitted to use the creature, for its presence obviously drained him.

Gray circles marred his fine eyes, and his cheeks had sunken.

Of course, the ability to give chase to land kynd was a power indeed, but it would be of little use once they flooded the land.

Her finger strayed to Ryton’s jawline as she circled him, then she looked into his face, the features she knew as well as her own. He was the only one she trusted. Taking the net of tideberries from his hand, she set it aside on a blue coral hook by the mother-of-pearl cabinets. His lips parted.

“Kiss me, Ryton, and let’s forget our work for just a little while. I’ve been so anxious with you gone.”

Confusion flickered over his features, and she understood.

Normally, she’d never admit to any weakness, but by showing a bit of vulnerability, she would draw him closer to her.

He would feel the urge to care for her, and his sense of loyalty would keep this mighty general firmly on her side of any argument.

She didn’t wait for him to question her; she kicked away from the sand-strewn, mosaic floor and pressed her body against his. Her breasts heaved as she breathed in his scent, stone and salty magic, and then he kissed her of his own accord.

His lips were full and strong and she wanted to devour them, to force them to submit under light sweeps of her mouth and small bites with her sharp teeth.

Despite the drain of the magical beast on his back, his arms tightened around her and he returned her vicious embrace with more fervor than she’d seen from him in ages.

She pulled back, her heart light. “Ryton,” she said breathlessly. “Has your heart grown fonder of your queen due to your dangerous mission?”

His throat moved in a disjointed swallow.

His cheeks were flushed. “I believe so. I had doubts, my queen, about our goal. But now, here with you…” He took her face in his large hands, the soft webbing between his fingers brushing her ears.

“This is where I’m meant to be, with my kynd, serving my queen. I am sorry that I wavered.”

Astraea wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the creature’s questioning pinchers and possibly its mouth.

She didn’t fear it. In fact, she could feel its trepidation at her power, a vibration through the twisting water.

It drew its pinchers away as she tightened her grip on Ryton, pulling his mouth to her neck.

With wild abandon, he kissed her from ear to shoulder, his mouth rough. He whispered apologies and affirmations of his dedication to her and to their goal of flooding the foul land beasts so all sea kynd could be safe.

“…no matter what Selene would say of it,” he mumbled, still kissing her shoulder. “I cannot bend to fit what her youthful, ignorant heart saw for this world and I—”

Something scratched at Astraea’s glad mood. She gently pushed away even though his attention was pleasurable. “Selene?”

Ryton’s eyes were wide. He looked mad. “My sister. The one the dragons burned alive during her first mission.”

Astraea took a deep breath through her gills, the water smooth and cool along her throat and around her mouth and nose. “Ah. Of course. Did your sister have something to do with you not immediately killing the Earth Queen? Was that your true reason?”

Ryton looked past her to the windows beyond the balcony.

“I admit it, my queen. Yes. Selene was always very curious, and my hand couldn’t move against the human when Selene’s memory rose so clearly.

She would’ve wanted to study the human, to appreciate the differences.

She had been interested in the other kynd and how they lived. ”

Stepping back and crossing her arms, Astraea studied Ryton’s open look, the flash of memories in his dark eyes. “A dangerous interest,” she said.

“She was young.”

“Indeed.”

“But I know what we must do. The Earth Queen must die.”

“And she must die well.”

Ryton cocked his head, not picking up Astraea’s line of thinking.

“You see, dear general,” she said, swimming around him and smoothing a hand along his lower back, “we will torture her for information and make her presence here useful. Then, we will present her to the Lapis right as we raise the waves that will end them forever.”

“Present her?”

Astraea licked her lips. This was rather enjoyable, having Ryton so interested and all her plans finally coming to fruition.

“Oh, yes. I believe a cage of scarlet coral that matches my crown would be quite poetic, don’t you?

We’ll keep her alive. Barely. And let her say goodbye to her beloved Lapis matriarch.

” Astraea hissed and gripped her spear. She threw the weapon into a grassy target on the far wall, making Larisa jump.

“I have your pet, Amona,” Astraea whispered.

“And her suffering will be the last thing you see.”