Page 5

niara

I held my breath throughout the entire Day Two ritual as the priests and priestesses created elaborate water sculptures under the eclipses of the moons Sylvos and Ryxis.

Each man and woman puppeted their creation with masterful control, portraying the story of Morros bringing life to our ancestors—magical beings who shifted into creatures of the sea.

Though after many generations of intermarrying with humans, Water Mages no longer boasted these transformational abilities and required seaglass gems in order to channel magic, we still honored those distant forebears several times a solar.

While I’d always loved watching aquasculpture displays—probably since it was the one I’d most wanted to master, and failed the worst at, of the five specializations—the restless sleep of the night before had taken its toll. I struggled to hold back yawns throughout the entire ceremony .

The dreams I’d had were so vivid. And unusual. My cheeks simmered recalling them, and though I knew it was unlikely that anyone was paying me any mind, even thinking about last night around others was making me self-conscious.

Could it have been Amal’s flirtatious glances that had sparked such charged fantasies? Or had the loneliness just seeped too far into my soul? I couldn’t remember ever having dreams like that before and wasn’t sure if I wanted more or not.

Sweat broke out along my hairline, and I recognized the lie in my thoughts.

I did want more, and not just in dreams but in real life.

As a girl, I would stay up late into the night, long after lights out at the care home, reading stories of the Fae and their twining.

I would yearn for someone who would want to be close to me like that.

.. someone I would never be separated from.

My best friend Safina would scoff at the notion of such forced closeness. “Don’t they tire of being around each other all the time?” she’d ask. But I never thought so. It seemed so romantic to me.

I had been alone for such a long time. Amal’s appreciative smile from earlier in the day came to mind, and I sighed. He was everything that any Water Mage woman could want: handsome, kind, talented, powerful, rich. Could he truly be the more I wished for?

Regardless of my swirling thoughts, I managed to carry out my duties without a hitch and even earned an approving nod from High Priestess Valya.

That night, I chose to sleep under the stars again and was plagued by a similar dream of heat cascading across my body.

I woke with Sylvos high in the sky above me, the greenish tinge of the Forest Moon especially intense.

There was a pulse, a sixth sense deep within me, beating louder and louder.

I could feel the beast in its cage across the camp, and that awareness was growing stronger.

Unsure if I would be able to get any more sleep that night, I rose, intending to head toward the sea.

Since I was a girl, I’d found the sight and sound of waves lapping against the sand calming.

When I decided to join the Order—or attempt to, anyway—I would often take refuge at the seashore and pray that the tranquil waters would help to mold me in the proper shape of one of Morros’s children: serene, patient, and wise.

However, instead of moving toward the water, my footsteps led me in the other direction, across the sand to where the beach gave way to high, coarse shrubbery. To the outer edge of the camp where the water cage lay.

The wardens were on their rounds and none had been stationed to guard the prisoner, trusting in the magic of the cage. The magelight here was dim, its faint echo glinting off the thin barrier of water that protected the rest of us from this creature of lava and flame.

Inside, the beast sat just as it had at the Oculus. The bubble of water was not tall enough for the monster to stand and not wide enough for it to lie down outstretched. It sat, knees bent, arms resting on them, head down, as I approached.

The broad back with its thick, black hide rose and fell with the creature’s breaths. This close, the skin appeared to be made of stone. Jutting out of the area near its shoulder blade was a magefrost spear tip. The moment I noticed it, a sense of pain washed over me. Not my pain, the creature’s.

I had accidentally cut myself with a magefrost spear once during self-defense training, and it was a fiery pain unlike any other.

To have one lodged inside of you... The beast was already subdued, the enchanted collar around its neck no doubt holding a docility spell.

Was there any reason to torture it further with this wound?

I looked around to ensure I was alone—I had no qualms about what I intended, but explaining would be difficult. Then I eased my arm through the water cage. I could reach in easily and be able to retract my arm—though if I entered it fully, I would be stuck.

The jagged shard of magefrost was, of course, cold to the touch. I plucked it from the creature’s shoulder and dropped it onto the sand, where it melted with a sizzle. Strange. It must have had some extra enchantment on it. Normally, the magic would have held its form.

The beast didn’t move. Though I should have been grateful it didn’t react with a roar, or by trying to bite my arm off, I was a little disappointed.

I was just pulling my arm out of the sphere when a voice sounded in my head. A familiar voice. Thank you , it rumbled. That was very painful.

I stumbled back in shock and tripped over my feet, falling onto the sand.

keeran

Though I cannot see her behind me, the sound of her falling makes me wince. I did not intend to scare her.

Slowly, she gets to her feet and approaches my enclosure once more, walking around until she’s within my eyesight.

I need very little light by which to see, so the distant glow of magelight dancing across her face and caressing her high cheekbones is enough to make out her smooth, dark skin and full lips.

The night dress she wears clings to her curves, and the outline of full breasts and wide hips makes something within me, the part that is man and not beast, grow taut with anticipation and desire.

I leash the eagerness that rushes up within me.

My natural impetuousness will not serve me here. I must tread carefully.

Her gaze is wide with shock, but the fear seems to have dissipated, which pleases me. She casts a furtive glance around, ensuring we are alone, and steps closer to the cage.

“You can speak?” she whispers. Wonder fills her voice, and I drink in the sound, committing it to memory.

Directly into her mind, I say, Only this way. We are connected, you and I.

Her eyes widen dramatically. “How is that possible?”

I cannot answer that question. Not yet. Instead, I slowly lift a hand, hoping the fear does not appear again, and point to the collar around my neck. Will you remove this?

She looks at it, then back at my face. I’ve cooled the flames within, and I wonder what she sees. A nightmare from the pits of the Underworld ?

Slowly, the beautiful woman before me shakes her head. It was a lot to ask, but I saw no harm in trying.

From the south, footsteps approach. One of their guards on his rounds. Someone’s coming , I tell the little Water Mage. You had better go.

She blinks rapidly, peering around, though the guard is still too far away to be seen. Then she gives me one more curious glance and darts away, feet light on the sand.

A minute later, the guard marches up and peers at me through the barrier of water. I open my eyes, bringing the fire into them I’d banked for the young woman, looking every inch the terrifying beast they tried to kill. The man jerks back, pungent fear wafting from him.

I should have asked her name.

I have listened carefully for it, but even my elevated senses have not managed to catch it. But I am confident that her curiosity will spark again, and she will seek me out.

I look forward to that very much.