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ROWAN

Travelling to Ventara, the same clifftop village I’d passed on my way to the palace, I never could have predicted such a chain of events. Still reeling from my vision from the day we stepped off the dock in Corvi, one that coincided with Marek’s unhinged plan, one thing had become clear.

Not only was I the new Keeper, but my visions were strong and true. I would no longer doubt them but learn to harness them, as my grandfather and those before me had. But today was not about me, or Marek. His role would come in four days’ time, if he was able to pull off such a scheme. Today, the first day of the Festival of Tides, I would continue to seek allies, cement Nerys’s challenge and discredit the queen’s increasingly unhinged claims.

In lieu of my mount, or Marek’s ship, I’d paid for passage on a cargo vessel that was heading to Ventara for the festival. Paid good coin for the privilege, but it had proved a worthwhile endeavor as the ship’s captain was no friend of the queen.

Making my way from the docks, I asked for directions to The Salted Gale, where Caelum had sent a message that he, Aneri and Nerys would be staying. As we sailed into port, I could see flowing banners in every oceanic hue imaginable and massive sand sculptures along the shore where some of the seaside festivities would take place. On land, the sights were no less spectacular. Bioluminescent coral sculptures, more banners, and an excitement among the swelling crowd were all evidence the festival was commencing.

“Pardon me,” I asked a couple who were studying a sculpture of the goddess Thalassa. It was the largest of all the land sculptures and glowed a bright teal from within. At night, the sculpture would be spectacular. “Can you point me in the direction of The Salted Gale?”

The woman eyed me appreciatively, her partner noticing, and offered directions. I moved off without preamble, climbing a set of winding stairs that could have put those in the Deep Archives to shame. Some of the vaelith, Marek had told me, watched the entire festival from town, never making the trek down to its shores. By the time I reached the top, I understood the reason. And also why they were reluctant to move the festival elsewhere.

From here, the scene below was every bit as spectacular as Zephyria, the Aetherian spring festival of renewal held in its Sky Pinnacle, a sacred mountain where the winds were at their strongest in all of Aetheria.

But I was not here to admire the pomp and circumstance of the festival, nor even to witness its opening ceremonies where, according to Marek, the Tidecallers would conjure aquatic displays, setting the tone for the days to come.

I was here to find Nerys.

Following the woman’s instructions, I navigated throngs of Thalassarians dressed in robes as flowing as the banners, most adorned with jewelry crafted from pearls, shells, and gemstones. Just as I’d been instructed, The Salted Gate, perched cliffside in perfect position for its residents to watch the festivities below, was decorated with the same banners as most other buildings. I entered the inn, serving also as a tavern, and ordered an ale.

I could not ask for her, so as not to raise suspicion. Instead, I waited for a stool to become available, sat upon it, and listened, waiting. Not surprisingly, talk was of the opening ceremonies later this eve, but also of Nerys.

“They say she is not coming until the challenge,” the woman who served my ale said to a group of haranya. Like Marek and Nerys, they were neither young ones but had not reached thaloran. For nearly five hundred years, they would remain as such, appearing similar to a human who had lived nearly thirty years, like me.

“I heard she’s come already. Someone spotted her at the docks but she disappeared into the crowd,” one said.

“Either way, I hope she wins.”

It was the soft-spoken admission of the red-headed woman sitting beside me. Her hair was an unusual color for a Thalassari. She was pretty enough, but for me, every woman would now be measured against Nerys. And every one, including this one, would be found lacking by comparison.

“Did you hear of the sea serpents she summoned at The Moonlit Current?”

I continued to listen, my head turned in the opposite direction, until their talk moved from Nerys to the queen to the next day’s competition. Apparently, one of them had entered as a contestant in deep-sea pearl diving, his first time participating in the festival.

To my left, another conversation, but this one more somber. Two men, nobles by the look of them, wagered on the outcome of the challenge.

A third chastised his companions. “If there will even be a challenge. Rumor has it the queen will render Lady Nerys ‘unfit to compete.’”

The first man snorted, swirling his wine. “By accusing her of treason? The people will not stand for it.”

“She’s already sewed enough doubt,” the first noble countered, leaning in. “Questions of her sanity have made some question Lady Nerys.”

“If she’s alive to make the challenge,” the second said grimly.

My hands gripped the hilt of my sword, as if ensuring it was still there. Nay, not my sword, I qualified. One Marek had secured for me our first day in Corvi. My own still sat within the palace walls.

Opening myself to accept the emotions of those around me, I stared straight ahead, allowing my own anger of the noble’s words to subside. She was safe, and any moment, Caelum would find me and take me to her.

Confusion. Hope. Excitement. Lust. A gamut of emotions, but I could sense nothing nefarious. Except someone who was watching me.

Sensing it, I spun around on my seat, searching the growing crowd. Sure enough, Caelum was approaching me. “There you are, old friend,” he said. “Bring your ale with you so that we may catch up.”

I reached for it, the groups on each side of me not even glancing my way. Leading me from the tavern to the inn, a covered walkway connecting both, before long I found myself in an empty corridor. “We are the only ones on this floor.”

With the number of ships at port and size of the crowds, before the Festival of Tides even began, I questioned Caelum on how such a thing was possible.

“Marek somehow arranged it.” Caelum gave me a look that said, “Don’t ask how.”

“When—” I started, but my companion shook his head.

“Unsure. I’ve learned long ago not to ask too many questions where he is concerned.” He pointed to a door. “Nerys is in there with Aneri. It’s the only room on the floor with a view of the festival below, and neither wished to miss the opening festivities.”

I would see her again at any moment. My hands flexed and uncurled, unable to rest. But first: “What is her status?”

“We arrived without incident on a private vessel, though we took extra precaution to escort her and Aneri here separately. She warded the room herself, but it is not as elaborate as Aneri’s, though strong enough that we would be alerted. Each of the other rooms are currently occupied with men loyal to her and prepared to defend against an attack.”

“They’ve agreed to remain here at all times? Forgoing the festival?”

“They have, and are stationed belowstairs and at the front and back of the inn as well.”

“Good,” I said. “I will work the festival, attempt to root out additional threats and stay the tide of any discontent.”

“You stand out in a crowd, Rowan.”

I already knew what Caelum was saying.

“I won’t return after today.”

Caelum would not be coming and going but remaining here at the inn, ensuring Nerys was protected. But my skills were best used among the crowds, yet I couldn’t risk being followed here.

“We’ve three days after today before the challenge,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Do you think Marek will return in time?”

“With the winds at his back, perhaps. It is a calculated risk.”

“One I hope is unnecessary. The mood is unstable, but more accepting than I’d hoped for.”

“Agreed,” I said. “Though I do not trust her, not since she’s shown her hand,” I said of the queen.

“Are you certain you will not be recognized? I’ve heard your name whispered more often than I would like. Her guards continue their search for you.”

“Let them look. They’ll not find me.”

Caelum’s eyes darted toward my weapon. “Marek?”

“Aye.”

“I attempted to retrieve yours from the palace but was denied. I’ve sparred with someone much less skilled than you.”

“A high compliment indeed,” I teased, remembering that first day we met. Little did I realize at the time the reason Caelum was so skilled with a sword. It was a skill valued most by humans, of which he was one. “I will be waiting belowstairs when you are finished. Tongues will continue to loosen as the night wears on.”

Watching Caelum leave, I gave silent thanks for his loyalty to Nerys.

Knocking at her door, I was rewarded with her voice.

“Caelum?”

“No,” I said. “Rowan.”

My tunic suddenly felt tight against my chest as I waited, listening as the door was unlocked. A moment later, it opened.

Nerys was dressed similarly to the day we met, but that’s where the similarities ended. I knew her now. Her strength and determination. Her vulnerabilities. I knew the taste of her, and wanted another.

Unfortunately, Aneri watched us closely.

Fuck it , as my modern human friends would say. Shutting the door behind me, I closed the gap between us, grabbed her beautiful face and kissed her. With an audience, I didn’t want to create a spectacle, but neither did I want to let her go.

I did anyway, out of respect. But certainly not out of any desire to do so.

With her lips swollen from our kiss, Nerys looked up at me as if she didn’t know what to say. Truth was, I didn’t either. There was only one way I could tell her of my secret, but that would mean having her accept more than Nerys might be willing.

Accept what is, be where your feet are, and you’ll find peace, Sir Rowan of Estmere.

At least, after visiting Seren, I knew my path. Or the one I wished to take. There would be a period of upheaval, but change was never easy.

“Come see,” she said as I took her hand.

“Greetings, Rowan,” Aneri said with a knowing smile.

I inclined my head. “Greetings, Aneri. I’m pleased to see you both safe and well.”

“As well as we can be,” she replied, standing by the window. “It is a different experience than most, this Festival of Tides.”

Nerys and I stood beside her, hand in hand, watching as the revelries played out in front of us. On the street below, drinking and merriment, smiling faces and mugs of ale clanging in cheers. But the true spectacle was below them, our cliffside perch at a perfect angle to view the bustling docks off to the right and festivities along the beach below.

“So many sculptures,” I said, watching as onlookers moved from one to the next.

“The winner is chosen by a council, that person honored during the closing ceremonies as the next festival’s chair.”

I winced. “Doesn’t sound like much of a prize.”

Aneri laughed. “The coin that comes with such an honor might sway your thinking.”

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to a newly set fire just along the water’s edge.

“The Tidefire,” Nerys said. “A battle between fire and water as the tide rises. Some years, one is more quickly victorious than the other. At the last festival, the two battled for the entirety of the festivities until the sea reigned supreme.”

Aneri brought a teacup to her lips, sipping, and then said, “It is a symbol of the harmony of the elements. A tradition meant to be more of a visual spectacle than anything, if you ask me.”

“Is it connected to the legend of a fire clan?”

A “harumph” from Aneri told me what she thought of that possibility. “’Tis merely that. A legend.”

“What do you know of it?” Nerys asked. “I’ve found so little in the Archives, and even Seren admits she’s never discovered true evidence of it.”

“Just that, before the Aetherians wielded air, Gyorians the land and Thalassarians, the water, Elydor saw a time of chaos. Of fire. And that the fire-wielders’ flames burned so bright, it consumed not only the land but themselves with it. And that nature rebelled. The tides rose. Storms raged. The ground trembled. Eventually, the fire was smothered, the fire-wielders destroyed.”

“Seren discovered an ancient text once,” Nerys said, her hand resting comfortably on my own, “that suggested the flames were not completely extinguished but hidden as embers scattered across Elydor, waiting to reignite.”

“Rubbish.” Aneri’s teacup clattered as she placed it onto its clam-shaped saucer. “A cautionary tale, reminding the clans of the balance the elements must keep.”

“Given the legend’s warning, the Tidefire’s popularity does surprise me.”

“Warning?” I asked, having never heard of such a thing.

“Seren showed me once, in the text I mentioned. It said, ‘When the fire rises again, the tides alone will not be enough to quell it.’ I asked more than one vaelith who had heard the warning before, but it doesn’t seem to be common knowledge.”

“Interesting,” I said, watching as the Tidefire grew.

“Are you attending the opening ceremony?” Nerys asked. “If so, you will want to be down there soon.”

What I really wanted was time alone with Nerys, but I was not rude enough to ask for it. Aneri, sans her tea, appeared captivated by the scene below us, despite having seen this festival many times. I could see the appeal. As daylight waned, bright white, blue and teal lights that were strung in seemingly every direction began to glow. All along the shoreline, the water’s edge illuminated: some water magic trick, I assumed.

“I am at the future queen’s disposal,” I said, meaning it. “There is much work to be done, but if I am being honest, there’s nothing that I would like more than to watch the festivities here, with you and Aneri.”

Nerys’s crooked smile told me she knew that last part was not quite true. Her eyes searched mine, and I told her, without speaking how much I meant those words. How difficult being away from her, not knowing if she was safe, had been.

“Caelum says the queen has redoubled her efforts since your escape.”

I raised my brows. “Escape. Was I captive then at the palace?”

“For all intents and purposes, you were. Humans have never truly been welcome there. But they will be.”

I did not doubt her words.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

Nerys tore her gaze from mine, glanced at Aneri, whose hopeful smile told me the two had discussed the same.

Stealing her shoulders back, Nerys’s chin raised. “Ready,” she said with no trace of the hesitation in her voice that had previously been there when talking about the challenge and what came after it. “If she allows me to challenge her.”

I wanted to stay. To see for myself that Nerys remained safe. To hold her hand, hold her. But she needed something more than me. Though she did not yet realize it, I had the ability to root out malintent, to help prevent the queen’s lies from continuing to spread.

“She will be forced to do so. And to that end.” I squeezed her hand. Nerys seemed to understand I was leaving. Aneri did too, judging by her expression. But instead of offering to give us a moment alone, Nerys’s guardian looked as if she were about to laugh.

“The tide’s retreat only makes its return more cherished, dear boy.”

As I suspected. Aneri knew, and had her own reasons for staying.

“Aneri, if you will please—” Nerys began.

“I will not. He will see you in a few days’ time. Until then, you need every ally possible to ensure the queen’s lies do not take root any more than they have already.”

“She’s right,” I said, reluctant to admit it. Without shame, I leaned forward, kissing her one last time, although I did not linger. “The next time I do that, you will be queen.”

“And then?”

Trust me, Nerys. Please.

“Marek is not the only one with a surprise planned. But first, we must get to the challenge.”