Page 74 of Under Gorse and Stone

Sigurd and I bow. His is much more graceful than mine, but I should surely be cut some slack. I only started bowing a couple of days ago.

“And who have we here?” the king says, gesturing me to come closer. I step forward nervously. His eyes are a deep navy, the colour of shadows in the sea. His mouth is drawn tight. I remember Marin saying he had a bad back and feel a flare of sympathy.

“C-Cary, Your Majesty,” I stammer.

His eyes sharpen. “I have heard that name lately.”

I gulp. “You have?”

He nods and snaps his fingers. A merman instantly swims forward. He leans close and talks into the king’s ear. The king nods and gestures him away. “Yes, I thought I had heard of you. Your fame spreads wide.”

“Does it?” I say, astonished. “I can’t say I’ve ever done anything notable unless you count the time I crashed a car ina field and a sheep slept in it. He just wouldn’t leave,” I finish forlornly.

I stop talking, aghast. Sigurd’s mouth twitches, so I relax a little. The king’s booming laughter makes me jump, and I turn back to him.

“Slept with a sheep, eh? Well, I have had stranger bedfellows.”

I grin at him, and he puts out his hand, laying it on my shoulder. His skin is icy, and I repress a shiver. “Well, you are welcome here, little one. You are a rarity.” He raises his voice. “The rumours are true. Well met, dragon.”

A sigh ripples around the court. “What?” I look around in consternation. I can feel their stares on me. Sigurd smiles reassuringly at me.

“Thank you, sire,” Sigurd says.

King Llyr nods at Sigurd. “Dragon, you are always welcome in my kingdom.”

Sigurd inclines his head. “Sire, you honour me.”

The king grimaces. “No doubt I do. More than I should for someone who arbitrates for the rights of humans so fiercely. One would almost imagine you had turned human, the amount of time you have spent with them.”

Sigurd just smiles and gestures for me to rejoin him. I step back, feeling relief the moment I gain some distance from the king. There’s a palpable air of menace about him. I know now where the myths come from. He seems like a ruler who would cheerfully drown a city if the whim took him and think nothing of the lives lost.

“Humans are good company, Your Majesty,” Sigurd says calmly, with no sign of concern about him. “Why, I remember you and the queen spending many a night in Mousehole Harbour listening to the fiddle player.”

“Aye, he was talented, was he not?”

The court nods and simpers sycophantically, and the king’s eyes warm at the distant memory. The woman nearby stirs, and they exchange a long look, and when the king turns back to us, his eyes are hard once more.

“But he is long in his grave, dragon. The current situation is a little more serious than sweet music on the night air.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sigurd says. “We have come about Melusine.”

A ripple of sound moves through the court. “Silence!” the king roars. He turns back to Sigurd. “Have a care, dragon. That is Mer business.”

“Yes, sire,” Sigurd says. There’s no nervousness about him at all, and I edge closer to his big, warm body. “But I come here to offer my help.”

The king studies him. “And why would I need that?”

“Because I can begin enquiries on land and speed up the process.”

“Theprocess?” snaps the thin merman. He gestures between the woman and himself. “A sailor has our daughter’s comb.”

Ah, these are Melusine’s parents, then. Her mother watches the events, her face devoid of emotion.

“Delmar. Be at peace, friend,” the king says gently, no sign of his earlier irritation.

Delmar’s mouth twists. “What more is there to know, sire? We just need The Lady’s blessing. If she were to be unleashed…”

I wonder who the lady is and then realise that I might not really want to know the identity of someone who needs to be unleashed.