An hour later when there’s a brutal knock at my door, I ignore it—shifting onto the balcony where I can read in the morning sun striking through puffy clouds. Minutes later, Baze screams up at me from the castle grounds, to which I reply by tipping my pitcher over the edge to shower him with my distaste.
If Baze thinks I’m training after everything he put me through yesterday, he’s sorely mistaken.
If he wants to treat me like a child, I’ll act like one.
I’ve never been so frustrated with a picture book in my life.
Sighing, I close the front cover and stare out across Vateshram Forest.Te Bruk o’ Avalanstewas not written in the common tongue, so I spent all morning trying to decipher its contents from the drawings littering some of the two thousand gossamer pages. My instincts are telling me this is much more than just a collection of pretty sketches, and I need answers.
Now.
Thankfully, my hangover has almost run its natural course, and though I doubt I’ll look at food the same for a while, I’m stable enough to face another being without the risk of spewing verbal venom.
I wedge the book inside my bag, then change into something more appropriate for the cool breeze blowing off the ocean. Hair trailing behind me in unkempt disarray, I make quick work of Stony Stem and the hall that leads me to the western wing, one destination in mind.
Fresh ocean air salts my skin as I land ankle-deep in the sand and sprint toward the jagged rocks. I’m just dangling my legs in the water when Kai emerges by my feet—hair slicked down, jewel-toned eyes giving away his signature smirk before his mouth even crests the waterline.
“Two visits in one week? Treasure, you flatter me.”
I shrug. “What can I say? You’re my favorite fish.”
He frowns, sharp gaze flicking over my features. With a splash of his powerful tail, he’s half out of the water, looming over me and wearing concerned eyes. “What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”
This day hates me.
Avoiding his stare, I pick up a shard of rock and toss it in the water.
“Orlaith ...”
“You know that sugar kelp I asked you for a year ago?” I risk a peek at him.
“Yes. You said its chalky texture was perfect for a special project you were working on. That you intended to grind it down and use it for paint.”
I lied.
Ididgrind it down ... but I certainly didn’t use it on a rock.
His eyes narrow, then go so wide I swear they almost pop right out of his head. “Do not—” he shakes his head for long enough that I realize the chance of convincing him to collect more is probably next to none. “Donottell me you used the sugar kelp to make Exothryl, Orlaith. Do not.”
His disappointment is just as punishing as Rhordyn’s lashing anger.
I consider lying ... then think better of it. Perhaps if I’m honest, slap on some pleading eyes and tell him his scales gleam like ocean gems, he’ll take pity on my hungover ass and gift me another stem or two.
“What would you say if I told you I did, in fact, make Exothryl with it?”
Kai makes this low, caustic sound that seems to expel from the delicate gills tucked behind his ears, then his fingers are in my mouth, forcing it wide while he has a poke around.
Not the best sign.
“Gid I kell you how glowious your kail wooks koday?” I garble around two digits that taste like the ocean. He seems to ignore my spontaneous flattery, manhandling my head and pulling my lids, inspecting my eyes. He even sniffs my hair before making another sound that has me wishing I had a shell to scuttle into.
“You’ve got it bad.” He pushes away from the rock, leaving a wake of disdain, his eyes a pair of fishing hooks gouged in my skin. “How long? Six months? Ayear?”
He’s definitely not getting me any more.
“Let’s not get tangled in the detai—”
“Did you know overdosing on those things can lead to heart failure? They pop, Orlaith. Like bubbles.Poof, dead.”
