Finn winced down his drink, and the charming emissary mask slipped smoothly back into place.
We left my chamber and returned to what I had begun to think of as the audience hall. A palace maid led us through a different exit, down a shaded path lined with low trees and bristling shrubs. The path opened directly onto the edge of the ocean.
Dread coiled in my stomach. Far off, in the gathering dusk, the faint silhouette of an island was etched against a sky awash with blues and oranges.
“You all look delicious,” Iqbal’s voice called from behind us. His trousers hung lower than the others, baring muscular thighs. He wore no shirt. His pointed ears peeked through unbound hair. “I trust the clothes please you.”
“Not our usual choice,” Reagan said smoothly, unconcerned. “But I imagine you chose light fabrics for tonight’s activities.”
I waited for Iqbal’s response, but he only smiled.
“So you figured out tonight’s plans?” Eldar asked as he approached. His shirt hung open over a smooth, blue-tinted chest.
“Not difficult,” Finn replied, his tone breezier.
These people possessed heightened senses and a natural ease with the elements, like water. I catalogued the three who followed their lords: Anife, Maith, and Arun, each draped in the same light fabrics who would present minimal resistance.
Arun’s loose shirt snapped open in the breeze, revealing a body built for stamina. Anife wore a cream dress that resembled a second skin, with a choker at her throat and heels matching mine. Maith’s onyx dress clung to her in a single sweep of silk, and she wore no shoes at all.
“Eldar, is this your idea?” Anife asked, sounding amused. “I wish you had warned me. I would have told the others to swim with us.”
“Probably better not to let the whole court see how fast they can outpace Atkus,” he said, watching Finn. “How long has it been since you were in the ocean, nephew?”
“Not long enough,” Finn replied.
Eldar held his stare while Iqbal sighed skyward. “Let us see how far you can swim for a man who neglects his gifts.”
I would not have believed a jest so obvious could strike true, yet Finn’s cheek flexed.
We fell into step behind the elves.
“As much as I enjoy this lack of restriction in our clothes,” Reagan said, “I imagine it will be unpleasant to plunge into freezing water.”
“You can shield yourselves from the cold if it becomes too much for you,” Eldar replied, slipping off his shirt and knotting it through a belt loop. “And from the sirens, I expect.”
My heart seized. I glanced at Finn beside me.
Reagan’s eyes narrowed, his diplomacy slipping. “I forgot you have a habit of letting your guests fend for themselves in Banfgaard.”
Eldar met his glare. “I’m always keen to see what Mage Lords can do.”
“Yes.” Reagan smirked. “We are quite impressive when it comes to keeping guests warm and dry.”
Iqbal howled with laughter while Eldar’s mouth curved into a vicious smile.
“If it’s a problem,” Arun interjected, “I can arrange another way to take you.” His gaze flicked back to us. “And them.”
Reagan waited, as though he expected the Elven Lords to come to reason. Judging by their expressions, this was another game, and accepting Arun’s offer would place us on hostile ground.
“No problem,” Reagan drawled, dry as salt. “We are perfectly capable of taking ourselves.”
“It’s not too difficult,” Arun pressed, earning a thoroughly unwelcoming look.
“Just avoid the sirens’ eyes and swim faster than the spiders,” Maith added lightly.
Sirens. Sea spiders. Real ones. Unless they swam like children, I wouldn’t outpace either.
I slowed, thinking of what excuses I could give to stay behind. Maybe I could claim a stomach-ache.
