Page 47 of Ballad of Sea and Sky

“I’m about as well as you,” I rasped, the barb coming out more weakly than I would have liked. It felt like I had glass in my lungs, and I grimaced.

“Clearly,” Caspian replied dryly. “We are going to eat, and then I’m going to find something to store water in and go hunting for medicine. If we’re on a southern island, then there’s probably yarrow and peppermint and licorice root somewhere. I’m reasonably sure I can spot them.”

“You know healing herbs?” I wheezed, raising my eyebrows in surprise as I willed air in and out of my lungs with the crashing of the waves.

“My mother taught me,” he replied, going back to the fish. “And until I can get you home, I’m the best healer you have.”

I didn’t reply, too focused on breathing and watching him deftly prepare strips of fish to make much comment or think about the Siren’s King’s mother. I wondered if sirens knew more about healing than the selkie healers did. They had the benefit of travel, and I supposed maybe some remedies could only be found on the mainland.

“Here,” Caspian said, piling pieces of fish into one of the empty abalone shells and handing it to me. “I can’t get a fire going, so we’ll have to risk eating it raw.”

I took the shell, sighing and popping the first piece of fish into my mouth. It was cold and rather plain, but I was starving. Selkies ate raw fish from time to time, so it wasn’t a totally foreign concept to me, and the rate at which Caspian was downing the fish told me that sirens were the same.

My stomach rebelled after only a few pieces, and I stopped to cup water into my palms, drawing on the fog. It was thinning, and I knew it would be smart to draw as much water as possible from the air while it was still relatively easy.

“Give me those shells,” I croaked, gesturing to the empty abalone husks. “We need to store water somewhere.”

“You won’t be able to get a lot,” Caspian said, handing me the shells and watching in fascination as I drew water from the air and tipped it into the shells from my open palm. My hands glowed a faint blue as I worked, and he seemed mesmerized by the magic.

When all the shells were filled and placed carefully along the cave wall to hold the water in, I beckoned to him. “Your turn,” I said, feeling a strange flutter of anticipation as Caspian moved to kneel by my side. “It will be easier if you drink from my hands than having me refill all the shells.”

He nodded, his golden eyes boring into mine for a moment before he brought my cupped palms to his lips. I pulled water, willing the fog to condense into liquid and tipping it up so he could drink.

Caspian held my hands gently but firmly as I worked the water magic, drinking until I felt like I was going to collapse with fatigue. My breathing had begun to rattle in my chest, and his eyes met mine, full of concern.

“That’s enough,” he said, lowering my hands and sitting back. He frowned at me. “Your lips are faintly blue,” he warned, reaching out a hand to trace my bottom lip for only a second before he realized what he was doing and lowered his hands. “Try to eat something else.”

He stood, flexing his wings behind him with a hiss of pain and turning to the cave entrance.

“Where are you going?” I wheezed.

Caspian gave me a tight-lipped smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Out. Possibly to do something reckless.”

“Don’t die,” I mouthed, the breath barely wheezing out of me. Each gulp of air was becoming a struggle to force into my constricting lungs.

Caspian looked down at me, his eyes flicking to the cave entrance as he fought some mental battle. I closed my eyes, all of my energy going into breathing.

With a rustle of air around me, I felt Caspian crouch next to me and press a whisper-light kiss against my temple. “Same to you, Princess.”

When I finally managed to open my eyes again, he was gone.

Chapter 17

Don’tletthegirldie.

Theia’s words had been replaying in my mind since the moment the damned maelstrom had opened to swallow the Argo.

I felt a pang of loss with the memory of the ship, my ship, sinking into the abyss. Even without the damned kraken, the ship might not have been salvageable. It would take months to outfit a new one ready for war as she had been.

But Marina. Skies above, Marina.

She had been right. I had been jealous of Astraios, of his easy manner with her and her relaxed smiles. My reckless desire to win her over had led me to gift her the pearl comb, which was now probably at the bottom of the abyss, along with any hope of salvaging this nightmare of a plan.

Marina had fallen out of the sky with me, and pulled me from a watery grave. She had dragged me half unconscious to safety after I had told her to leave me, then bound my injuries like she was a trained healer.

And I had fucking stranded her here.

She was…a surprise. And a treasure, one that her father had been ready to sell off to that damned fool of a captain in exchange for his loyalty. She deserved so much more.