Page 67 of Ballad of Sea and Sky

“They were,” he murmured, his eyes sad. “But not because they didn’t love each other. Because they were betrayed by family.”

I swallowed, as Caspian confirmed my fears about what might happen to him if we followed our desires.

“My family?” I asked, already knowing what his answer would be.

His eyes met mine, and they were full of devastation. “Yes.”

I nodded, not wanting to hear the rest of the story just yet. “I need to focus on the lake,” I whispered, cupping Caspian’s cheek and offering him a weak smile.

He sighed, bringing my palm to his lips and pressing a single kiss there. “Tell me how I can help.”

Chapter 25

Caspianlefttocatchus lunch and dinner as I worked with Ran to figure out Morar. My focus had been shaken by my argument with Caspian, and it didn’t help me in confronting the angry lake spirit.

It was an exhausting and frustrating afternoon.

Ran coached me patiently through opening my water sense slowly, rather than all at once when I had first been overwhelmed.

Despite this, the sea had to rescue me three more times, and I was shaking and exhausted and wheezing by the time Caspian returned for me at the end of the afternoon.

“How long exactly will this take?” Caspian asked, giving the kelpie a suspicious look as he wrapped a sealskin around me. “You can’t do this every day for weeks.”

It will take as long as it takes, Ran replied stoically, looking like he might have changed his mind again about drowning Caspian.

“I’m fine,” I said tiredly. “Hungry though. Please tell me there’s food?”

“About eighteen different kinds of fish,” Caspian replied, his faint smile clearly an attempt to make peace after our disagreement. “Let me carry you.”

“Stop trying to save me,” I replied dryly, the old argument between us more fond teasing now than actual disagreement. “I can walk just fine.”

“Stubborn and prickly,” Caspian sighed.

“Infuriating and pompous,” I retorted, giving him my most innocent smile.

I beg you to end this display of maudlin affection, Ran drawled behind me, his water hooves leaving wet splotches in the mossy earth beneath us.Mates are so insufferable.

I didn’t correct him, the term making my stomach flip again as I contemplated what Caspian had implied. Selkies and sirens had lived together before. Had been mated. And it had been my people, my family, who had changed all of it. Who had led to the events that resulted in the selkie prince’s death and the siren princess’s torture.

Ran left us at the stream with a command for me to join him the next morning.

And leave the feathery one behind, he instructed, snorting at Caspian in dislike.He will be a distraction.

“He really doesn’t like me, does he?” Caspian asked as we picked our way back down the hill.

“He almost liked you for a moment,” I reminded him. “Then you ruined it with your coddling.”

“Skies above,” he grumbled.

He didn’t comment further as we headed back to the hut, the sun setting a brilliant orange at the horizon. The sea seemed to call out to me, an echo of its presence making my head pound with waves as I remembered the influence of Morar.

“What did you see,” Caspian asked, looking down at me intently, “when you blacked out?”

“It was less seeing and more feeling,” I sighed, trying to dredge up the memory. “He’s angry. Violent. I’m not sure I’ll be able to convince him to move on without pushing him out of the lake.”

“And you think you can do it?” Caspian asked. “Not judging,” he added quickly, holding up his hands as a sign of peace. “Merely curious. This is my first experience with extended selkie powers.”

“I have no idea,” I confessed. “What are siren powers like? Your full powers, I mean.”