Page 29 of Tides of Shadows

I quickened my pace. Under the ships the water churned harder. Hulls struck one another, ropes strained, foamy spray rose white at the piers. A cry and the crack of timber joined the chorus of the quay, sailors shouted. The agitation around me did not ease my temper, it pushed it outward like a rising tide. Ropes groaned to breaking, waves assaulted decks, boards were flooded—chaos swelled.

I knew then I had gone too far. I had summoned the storm.

And then I saw her, the trade woman at the dock. A rogue wave swept her from the plank. Her dress dragged her down between two skiffs. Without thought I dived in. Salt stung my eyes, the cold wrapped me like armor. The woman thrashed in panic and her heavy dress tugged toward the depths.

“Hold still!” I shouted though she could not hear.

I tried to calm myself. Breath. Silence.

I felt the sea answer. The waves softened, the water around us grew tame. The force that had ravaged now lifted us both upward.

I seized her and pushed us toward the surface. A crowd gathered on the dock, their faces a mixture of fear and wonder. When I hauled the woman on the quay, I tried to climb out myself and caught an offered hand.

It belonged to none other than Aidenar Cavareth.

He stood before me in gray and gold, his silver eyes shone.

“You island folks cannot leave the sea, can you?” he said, tone mocking though a smile tugged at his lips.

“Leave me alone, Cavareth,” I snapped, pushed his hand away, and strode toward the shore. I had enough of men, waves and politics. Enough of him.

“It is true, then?” he pursued, his steps close behind.

“What truth?” I growled without turning.

“That you have born power over water.”

“Who says I do not wear an Elementar?” I tossed back with feigned indifference.

He snorted a short laugh. “When you came from the water your clothes clung to your body. If you bear an Elementar, it is hidden very, very well…” He appraised me with a satisfaction I didn’t like.

I rolled my eyes and walked on, pretending his words slid off me like rain on stone. In truth I wanted to drown him where he stood.

“I watched you during the raven raid,” he continued. “When men fled, you stayed. Before my mother could move, water rose in the fountain. All nobles, heavy with sapphires, hid beneath benches while you stood there.”

I had the urge to curse.

He continued, “You may pretend you are not who you are, but if you don’t tell me, I will ask around about you. And you know how the White City adores gossip.” He smiled with courteous pretense.

“What an asshole,” I muttered under my breath, then stopped and sighed. “Fine. Yes, I have power. As do you, and Dricus. But it is none of your concerns”

For an instant his smile dimmed at the name Dricus. They truly loathed each other. I turned and kept walking, pretending not to notice.

“Perhaps it is my concern,” he replied lightly. “Since we live under the same roof, I would prefer to know if, in a fit of feminine wrath, you might toss the palace into the sea while I sleep.”

I stared at him with fire in my eyes. “I lose my temper very rarely. You have no reason to fear. And if I drown you, I will do so deliberately and with a smile.”

“What I saw a moment ago did not look like control,” he said, and halted when I whirled upon him so sharply we nearly collided.

He stood too close. His perfect jaw and that irritating half-smile returned. For an instant I had the desire to shove him straight into the waves.

We had walked some way beyond the port, the shore was quiet and sandy. Our faces came close, and I could see the silver in his eyes. If they did not belong to Aidenar Cavareth, I might have called them the most arresting I had ever seen. As it was, they belonged to a prick.

“You want control?” I asked without giving him time to answer.

I called the sea instead of speaking. The water answered at once, eager for dance. My fingers moved through the air, I made the first motion. Spirals, tight and sharp, spun around us. The vortex thickened until nothing was visible beyond the shadow of our silhouettes, the world shrank beneath a blue, half-transparent ceiling. Tiny droplets gleamed on our faces.

I had missed this, communion with my element. And honestly, I wished to impress that arrogant man. I had not revealed my strength for some time.