Page 49 of Seaborn and the Seven Seas

“Do your people believe in gods?”

She wrung out the ends of my hair. “I don’t know what that word refers to. I’ve heard about it through whispers. The only one we pray to is our Seelie queen… well, forced to is the better word.”

The Seelie queen wasn’t a goddess. That told me how much power she’d bestowed on her people. But my instincts told me she withheld some parts, just in case I repeated anything that would get back to the queen.

I leaned closer to her and whispered, “What happens when she dies?”

“She doesn’t. She’s immortal.”

I stared at the ceiling, unable to fathom people in Caelum prayed to a monster who never died.

“Everything has an end,” I said. “Even a god.”

“I hope you’re right.” She caressed my arm. “Time to get dressed.”

The air hit my skin, cooler than I expected after the heat of the water when I rose. She helped me out of the tub and wrapped a cloth around my shoulders before leading me to a table where the battle suit lay.

My old pants lay discarded on the floor. Before Nira could take them away, I slid my hand into the pocket and closed my fingers around Minha’s dagger and the pearls.

Nira’s eyes flicked to my hand, then away. Since she didn’t ask about the dagger, either she hadn’t seen what I’d taken, or she’d decided not to speak a word of it.

The material was nothing like what the soldiers wore. No plates, no buckles, no heavy metal. Just dark and weightless, that shifted and formed as I pulled it on, molding to my body like it had been made for me alone.

“How is your queen immortal?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” She fastened the buttons up my back.

“Surely someone does.”

Her hands stilled briefly. “If they do, they haven’t told anyone. And if they did, it would be wise not to speak of it.”

I tried a different angle. “Theron has a chamber here?”

“He does.” She knelt to tie the sash at my waist, cinching it tight.

“What do you know about him?”

“You shouldn’t be asking these questions.”

“I’m asking anyway.”

She stepped back. “I’ve told you what I know. The rest isn’t mine to give.” She pointed to a chair. “Now, sit.”

I did as told, and she ran a comb through my hair.

“The queen said I wouldn’t be fighting alone. Do you know what she meant?”

She took a strand of my hair and folded one section over another. “There will be others like you in the arena.”

I spun to face her. “You mean other Seaborn?”

“Perhaps. I don’t know, girl.” She turned my head back forward and continued to twist my hair.

“Do you know anything about the boarox?”

She took another section before she answered. “Some say they have poor eyesight. That bright colors blind them, like orange, red, pink. And they can be lured with bait.” She paused, fingers working through another section. “Their tusks are razor sharp. They don’t like fire. And they can’t climb.”

“How do you know this?” I cringed when she pulled too tight.