Chapter 26

(Circe’s P.O.V)

I floundered through the darkness, my hands sweeping through the fog that cloaked me, feeling nothing. I was growing so cold and the sense of longing in my heart ached dully in the back of my mind, as though part of me had been scooped out and cast away.

“Where are you?” I called desperately. “Please, answer me …” My voice trailed off despondently, my hope fading.

Suddenly a touch to my waist and a gentle tug had me falling backwards and into a pair of deliciously strong arms, his hair tickling my cheek as he bent down to whisper in my ear, his lips brushing against my skin delicately as his delectable mouth formed the words.

“Hello Darling.”

He spun me around and I was lost in those eyes, the rich, burning gold of those eyes. I sighed and all but melted against his chest, his hands wrapping around me and clutching him to me possessively. I inhaled his strong, musky scent, his touch sending small shocks through my skin as he traced delicate patterns up and down my spine.

“When are you coming back to me?” I whispered, kissing his chest softly in between words. “I am trying to be strong, but I need you. I miss you so much.”

A tear slid out of the corner of my eye because I knew then that this was just another one of the dreams that had been plaguing my nights. That this wasn’t real, that my time was limited.

He titled my chin up with a finger, his eyes locking onto mine and with his other hand he wiped my tears away, my hands clutching desperately at the cloth of his shirt.

“You have to stay with me,” I begged.

His expression was dark, brooding, his eyes flickering with an internal flame as he bent his head once more, his lips softly brushing against my own. I breathed into him, closing my eyes and answering the kiss, wishing with all of my heart, with every fibre of my being that this was real. That his skin was really beneath my palms, that his lips, moving delicately against my own, were really there.

I trembled in his arms and his strong calloused hands pulled me closer to him, I was safe here, safe in his embrace. And he was safe in mine. My hands moved up to run through his soft black hair and down the back of his neck, touching at the tender skin there.

Feeling something warm on my chest, I stopped abruptly and his lips teased at mine, begging for me to come back to him.

“What is it?” He asked breathlessly, nuzzling the side of my neck with his nose.

A sense of foreboding rose up in me and slowly I pulled out of his arms, not wanting to look but needing to.

I low moan escaped my lips as I took in the blood, dripping from his wounds, running in rivulets down his sides, down his arms, down his face, staining his white shirt an angry red.

“Circe,” His expression was confused. “What is it?”

I looked down at myself and the tears began again as I took in my nightgown, soaked with his blood. When I looked up again he was standing right in front of me, his face dark, his scar more pronounced; a dark gorge in the side of his face.

“What did you expect Darling,” He whispered, his tone deadly. “That I was being looked after over there? That they were treating me with kindness?”

“No, no I-“

I stumbled back from him, my voice pleading. “Obsidian there is nothing I can do. You don’t know me anymore and I need to figure out why! I haven’t forgotten you I swear, I just-

“Just what kitten?” He purred, blood running down the side of his head from a deep cut on his temple. “Just thought I would have time?” He took a hold of me and ran his hand down the side of my face, smearing my skin with blood.

“This is just a dream.” I whispered furiously, squeezing my eyes shut, sobs racking my body. “It’s just a dream.”

His lips were at my ear then, his voice filled with suffering and pain. “Just a dream for you maybe, but for me Sweetheart, this is reality.”

I sat up in my bed gasped for air, tangled in my sheets with tears streaming down my face. I found myself clutching at my heart, trying to stop the uncontrollable crying, trying to calm the part of my mind that was telling me that was more than a dream, that I was soaked in my own sweat, not in his blood.

For weeks now, these nightmares had haunted my sleep, always starting out so alluring, so lovely and then changing into bloody horror. Sometimes I didn’t even get the first part, the nice part. Sometimes I just found him in the fog, dead. Lying in a pool of his own blood. Hanging from a skeletal tree. Decapitated. Burnt. Stabbed. White and lifeless, golden eyes dull and glassy. Staring at nothing.

I cried out in pain and pressed my hands to my head, trying to banish the thoughts from my mind. I felt Anthemin’s presence almost immediately. We were so much more in tune with each other now, this proximity building our trust in each other and finally I was able to share everything with him, with no fear of him turning against me. And he hadn’t.

For the past couple of weeks, since the dreams had started, he had shared them with me, feeling my pain. He was always there for me when I woke up, as he was now, his gentle hum in the back of my mind calming me, reassuring me and after an hour, gently lulling me back into a dreamless sleep.

*

(Anthemin’s P.O.V)

The night was still dark when Vanima woke from her sleep, night terrors plaguing her mind. I felt her panic through the link and immediately I was outside her room, my nostrils lifting above water as I contacted her, calming her thoughts.

It took longer than the other nights this time, for her to be able to sink back into sleeps embrace and I worried for her. Dipping back below the moonlit water I swam quickly to the ship commanded by the one they called the ‘Lycan King’.

Settling under his ship, I could hear him pacing in his room, as he often did when the moon was close to being fully bloated. Listening hard, I could hear the short breaths of the prisoner, the one that came to Circe in her dreams.

She had confided in me her worries and her feelings about this particular human half breed and I was young enough that I did not reject her instantly. An older Dragon, one who had lived through the history would have felt differently I knew, however my mind was not clouded with centuries of hatred, and instead, my curiosity had been sparked.

Vanima had a good reason to be suspicious, after all that she had told me, I had become suspicious myself. Something wasn’t right, that was for sure. In the black water, a shadow moved and my keen eyes picked up the shape of another.

Zarska swam towards me gracefully, her black scales reflecting none of the moonlight that pierced the water’s surface. She swam past me, brushing against my side and expressing her need to talk to me privately. I turned, following her through the water until we broke the surface with our heads, our nostrils flaring just above the gentle waves.

Young one, I have been watching you.

My thoughts were instantly guarded.

What have you seen?

Her tone however, was not accusing, but more thoughtful.

You and the Princess have grown closer. Your bond is stronger.

Yes. Is that all you wish to discuss?

You also watch over the Daheraow.

I twisted my head away from her, baring my teeth slightly. I do no such thing.

She ignored me.

We are linked you know, she said, her voice musing and I could not conceal my shock.

You are? Does our Prince know?

Her eyes were sharp as she focused on me suddenly.

Yes he does, but he does not know to what extent. You must not tell him of this conversation.

I snarled at the suggestion that I was untrustworthy and her mind changed, her thoughts satisfied.

The Daheraow’s mind has been poisoned by something. She revealed. And I do not know what, or who it was. But it doesn’t matter. There will not be enough time to clear his name and change his fate.

My curiosity flared. My Vanima suspected this, but she does not know how to confirm it.

Zarska moonlight white eyes blinked slowly as she sank lower beneath the waves.

It cannot be confirmed. He needs more time.

And you can give it to him?

She did not reply but I could feel something emitting from her, some kind of resolve.

Do not tell anyone of our conversation, she repeated. Not even the Princess can know. Too much depends on chance.

I gave my word and together, with the moonlight as our only witness, we sank back below the waves and out of sight.

*

(Circe’s P.O.V)

Where are they?

I’m not sure Vanima, but we will find them, Unabonan can’t stay concealed forever.

I giggled as we swooped through the thick fluffy clouds, keeping our eyes peeled for any movement. While I was looking through Anthemin’s eyes, I was also conscious to keep watch above and behind us.

We moved as one as we soared above the ships that were sailing fast paced on the ocean below, the wind had picked up in the last two days, hurrying our journey forward.

There.

A slight movement to the right of us had us ducking into the nearest cloud for cover, just as a swirling ball of flame shot out in our direction. I shrieked with excitement, a determined grin set on my face.

Zalas’s teasing tone echoed out in the air around us. “Come out come out where-ever you are,” He sang.

Snickering we flew silently through the cloud using our smaller size to our advantage. Carefully we crept upwards and slowly I levitated myself off of Anthemin’s back, until I was flying on my own, manipulating the air around me to keep me aloft, a skill that came as easily to me now as swimming through the water. 

I grinned and gestured that he should go around the other way. Our mind link was now a huge advantage, we knew each other’s position at all times, making plans like this completely risk free.

Peeping my head just out of the cloud I caught sight of a huge white dragon tail swishing through the air in front of me. Projecting this image to Anthemin we moved ourselves into position. Lifting myself higher into the air I had a clear view of Zalas, standing cockily on Unabonan’s back.

“Come out Princess, if you think you are ready to face me that is,” He laughed and I snickered from my hiding place.

I concentrated fiercely as I whirled the air around me to form a protective shield, knowing exactly what Zalas’s move would be. This time, we would be ready.

Bursting from the cloud at the side, Anthemin let out an almighty roar, grabbing Zalas’s attention. Silently I flew out from the opposite direction, coming in behind him, whipping the air around me, just as Anthemin opened his jaws and a powerful jet of flame spewed forth.

Zalas ducked, Unabonan too heavy in the air to react to such a sudden attack, not that it would have hurt him much anyway, but that was where our plan came into action.

The flame shot over top of Zalas and headed straight for me, focusing all of my energy I controlled the air around the flame as I had seen Zalas do many weeks ago back at my Mothers Kingdom. It was a trick that Anthemin and I had been practising and now we had mastered it.

I was rewarded with a long rope of fire, curling around my protective air shield, ready for my use. I grinned. This was going to be fun.

In the next moment, Anthemin had soared under Unabonan, heading straight for me and with his body lifting the air underneath me; we rocketed towards our sparring partners. Wasting no time, I unleashed the rope of fire, cracking it like a whip around my head and causing Zalas to leap to the side.

He grinned at me. “Is that all you’ve got Princess?”

I smiled back, my eyes glittering. “I am glad you asked.” I replied, cracking the fire whip again, this time swishing it at Zalas's feet and this time I saw the flame brush the sole of his foot. 

We were pursing them but suddenly Unabonan rolled forwards through the air, Zalas standing perfectly on his back all of the way around until they faced us directly.

Zalas’s hair whipped back in the wind as he stood motionless; his hands clenched fists at his side, his eyes flickering with the fire that was within him.

They are going to do it.

Not yet.

Vanima, now!

Zalas and Unabonan opened their mouths, a huge white blue flame spewing forth and in the same second I had pulled up water from the ocean around us, encasing Anthemin and myself in a dripping globe. The flame battled around the outside, huge amounts of steam hissing up from the contact and my eyes glowed with the excitement as I channelled Anthemin’s power into my own, moving my arms around me as I fought to control the massive weight.

Still the flame poured from their mouths and Anthemin agreed that it was time to stop it. With a mighty gesture we pushed the water out from our bodies and towards the flame. It was like fighting a battle while trying to swim upstream, but we were counting on them to keep fighting.

We were almost there.

In 3 … 2 … 1 …

Now! I screamed in my mind and all of a sudden we let go, dropping out of the air and down towards the ocean in a nose dive before they had time to realise what had happened. As the water encased us we let the movement carry us down before twisting back around to face the surface.

Through the clear water we could see that the other dragon was in hot pursuit, the flame extinguished for now. We began to swim back up the way we had come, on a direct collision course. It was now a game of chicken and I was betting on Zalas to win. We moved faster and faster through the water, heading for the surface, just as Unabonan was heading towards us at a colossal speed.

Again our size was to our advantage and at the last possible second, just as Anthemin’s nose broke the surface we moved to the side, Anthemin throwing out his wings as I threw out my arms, and although Unabonan, sensing a trap had almost slowed down enough to pull out of the dive, we had already lifted up a huge globe of water to encase him and Zalas, just as they sunk below the surface of the ocean.

Panting, I twisted the water to form a thick crust of ice, although the effort it took to encase a dragon on this size was immense, the idea of the exercise was to contain, not to kill.

Slowly the ball of ice bobbed to the surface, the amount of air inside making it rise to just above the water level. We both grinned, taking flight around the globe and admiring our work. Inside the ball I could see flickering lights and I knew that they were currently trying to burn through the ice and eventually it would work.

Grinning to ourselves, we decided to tease them a little longer and as we flew around the globe I twirled a finger, making it spin in the water like a spinning top. Laughing we made it spin faster and faster and it skidded delightfully across the surface, sending out huge sprays of water as it went.

Suddenly Zalas’s grudging voice was in my mind. Okay you two, very clever. I could tell that he was proud of us though, so, still laughing I broke the globe apart with an almighty crack and we flew around them, crowing our success.

Zalas stood with his hands on his hips at Unabonan’s feet as they floated on the remainder of the ice, grinning up at us. “Yes well done. You won finally, one time out of how many?” He shouted.

We flew back down to the water, gliding along the surface and coming to a stop beside them. Anthemin rolled over on to his back and I jumped onto his pale tummy, tickling his softer belly scales. He wriggled gleefully in the water and I laughed at Zalas.

“You are just jealous because we beat you.” I teased.

He smirked at me. “You can only use that trick once,” He said confidently, “You won’t beat us again.” Unabonan slithered off the ice then and into the water, swimming around to us like a giant white sea-serpent. He brushed up against Anthemin’s side making the younger dragon shudder.

My brother is a poor loser, the Dragon Prince chided, his thoughts humorous. You have both progressed greatly and have grown immensely in terms of your skill. We are both very proud of you. You will continue to train with us, but now you will train to perfect yourselves, to become seamless warriors, to strive for the day when you will be able to act instantly, without first having to think of a strategy.

We murmured our thanks, our sense of satisfaction great in our minds. Finally, finally we had begun to come into our own. We were no longer just the Princess and her Dragon, we were warriors. We were partners, we could protect and defend ourselves, we could hold our own against Zalas and Unabonan, and that was indeed a great achievement.

I grinned at them. “We will have to celebrate tonight then.”

Zalas flashed me one of his rare, genuine grins. “Yes we shall.”

*

Celebrate we did that night, under my own orders. I didn’t give reason for the short break in our journey, other than I felt that everyone deserved to have a night to themselves. It just so happened to be the night of the full moon and the white orb hung fat and full in the sky above us.

The Air sprites had cheekily whispered away the wind for the night so that our ships sat still in the water, like fat birds, sleeping their dinner away. Lanterns were lit, tables were set, food shared and music played as we all took the time to cut a little loose, to mingle with others and let our inner selves be free to run wild.

My curiosity was sparked in particular by King Darius Greyson. He too had given his men permission to join the party and they were happier than I had seen them before, taking the opportunity to mingle with the sprites, a chance to catch up on all that they had missed over the centuries of banishment.

People were flitting from ship to ship as the night raged on, the music loud and thumping in my ears, wakening me, making me wild. I had to laugh. I loved being a part of the Other. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Over the past few weeks relationships had grown within my own circle of friends and I looked over to where Cobalt and Liss stood, quietly engaged in deep conversation. He smiled a secret smile at her and she returned it. I grinned; they were definitely falling for each other. I pushed away the small lingering seed of jealousy that was telling me that Cobalt would always be mine. I had made my choice a long time ago; he was not for me to have.

Pushing my way through the crowd I saw Lacy and Leo dancing together, enjoying the music and after looking for a moment I saw Nathaniel off to the side in quiet conversation with Aranel. I raised an eyebrow. That was an unusual one. Naddy caught my eye and winked at me, grinning cheekily before turning back to the Princess. I shrugged. Each to their own I guess.

Looking out over to the Lycan ship I knew that now was my chance. I had to find out if my nightmares were real and I knew he was aboard that vessel. Anthemin had told me, reassuring me that Obsidian was indeed still alive, but that didn’t do anything to calm my fears.

Quickly, using my newly honed powers, I lifted myself into the air and flew across the short gap, landing lightly on the deck. This ship was also packed with people so my arrival went unnoticed and I was able to easily slip into the depths of the ship.

Closing the door behind me, I looked around in confusion at the layout. There were an impossible amount of doors and I peeked through the first one, finding that it lead to another corridor, instead of a room like I had expected.

It looked as though this was going to be trickier than I thought and my suspicions were confirmed as I explored deeper and deeper into the ship, uncovering the maze that had been built inside. I was almost screaming with frustration when Anthemin’s link grew brighter in my mind.

Vanima, I think I have found something. There is an isolated porthole on the starboard side, but I cannot see into it. It doesn’t seem to connect to anything, although it could just be an extra room off the Captains quarters.

He flashed me an image and I frowned as I noticed he was right. How had I not seen that before? It took me longer than it should have to find my way back to the deck of the ship and when I finally did, I thought it was a miracle that no one had come across me while I was wandering around. That ship was a nightmare.

I made my way around to the starboard side, unnoticed by all of the people on deck who were now heartily participating in a series of drinking games. I stepped over the side of the ship, catching myself in the air, just before I touched the water. Every so quietly, I glided across the water, sticking to the shadows in the side of the ship, heading to where Anthemin had shown me.

The Dragon was barely visible, his nostrils the only part of him sticking out above the water. He snorted at me in greeting before tipping his snout up, gesturing to where I was supposed to be looking.

I followed his gaze and saw that indeed there was a single porthole that appeared, on second glance to be in a rather odd position. The other windows all clearly showed the first and second floors, but this one, was just slightly off tilt with the first floor windows. Not so much that it was an obvious flaw, but just enough to suggest that there could be another room.

I levitated upwards, reaching the porthole and chancing a look inside, mentally preparing myself for what I might see. But when I held my hand up to the glass to peer in, I saw … nothing. The porthole appeared to be completely blacked over. I couldn’t see anything.

I frowned, looking down at Anthemin and his confusion echoed through my mind. I looked back to the glass and tapped against it, hearing no reply to begin with. Persistant, I tapped again. Still nothing. I looked down at Anthemin and shrugged before looking at the porthole and biting my lip, sure that this was it. And then a few moments later I almost fell out of the air when I heard a very faint, but still distinct, knock in return.

*

(Obsidian’s P.O.V)

I didn’t know how long it had been since the last torture. I usually had a day before it began again. The last one had been horrible, lasting far longer than any of the others. Water had started pouring into the room early in the morning and I had woken up to find it rising at a steady, yet deadly pace. Soon it was too high for me to be able to touch the ground and then the real torture had begun.

The room had slowly filled up higher and higher and although I could have just given in, I knew that they would empty the room before I had drowned, only to refill it again later. The water was salty and after an hour of treading, I had swallowed so much that my throat was bone dry and I had nothing left to swallow with.

The water level had kept rising and rising until I was pressed against the ceiling, gasping for air and then it had stopped. For what felt like a lifetime, I had struggled to breath, and just when I thought I could take no more, the water began to drain at an excruciatingly slow pace. But sitll, the steady decline had been enough for my survival instincts to kick in and I had fought and fought, knowing that soon, it would have to be over. 

Now even the slightest sound of trickling water had me on edge, paranoid that he would use that same torture again, although he never did. Nightmares of drowning plagued my dreams and I was angry. Angry that he had taken the ocean from me, for I knew that I would never be able to look at it the same way ever again. Not after that.

So now I sat, sprawled on the floor, my mind numb. I was so exhausted, I was so tired. I couldn’t think, I was so weak from lack of food I could feel myself fading away, I imagined that I could see it happening in front of my very eyes and every now and then I had to pinch myself to make sure I still had flesh and had not just wasted away to bone. Death would be a sweet relief right now.

There was a noise at my window and I ignored it. I had been right about that window. It was nothing but another form of torture. Its cruel position gave me a view into the outside, what I was missing. Every day I could see other people out there, I could see the other ships. Even when we weren’t sailing directly alongside I could see the sun glistening on the water, I could almost breath the sea air. It was the sickest form of torture.

Now I didn’t even bother, I stayed away from it. It would bring me nothing but pain.

The insistent tap came again and I lifted my head wearily, for a moment not comprehending the figure of the person at the window. It was dark outside and I couldn’t make out the person fully. Even so, I dragged myself to my feet and stumbled to the glass, leaning heavily against the wall for support.

Now that I was closer, I could make out her face. I recognized her, and instantly a part of me grew angry. I pushed it away dully. There was no point in being angry anymore. There was no point to anything.

She had pushed her hand against the glass, trying to see through. I knew it was pointless though, we were almost nose to nose and I had figured now that no one could see me in here. I studied her face carefully, breathing out as I took in her beauty. She was like a gasp of fresh air to a drowning man and I felt something stir within my chest as I took her in, that something making me lift a hand and tap back.

I saw her look up suddenly, her eyes startled. She looked down for a moment before looking back and her eyes locked onto mine, her gaze like a punch to my gut. For a moment I believed she could truly see me, but then her eyes slid off to the side and she frowned. The disappointment hit me hard, my stomach sinking and I felt like I was going to throw up.

She couldn’t see me. The anger towards her peaked again and this time I felt it. I punched at the glass causing her to jerk back. My face was as close to hers as I could get it and I howled with rage,  wishing that she would hear me, but knowing that the sound would be less than a whisper from the outside.

Damn it! They were all out there! Could they do nothing? Were they so powerless? Her face was still close to the glass and I watched as her eyes grew sad as she slowly turned away. Where was she going? I punched at the wall again, snarling furiously but she did not move back and I watched her disappear from view.

*

(Circe’s P.O.V)

“Girl, what do you think you are doing?”

The deep growl came from behind me and I slowly turned around in the air. Hanging over the side of the ship was Darius Greyson, his cold grey eyes locked onto mine. He gestured to me, his voice as hard as steel.

“Come here.”

I felt powerless to object as I drifted over to him, dread pooling in my stomach. Looking down at the water I saw Anthemin sink below the waves, his thoughts telling me he was going to go and find back up.

Once back on board the deck, Darius loomed over me, his face distinctly unimpressed. He folded his massive arms across his chest and I gulped.

“Just what did you think you were doing?”

I looked at him and did not answer, knowing that if I told the truth, I would be in a lot of trouble, but by the look on his face, he had already figured it out for himself.

“The prisoner is no longer any of your concern,” He snarled at me suddenly, his voice coming out distorted. I could see that his fists were clenched and shaking, his fury barely contained. “If I see you anywhere near there again, I will make sure you are sent straight back to your Mother.”

I flinched, feeling sick as he scolded me as though I was a naughty child, because that was what I was to him. Nothing but a silly child.

His eyes were hard and furious as one of his men came up to stand behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. The King whipped around so fast that I thought for a moment he was going to rip the man’s arms from his socket.

“What is it?”

“My King, the Merman wants a word.” The man stepped aside to reveal Hobbson and I almost cried out with relief, thank god for Anthemin.

Hobbson stepped to my side and I could tell from his body language alone that he was not impressed. Feeling a little more secure I attempted to speak, but Hobbson held up a hand, cutting me off before the words come out of my mouth.

“What seems to be the problem here?”

Darius snarled his eyes locked onto the old man. “Do not speak to me as if I have stepped out of line on my own ship.” His fangs had elongated and his words were thick and heavy, as though he was spitting them out of his mouth. My fear increased as I saw that his hands had lengthened at the nails, the claws curved and deadly.

Hobbson raised his arms calmly. “That was not my intention your Highness. The welfare of the Princess however, is my concern.” His voice was warning.

“She is sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.” He growled. “The Prisoner was handed over to me; he is now my property until we reach the Elven King. She needs to stay away.” His last words were a heavy threat, his animalistic eyes glinting with something dangerous.

I opened my mouth again to try and speak but once more, Hobbson cut me off.

“Understood your Highness, the Princess will stay away from your ship from now on. Now if you will excuse us.” He pulled me away swiftly before Darius had time to react and I flew us both swiftly back across the gap, thankful when my feet touched down on friendly ground.

Looking back across the water I could see the King still watching us, his moonlit eyes glinting and I shivered, quickly looking away. The confrontation had been so fast and quiet, that no one had even noticed and the party raged on, people were still enjoying themselves, completely unaware, but for me I felt as though it might as well have been in front of a thousand prying eyes and I was so embarrassed that my cheeks were still bright red, tears threatening in the corner of my eyes.

I turned to thank Hobbson but he was dragging me into the Captains quarters. Once shutting the door behind us, he proceeded to tell me off thoroughly, adding to my embarrassment.

“That was extremely foolish Circe,” He chided, his face a ruddy red. “King Greyson is not one to be messed with and a Lycan temper should not have been taken so lightly, especially on a full moon. If he had turned on you, I would have been surprised if you had gotten away with your life. I am extremely disappointed in you! What were you thinking?!”

“I- I don’t know!” I cried, promptly bursting into tears, the shock of the confrontation hitting me finally. “I was just trying to find out where he was Hobbson, I swear! I keep having these horrible nightmares about him and all I wanted was to make sure that he was okay! I just feel so helpless sitting here and doing nothing,” I finished, gulping in breaths of air and trying to calm myself.

At that moment the door burst open and Cobalt rushed in. “Where is she? Is she okay?” And then his eyes fell on me and he sighed in relief, causing me to start crying again, big fat tears dripping down my cheeks.

His face was exasperated but understanding as he came to sit beside me, pulling me into his embrace. “Oh Circe,” He said softly. “What in the world made you think you could just waltz over to see him? Don’t you think I would be over there every day if visitors were allowed? And even if you could, what good would it do, with the state that he is probably in, would you really want to see him, knowing that there is nothing you could do to help?”

“I know – I just wanted to-

I trailed off, realising that I didn’t know and Cobalt was right. What would I have been able to do anyway?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The full force of what was happening hit me; I had been so foolish to think that I had anything to contribute to this investigation. All that I had been focused on was seeing him, forcing him to be in my presence until he remembered me again and how was I expecting to do that when seeing him was barred? When I now, couldn’t even be on the same ship as him?

Caught up in my success today against Zalas, I had thought myself invincible, able to achieve anything. I now realised that I was wrong. My head fell into my hands as I tried to hide my naivety from the world.

Hobbson’s reassuring hand fell upon my shoulder, his fingers squeezing briefly and I heard him sigh.

“Our best chance is when we make port and head inland. The guard around him will be slacker and we might have a chance for communication then. For now however, I need both of you to stay alert.” He looked fiercely at both Cobalt and I, waving a finger around. “There is someone, someone who is here with us that is guilty, we need to watch out for anything that might give us a clue as to who that person is. Do you understand?”

We both nodded glumly, Cobalt helping me to my feet. The party outside was still going but I no longer felt like joining, partially for the fear that I would run into Darius again, so I bid them both goodnight and headed through the mermaid door to my room, shutting and locking both doors behind me.

Falling into my bed, I felt a sick sense of longing and I stared at the door for a long time, as though by looking at it I could will him into being. Everything had been so wonderful before we had arrived at the Water Kingdom. Then, to have that ripped away from me, only made me want to get it back so much more.

I wanted him so desperately, so fully. I wanted to look into those eyes and feel as though I was melting into a puddle on the floor. I wanted his dangerous smile and that twitch in the corner of his delicious lips, as though he had a secret that I wasn’t allowed to know. I wanted his passion, his ravenous kisses, the scent that lingered on his golden skin, the soft black hair that slid through my fingers like the softest of animal pelts.

I could feel my heart beat pick up as I thought about how close I had been to him today. I was sure that it was him who had tapped back against the glass and the frustration that I felt at not being able to see him through it, no matter what his condition, was immense.

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep with too many emotions and wild thoughts battling in my mind. Who was the traitor? I could rule out a few people that I knew it definitely was not. It was not Zalas. It couldn’t be. The amount of hatred that it would take for him to steal and egg from his own Kingdom and then frame Obsidian, well he would have deceived his Mother, Father, Brother and Sister, and although I did not agree with Zalas at times and he was still not my favourite person in the world, after learning what I had learnt about him, I could not believe that he would be capable of that level of betrayal.

I also knew that it could not be Cobalt, because he was wounded at the time, any of the crew on board this ship as a human would not be able to pass the waterfall, or Nathaniel. I also felt that Aisling was innocent in the framing, although I still wasn’t certain. A hunch was telling me that she couldn’t have been so cocky and sure of the job that she had done, that she wouldn’t have come on this journey to see it out to the end. No, she would have been more careful than that, she would have followed through.

Although the fact that she had harbored such a hatred towards him from the beginning, and then she was there when they had found the egg too, along with all of the other things that we had talked about aboard the ship, and then little pieces here and there during my stay at the Kingdom that made me suspicious that her actions weren’t entirely truthful. I felt that she was involved in something, but she wasn’t the mastermind.

My eyes were drooping now, the music from the party a haunting lullaby in my ears. I felt Anthemin humming in the back of my mind, going back over my thoughts with his own view; he too stuck on the puzzle, unable to figure out the answer.

Rolling over, I pulled the blankets to my chin, my hair splaying out on the pillow, confident that even though I could not see Obsidian in the real world, nightmares or not, he would always be there in my dreams.

*