Dax held his finger to his lips, motioning for Halen to be quiet. He waved her toward the left corridor, which wound around with dozens of copper dialed doorways. 

Her heart raced as they passed each door, Nelia's warning playing on repeat in her mind.

Don't get yourself killed.

She held her breath as they passed a doorway, a soft melody coming from inside. Halen stopped, her feet planted, taking root at the door, the enchanting, hollow tune capturing her in its snare. Tears flecked her eyes as the notes lifted and fell in a sea of melancholy. Her heart filled with an empty longing. She lifted her hand toward the copper dial.

Dax clasped his hands over her ears and dragged her toward the stairs. Her insides ached as the melody faded.

Outside, he lowered his hands. "It's hard to resist Sailor's Sorrow." He guided her beneath the spheres. "The song's tempted many."

"Like a siren song?" She glanced toward the stairs, where a wanton pull tempted her to go back despite the danger.

"Not a siren song. It's an ancient Elosian song." He scanned the bridge ahead.

"It's so sad." She brushed her tears away. "And beautiful."

"Until you listen for too long and rip your eyes out of your skull."

"Say what?" She scooted farther from the entrance.

"If you hear it again—run." He stepped from the shadows, and she followed quickly. "We need to cross there." He pointed to the courtyard where they had seen the couple earlier.

The courtyard, like the center of a star, opened to five pathways, with only a few benches and shrubs to hide. She didn't like the odds. "Where is everyone?"

"It's harvest time. Most are in the waters right now."

"Most?" Her voice cracked.

"Stick close." He met her gaze. "If we run into anyone, just keep walking."

"Isn't there another way?" She looked to the other pathways.

"This is the fastest route. Stay close." Dax headed for the bridge.

She kept pace, her sparks pricking awake with each step as they crossed into the center of the courtyard. The air smelled of brine and sweet florals, bringing her back to her childhood—to the father who lost a battle with the waves. She thought of his footsteps crossing this path, the secrets and sins he held in his heart.

"Watch out." Dax tugged her off the path.

A tear-shaped balloon of water splattered along the stones.

"Water from the Earth realm." Dax cast his gaze to the swirling sky, where another drop formed above. 

"Is that the way out?" she asked.

"It's one way." He darted down one of the pointed paths.

She broke into a light jog to keep up until he stopped beneath the shelter of a strange tree. Violet leaves sprouted from the dappled branches which, twisted in curlicues; the bark a brilliant shade of indigo. On the topmost branches, Halen spotted three flitts peering down. She gathered her hair to one side, taking away the temptation to nest from the little beasts.

At the base of the tree, two stone pathways forked in opposite directions. "This way." Dax chose the pathway to the right, leading to a mountain of towering rock; cascading vines hung like beaded curtains along the rock's surface. He ducked beneath the vines.

She followed, finding the path opened to the mouth of a cave. She took a step back, her stomach lurching at the descent. "I'm not going back underground."

"The answers you want are down there." He nodded for her to follow.

"You mean it's where your map is." She hadn't forgotten what he'd come for.

"That too." He paused at the top of the stairs.

"Why is this map so important?"

Voices echoed from the other side of the vines.

"We need to go." Dax took a few steps down.

The voices grew louder, so she could now make out two girls arguing; one insisting they go back to the waters, the other wanting to ditch harvest for the caverns. The curtain parted, and Dax pulled Halen against his chest. Her body awoke with sparks rushing with his rapid heartbeat.

100, 99, 98. She inhaled deeply, trying to shake the tingling sparks.

97, 96, 95. She counted as she glanced up. He met her gaze for a moment; the muscles along his chest tightened beneath her touch and he looked away quickly. 

The curtain closed and the girl's chatter faded into the howling breeze.

Dax stepped away. His jaw was tight, his hands balled into fists.

Halen hid her trembling hands behind her back. Was he scared of the girls, or did he sense her dangerous energy?

"Let's go." His voice was steady despite the static energy between them.

She hurried to catch up, shaking her hands by her sides. Her body already ached from the sparks she'd used to toss his room. And with her insides rolling with new sparks, each flicker drained her energy further. Her steps grew heavy. "Why does everything have to be so far down or so far up?"

"We have to protect the records from damage during the storms." He kept his voice low. "Same with the cursed and the sick; they aren't strong enough to swim. The caverns are the safest place."

"You have to swim if you have a storm?"

"Our entire realm floods with Earth's water. The spheres float and everything gets tossed around." He stopped short, and she butted against his back, her palms landing between his shoulder blades. His muscles stiffened once more.

Could he feel this energy too?

"Don't follow so close." He stepped down.

They continued their descent in silence, and along a winding path, until coming to a wide opening within the rock.

"This is the place." He reached for her arm but retreated before touching her.

She smiled. He had felt it, too. And she wondered if all Elosians were connected this way.

He stepped inside, walking away from her as he spoke. "I'm not sure which scroll it will be on, but your answers are here."

An even broader smile filled her face as she took in the shimmering room before her. Silver coated the walls and stretched the expanse of the floor. Her bare feet left footprints on the cool metal as she walked toward the shelves of books and cubicles filled with scrolls. She stopped at a bookshelf; the spines, each perfectly bound in leather with the authors' names painted in gilt letters. "Emily Bronte," she whispered.

A platform of translucent stone sat at one end of the chamber; atop a matching throne with grand armrests carved in the shape of swimming dolphins amidst the waves. Halen imagined turning the pages of Wuthering Heights, in this glittering room nestled upon the crystal throne. "This place is amazing. Why do you have all these books? Did you get them from Earth?" When she turned, had vanished. "Dax?"

"I'm over here." His voice came from behind one of the endless aisles of scrolls.

She joined him on the other side, where he thumbed through a row of scrolls marked with a spiral symbol. The scrolls lay in slatted cubicles, arranged not alphabetically or by the Dewey decimal system, but with hieroglyphics.

"What does this mean?" She traced the engraving of a leaf with two sharp points on each end. "Are they letters?"

"No. They have meanings all on their own." He pressed his finger to the leaf symbol. "The closest interpretation is joy. The scrolls were written from emotions. To understand how society lived, you need to know how they felt; what made them cry, angry, and what brought them happiness. Joyous moments fill these scrolls. You will find many on love, family, and fulfilling your destiny."

Destiny. Between the loops of Dax's netted shirt, she made out the soft lines of his birthmark intertwined with darker marks, which might be tattoos. She was curious if his birthmark had a starburst like hers or swirls with little dots. "What does your birthmark say about your destiny?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, the dots on his hand disappearing in the blond waves. "I will sit with the Council, like my mother." His tone held disappointment.

"Where is your mom? Nelia mentioned her." She had noticed the coded glances between them and how Nelia kept her guard. She hoped without Nelia present, he might open up.

"My mother's not well." He turned the aisle, searching another row of scrolls. "The map should be here."

Nelia or no Nelia, she wouldn't get far speaking of his mother. Maybe he would tell her about the map. He had brought her down here, after all. "Why do you need this map?"

"I need to bring it back to the Tari." He pulled out a scroll and turned down the edge. "Got it."

"Tari?" The name played in her mind. She'd seen the word tattooed behind Daspar's ear. She gasped. Did Daspar know about Elosia? Of course, he did. He was her father's best friend. Liar.

"The Tari risk their lives for sirens." His brow furrowed once more. "They would die for you."

"What?" She grasped the shelves; his words hitting her hard. "Why would anyone die—for me?"

"Only a blue moon siren can destroy Asair." He stood so close, his energy provoking her sparks. "He's a powerful blue moon siren—a demon. The dark magick he wielded over a hundred years ago shadows us today. He's locked in a prison dimension." Dax's eyes brightened. "But you have the key, Halen. You can end the suffering. You can open the door and destroy him."

Dax's hopeful look scared her. She backed toward the open aisle, her skin warming. Her gaze darted to the room of scrolls and paper, fearful of getting too close. "That's not why I'm here, is it?"

She fanned the heat at her fingertips. "You're not thinking this is something I can do?" She stepped farther away from him. "Demon slayers are fiction." She nodded to the library of classics. "I have no control over the sparks."

"What you did in my chamber shows me you can unlock the portal to Asair's dimension. You have great power."

Her stomach twisted with Dax's proposal. She questioned his motives for bringing her to Elosia. He didn't rescue her from the mermaids out of kindness, but to save his own life. "Why did you bring me here?"

He fiddled with the band on the scroll but would not meet her gaze.

"Tell me!" Her fingertips twitched. "Is this Asair on my arm? Does my birthmark say I will release him? Is that what you saw in the water?"

"You're clueless." He shook his head.

"Clueless!" His remark was gasoline to her frustration. She waved her hand, and a charge rushed from her fingertips. "I didn't ask to come here!" The books shot from the shelves.

Dax ducked, dodging a large leather-bound book. "Stop this!" He held up both hands, his palms facing her.

He was saying something more, but she couldn't hear him over the angry voices in her head. She wouldn't be used. Not by him. Not by anyone.

With a wave of her hand, she commanded a cubicle of scrolls from the wall. They hung, poised in the air, like darts. It amazed her to see them hanging there, one by one. She was also pleased. With a twist of her wrist, she released the paper artillery.

Dax charged, ramming into her and scooping her around the waist. She buckled, bending in his arms. He lost his balance. Her arms flailed in a feeble attempt to stop their fall. But it was no use. They fell together, landing hard on the silver floor.

His heartbeat pounded against her chest; the frantic rhythm broke the torrid thoughts swirling her head, and the scrolls dropped to the ground, tumbling all around them. He had snuffed her rage. But with his body pressed against hers, their energy melding—a new fire ignited.

Thank you for reading the first ten chapters of Coral and Bone! I hope you'll continue Halen's journey and read the rest of the series for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

Also be sure to check out my new YA romantasy, Isle of Wolves coming out June 11, 2024 with Finch books.