Dark Depths Page 16

  “I was thinking,” he said instead. “Perhaps tomorrow you’d like to go out into the city with me. I guessed that perhaps you hadn’t seen much of it, and I can show you all the best things. There are fountains, a market; you’ll love to see it.”

  Perhaps it was too early to be seen openly with her, but what could it hurt? She certainly would not say anything inappropriate, and if he watched her closely, she couldn’t do anything strange. It wasn’t like him to take a day of leisure, but aside from his desire to be near her, he also could not ignore a need to please her.

  He had expected the girl to be thrilled by this suggestion, but instead, her eyes filled with horror. Amelia began to shake her head avidly, disturbing her blond curls as she protested. She didn’t want to leave the palace? She seemed dire in her insistence. Thaddeus didn’t understand it, but he wouldn’t take her against her will.

  “I see,” he said, and noticed the disappointment in his own voice for being rejected. “Perhaps another time then.”

  He rose up from the chair and left the young woman alone at the table. It was possible that he was taking her refusal too harshly, but of course she could not explain herself. He would force himself to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  Ellister wandered away down the hall, having forgotten his pipe at the table, unsure if he would even want to be near her when the sun rose tomorrow. Would he be so fickle with her? Perhaps. It was not common for him to feel such disappointment. Absently, he headed toward the pool in his chamber where he kept his beloved swimmers. He needed relief.

  Chapter Fourteen

  No Rest

  1

  Night had fallen on the kingdom. It was Treasure’s second night in the human palace, and once again she was not with her love.

  When she’d crawled up onto the shore, she hadn’t intended to be spotted by anyone other than Nathan, but she could not help that she had been seen—and she’d needed aid. She was in pain, naked, and suddenly freezing so that her teeth would not stop chattering. She couldn’t even stand—didn’t know how—and if she had remained out there until Nathan had come along, she might have perished. She was glad Thaddeus had been there.

  Of course, at the time, she hadn’t known that he was the human ruler.

  He’d been kind to her, wrapped his coat around her and lifted her up, carrying her back to his palace, which took her breath away at the very sight. She had never expected to end up there, though she knew that Nathan had connections with royalty. If she’d had her tongue, she would have asked after him, but she was forced to be silent. She’d been given food and had been cleaned up, dressed and decorated. After that, the ruler himself had tried to teach her how to walk and to dance, smiling at her with kind eyes and putting her at ease. The next day, Nathan had returned.

  When she had met with Nathan in the dining hall, he had acted strangely toward her—of course he was surprised—but she had gotten the impression that she should not act familiarly with him. She hadn’t been able to meet with him after that, though she hoped she could do so soon, so that at least she could know what he was feeling. Until then, she supposed, she would be shut away in this room.

  Treasure sat on the edge of the plush bed, looking around at the chamber that had been prepared just for her. It was much nicer than anything she had ever seen, and was a space larger than she had ever been allowed. Many fine ships had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and yet none of those even compared to the light and color here, and how everything stayed in place without floating off. A strange powder collected on everything instead of algae, but everyday a woman came to wipe it away.

  So different. Fascinating.

  It was odd how dry everything was. Last night the bed, though so fluffy and soft, had been uncomfortable to her skin. She hadn’t slept well. Just one of so many things she would have to get used to. The clothes were so thick and heavy, though beautiful. She’d always dreamed of wearing a dress herself, but they weighed her down. The rituals of grooming were even more extensive with all the bathing and brushing and curling, powdering, painting and fitting. She’d hardly known half of what she had put on herself by asking for legs, but she would learn. For Nathan she would.

  Though she told herself that Nathan was the only one who concerned her, her conscience was aching for what had happened with Thaddeus when he had asked her to venture out with him tomorrow. She’d refused, but it was not because she wouldn’t have liked to go outside. It would have been a pleasure to explore the land and see sights she could never imagine on her own. Nor was it because of Thaddeus himself. He was nothing but kind to her, and she found him to be a pleasant man, but she had her own reasons why she could not go. They were not arbitrary, if only she could have explained them. She simply hoped she hadn’t hurt the man’s feelings.

  Sitting there, absently toying with the conch at her neck, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her new legs. She did not feel that she’d made the wrong choice to walk on land, but things felt so different to her here. Everything was backward, and without someone to guide her, she was completely lost in this world. Having no tongue was another matter entirely. Eating was a chore that she’d not considered, and swallowing was more difficult. She did not trust herself to speak, but worst of all, she could not ask questions, or express herself to anyone. No one would know of her fears or confusion.

  But I gave that up to be with him. I can’t regret it.

  Treasure sighed aloud, hearing the brief sound of her own vocal cords. She realized then that she could hum to herself, comforted by the sound that she did not need a tongue to make. The window was closed, so she didn’t have to fear that her voice would slip out into the night air, summoning any who would come to it. That thought, however, saddened her and she quieted to sit in silence once again.

  I wish I was near him, she thought, laying herself back on the bed. If only I could imagine where he is.

  Treasure wasn’t sure if she would find sleep, but she settled herself in to be more comfortable against the bed, staring up at the ornate ceiling of painted tiles. Humans certainly had an infatuation with the sea. The ceiling above her was painted in squares of heavenly mermaids, sailors and ships, and sea monsters. She recognized none of it. This was nothing like the world she had come from.

  Treasure closed her eyes, trying to put the images from her mind—until a noise at her window drew her attention.

  She sat up swiftly, throwing her eyes toward the glass panes that were hidden by drapes. She had wanted them closed for a reason, and this was it. She hoped she had imagined the sound, drawing herself up against the carved headboard, but when she heard it again, she knew it was no dream—there was something scraping against the glass.

  She was sure that through those windows was a view of the sea, and her balcony could not be reached even by climbing. So what was this scratching at the panes, casting a shadow through the curtains against the light of the moon?

  She knew. Truth be told, the dryness of the bed was not all that had kept her awake the night before.

  Treasure pulled herself up quietly and stepped backward toward the wall. She stumbled a bit, still unsure of her legs, but listened to the gradual scratching as the shadow became more prominent against the pale curtain. A rigid form, much like a human with long fingers reaching out for her—

  A sudden knock on the door jerked her around and summoned a short gasp from her throat, but she was grateful for the disturbance.

  Nathan… He’s come for me!

  She hurried to the door without tripping over her own feet and threw it open, ready to embrace him—but it was only a young woman in servants’ dress who stood there.

  “Hello, miss. I’ve brought you some more blankets. It does get a bit chilly at night, doesn’t it?” she said cheerfully, moving past Treasure and into the room, where she began tending to the bed.

  Once again, Treasure was sad and frightened despite the sound of the maid’s idle chatter, which she did not hear an
other word of. Treasure put her arms around herself and sent her gaze back toward the window. The shadow was gone, but it would return later when the human had left. A chill ran down her spine at the thought.

  She knew that she would not sleep.

  2

  Nathan remembered his way to the Shipwrecked Sailor easily enough, even in his troubled state, as if he’d walked there a hundred times without thinking. Because of his muddled affairs, he couldn’t think, and this was why he had to go there—to get those answers that he was obsessed with. That man and his daughter must have known something that could help him sort out his thoughts about Treasure.

  The pub was not quiet at this hour. In fact, it was in full swing with music from flutes and accordions, as well as boisterous shouting and hearty laughter that could be heard even from the outside. Nathan wanted nothing of that, but all the commotion would easily make him unnoticed as he headed through the back.

  Unlike the night before, the kitchen was empty. Making his way through, he did not spot Gideon behind the counter or amongst the crowd, and so he took it upon himself to head toward the cellar where he’d been taken the night before. Perhaps he would find the man there.

  When he approached the door that was full of scars and stains, he found it to be locked, and twisting the handle did no good. No one inside could possibly hear him knock with the din in the tavern. He had only to sigh and turn away, put himself to the side and wait to see Gideon or his daughter—What was her name?—return. In annoyance and near exhaustion, Nathan let his forehead connect with the wood of the door momentarily and he closed his eyes to gather himself.

  I can handle this. I’ll know something soon.

  That was when he heard the shots.

  Two shots from a pistol, measured and deliberate, came from below. What was going on down there? Nathan didn’t know what drove him to it, but he didn’t give a second thought to ramming his shoulder into the door—not once, but until it gave way beneath his weight. He moved down the darkened steps hastily, drawing his own pistol from his belt, ignoring his aching shoulder.

  Nathan did not find what he had expected.

  He thought he would see Gideon dead on the floor, or at the very least, some other man that Gideon had shot, but neither was the case. Instead, he found a room filled with smoke and smelling of gunpowder, and Gideon’s daughter was standing in the midst of it, reloading a double-barrel flintlock pistol.

  Sophia. He remembered now.

  The girl stared at him with questioning eyes, surprised by his intrusion. She looked different from the day before. Cleaner, for one thing. Her hair had been washed and was hanging down around her, not quite so mousy-brown as he’d thought, but touched with gold. She was wearing a shirt, vest and pants on her thin frame—unsuitable for a woman—and she was alone. In front of her were bales of straw aligned with targets that she had been firing into.

  Just target practice.

  Seeing his folly but unwilling to admit his mistake, Nathan put his own gun away. Sophia stared at him with tight lips for several moments, looking indignant, as if he’d intruded upon her while she was dressing. She reached to her ear, pulling away a tuft of wool that she’d used as a plug. Same for the other side.

  “There was a lock on the door for a reason,” she scolded.

  Nathan wouldn’t allow himself to be shot down by her. There hadn’t been much friendliness between them the day before, and he saw no reason why he should be kind to her now.

  “You probably shouldn’t do that down here,” he said, thinking of all the ways this shooting range of hers could cause a problem.

  “I do it all the time,” she said easily. “Where else am I to go?”

  A point well made. There was not much open room in the streets, especially for her.

  “Where’s your father?” he wanted to know, his heart still beating rapidly from the surprise of the gunfire.

  She examined him another moment before she answered, looking back to her pistol. “We ran out of ale. With everything that’s been happening lately, we forgot to restock. He headed off to get a few more barrels. The men were getting too rowdy, so I decided to let Dawson manage the place and slipped down here for a bit.”

  “Dawson?”

  “A friend of my father’s,” she answered. “Who, I remind you, is not here.”

  “Well then I need you to help me,” he insisted quickly, stepping further into the room.

  “What’s it about?” she asked skeptically, then paused and furrowed her brows as she noticed his clothes. “Why’d you come here dressed like that? You’re asking for trouble.”

  Nathan looked down at himself, realizing then that he hadn’t bothered to change out of the finer clothes he usually wore around the palace. He should have put on something else, for he did look like an official, but nothing could be done about it now.

  “I was a bit unsatisfied with the vagueness of what I found out here yesterday,” he said. “I need to know more about those signs.”

  “Why don’t you ask Ellister?” Sophia suggested, having finished loading her gun and beginning to line up another shot. It had been impossible to tell when he’d come into the room, but now it seemed the girl might know what she was doing with that pistol, but he could not dwell on that, nor stand by to witness how impressive her shot was. He stepped up to her, put his hand on her arm gently and lowered the gun to the floor.

  “He’s been a bit preoccupied and I figured it would be easier to come back here,” he explained calmly. “Won’t you just hear me out for a moment?”

  She gave him a sour look and glanced down toward her gun. When he realized that his hand was still on her wrist, he retreated swiftly, burned by her glare.

  “What do you want to know then?” she asked after a moment, resetting the hammer and putting the pistol into a holster at her side.

  “What exactly are the signs? All of them. And how do you know what they are?”

  The girl sighed for her trouble. “Legends speak of certain things, but, actually, Ellister himself said that he was told specifically by one of them. A nymph told him what he should look for. We have our own opinions about that, but he hasn’t been wrong yet. For one thing, the Leviathan can only be summoned once every five-hundred years, so it hasn’t been a serious worry…but we have no record of the last time it was summoned, of course. The moon phases must be correct. There will be storms, heavy rains, many sightings of great numbers of phantoms on the water, long-sunken ships rising up from the bottom of the sea… Then there was something that Ellister said that he didn’t even understand. He said she told him that ‘they’ would come in hordes, and they would circle like vultures.”

  “They?”

  Sophia shrugged, shaking her head, but Nathan’s mind was working. It was only a moment before he had come back with it.

  “Sirens,” he blurted.

  “What?” Sophia asked, her voice full of skepticism.

  “Yes, it must be.” He was thoughtful, as if talking to himself.

  “Sirens may not be…”

  “Real,” he finished for her. “Yes, I know. But I saw one. Well, I didn’t actually see it…”

  Sophia was looking at him with great interest, and even faith. He had opened her eyes to a new possibility, though it was a detail that wouldn’t change much. Still, for once she seemed interested in what he had to say.

  But Nathan’s interest had collapsed.

  This isn’t why you’re here, he reminded himself. There is no time for speculations like these. They mean nothing.

  “Say you’re right then,” Sophia started, unaware of his thoughts. “Why would sirens come?”

  “Is that all of the signs?” he asked, taking her off the subject. She was startled by his abrupt change, but went along with it.

  “All that I know of—and I’ll have you know that I’m well-educated about these things.”

  “So there’s nothing about a mermaid who gains legs and walks on land?”

  Soph
ia tilted her head curiously toward him, no doubt wondering where the idea had come from. As she studied him, however, her eyes changed, and she became angry.

  “How dare you even say such a thing? Calling them ‘mermaids’ alone is blasphemy. They’re monsters.”

  Nathan didn’t say anything to that, but at the sound of it, he knew the truth about her. This girl—and likely her father as well—had some personal reason for what she did, for aiding Ellister and seeking to rid the sea of the nymphs. What that reason was, Nathan did not know, and he did not ask.

  Sophia continued to stare at him harshly until she was certain he’d gotten her point, and then her expression softened toward him once again.

  “Where would you get a strange idea like that anyway?” she asked.

  “Just a rumor I thought I’d heard once,” he lied.

  If Treasure doesn’t have legs for this purpose, then how? He was distracted by this thought when she spoke again.

  “So what has Ellister been so preoccupied with? You said he’d been distracted.”

  Nathan turned his face back to her, answering the only way he knew how. “Marriage plans, I fear.”

  “Marriage?” Sophia questioned with a laugh in her voice. “You’re joking.”

  “Trust me, I wouldn’t,” he insisted, stepping toward the wall that was posted with images of sea beasts, hoping to distract himself from the unpleasant thought.

  “Ellister is a lot of things, not all of them bad, but one thing he is not is a respecter of women,” Sophia went on, amused by the whole thing. “Through all the times he’s been here, I haven’t spoken to him once.”

  “Why’s that?” Nathan asked her, letting his eyes settle once again on the rough drawing of the siren, her eyes harsh and her claws sharp.

  “My father told me not to. Apparently our future king prefers his women to be silent.”

  Silent? The picture could no longer hold Nathan’s attention. Treasure, in her current state, had no tongue. Was that the reason Ellister was so excited over his find? Not only was she a mermaid, but she would never say a word to him or anyone else. And could it be possible that Ellister had removed her tongue himself just for that purpose? That idea enraged Nathan in a way that he had never been toward the man, and he only hoped that it would fade by the time he reached the palace again. If not, he might see the gallows yet for assassinating the crown prince.