Blood of a Mermaid (12 page)

He sneered down at her. “Ah, yes,
Prince
. Such an utterly worthless title, don’t you agree?”

She stared, unable to formulate a response.

Demyan didn’t seem to notice, caught up as he was in his own self-righteous rant. “It would certainly be
King
Demyan by now, and by all rights should be. I battled and schemed and did everything I needed to in order to earn that title…and it should be mine. Except. Except for Brynn’s bastard, your insufferable drylander friend. I should’ve killed both of you when I had the chance before the Solstice banquet. Before you ruined everything.”

A shiver of fear ran down Kae’s spine. She tried to control her body’s response, reminding herself that even now, others were searching for this merman to find him and bring him to justice. Her father had assured her that every day the king’s men drew closer to finding him.
Maybe today will be my lucky day and the soldiers will burst in any minute now.

She swallowed hard and narrowed her eyes, trying to project more courage than she felt. “Is that why you’ve brought me here? To this dungeon? To kill me?”

“My dear, if I’d simply wanted to
kill
you, you’d be dead already.” Demyan laughed and another shiver started to snake across Kae’s back. She shook it off and focused on his words as he continued. “No, since my first plan failed so spectacularly, I’ve been forced to come up with alternatives.”

“So why do you need me? How can I help with your ‘alternative’ plan?” Her words were sharp, and she could see the surprise on Xander’s face, but she plowed on. “I’m not a royal. I can’t grant you any kind of power or access to anything. I don’t even
know
anything of importance.” She looked down at her hands, shocked to realize just how little her life mattered in Neptune’s grand scheme of things.

She’d already been gone for days and no one seemed to care. No one had come swimming after her. Her only friend now seemed to be Xander, and he was the one who’d brought her here and even admitted he’d drugged her. She felt deflated by this new understanding, and her voice began to falter. “I’m… I’m nobody.”

The edges of Demyan’s mouth curled as Kae glanced up. She recognized the smile of a sea serpent just before he strikes. “Ah, but you underestimate your
own
importance, my dear mermaid, even if your most obvious quality is your stubborn nature. I myself don’t understand the attraction, since I prefer my mermaids to be completely submissive, and I do mean completely.” He chuckled and ran one finger down her cheek, eliciting another shiver from Kae. “Ah, but that would be another story. For another time, perhaps.”

“Leave her alone,” Xander said quietly. Kae looked at him with surprise and saw his fists clenched into tight balls by his sides, his arm muscles tensed. It was the first time he’d spoken since Demyan entered the room and Kae had almost forgotten he was hovering so close to her. “You didn’t tell me you planned to hurt her.”

“Hurt her?” Demyan’s chuckle again filled the small room as he appraised the other merman. “You don’t want me to hurt her? Oh, my my. What an interesting shift of the current.” He turned his attention back to Kae. “It would seem my
associate
here is quite taken with you. Absolutely smitten, I should say.” He clapped a hand on Xander’s shoulder. “Aren’t you, Zan?”

Her eyes flew to the merman she knew as Xander. “
Zan
? The Adluo
sorcerer
? Is that who you truly are?”

She watched as he swallowed hard and finally nodded his assent. He glanced up at her, his eyes pleading with her for understanding, before returning his gaze to the floor.

“You lied to me,” she whispered, unable to hide her disbelief. She thought back to the warm feelings and trust that she’d felt for him, and wondered how much of that had been because of magick. Was he the reason her memories were so fuzzy?

“I didn’t lie.” His eyes remained downcast. “Xander was my nickname at University,” he said. It sounded almost like an apology.

“Ah, but you’ll always be Zan to me,” said Demyan with a chuckle. “Ever since that first day I found you in the dolphin stables, covered in someone else’s blood.” He clapped him on the shoulder again. “We’ve been through so much together, haven’t we? Far too much to let a mere mermaid come between us. Or between me and my rightful place as ruler. Am I right,
Zan
?”

Zan didn’t dare look Demyan in the eye. He’d seen far too many soldiers slaughtered for such insolence. Especially when Demyan was in this kind of mood. “Of course, Sire,” Zan mumbled, his head still down. “I’m yours to command.”

Demyan rubbed his hands together, his tail fin twitching. “That’s what I like to hear. Unfortunately, my source inside the Nerine Court tells me that an emissary from King Koios is visiting with King Naartok, looking for this little beauty. Any idea how that clownfish of a king would have a clue as to my whereabouts? Hmm?”

“No, Sire,” he said automatically, his mind whirling through possibilities.

“Come now, Zan. You’re smarter than that. Tell me how this could have happened.”

Zan tried not to look at Kae. “Well, Sire, there really aren’t too many possibilities available to you. I’m sure that King Koios has scoured every inch of the Atlantic Ocean by now, so he knows you are not there. You slew the High Chancellor in front of the crowd, so it’s a fair bet you wouldn’t be anywhere near Atlantis, and in light of Prince Azul’s unfortunate accident, it’s also fair to say there would be no safe haven for you anywhere in the Pacific. And according to the girl, Brynneliana has succeeded Theo and already sits on the Southern Ocean’s throne as the new Adluo Queen.”

He heard Kae gasp and tried not to visibly wince. Yes, he’d used her for information. He was almost positive she didn’t remember all the questions she’d answered for him under the influence of his magick. Not that he intended to disclose all of his newfound knowledge to Demyan. Especially not the part about exactly how close Kae actually was to the Atlantic heir, or how much the drylander bastard professed to truly care for Kae. Not unless it became necessary.

That particular information would most certainly seal the mermaid’s fate, and Zan preferred Kae alive. As long as she lived, he could still change her heart and make her love him, maybe even without the aid of magick.

Demyan sneered at Zan’s logic, shaking his head. “So you think Koios crossed a mere three oceans off his master list and that left him with the Arctic? Seems like a bit of a stretch.”

“Perhaps he sent emissaries to both the Indian and the Arctic kings,” Zan countered. He straightened his shoulders and looked Demyan straight in the eye. “For my part, I interacted with no one but this mermaid on my journey. You sent me to find her and I did. The fact that she was about to leave for Atlantis necessitated a change in the original plan.”

Demyan nodded, the wide grin returning to his face. “Quite right. Job well done and all that sort of mung, Zan. It’s good to have underlings who can think for themselves.”

Zan bristled at being called an
underling
, but nodded back at him nonetheless.
Better to deal with Demyan’s insults than his sword.

“Now, Zan,” Demyan continued, as he swam closer to the mermaid. “According to your new plan, I think it’s time you paid that drylander scum a visit, asking him to join our little get-together.” He tilted his head to one side, staring at Kae. “But how will we convince him that you’re already here at the party, my dear?”

“What…what do you mean?” Kae shrunk back from Demyan as he advanced until he was scant millimeters from pressing against her.

Zan clenched his fists, trying to steady his nerves. He could feel Kae’s fear washing over him in waves and it took all of his self-control to keep from striking out at Demyan. He’d promised to keep her safe and yet at the moment he felt powerless to interfere.

Demyan grabbed a handful of blond curls, yanking so hard that Kae cried out in pain. “Perhaps a few locks of your golden hair would convince him? But how would he know it’s actually yours?”

She merely whimpered in response, and Zan felt as if his heart would break. He filled his lungs with cold water and held his breath, waiting for Demyan to make his next move.
If he hurts her, I
will
kill him
, he promised himself.

“Maybe an actual body part would work best.” Demyan released his grip on her hair as he appraised the rest of her. “A finger, perhaps? Or would that sea urchin whelp need the whole hand in order to recognize you?” He made a grab for Kae’s wrist, locking his hand around her silver bracelet. He looked down in surprise at the metal. “Well, well, what have we here?”

She tried to pull away, to no avail. “Let go of me.”

Demyan’s face was suddenly inches from Kae’s. “Answer the question. Where did you get this piece of finery?”

“It was a gift from the drylander,” Zan interjected. Both Demyan and Kae turned to look at him in surprise. “The mermaid told me when I was interrogating her. Certainly he would recognize his token.”

“Good work, Zan.” Demyan slowly drew his sword from its sheath, still holding Kae’s arm with his other hand. “We can send the wrist encircled with silver and then he’ll have no doubt which mermaid is here with us.”

Zan watched Kae strain to pull her hand away, her eyes crazed with fear. Steeling his resolve, he reached over to grab the hilt of Demyan’s sword before he could fully unsheathe it. “Sire, there is a better way.”

Demyan’s eyes opened wider. “Are you…questioning me?”

“Not at all,” Zan lied, forcing a smile onto his face. He kept his hand on the sword hilt, just in case. “Merely pointing out that a more subtle approach might be warranted. One that would ensure the outcome you desire.”

A thoughtful look crossed Demyan’s face and he released his hold on Kae. She scooted backward into the shadows at the far corner of the small room. “What kind of alternative did you have in mind, exactly?” Although Demyan still had his fingers wrapped around the grip of his sword, Zan realized he needed to release his own grasp so as not to press his luck.

Slowly, he removed his hand from the sword and swam to where Kae quivered against the rock wall. Holding her eyes with his own, he used his magick to control her will. Almost immediately, she ceased shaking. Without flinching or pulling away, she watched as he took her hand and removed the bracelet from her wrist.

Turning back to Demyan, Zan dangled the silver circlet from his fingers. “It may be more effective to send only the token itself, with reassurances that the mermaid remains unharmed. For now. That path leaves more room for future…negotiations, should the drylander not heed your first invitation.”

Demyan stared for so long that Zan began to fear he’d made a terrible miscalculation. His mind began to spin with scenarios and possibilities for escape that would save both Kae and himself from harm. The options seemed limited at best.

All at once, Demyan slammed his sword back into its scabbard and let out a deep, rumbling laugh. Swimming forward, he slapped Zan hard on the back and plucked the bracelet from his fingers. “Now
that’s
the Zan I know and love. Always thinking two steps ahead of the game.” He bestowed one of his wide, benevolent smiles on Kae. “You are quite safe for now, my dear, thanks to Zan’s quick wit. You should be nice to him in return, don’t you think? I’ll give you two a moment alone so you can thank him properly, before I send Zan off on his next mission.”

Zan watched as Demyan turned and swam out of the chamber, leaving the door wide open in his wake. He looked over at Kae, and saw that she too was staring at the open door.

Her eyes darted back to Zan. “We could…you could help me escape,” she whispered.

With a heavy heart, he shook his head. “No, Kae. I can’t. There is no escaping Prince Demyan. Trust me on this one. Be thankful you still have all your fingers and fins after defying him like that.”

She swallowed hard. “Thank you.” He watched as her eyes began to shimmer in a strange way, as if extra seawater were pooling within the eyes themselves. She wiped the back of her hand across her face, clearing away the excess water. “So, what should I be calling you?”

He smiled. “You can call me Xander if you prefer. I…I like the way it sounds when you say it.”

“Okay,
Xander
,” she said, emphasizing his name. “What is your plan for me? You’ve convinced Demyan to spare me pain for the moment – why?”

His smile faltered. “Because. I couldn’t bear to watch him torture you, especially not when there was a better way for him to get the drylander’s attention.”

“And what if there wasn’t, Xander? What if the only choice was for him to hurt me?”

It felt like her big emerald eyes were searing straight into his soul. He took a deep breath and blew a stream of tiny bubbles from his gills. “I won’t let him hurt you,” he promised, meaning every word.

She nodded slowly, her gaze never wavering. “Okay then.”

He had no idea how he would fulfill his promise. Despite what he’d said earlier, Demyan was actually the one who always seemed two steps ahead with his plots and schemes. Had he already foreseen Zan’s wavering loyalties? If Zan decided to oppose him, Demyan would prove a powerful and dangerous adversary.

King Naartok had crossed Demyan by denying him official sanctuary within the bounds of the Arctic Ocean. Demyan had defied him by joining the group of Nerine who sided with the outlaw Gorgon sea witches, creating a base of operations right under the king’s nose, as it were. Zan suspected King Naartok would be among the first casualties of Demyan’s new war for world domination.

In his short life, Zan had already witnessed far too much killing and bloodshed. But looking into Kae’s eyes, Zan realized that there were some things in this world truly worth fighting for.

“Listen, I need to go now,” he said, taking both her hands in his. “And I may be gone for a few days, but you should be safe in here. Demyan rarely visits this end of the caverns. I’ll even ask the guards to bring you a proper sleeping mat so you’re more comfortable. Just…don’t do anything foolish.”