Page 86 of Ballad of Sea and Sky
“Where do I even start?” Caspian asked, scrubbing a hand down his face and looking suddenly exhausted. “You—“ He shook his head, cutting himself off and starting again. “You died, Marina. Do you remember that?”
I nodded. “Not the actual death part,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “But the process and the waking up, yes.”
“Well, I went a bit…unhinged,” Caspian said in a tone that clearly downplayed his emotion at my temporary demise. “I made a bargain with Ran to save you. I promised him anything.”
“Anything?” I asked skeptically. “Is that why you can speak to him now? Or did I imagine that?”
“No,” he said, “but yes, Icanspeak to him. Not because of the bargain though.”
“Then what was the bargain?” I pressed, anxiety rising in me that felt strangely foreign.
“He agreed to help me save you,” Caspian explained, speaking slowly as if he were worried the method of delivery might spook me. “And in exchange, he asked for me to find a way to reunite the Isles.”
“Physically?” I asked, thinking of how Caspian intended to pull whole landmasses together.
“No, Urchin,” Caspian said, his lips quivering in amusement. “The people. Which I agreed to, since it was my intention anyway.”
“And I’m guessing Ran has a specific plan for how you will accomplish this?” I asked.
“If he does, he didn’t inform me of it,” Caspian said dryly. “Although I have no doubt he’ll be back to call in my debt. You fulfilled your bargain to him, by the way. Morar is gone, and his herd brought you safely here.”
“I suppose that’s the last I’ll be seeing of him then,” I said, a little sad about the end of my time with the kelpie.
“I doubt that,” Caspian snorted. “He threatened to continue training you while I work on upholding my bargain.”
“Training me for what?” I wondered.
A shout from the door made both of us jump as the curtain was flung open to reveal another winged male, with brown hair and a rakish smile.
“Why are you here, Astraios?” Caspian growled between gritted teeth.
“Here to congratulate you and yourspecialguest,“ he beamed, crossing the distance between us and clasping my hand warmly. He knelt, and I felt a little uncertain what to do as he bowed his head. “My lady, I am told we owe the life of our king to your bravery and quick thinking. The siren people will forever be in your debt.”
“That’s really not necessary,” I said, giving Astraios a strained smile. “I believe that we are fairly even on the life debts by now. Why exactly do you wish to congratulate me?”
“The happy news, of course,” Astraios beamed, giving Caspian a wry wink. Cas’ face had paled considerably, and he looked on the verge of exploding. “Your handfasting will be a celebration worth breaking rationing for, eh Cas?”
Our…what?
“Out!” Caspian growled, pointing toward the curtained door. “Now, Astraios, or you’ll be mucking out the fish pools for weeks.”
“Alright, alright!” He said brightly, looking not even remotely concerned about Caspian’s anger. “I’ll leave you to your betrothed. But you can’t keep her all to yourself you know.”
He practically fluttered out the door at this, and I turned to Caspian with a pointed look and a furious blush.
“Explain,” I commanded, heart thumping traitorously fast, “why he called me your betrothed.”
Chapter 32
“Betrothed,”shesaid,herface unreadable as she stared me down. I had taken a defensive stance against a wall, my arms crossed as she glared at me. I was going to fucking kill Astraios, the great lout. “You told them we were betrothed.”
“It was the only way the council would accept you here long enough for me to get you medical help,” I said, trying to decide if now was the time to tell her everything. But she looked so tired and fragile in my bed, dwarfed by the sheer size of it, that I couldn’t do it. Not yet. So I settled on half-truths. “They wanted to let you drown, so I lied, Marina. And I don’t regret it.”
“You know you’re the king, right?” she pointed out, still scowling endearingly up at me. “You could havecommandedthem to let me stay.”
“That’s not how my rule works here, Princess,” I said, feeling myself slip into the role of the pirate king, rather than the concerned lover. “I answer to a council. The council helps me rule. I didn’t have time to persuade them. You were dying.”
She was silent, her emotions a riot of feelings that I couldn’t quite untangle. The bond had strengthened considerably just in the few days since the lake, and soon enough Marina would want answers. Her heart thumped wildly, and I sensed an edge of panic in her that made my own heart crack.
