Page 32 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

The one he agreed to, the sea dragon replied impatiently.When he asks for our help, we will answer. We protect our own.

But I—

I didn’t get to finish as strong arms grabbed me from above, hoisting me out of the water as the sea dragon dove. Its tail flicked the water in farewellas Caspian growled, “What in all the ever-loving skies are you thinking, Urchin?”

“I’m not in danger, you insufferable busybody,” I shouted back, the howl of wind around us making it nearly impossible to hear.

Caspian snarled in response but didn’t speak until we alighted in the rock where Ana was waiting, her face a mask of terror.

“Skies, are you alright Marina?”

“I’m fine.” My teeth were chattering from the cold and latent fear, and it took a moment for me to focus long enough to shift my tail back into legs. Caspian held me throughout, muttering about reckless princesses and cursed sea dragons and his heart failing from terror.

“I’ll go get some furs,” Ana offered, backing away from her irate king. She gave me a panicked look as she launched into the sky, clearly more afraid of Caspian’s wrath than the sea dragon.

“Explain, Urchin.”

“It’s tradition.” My teeth still chattered, but I was finally steady enough to push out of Caspian’s arms.

“Nearly getting eaten by a sea dragon is a handfasting tradition?” Caspian asked flatly, his brow raised and lips a thin line of disapproval.

“Not the sea dragon part,” I said, waving him off as I produced the iridescent scale. “Swimming to the ocean floor to find a token before we are mated. It’s the only tradition I cared about upholding from my people.”

Caspian’s temper ebbed and he looked a little devastated as he brushed my wet, salty hair from my face. “I wish you’d told me, Urchin. I would have helped you.”

“It has to be done alone,” I pressed, flashing the scale in his face. “Andsomeonesaid it was bad luck to spend the night with me, so I don’t know when I would have told you.”

Caspian blushed, and he had the good sense to look chagrined. “I didn’t think you’d try to feed yourself to a sea dragon in revenge, Urchin.”

I smacked his bare chest, and he laughed. “Here,” I snapped, pushing the scale into his hands. “A token of my love. You’re very welcome.”

Caspian frowned down at the scale, a mix of wonder and skepticism on his face. “You cut this from the sea dragon?”

“No, he gave it to me,” I replied, still feeling snappish about his interference and abandonment the night before. “He said you’d need it for your task. ‘When he asks for our help, we will answer. We protect our own.’If we were home, the priestesses would probably say it symbolized glory in our mating or some such nonsense.”

“The sea dragonspoketo you?” Caspian’s brows were so high on his forehead I thought he might strain himself.

“I was equally surprised.”

“Skies, Marina,” Caspian sighed, embracing me tightly and pressing a kiss to my neck. “You are remarkable and brilliant and terrifyingly reckless.”

“I love you too.”

Caspian chuckled, looking down to admire the scale between us as Ana returned with the promised furs.

The scale, glinting in the weak sunlight that filtered between the thick gray clouds of morning, was almost as big as his palm. It changed from blue to green to bronze as he shifted it, broad at one end and tapering to a sharp point at the other.

“This is a perfect token, my love,” he murmured, kissing my forehead and pulling me close again as Ana dropped a fur around my shoulders. “I know just what to do with it. But I beg you, no more meetings with sea dragons untilafterwe are mated. I don’t think my heart can take the stress.”

“Your heart is fine,” I scoffed, earning a surreptitious pinch to my backside.

“We’ll have to talk about this more, Marina,” he said, lifting my chin so I was forced to meet his eyes. “This whole talking-to-sea-dragons business.”

“Later,” I suggested, lifting on my toes to brush a kiss against his lips. “I’m a little busy today.”

Chapter 13

The sun was almostfully set by the time my people were gathered on the cliffs.