Page 73 of Tangled Sails

“Fine,” she conceded, no doubt realizing that a little cut was not worth a potential trip back through the portal.

She maneuvered around to my back, and I marveled at the trust she put in me. She looped her hands under my shoulders so that she wouldn’t choke me, and I had to hope she had enough strength to hold on.

My mind flashed through everything that had just happened. We’d fallen from Lyri’s tower. The portal had brought us back here. Harlan had betrayed me in every way imaginable and was now dead. Lyri’s aunt was a more terrible human being than even I had imagined and was utterly unworthy of Lyri.

To be fair, I was unworthy as well, but at least I knew how incredible she was—and it had nothing to do with her magic.

I swam hard, pulling us through the water. With every movement, I gritted my teeth and choked down a groan, breathing through the pain.

“That’s far enough,” she insisted, and I felt her grip slip.

I stopped and turned so that I could hold her up. “I’ll be fine. I don’t want you to waste your strength.”

“You won’t be fine, and neither will I!” She grabbed hold of my chin and forced me to look at her. “I can’t swim, Tav, and that means I need you. I need you to be strong enough to get us to the boat and sail us to shore, and that means you need me to heal you. So stop being stubborn and let me work!” The way her eyes sparked with fiery frustration made me love her just a little bit more.

“You’ll be even weaker,” I pointed out, terrified that she might lose consciousness again.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters.” I craned my neck around to look for the boat. “Where is it? AGH!” A searing pain ripped through my torso as she shoved a hand over my wound and sang.

Just let me heal you.

Please, I have to know you are well.

The sensation of her healing power rushing through me took my breath away. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced—a sweet agony as my flesh knit itself back together, and then the euphoria of relief when the pain was gone.

She stopped singing, and I breathed in wonder. “Wow,” I sighed. “That was extraordinary.” I put a hand to my ribs and found that there was no searing pain, no pinching, not even an ache. Even more extraordinary, my arm had been healed as well. I brought Lyri into the circle of my arms and hugged her, then pulled back and looked in her eyes, grateful that she did not look any weaker or more tired than she had before. “Thank you, sweetheart.” I placed a gentle kiss on her mouth.

When I pulled back, she was crying. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“I always will.”

She nodded. “But I don’t want to do anything like that again. Ever.”

“Never.” It was all I could say because the fear was still too fresh. I’d been so close to losing her. Then I looked around again, still not seeing the boat, and realized I still might lose her. There was no boat, no ship, no help in sight.

But there might be help out of sight, I realized. How did one summon a mermaid? I did the only thing that came to mind. I put my face into the water and yelled, “Help!”

“What are you doing?” Lyri asked as I lifted my head from the water.

“A mermaid helped me earlier. Perhaps one of them will help again.” I could hear my own lack of confidence.

Her eyes were huge. “A mermaid?”

“Yes. She helped me to find you and the portal.”

“She… But… I thought you had to have magic to go through the portal. An actual mermaid really helped you to—”

A head appeared above the water and I jerked away, startled, pulling Lyri with me.

“Peace, Prince,” the young lady said with calm surety as sunlight glinted off her blonde hair. “We’re here to help.”

“You’re a mermaid.” Lyri stated the obvious, awed as we both gaped at the mermaid, mesmerized by the glow of her pale pink tail that beat back and forth close to my own legs. I doubted I would ever get used to magic, no matter its form.

The mermaid smiled. “Of course. My name is Neeah, and I’m glad to see you well, miss,” she said to Lyri.

“Me?” Lyri blinked in confusion.