Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,15
sleep was as elusive as a golden nautilus. I couldn’t fight the feeling that maybe Father was right.
Maybe contentment wasn’t what I was searching for after all.
5
Exhaustion must have finally claimed me, because I woke in the morning to find Talin wasn’t beside me. I could see him through the doorway leading to the balcony, framed by the golds and soft oranges of another perfect sunrise.
I pulled the blanket off the bed and went to join him, wrapping us both in the soft fabric. “It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”
Talin didn’t respond, and I glanced up to see his eyes narrowed in concentration. I followed his gaze to a small dot on the horizon.
“Who is that?”
“Your father?” he ventured.
I ran inside to get the bronze spyglass I had salvaged from a shipwreck years ago and hurried back to his side.
“Too large,” I said, raising the glass to my eye. “That ship has sails.” I handed the spyglass to Talin. “Do you recognize it?”
He lowered the glass and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s my ship.”
I released my breath. “That’s good news.”
But Talin didn’t look convinced. “Is it? They were supposed to wait for my signal, not come on their own.”
“Maybe Grig gets more seasick than you thought,” I joked, though my stomach was beginning to twist with worry. I went back into the house, where my mother and sister looked at us questioningly. “It’s Talin’s ship,” I explained. “The two of us will take the boat out to meet them. They won’t be able to get past the reef.”
After Mother and Zadie agreed to stay behind in case Father returned, I rowed us out to the small sailing vessel. When we pulled alongside it, I looked up to see Grig and Osius leaning over the railing, waving.
“Come aboard,” Osius called, tossing a rope ladder over the railing. “We have news.”
Talin nodded and held the ladder steady for me so I could climb up ahead of him. As soon as I was on board, Grig and Osius bowed, though Grig couldn’t hide his smile.
“Enough with the formalities,” I said, pulling them both into a hug. They had always looked after me at New Castle, and I was genuinely happy to see them.
“My lady,” Osius said, remaining his formal self even as I squeezed him tightly. “I’m glad to see you looking so well.”
“And you.” I glanced sympathetically at Grig, who had dark circles under his eyes. “Was it a terrible night?”
“I’ve slept better, my lady. But I’ll be fine, just as soon as we return to solid ground.” He extended a hand to Talin, who grasped it and stepped up onto the deck next to me.
“We worried when you didn’t return yesterday,” Osius said. “We were afraid something had happened to you.”
Talin clapped him on the back, offering a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but I had a much better offer of accommodation for the night. And the company was too good to refuse.” He smiled at me, but I caught the strain in his eyes as he turned back to Osius. “Did you just come to check on me, or do you have news?”
Grig looked to Osius, who cleared his throat. “One of the men we paid back at the port was just here. He rowed all night to tell us that Ceren and his men are looking to commandeer a ship.”
My blood whooshed in my ears. I had known Ceren might come for us eventually, but I had hoped we’d have more time. I thought of the vision, of the blood staining Ceren’s pale lips, and I knew this wasn’t about Talin. Revenge could wait; he was coming for me.
“I suggest we leave immediately,” Osius added. “While we still have the advantage of time.”
“I have to go back!” I blurted. “I promised I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Father, and I can’t go without telling Zadie.”
A muscle ticked in Talin’s jaw, but he nodded. “Very well, but we have to move quickly.”
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing his hand.
“Grig, Osius, you’ll wait with the ship.” Talin slipped into his role as commander seamlessly. “We’ll be back as soon as possible. Be ready to sail when I return.”
I rowed us back to Varenia as fast as I could, my mind racing as I thought through what I needed to gather and wondered how quickly we could get back to Talin’s ship. In the end, there was really only one thing important enough to bring with me.