Shattered by the Sea Lord - Starla Night Page 0,45
Tree. But Queen Lucy channeled the Life Tree power long before she reliably made her fins.”
“You’ll show us?” Meg asked Dannika. “Tomorrow? I totally want to see. Oh, did you have goggles in that emergency kit?”
“You must shift,” Ciran said. “The powers are invisible to human eyes, although humans will still feel the effects.”
“Ugh. Shifting.” Meg dropped her head into her hands. “Never mind.”
“You must shift. It is the only way to retake the city.”
“Well, there you go. I’m never going to stab anybody.” Meg mimed slashing a trident. “I feel bad when I squish a bug.”
“I also have a few questions before racing into battle,” Angie said.
“You do not have to hurt anyone,” Ciran said.
Konomelu threaded his fingers with Angie’s. “Your kindness is commendable, but the warriors we fight will not extend you that same mercy. You must be ruthless. A blade that cuts through the swathes of enemies.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Mmm. Maybe I will leave the fighting to the experts.”
“You must try to develop your powers,” Ciran said. “If you are serious about saving your friend and retaking Lusca, it is the only way.”
The women shook their heads.
“There has to be another way,” Meg said. “Because if it’s up to me turning into a warrior, I’m not interested.”
“Not even a little bit,” Angie said.
“Well, maybe a little bit,” Meg said. “But I can’t go in the ocean. No way, no how. People die in there! And it’s full of giant squid.”
“So, what time tomorrow?” Bex asked. “When will Dannika show her queen powers?”
Konomelu looked at Itime, who shrugged. “We should meet in the reef before breakfast. Without the young fry.”
“Dannika will inspire you,” Ciran promised. “She will show you all.”
So, great.
All Dannika had to do was find and develop her powers, convince the others it was worthwhile to develop theirs, and then retake a warlike city ruled by an angry king, rescue a missing prince from a trench infested with the kraken, and all before the city went on the warpath and sank their rescue boats, specifically the one chartered by Bex’s stepson Stevie.
No problem.
Chapter Seventeen
Dannika helped stow the mats and disassemble the tables to keep them from blowing over in the sometimes fierce winds. Her mind churned.
She’d interviewed the early queens. Their inner confidence, serenity, and passion had formed her vision of the kind of brides her warriors needed. But she hadn’t listened as a student who must one day teach.
“Where do you want to sleep?” Bex glanced at Dannika’s bruises in the dwindling firelight. “You can breathe underwater? You should probably have the lagoon for healing.”
“Are you…?” Meg asked, letting the question hang.
Bex shook her head. “Just the lagoon.”
Mysterious. They’d been open about so much, but they weren’t telling all their secrets.
Bex led Dannika and Ciran up the stone path, over the headland, and back to the cave.
“This path is so nice and bright with the moonlight,” Dannika said. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”
“Thanks.” Bex glanced over her shoulder. “There’s no moonlight.”
Dannika stopped.
Stars stretched into infinity, and the waves also stretched in every direction.
She could see in the dark! “I really have changed, haven’t I?”
Ciran stood at her shoulder. “You have.”
Oh. Wow.
Bex kept strolling at her easy pace, her grass skirt swishing. Dannika hurried to catch up.
The lagoon glimmered with unusual beauty lighting the worn statues. The iridescence was coming from inside the cave. More specifically, inside the water.
She rubbed her eyes.
“This glow coming from the water.” Ciran knelt and dipped a fingertip in, swirling. “I did not notice it earlier with so much noise and energy. It is oddly familiar.”
Bex shrugged. “It’s an old church, so…”
He rubbed the liquid between his fingers.
“Well, tuck in.” Bex turned away.
“Wait, you want us to sleep underwater?” Dannika squinted at what she thought was the distant cave entrance, but she couldn’t quite see it through the stalactites and vines. “Can’t just anyone swim in?”
“A boulder blocks the entrance. Mostly for the squids.” Bex lingered in the doorway. “Did Stevie talk about himself?”
“He said you’re the reason he became a videographer,” Dannika said. “He’s the lead at his company and has his pick of jobs.”
Bex grinned, then rubbed her face. “Anything else?”
“You’ll have to ask him yourself when we get out of here.”
Her smile fell. She gazed through the rock and her eyes got a distant look. “Do you really think we can retake Lusca?”
Well…honestly, Dannika had no idea.
“Yes,” Ciran said.
Bex faced him. “Even though Angie doesn’t think we should and Meg is afraid?”