as she remained in seal form surrounded by her seal friends, wouldn’t she be safe? If the Sea Witch or an Embraced soldier spotted her, they would simply think she was one seal out of many.
She could do this! She didn’t have to follow orders from Brody. Or the Seer. Or her sisters. She could make her own decisions, dammit. And pursue her own destiny.
My darling dears! she called mentally to her friends as she pulled off her gown. Will you come with me to the Isle of Secrets?
They yipped in agreement, then slid off the flat rock as she strode into the water.
In just a few seconds, she’d shifted. Let’s go!
Chapter 7
“What do you mean she’s missing?” Nevis asked the next morning when he arrived at the convent for breakfast. “We’re on an island. Where could she go?”
“Out to sea.” Mother Ginessa handed him a folded note. “We found this in her room this morning.”
Nevis opened the scrap of paper.
I’m taking a long swim with my seal friends. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Maeve
“What the hell—oh, no offense, my lady.” He read the note again while the nun waved a dismissive hand. “A long swim? Does she do this sort of thing often?”
Mother Ginessa shook her head. “No. That’s why we’re worried.”
Dammit to hell. He had one job, watch over Maeve, and he’d completely screwed it—no, he had two jobs. He was supposed to meet Queen Esther, too. But now he’d failed miserably on both counts. “I take it she swims well?” Surely, she would be safe.
Mother Ginessa sighed. “I suppose she does, but . . .”
But if she’d left last night, she could have been swimming for hours, Nevis thought. How long could she last before exhaustion set in? And what about sea creatures like sharks? And where the hell was she going?
He stiffened as the most probable answer popped into his head. The Isle of Secrets. Oh hell, no. That was not a long swim; it was a damned voyage. Into the unknown. Surely she wasn’t attempting something that dangerous.
Mother Ginessa motioned toward the dining hall. “We can discuss the matter over breakfast, if you like.”
“No, thank you. Please go ahead.” How could he eat now? Dammit, Maeve’s sisters were going to kill him if anything happened to her. All the kings on the mainland would kill him, too. Hell, he’d kill himself if . . . “Do you mind if I check her room? And where does she go to shift?”
“Her room is there.” Mother Ginessa pointed to a door that was halfway open. “And she probably left from Seal Cove. It’s just west of here.”
“Thank you.” He bowed his head, then dashed into Maeve’s bedchamber. There wasn’t much inside. Two large beds, made up and unslept in. The trunk containing Maeve’s clothing and the book she’d brought from the Ebton library.
On the table, he spotted a candlestick, a stack of paper, and an inkwell. He thumbed through the stack and discovered two maps. One was a new map of Aerthlan with the Isles of Moon and Mist in the Great Western Ocean. The other map, drawn on a yellowed piece of parchment, showed the large island continent of Aerland. Dammit, had she really gone off in search of the Isle of Secrets?
He ran to Seal Cove and found the path leading down to the beach. “Maeve! Are you here?” he shouted as he darted down the path. “Dammit, you had better be here!”
No answer. No seals in sight. Had they all gone with Maeve? On the beach, he discovered a blanket, a basket with empty bowls, and a bottle of wine, half-gone. Next to the basket was a stack of neatly folded clothes. A man’s shirt and breeches.
Nevis straightened with a jerk. Had Brody come here? He scanned the sky and nearby cliffs. No sign of an eagle.
Something caught his attention on the cliff to the west. A glimpse of cream color and a braid of long black hair. A woman? But the morning sun shone too brightly for Nevis to identify her.
“Hey!” he shouted as the figure disappeared from view. “Maeve, is that you? Wait!”
He sprinted to the end of the beach, then scrambled up the rocky incline to the top of the bluff. Holding a hand above his eyes to block the bright sun, he pivoted around, searching for her.
There. Climbing a hill close to the shoreline, a slender young woman with a braid of long black hair. She disappeared over the