The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea - Kerrelyn Sparks Page 0,38
crest of the hill.
“Hey!” He ran after her and soon reached the hilltop. There she was. Sitting in a grassy meadow close to a cliff overlooking the ocean. There was a large basket next to her and something in her lap that claimed all of her attention. A flat board with paper on top? She seemed to be drawing something. Was Maeve drawing another map? Why the hell was she making everyone worry about her?
“Hey, you!” He started down the hill, and she glanced up at him with a startled look.
Shit. He halted with a jerk. He’d been shouting at a complete stranger. A beautiful stranger. Damn, but she must think he was a rude oaf.
Other than her long black hair, she looked nothing like Maeve. Her face was more heart-shaped and her eyes were a brilliant blue. Her gown was a light blue, topped with a cream-colored apron that was stained with different colors of paint. She had a slender stick of charcoal in her hand that she was using to sketch something.
He bowed his head slightly. “Begging your pardon, Miss, but have you seen another woman hereabouts? Or a bunch of seals? Or an eagle? Or a pelican, perhaps?” He winced as her eyes narrowed. She probably thought he’d ask about a hedgehog next. Damn, but she must think he was an idiot.
“Are ye fond of birds and animals, then?” Her voice was soft with the musical lilt of the island accent.
“No. I mean, yes.” Damn, now she probably thought he killed baby bunnies to pass the time. “I mean, actually I’m looking for a woman.”
The young woman gave him a wary look.
Damn, now she must think he was a womanizer. “She’s missing.” He descended the hill. “She’s young with long black hair. And she would be wearing a cream-colored convent gown.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Ye’re . . . friends with a nun?”
“No!” Damn, now she must think he consorted with nuns. “I mean, we are friends, but she’s not a nun. She’s a selkie.”
The woman blinked. “What?”
“I-I’m not crazy.” Damn, but he was making a complete mess of this. Why did this young woman have him so flustered? And why did her eyes look so familiar? He could swear he’d never met her before. Definitely not. He would remember this woman. “She really is a selkie. So if you see any seals . . .”
“Usually, there are some in Seal Cove, but they weren’t there this morning.”
With a groan, he dragged a hand through his hair. “I’m afraid she’s gone off with them. Out to sea . . .” By the Light, he was going crazy. How would he ever find her in the middle of the ocean? “I can only hope that she’s with Brody—” He stopped when the piece of charcoal in the woman’s hand snapped in two.
“Who?” She scrambled to her feet, letting the flat board and paper tumble to the ground.
“Brody.” Nevis hesitated, not sure what to make of the stunned look on this young woman’s face. “Do you know him?”
“Ye believe he is with the missing woman?” she asked.
“Perhaps. Her name is Maeve.”
“The youngest sister of the queens on the mainland?”
Nevis’s mouth fell open. “You—you know Maeve?”
“I know of her.” The young woman kneeled on the ground to stuff her board and paper into the large basket. “We must alert the queen. She can—”
“Ha!” Nevis scoffed. “Good luck with that. The old biddy refuses to see anybody.”
The young woman glanced up at him. “Excuse me?”
Oh, he probably shouldn’t have insulted this woman’s queen. “No offense, Miss, but I’ve already tried to see Queen Esther. Three times. And she always refuses. She’s the most unfriendly monarch I’ve ever—”
“She’ll see me.” The young woman grabbed the basket’s handle and started across the meadow.
Nevis snorted. “Why would she see you when she refuses to see me? I’m an official envoy from King Leo of Eberon.”
Apparently, the young woman wasn’t impressed. She didn’t even bother to look back at him. “The queen has no interest in what is happening on the mainland.”
Nevis jogged to catch up with the woman. “How would you know? Has Her Royal Unfriendliness ever deigned to meet you?”
“Aye. Ye may accompany me if ye wish to see her.”
He rolled his eyes. “You sound awfully sure that she’ll see you.”
“Aye.” The young woman slanted him a wry look. “The old biddy is my mother. I am Princess Elinor.”