swirling as she cringingly accepted this new reality. So her parents were the first two members of the Circle of Five. Lord Morris must have been the third. “II wouldn’t call Lord Morris a complete failure. Wasn’t he the one who sent the Embraced children here for your army?”
Cahira scoffed. “And the bastard went around taking credit for it.” She sat forward, her sea-green eyes glittering. “Do you want to hear how it came about? It’s quite an interesting story.”
Before waiting for a reply, the queen continued. “You see, about twenty-seven years ago, King Frederic of Eberon sired a bastard son on a chambermaid. Kendric was his name, born on the Spring Embrace. Normally, Frederic had all Embraced babies killed, but he found himself somewhat reluctant when it came to his own son.”
“Understandable,” Maeve muttered with a wry tone, but her mother was so caught up in the story that she missed it.
“So Frederic asked Lord Morris to hide the child somewhere far away.” Cahira motioned to herself. “At that point, I stepped in and offered to take the baby, so Morris would be indebted to me. Kendric grew up here, and by the age of seven, his powers were already apparent. Amazing powers, really. That’s when I realized how useful these Embraced children could be. So I told Morris to start sending them all here.”
“Then the Embraced army was your idea?”
Cahira smiled. “Of course.” Her smile suddenly faded and her eyes widened. “Oh! I just had another fabulous idea!”
Maeve forced an excited look onto her face. “Really?”
“Yes!” Cahira rose to her feet. “I just realized how you can prove your loyalty to me.” She clapped her hands together. “And the timing is perfect! Kendric should be here in the next day or two.”
Maeve steeled her nerves. Whatever her mother was planning, it was bound to be awful.
Cahira pointed a finger at Maeve. “You will marry Kendric.”
Maeve flinched. No. Brody was the only one she could ever marry. “I . . . how . . . how can I marry someone I don’t know?”
“He’s of royal blood. Young, handsome, intelligent, and powerful. What else could you want?”
A bloodcurdling burst of panic erupted inside Maeve, demanding that she flee immediately. If she could make it to the shore, she could shift and swim away. But could she do it? Wouldn’t there be guards to stop her? Hell, her own mother might shift and come after her, wrapping her tentacles around her to capture her. Imprison her.
Cahira stepped off the dais and approached Maeve. “I can see you are shocked, but if you wish to prove your loyalty, you will do as I say.” She scoffed. “It’s not as if I’m asking for much. Kendric is an amazing man.”
Who was this Kendric? Maeve had heard the name before. Oh, right. Bettina had called him the general of the Embraced army.
“Since you’re a shifter, yourself, you should find him very attractive,” Cahira added. “He’s the second most powerful shifter in the world.” With a smirk, she motioned to herself. “I am the first one, of course.”
Second most powerful shifter? Wouldn’t that be Brody? Unless. . . with a gasp, Maeve stepped back. No, it couldn’t be . . .
“I’m sure you’ve heard of him before.” Cahira crossed her arms as she pondered. “Ah. I know what the problem is. The silly people on the mainland don’t know his real name. So the fools call him the Chameleon.”
* * *
As the boat approached the Isle of Secrets, Nevis moved to the prow to search for a good place to hide the small vessel. He spotted a rocky area on the northeastern edge of the island where huge boulders, as large as three-story buildings, were sitting along the coast as if they were guarding it. “Can we go over there?”
“Aye.” Elinor turned the wheel while Lobby made adjustments to the mainsail.
The boat skimmed along the coast, and Elinor gave the wheel to Lobby so she could join Nevis by the railing.
“This is perfect!” she announced as they passed the first boulder. The huge, craggy rocks outlined a small bay. “Come to starboard,” she ordered Lobby, then turned to Nevis. “We’ll lower the sail and drop the anchor.”
Soon, they were safely hidden inside the boulder-lined bay and, to their surprise, they spotted a sea cave on the coast. A barking sound drew their attention to a flat rock where a few seals were watching them. The seals plunged into the water to approach their boat, and