Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Wait! I focused on the spine of a single book. Was that…surely not…
I withdrew the leather-bound tome, and my jaw nearly unhinged. It was. I now held the king’s journal, as if someone had stashed it there, just to stop me from showing the king.
Prickles erupted over my nape.
The sound of rippling water reached my ears. Clutching the tome to my chest, I spun. Elowen rose from the water, climbing the steps with a slow, elegant roll of her hips. Water droplets clung to her crimson hair and skin.
Finally!
The affection flowed from the memory I’d unearthed. I still didn’t comprehend the nuances of our relationship, but like my mom, I was starting to trust her. I wondered how she’d acquired the scars.
Today, Elowen wore a bikini made of crimson seashells and red moss with a sheer short skirt. Bangles clinked on her wrists and ankles. A crown of coral protruded from her head, and shards of colorful glass dangled from her ears. A perfect perfume of coconut and sunshine wafted from her, as if she’d just come from a tropical island.
“Hello, Rye.” She stopped a few feet away and studied me with great curiosity.
Perhaps I peered at her the same way. I felt as if I’d waited my entire life for this moment. “Elowen,” I acknowledged with a dip of my chin. “Thank you for coming.”
“Forgive me for staring, but until this point, I’ve only seen you in visions. I didn’t allow myself to spy on you, though I knew we would meet,” she admitted, clearly proud of herself. “I’m glad you drank the serum. This azure hue suits you.”
My shoulders popped straight. “You turned me into someone I’m not. I’m no longer me.”
Jasher rose and pivoted, facing us, fully invested in our conversation.
A tinkling laugh left the water maiden. “Do you think I’m trying to turn you into Andrea?” She smiled. “You, Moriah Shaker, are not Andrea, and you never will be.”
“But I’m a Smurf,” I all but shrieked. “At least to others. Your serum altered my DNA. I’m now craving water and having visions. Something I didn’t do pre-serum. I even foresaw the assassination of the queen.” Among other things.
“And you saved her,” Elowen said, beaming. “But there’s no way to change someone’s species. Not in this world or any other.”
I anchored my hands on my hips. “Explain why everyone but me sees a blue water maiden.”
“Haven’t you heard? Perception dictates reality. Expectation is a powerful force, ensuring people only ever see what they expect to see.”
Maybe. “But why would anyone expect to see a blue water maiden when they gaze at me? How can the expectations of others cause me to see the future?”
“How indeed,” she taunted with a coy smile before clicking her tongue.
This. This was a big reason I’d hated dealing with Iris. Misdirection, suppositions, and unnecessary puzzles, oh my. But I didn’t back down. I got direct. “What do you know about Ian’s tie to the monstra?” We would return to my new oracle abilities in a bit.
Another coy smile as she stalked a circle around me, saying, “I didn’t come to bargain but to instruct you and to issue a warning.”
Too bad. “I only care about Jasher right now.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw him jolt.
Her smile slipped, just for a moment. “Soon, you’ll wish to create another waterway. Just want it more than air, and it will open.”
Exasperating woman. “That’s not how the world works.” But was that how I’d opened the waterway before?
“And you know that, how?” She patted my head. “Now for the warning. If you enter the Ring of Truth tomorrow, you will die.”
What? “Why? How? I’m armed with the truth.”
“Are you?” She turned and glided closer to the water. “Memories you haven’t yet accessed hold certainties you haven’t yet faced.”
I looked to Jasher for help and got a you’re the one who summoned her shrug. “I’m certain Ian is the leader of the monstra, and that’s what matters. Do you know how to sever the tie or not?”
Anger flickered in her scarlet eyes, all hint of kindness evaporated. “You fight to save your betrayer while I’m forced to contend with our true enemy.”
“Hardly. I’m actively opposing Ian, too.”
“I do not refer to him. He is but a weapon wielded by the ones in control.” She descended the pool’s steps, entering the water. “I speak of Sin,” she offered quietly. “She Is Near. A shadow siren. Sin and her Malkom.”
The names scraped me raw. Jasher must have had a similar reaction. He paled.
“They have reemerged,” Elowen said, “and they’re aiding Ian. You should be worried, my dear. Very, very worried.” She disappeared beneath the surface a second later.
Her words echoed. Shadow siren. Sin. Malkom. Dread slithered through me, a boa tightening its grip. Sin was the woman I’d seen in my visions; she must be. Malkom was her sidekick.