The Little Selkie (retail) (24 page)

What next?
she asked.

“I will show these papers to my father. We’ll have to notify a few government officials, but we should have Jarlath imprisoned by nightfall,” the prince hesitated. “How will that affect Jarlath’s hold on your…weakness?”

As long as you do not name me as your source of information, I should be fine
.
Jarlath thinks I am ignorant of his plots and schemes. It will never occur to him that I was the one who passed on the information
, she wrote. She remembered the way Bump and Lump watched her ride away with Callan, and for a moment her heart squeezed with worry. But…oddly enough…she felt that maybe, hopefully, they would keep their silence—as they had with all her other troublesome behavior.
The sea witch will be suspicious, but I suspect to her Jarlath is a tool. She needed a fortress near the sea to escape capture. Jarlath happened to have one.

Callan crumpled the papers. “It’s maddening to know that allies who care so very little for each other are so easily able to entangle us.”

It is because they are evil
, she reasoned.
The wicked—like the sea witch—always use shortcuts and supplements for power. If she went unchecked, she would pay the price for it. But I am not willing to let things grow that bad. She will be stopped before then.

“But she’s a
mage
. If she’s powerful enough to keep typhoons endlessly active—whether it’s through her powers or trickery—an army couldn’t hold her. We will need a slew of other mages.”

No
, Dylan wrote.
My family will take care of her as soon as I can get to them.
Of this Dylan was sure. The selkies would have to blow the secret of their existence wide open and reveal themselves to humans through the mass use of their singing and water magic, but if that was the price to pay for eliminating the sea witch, she was certain her family would pay it.

Callan stared at her. “And I suppose if I ask who your family is, you won’t tell me?”

Dylan smiled, tugging a sigh from the prince.

“So when Jarlath is imprisoned, what will you do?” Callan asked after several moments of silence.

He has something of mine that I must retrieve.

“At Kingsgrace Castle?”

I think so.

“I could send a squadron of guards with you.”

She shook her head.
If you could keep all of Jarlath’s men—including my guards—imprisoned, I can sneak into his castle alone and avoid suspicion.

“That seems unnecessarily dangerous,” Callan said. “And I’m not certain it is a good idea to arrest your guards. They seem good enough.”

She shook her head again.
They are Jarlath’s.

“I wouldn’t be sure about that. But I suppose you don’t need to decide what to do immediately. Once Jarlath is secured, you will have time,” Callan said.

Dylan shrugged.

“After you retrieve your weakness, what will you do?”

Warn my family, and stop the sea witch
, Dylan wrote. If the worst came to pass she could bypass getting her pelt, and ride straight to one of her family’s fortifications to warn them, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Thank you,” Callan added. “For the papers, and for trusting me.”

Of course
.

“I’m glad my suspicions were right, and you aren’t Jarlath’s ally,” Callan said rolling up the papers and shoving them inside his boot for safekeeping.

She recoiled in horror.
You thought I would AID such a witless man?

“He said he was your guardian, and you didn’t refute the story. What else was I to think?” Callan asked.

Dylan scowled at the prince. It had never occurred to her that anyone might
not
trust her. Why wouldn’t they? It was beside the point that it had taken weeks for Callan to win
her
trust.

Callan laughed—a pleasing sound that brightened her bad humor like the steady chant of the frothy waterfalls.

“Truly, Dylan, given our history, I did have a terrible time of it,” Callan said.

Our history?
she wondered. Did that mean…did he remember? He couldn’t—otherwise he would know what she was!

She was distracted from her thoughts when Callan took her hand and stood, pulling her to her feet.

“How did you know this waterfall was here? Through some kind of water magic?” Callan asked. “I know you have something. You knew that kelpie was coming before anyone could have spotted it.”

She shrugged.

Callan smiled and slid his arms around her, pulling her close until she bumped into his chest. “Mother is going to think you are a saint. You already achieved great heights in her graces through saving Nessa. Nabbing Jarlath will put her over the moon,” Callan said, standing cheek to cheek with her.

Dylan found it very difficult to concentrate, and her heart beat erratically.
What’s wrong with me? I’m not a twitterpated pup
, she thought.

“It’s a good thing. We need her on our side,” Callan said, pulling back.

She tilted her head and gave the prince her best confused look.

“Yes, our side. That is, if you’ll join me?” Callan said, his face drawing closer and closer.

Oh
, she thought in a moment of rare enlightenment.
I think he means to insinuate that he likes me. And I…I love him.
Dylan was not upset at all by this thought as Callan drew so close his breath brushed her lips. Every decade or so, a selkie married a human. It wasn’t taboo; it was just unusual that a selkie would want a lander. But Callan would suit her just fine.
Yes, I think I’ve loved him for a while
, she thought, closing her eyes and leaning into Callan.

Just before Callan’s lips could brush against hers, her eyes snapped open.
Barnacles. I LOVE him. He’s going to unseal my voice!

She backed up so fast she ripped herself out of Callan’s grip and almost landed on her rear. She staggered and managed to prop herself up on the rocks, giving herself a moment to think.

“Dylan?” Callan said. The tone of his voice was pitched to cover up the hurt in his voice, but she still heard it.

She held up a finger to the prince, asking for a moment. She pushed her wild hair out of her face and thought.

Jarlath hadn’t been caught yet, and even if he was, she
knew
her pelt wasn’t at the Summer Palace. If it was back at Kingsgrace Castle, there were two possibilities: The sea witch could be gone, in which case she could descend upon the bandits with as much spite as she wanted—they were too afraid of her to go for her pelt. However, the sea witch may be there. If that were true, sashaying up to the castle to reclaim her pelt would be impossible with her voice back—the sea witch would use it as leverage.

No. As much as it infuriated Dylan, it was best to keep her voice sealed. She scowled, ill-humored with the sudden turn in events. She raised her gaze to Callan, who studied her with an emotionless mask.

Dylan fussed with her slate for a moment before writing,
Not until after Jarlath is captured and my weakness is mine to own again.

“So, you’re not saying no to me, just…not yet?” Callan asked.

Dylan nodded before she threw her arms around Callan and squeezed him. She kissed his cheek and buried her face in his shoulder lest either of them be too tempted. He eased his arms around her and rested his cheek on her hair.

After a few long, sweet moments, she pulled back.
We should return
, she wrote before a sly smile crept across her face.
You have a lord to fish for.

A hint of a smile crept across Callan’s face, and he nodded. “I do. Home, my lady?” he asked, offering his hand.

Dylan nodded and clasped his hand in hers before the two returned to the rocks to retrieve their shoes and set out.

The ride back to the Summer Palace was shorter than Dylan remembered. Both the villagers of Easky and the guards at the palace gates were remarkably blank-faced at seeing their prince ride through—disheveled and wet—with an equally disheveled and wet Dylan perched behind him.

Callan stabled his horse and led Dylan up to the main palace. When he moved to go towards the governmental wing, Dylan stayed where she was, pulling on his arm.

“My father will be in the governmental wing at this time of day, with all the officials we need to show the papers to,” Callan said.

Dylan got out her slate and wrote
Lunch.

Callan stared at the slate before outright laughing. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or appalled that arrests take a backseat to your stomach. Very well, find something to eat and then come to the governmental wing. I’ll tell the guards on the bridge to expect you, and they’ll show you to Father’s public office. Is that agreeable?”

Dylan nodded as her stomach growled.

“Take care,” Callan said. He tucked some of her wild hair behind her ears before leaving, his steps quick and even as he walked away.

She watched him go and then entered the main palace, turning in the direction of the kitchens. She rounded a corner and smacked straight into Jarlath, almost sending the shorter man sprawling.

“There you are,” Jarlath snarled. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

Her heart froze.
What?

She moved to write on her slate, but Jarlath took it from her hands and threw it away. “Oisin, Morri. Take control of your charge!” Jarlath grunted when Dylan elbowed him in the gut and turned to run.

Lump moved to stand in her path, and Bump ghosted up behind her, penning her in. They grabbed her arms with a bear-trap grip. She was caught.

“Don’t dawdle. We’re leaving. Now!” Jarlath said, leading the way out of the palace and down the winding path to the stables and palace gates. “We would have left an hour ago, but we couldn’t locate you,” Jarlath said, eyeing her. “A complication you will pay for.”

What was going on? They couldn’t leave! If they left, Callan and his father wouldn’t be able to arrest Jarlath!

I should have let Callan kiss me. Then I could scream, and someone would stop us!
Dylan wriggled and fought her guards.

As they approached the gates, Jarlath’s coach rolled up.

“Ride with her,” Jarlath ordered Bump and Lump before he mounted up.

Bump and Lump stuffed Dylan in the carriage, joining her in the stuffy compartment and blocking the doors.

Dylan spent most of the ride fighting them—kicking out, lunging for the door, and silently growling at them. Neither Bump nor Lump said a word.

By the time they arrived at Jarlath’s castle, she was spent. Defeat sat on her shoulders with the weight of a whale. Jarlath had—unintentionally—outmaneuvered Callan. Callan would need to put together more than a squadron of soldiers to rip Jarlath from his own home. It might be days before Callan could march against him. And who knew what Jarlath would do in the meantime? Did he know that Callan had proof of his activities? How could he? Dylan had
just
given the prince the papers.

Dylan staggered out of the carriage, tired from fighting for the whole drive.

“Retrieve the selkie’s pelt,” Jarlath ordered one of his men as he approached Dylan and her guards. “How was the drive? Did she behave herself?” he asked, sliding a hunting knife from his belt as he eyed Dylan.

Dylan swallowed her fear and built her resolve.

“Quiet as a kitten,” Lump said. She tried to swallow her surprise.

“Good,” Jarlath said before pointing at Dylan with his knife. “Behave yourself,” he ordered.

“Lord Jarlath,” Dylan heard the sea witch’s voice as a path opened up between the men in front of her. “You took your time in arriving.”

“You could have given me more notice. I pulled my men together as soon as I received your summons. Have you finished, then?” Jarlath swaggered across the stable yard.

“I have made enough charms to keep you and your men safe when I bring the tidal wave down on the palace,” the sea witch said, indicating a small chest a servant carried for her.