Seaborn by Chris Howard

Author:Chris Howard
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Juno Books
Published: 2011-04-30T10:16:29+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Dreaming

Since once I sat upon a promontory,

And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back

Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath

That the rude sea grew civil at her song

And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,

To hear the sea-maid's music.

—A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare

* * * *

Spend your time and thought—and energy—wisely.

Kassandra frowned at her mother's words.

She means spend them on the war, said Praxinos. Not on that young man.

The Wreath-wearers were divided over where she should spend her time and thought and energy.

He is a soldier. Learn from him, said Andromache.

He's gorgeous. Eupheron mimicked Andromache's stern voice. Learn from him.

Kassandra smiled, liking Eupheron more and more. “Nereus."

Her whisper became a shape in the water that darted in the darkness before her. She indicated a direction with a finger and it swam off like a fish seeking Nereus, slipping under doors, passing guards, courtyards, windows, until it found the son of Menophon sleeping in his bed.

Her whisper circled his body, gathering all its remaining power, then drove into his chest and touched his heart.

Nereus woke, clutching his bed, his blood thumping in his ears.

"Kassandra?"

He felt her, an echo of her warmth, as if she had been in his bed a moment before.

After calming his heart, Nereus kicked across his room, changed into something presentable, and left his family's house. He found Kassandra perched on the south facing wall of the Lasthenes Massif, the tower of rock that loomed over the rest of the Rexenor fortress.

He looked left and right as he swam to her. “Where are your guards?"

She didn't turn around. “I sent them away.” Then, understanding his question, she added, “I don't think they're protecting me, so much as protecting the rest of Rexenor from me.” Before he could ask why, she glanced over her shoulder and said, “I don't just bite.” Then clicked her teeth.

She just caught his grin before she looked away. He rolled in the water, landing with his toes right on the edge of the wall on Kassandra's right. To a thinling, the move would have been acrobatic, but all the Seaborn moved as he did.

So smooth in the water. She looked down at his feet, and then let her focus wander up to his shoulder before she turned away. “Why aren't you afraid of me?"

"I am. Why don't you ever look me in the eyes?"

She felt her neck muscles tense, wanting to turn toward him. “I want to.” She stared at his open hand instead, the gesture he'd made with the question. “I can't. Because I can turn you inside out with a look, Nereus.” She liked saying his name. “Because I can make you ... do things you don't want to do ... with a look."

Eupheron chuckled in her head. Let's see if we can get him to turn you inside out.

Eupheron! Ampharete shouted and Kassandra bent against the pain in her head.

"Shut up, all of you.” She grabbed Nereus by the arm, and he leaned back to hold her up.

The two of them stood on the edge of the battlement, staring into the pure night of the abyss.

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