Kingdom of Sea and Stone (Crown of Coral and Pearl #2) - Mara Rutherford Page 0,2
she pulled a small basket off a shelf. “They’re gone overnight sometimes, searching deeper waters. Sami and I were able to buy a larger boat.” Her expression clouded over at the mention of her missing beloved, and I felt the loss as if it were my own. Nothing would be right until they had been reunited.
“We’re going to find him, Zadie,” I insisted. “And we’re going to need to be well rested when we do.”
I went to our room and collapsed onto the bed, wincing as my back hit the stiff straw mattress.
“Don’t you want to eat something?” Zadie asked, coming to join me. “I know dried fish isn’t exactly an Ilarean delicacy, but you must be starving.”
“I’m all right.” More than anything, I wanted to wash away the shame and fear that clung to me ever since I’d been locked in the New Castle dungeon. “I’m guessing we don’t have enough fresh water to spare for a bath?”
“No baths these days, I’m afraid.”
“Mother must be beside herself,” I said, rolling my eyes.
She smiled, but it seemed forced.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just hope you’ll give Mother a chance. She’s making an effort. It hasn’t been easy for her. It hasn’t been easy for any of us.”
I frowned, feeling chastened for a comment that would have rolled right off Zadie’s back three months ago. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.” She let out a weary breath and closed her eyes. “I’m just tired.”
“You rowed to land and back again the same day. That would exhaust even the strongest man.”
She glanced at me and shook her head. “It’s not the physical exhaustion, Nor. Losing you, then Sami, and having no idea if he’s even alive... I can’t fathom a future without him.” She closed her eyes again. “I know that’s probably hard to understand, too.”
“Not so hard,” I murmured. My longing for Talin, Prince Ceren’s half brother, surged in my mind, but it felt selfish to mention my feelings for him when Zadie was hurting so much from Sami’s loss. Talin and I weren’t best friends like Zadie and Sami. We hadn’t grown up together; we didn’t even come from the same world. Still, Talin had given up the crown to save me, and I knew that if given the chance, the feelings that had blossomed in New Castle could grow into something special in their own right.
Zadie mumbled a few more words before her breathing deepened, and I realized she had fallen asleep. I curled onto my side, watching her chest rise and fall. The furrow in her brow that I feared had become a permanent feature softened, her mouth relaxed, and she was once again the sweet, beautiful sister I had always known. Yes, things had changed, but surely there was nothing that couldn’t be remedied if we were together. I took her hand and allowed myself to drift off to sleep, secure in one thing, at least.
I was home.
* * *
I was startled awake by Mother’s shriek, as shrill as a gull’s cry. For a moment I was sure I was back in New Castle, but then I saw my sister next to me. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as I took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Is everything all right?” Zadie asked Mother around a yawn.
“Is everything all right?” Mother stared down at us like we’d appeared out of thin air. “You told me you were going to deliver a message to Nor, not bring her home with you! How did this happen?”
“Good morning, Mother,” I said, before Zadie could answer.
Mother’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she glanced from me to Zadie to Father.
“Father!” I leaped from the bed and ran to him before he was fully through the trapdoor. I pulled him the rest of the way up and wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Nor?” Father’s voice cracked. “Am I dreaming?”
I smiled against his chest. “It’s me, Father. I came back.”
“How—?”
“Did something happen in Ilara?” Mother asked. “Why did Prince Ceren allow you to return?”
I had no idea how to answer their questions. I certainly couldn’t start by telling them I’d left my blood coral blade behind in Ilara, still embedded in Ceren’s chest. Even though I had killed him in self-defense, his final scream echoed in my ears, making what little sleep I got fitful at best. I could only hope that putting an ocean between myself and those awful memories would be enough.