Sheltered by the Sea Lord (Lords of Atlantis #10) - Starla Night Page 0,3
he could find amusement in anything. But lately, smiling had been harder. “I crafted it.”
“Did you? He will not believe you. All the tines point in the correct direction!”
His partner feinted at the jokester, but they both laughed.
Gailen didn’t. He used to joke about it himself. These warriors weren’t the ones who had changed.
He smoothed one finger along the flat edge of his carved trident. “Where are you going?”
“A special assignment.” Endi veered toward the far edge of the ruin where Lieutenant Diras waited. “To glory, honor, and finding our brides!”
They swam on, cheery and excited.
Once, he had had close friends.
One by one, they had found their soul mates and left him behind.
Once, he’d thought finding a bride would be easy. Atlantis sent warriors to the surface all the time. How could he fail to find his soul mate? He’d been so young, and he’d had so much hope.
Once…
He barely knew the new warriors who flocked to Atlantis. Rebels and exiles fleeing their traditional home cities for the hope of a new life. They were all fit and willing, and their souls glowed brightly in their chests displaying their loyal enthusiasm. King Kadir had welcomed every new defector to Atlantis just as warmly as he had once welcomed Gailen. They defended Atlantis for this historic reunion between the races.
One bright soul separated from Lieutenant Diras’s special assignment group and kicked to him. A smaller form followed.
Uh-oh.
Do not pity my struggle.
He turned away and roughly raked the tines through the rubble.
Queen Elyssa hovered over the ruined garden. “You’re working hard.”
He could not help his bitter laugh. It vibrated in his chest with a choking sensation. “Hardly.”
Her young fry, Prince Kael, shifted to human feet and tore into the rubble pile, spreading out what he’d raked.
“You’re about to have to work twice as hard.” Queen Elyssa shooed away her young fry. “Kael, baby, why don’t you stack the rocks? Here, like Mommy.”
Her busy prince tossed the rocks, immune to her distractions.
“I do not mind.” Who could feel anger at a young fry? Prince Kael was the hope of Atlantis—and their race. “This task is all I can do. If it takes me twice as long, at least I will be occupied.”
“You’re always occupied.” Queen Elyssa looked at him too sharply. “You do a lot, Gailen.”
She was exceptionally kind. She always had been. “Yes… This garden will take a lot.”
“Just think how wonderful it would be if it could bloom as it did in the past. All the warriors who still don’t believe in us would change their minds. Even the All-Council would be amazed.”
“If anyone bothered to visit this small plot during the reunion ceremony, yes.”
Queen Elyssa tilted her head. Her soul glowed steadily with the power of a vibrant queen, but her smile faded. “Do you really think what you’re doing is unimportant?”
Playing in a dead garden was certainly not as important as securing the city from the All-Council or any other enemies who threatened them.
Bitterness lanced him again.
He shrugged.
Queen Elyssa glanced at the edge of the ruin. “It’s been days since the first search for Starr turned up empty. The second search party will have so much more ocean to cover, and you’re from that region. I was surprised you didn’t volunteer.”
“I did volunteer.” He buried his trident in the loosened soil by his human toes. “King Kadir cannot afford to search for a misplaced warrior on top of everything else.”
“Misplaced warrior?’
He lifted his hands, thumbs jutting out. “If I was captured by raiders or attacked by a predator.”
“Kadir didn’t say that. Weren’t you one of the warriors who freed him from the impenetrable All-Council prison?”
A lifetime ago, perhaps. “No one remembers.”
“I remember. You saved the city a bunch of times, Gailen. And that was with no thumbs.” She held out her hand. “Come on.”
A flicker of danger zinged through him. Only a husband was allowed to touch his bride. If any other warrior tried, even to save her life, he could be exiled.
But that was the ancient rule. Modern queens were different, and Queen Elyssa waited patiently, knowing his struggle and smiling gently as he overcame it.
He tucked his trident to his side and gripped her fingers with his own, his thumb jutting away from her wrist.
“Let’s go, Kael.” She kicked with her fins, tugging Gailen with her.
Gailen pushed off the ground with his human feet and shifted to fins, modulating his expert strokes to match her pace. They approached the gathered warriors. Queen Elyssa shone with resonant power,