Page 114 of Salt in the Seas
The woman still didn’t smile. “Far prettier than the others we snared. Maybe that’s how we’ll decide which of you to put on display like your people did with Rhoda.”
Aeliana winced as Gaeren tensed beside her, but before he could respond, Gellen approached.
“Grandma. Leave them be.” He tried to escort her away, but she harrumphed and stalked off on her own.
For once the Sayhleen looked chagrined. “She always says what she’s thinking, and lately her mind hasn’t been as clear as it once was. It’s hard for me to look into it and see her confusion. Today she remembers Rhoda is dead, but not that you rescued her body. Tomorrow she’ll remember it differently.”
“I’m sure it was a shock to see it.” Aeliana shuddered as she remembered it on the wall in Dreyfus’ cabin, and Gellen grimaced as he likely saw the same. “Are you just constantly tuned in to my mind?”
He shrugged. “It’s not something I normally do, but my father suggested it was prudent until we understand your true motives.”
She rolled her eyes, then turned to Gaeren, except he wasn’t there. Which meant he’d probably taken her advice.
“What advice was that?” Gellen asked.
“To find the elders,” she lied, then looped her hand through hisarm, ignoring how he tensed beside her. “I’d actually like to talk to them myself. Can you take me?”
He grimaced. “You might be better off finding Nori first. I think she was?—”
“No, I think it should be you.” Aeliana smiled sweetly, thinking about how his presence would guarantee the elders trusted their interactions with her.
“Oh, fine,” he grumbled. “I’m not sure why you want to talk to them anyway. They won’t tell you anything about Lady Merinnia.”
She nudged him forward until he started walking. “Maybe not, but if they’re going to condemn us, I’d rather it was because they’d actually met me.”
CHAPTER 43
Gaeren duckedbetween a flirting couple and a woman reprimanding her children, hoping that Gellen wouldn’t notice his absence. Aeliana’s suggestion had been good, even if it was risky. At any point, Gellen could read Gaeren’s mind and discover what he was doing. And that could easily put them back in the hut, even further from their goals. He’d already tried seeing if Nori knew where the starbridges were held. But her only memory was of her father acknowledging that he had hidden them.
Which meant it was time to find Nori’s father.
He scanned the crowd, attempting to smile at those who recognized him as the stranger in their midst. For once, his friendly nature almost seemed to turn people away instead of draw them in.
He half-heartedly searched a few for any memories surrounding Lady Merinnia. But most centered around gossip they’d heard about others who’d gone to see her—names of people he didn’t know, people who might no longer exist. All of their rumors made Lady Merinnia out to be a witch who cursed those who came. With each perspective, he gained a new understanding of Aeliana’s hesitance to come to Sayhla Island.
If they had sought out Pacran’s dusty tomes, would they have answers by now?
The same guard who’d escorted him to the Coral Coves the daybefore now followed him. He wasn’t surprised, but he hoped the man didn’t have the same skills as Gellen. There was no starlock around his neck, but Velden’s fishhook earring was proof that empty necks didn’t always mean someone didn’t have magic.
When Gaeren finally caught sight of Nori’s father, he weaved his way through the crowd, taking a few detours to disguise his final destination. The guard still tailed him.
Aeliana would berate him for not having a plan, but by the time Gaeren drew close enough to see the green hue of the elder’s eyes, his only idea was to get the old man to tell him a long boring story that might make Gaeren’s eyes glaze over even if he wasn’t doing magic.
Before he could get close enough to ask about the infrastructure of the Coral Coves or the history of the sprites, Nori’s mother caught his arm, holding him back in the crowd. “Where do you think you’re going? Did you lose Aeliana?”
He laughed nervously. “I guess so. We got separated when talking to other people by one of the fires, and I haven’t been able to find her since.” He also hadn’t been looking, but he didn’t tell her that.
He was surprised when she grinned mischievously. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.” She turned his palm over to find his bond. “I thought so.”
His face heated, and this time his nervousness wasn’t for show. “Oh, we’re bonded to other people. We’ve known each other since we were children, that’s all. We’re just friends.”
She raised her eyebrows, and he glanced down at the cord around her neck, wondering if she could sense lies, then wondering if hehadjust told a lie.
“Well, you can stay with me while we watch the official induction ceremony,” she said, patting his back. The familiarity made him stiffen. Maybe she was using his exact same strategy to tune in to his mind in some way. Except, the defensive blocking strategies his mentors had ingrained in him over the years came up with nothing. Maybe she just wasn’t as concerned about the Vendarans as her husband was.
Which might also mean her guard would be down for him to access her memories.
“Thank you…” He hesitated over her name. Were there titles for the elders’ wives?
