Page 129 of The Hunted

He really wasn’t surprised.

Moving beyond the thoughts of the landwalkers, he went back to the current topic at hand. Arelle, that was. The fact that they had spies on Atlas who had managed to get eyes on her and confirm that yes, she was alive. At the moment, she was being moved to the king’s court.

Before that, Mav hadn’t been able to find her at all. It was as though she’d disappeared on Atlas, because none of the sources they had to feed them information had been able to find anything.

Like she hadn’t existed at all.

Except she had.

And she belonged to Mav. He intended on getting her back for many reasons. Starting with the fact she was his intended mate, and ending on the note that with her by his side and the impending doom the Blu Sea king faced currently … well, not only would Mav rule the Land of Emerald, but he might also be able to take the Blu Sea.

He couldn’t find a reason not to.

Perhaps it wasn’t only the landwalkers who were selfish, but this would be better for others and not just himself. The people of this kingdom needed safety. Freedom, too. The ability to live and procreate and be happy without the threat from the land.

They had barely any young.

Rarely left their deep colonies or grottos.

Even their hunting was reduced to small schools of fish that were easy to catch but offered very little for sustenance. When was the last time they’d cooked something instead of eating it raw? Not that it mattered—their diet allowed either, but one was far better than the other, he had to admit.

The people even refused to mate. Despite finding companions and lovers they wanted to bond with, they wouldn’t, for fear their mates would be taken away.

They didn’t have a life here. Certainly not one worth living, anyway. Every single one of them wanted something different. Mav knew this because he’d taken the time to talk to as many of the merpeople as he could. They wanted to believe things could be better, and he gave them someone to believe in. On the cusp of a rebellion, all it would take was the right push. He wouldn’t need to wait for his father’s army to arrive here, in a season or more, once word traveled back to the Emerald Lands.

He would have an army right here ready.

So, if he could give them what they so desperately needed and get what he wanted, too, where was the problem?

Mav did not see one.

“Prince, we need to know what comes after this,” his advisor said.

Lifting his head, Mav stared at the court leading into the Blu Sea’s palace carved from the coral. “They are certain it is her?”

“Undoubtedly. The brand was clear.”

“Bring whispers of the rebellion to the people of the Blu Sea. Let them spread it … allow them to talk. I want it to reach Zale all on its own, while he sits alone on his throne.”

“And then?”

Mav smiled, flashing teeth that had been sharpened into points. A distinct feature for the people of his land that came from the sea. “Well, then they will need a leader. And I will give them one.”

They already had a reason to fight. They simply needed the push to begin, and once they started … Atlas would burn.

THIRTY

Arelle

“WE’RE HERE.”

Arelle’s head popped up from the palm of her still-shackled hand to peer around. She nearly fell asleep over the two-day travel in the royal caravan. The swaying of the carriage was almost enough to remind her of the way the waves in the sea rocked them back and forth.

Except this wasn’t the sea.

And she couldn’t forget it.

She couldn’t see much through the heavy drapes that had been drawn on the carriage, but she could tell the rain was coming down far easier than it had been. At least now it didn’t sound like a thousand drums beating down on the roof of the carriage.