A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

What's The Plan?

IIt was the night of the big ball, and I sat in a daze in my room.

All day, preparations had been underway across the kingdom. Even when I ventured up onto my little roof seat, I could see the valley below was swarming with activity; like a conveyor belt of mers importing things into the palace.

Earlier on in the day, I had swum by the Grand Hall and lingered by the entrance for a while taking it all in.

The hall itself was like a huge indoor meadow on top of the palace. It was wild and overgrown, in typical Evergreen fashion, and framed by dark green mossy walls. Large gaping holes penetrated these walls, and I imagined guests using them to swim in and out as they pleased; maybe nipping out to peruse the palace waters, take a look at the moon above.

It was all being spruced up with decorations, which mainly consisted of big, quirky coral sculptures bejewelled with little diamonds and inky blue-coloured sea flowers. From the ceiling hung several large glass balls, which I imagined would be filled with fairies when it got nearer the time.

It was all so lovely, but I couldn't enjoy it. Not that it's for my enjoyment anyway; it's all for Llyr and Witch-face.

I still couldn't get my head round what had happened last night. I had felt that in that little time we spent together the tides had turned, and he loved me again. But then suddenly it was all swept away when he had to go and remind me of his 'commitment'.

I had been so utterly livid at the time but now I was in a calmer mood, it didn't seem so bad. In fact, I could even kind of see where he was coming from. Maybe he wasn't saying that he didn't want me, but just that this whole engagement was not something he could easily just swim away from. And to be fair, he didn't know of their evil powers either. Oh, could it actually be that he still wanted me too? I was starting to feel a little annoyed with myself for swimming off. I wished, even, that I had stayed and let the man speak.

I won't punish myself, I decided. I have been to hell and back – in fact; it's a wonder I didn't go completely ape at him!

But as I sat there reassuring myself I realised there was one thing I very much needed to know right now: What's the plan? The spell is broken but what of this wedding? What is Tairise's next move? And how will he stop it?

I felt an aching around my fins. I had been sat on my mossy mattress with my tail folded beneath me for quite some time. I slowly straightened out my tail before me. Ahhh, blistering barnacles, I grimaced as I felt the stab of pins and needles. I had been deep in deliberation, but now I began to think about leaving my bedroom and doing some investigating. As if on cue, there was the sound of swooshing and I looked up. One of my maids had arrived.

"Miss White, Tairise would like to see you in his meeting room," she said, smiling down at me. I nodded and eagerly got up, swimming towards the exit. Maybe he had sensed my thinking frenzy from down below.

***

I swam into Tairise's meeting room, where he sat on his throne. He appeared lost in thought, and I had to say his name to jerk him out of his trance.

"Child," he said nodding his head at me.

"Greetings," I replied bowing my head.

"Now," he said, "news has come today from Ri. He does not want you to be at this ball for obvious reasons."

"What?" I cried. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. If I couldn't come to the ball, I wouldn't see Llyr again before his wedding. And then all hope would be lost forever.

"Now, I couldn't have that," said Tairise. "You sitting on your own in the palace while the celebrations are underway. So I have sent news back that you have moved on and have found a new love."

I gasped. Now Llyr would think I was with somebody else!

"Girl, I understand this may not be what you want, but I can't have any problems here tonight. If they were to turn on us, we would never be able to defend ourselves, especially without the support of Ri."

"Is Ri still under their spell?" I asked.

"I know not," Tairise responded. "I understand you saw Llyr the past moon?"

"Yes," I sighed. "He appeared fine, back to normal... although he still spoke of this commitment he had made."

"Hmm," said Tairis, "time is running out now, you see. I cannot influence them from here; it is too risky for me to start whispering things into their ears. It could backfire. They will need to make their own decision about the union and unfortunately, for us, it sounds as though it is still to go ahead. The plan remains the same. We will have to tolerate it."

"But what about the spell?" I cried. "What if they do it again, and steal the quintessence?"

"The lords of the Ocean Forests guaranteed that this spell could not be cast twice, and so if it has been undone then they are now immune from it. I will just have to trust Ri will be more vigilant with the quintessence if he is in his right mind."

I shook my head. How can he give up so easily? Surely if we were to just tell them that they were evil... that they had tricked them into this whole thing by means of magic...

"Don't you interfere in this," said Tairise sternly. He had read my mind. "You don't know how things work down here. We will all follow my plan, and if you can't follow it then you will stay in your room tonight, do you hear?"

I swallowed and looked down. "Okay," I said quietly.

"Now, you will need to appear in love with another. Might I suggest Spirit?"

"No," I said immediately, remembering Llyr and Spirit's standoff last night.

"I think it would be best..." said Tairise.

"No, it really wouldn't," I said, my mind racing a hundred miles an hour. "Can we not go with Jasper?"

Tairise sighed and looked away. I knew what he was thinking, that it wouldn't be believable, but he would not say that to me. He would not admit his son was gay. I had checkmated him.

"Very well, you are in love with Jasper," he said. "Now, I have a lot to attend to. I'm sorry for all of this. I know it is difficult."

I had to stop my eyes from rolling. He had no idea.

"As you know, I wish that this fate was not so, myself," Tairise continued, looking at me now with sincerity, "I wish it were you who was marrying Llyr. You would make the loveliest, purest queen in all the kingdoms, but it is not so, my child. It is not so."

I felt the muscles in my brow tense and I stared at the foot of his chair. While this was all incredibly touching, it also made me more annoyed that he didn't have the guts to see this whole thing through and make his wishes a reality.

Tairise swam upwards now, and my eyes trailed his huge tail as it filed out of the meeting room. I was left alone in the chamber.

Maybe I should just have said that I would stay upstairs in my room this evening, but something inside was telling me not to give up. At the risk of sounding Sam-like, maybe if we just saw each other one last time, he might change his mind...