A Thousand Salt Kisses Forever (Third Book in Salt Kisses series)

He didn't just...did he?

We passed through a little hole, cleverly hidden high in the looped detailing of the hall's dome ceiling. I felt disorientated when we entered into an upwards, spiraling corridor. How could this be, when the dome ceiling was the very top of the palace? Llyr shot up ahead and I followed, feeling more and more dizzy. It was all a bit like the everlasting fire exits in the tube stations in London, only with no steps, of course.

We eventually broke out into an open space, a giant dome shaped room. I looked around confused for a while before I realised that the dome in the Grand Hall was not the very top of the palace, as one would assume, but a cunning illusion, designed to conceal the space above.

Suddenly there was the sound of a clearing throat and my heart skipped a beat. The unmistakable silhouette of Ri was looming above us, looking down as we emerged into the dome, his details masked by the light that shone down through the crystal ceiling. Despite this, I could still make out both his terrifying upper form - that of a huge, huge man - and the thick muscular tail, which encased his lower half.

It suddenly dawned on me that he had probably not been expecting us, and I felt even more scared now having burst in on him like this.

"Ri," said Llyr, taking my hand and pulling me upwards towards him. "I have brought Crystal to you."

I was now on eye-level with him and looked into his face nervously. Ri had thick stern eyebrows, like one big black stripe across his face, but asides from this menacing feature he bore the same green eyes and chiseled jawline as Llyr. He also shared his youthful looks, and it was hard to imagine he was a day over thirty five.

His expression was quite open, not necessarily as hostile as on previous occasions, and I felt myself relax a little. Suddenly, I frowned. There was something different about him... he was wearing glasses. Human glasses.

"So I see," Ri replied eventually, nodding at me.

The glasses drifted away from his face and I caught them.

He emitted an enraged grunt, and I jumped, anxiously handing them back to him.

"Thank you," he said taking them and putting them irritably back over his eyes. "They will not remain on my face."

Llyr reached towards his ears and tried to push them more firmly in place but they bounced upwards again. "Where in the world did you find these, Ri?" he asked.

I frowned, curious. I always thought it strange how he called his father 'Ri'. It was so formal.

Ri sighed, "Nephys found them for me on the beach one night, she said it would aid my poor sight. They have been useful."

"Maybe you should turn them upside down," I suggested catching them again, "because everything is designed not to travel downwards on land, but it is the other way round down here."

Ri sighed and placed them so that the arms hooked underneath his lobes and after some fiddling, he nodded. This time they did not float away but he did look strange wearing upside down glasses, especially with those brows. I forced down a giggle. Please, please don't laugh, I willed myself.

Ri gesticulated downwards and we sank to the floor, where Llyr and I perched together on a rose-quartz rock. He looked down his nose at us expectantly.

"Ri, I love Crystal. I cannot be without her," said Llyr, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me near him.

I felt a wave of love build up inside me for him. He was so sweet and honest.

Ri crossed his arms and looked at us both, "I was expecting this," he said. I bit my lip. I didn't know if this was good or bad. "So you will come and live with us then?" he continued, looking at me, that big eyebrow clenched in utmost seriousness.