*THIS NOVEL IS A SEQUEL TO WILD CARD & CANNOT BE READ AS A STANDALONE*
There is a legend that one in four royal advisor-mages will betray their monarch, overthrow them for power.
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Gwenore, the new Queen of Acewood, is on a throne most would kill...
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We chose not to enter Luned's castle, still wary of traps.
Instead, we rode into town, searching for a means to get on the water and chase down that damn dolphin. And figure out where the mermaid kingdom's entrance was. From what the old man had said, desertion was likely for many inhabitants.
And he was right. Three quarters of the lively shops were closed, and all house shutters slammed shut. Little life lingered in the streets, allowing us to hear the crashing of the waves over the rocks and the chirping of seagulls overhead.
Everyone had fled. Without Luned to tyrannize her people, no one had any reason to stay. And the few individuals we did see were skittish, refusing to speak with us despite our disguises. A handful recognized Ysac, and by default identified me, and hurried into their homes so fast we barely had a chance to say a word. Another handful sneered and spat at our feet.
One elderly lady consented to loan us her fishing boat—which was in truth a few slabs of wood mounted together with no edges to stop one from falling. Three silver coins later, Ysac and I made a few repairs to said shabby boat, then began paddling towards the rocky alcoves beneath the castle.
"This is absurd," said Ysac, as he used the paddles to push us farther out. One of Luned's private beaches loomed straight ahead of us, but we'd have to navigate around a cluster of clumpy rocks to get there. "We're not making any progress. She could send a tidal wave to knock us over in a heartbeat. That is, if this thing doesn't sink before we even reach the coves."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop your pessimism and row."
I cupped a hand over my forehead, trying to visualize the caverns below my half-sister's castle. I'd never visited them; Luned let no one down there, which should have prompted my suspicion years ago. When Ysac claimed he'd seen them, I prodded him with inquiries until I was red in the face and he hid under his horse, wary I'd clobber him.
"They're caves of precious, shimmering gems, and she goes there to think. Or for physical pleasures." Ysac had turned the scarlet color of a hart-fruit at that last part, implying he'd partaken in such physical pleasures. I never doubted he slept with at least two of my sisters, but to get confirmation of it brought bile to my mouth.
Luned, the half-mermaid monster? Yes, she was beautiful, had the curves of a goddess, eyes that could make one do anything she asked, and a siren's voice that hypnotized. But she was evil. A bad-blooded bitch who betrayed our entire family and slept with the mage who plotted our father's murder and conspired with the knave who did the deed.
"It's not pessimism if it's true, Majesty." Ysac huffed, blowing his humid honey locks out of his face, showing his sun-kissed cheeks. He shoved the paddle into the water and pushed, every inch of his toned body bulging and pulsating. "We're chasing a dolphin who only responds to Luned, and who won't hesitate to chomp our noses off if we push too far. I'm telling you; we should have thought about this."
