Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
They had mostly saved themselves, though with still a considerable loss of lives, and used magic to survive until they could build their invisible, but impregnable wall around the city. It kept out both the water and the sea creatures who might try to attack them in those first chaotic years. But as time went on, keeping the water out was too enormous an expenditure of even their considerable magic to sustain, so they set out to make sure their people could survive under water by giving them gills so they could breathe in the sea water, and by enhancing their strength so they could withstand the oceanic pressure. Atlantean bodies, like that of the Mer Folk’s, were capable of moving with ease even with half a ton of pressure on their bodies.
Ten years later, Kailar and Aden were swimming in the sea inside the Atlantean walls—and occasionally venturing outside those walls. They were adventurous boys, and they were Mer Folk, who never liked to be confined to any one space. We all loved the freedom of the open seas.
But they had been expressly forbidden to go out on their own, alone. It was far too dangerous for them, with my queen still stalking them and sending her creatures after them. Queen Beathag had bent the most deadly and vicious creatures of the ocean to her will and they served her now. Sharks, stingrays, sea urchins, barracudas, blue-ringed octopus, and sea snakes were all counted among her creatures. My sons were attacked by a group of sharks in the open sea and barely escaped with their lives.
Worst of all and most deadly of all Beathag’s creatures, however, was the Kracken. Living in a deep cavern in the darkest, deepest part of the ocean, the Kracken rarely made an appearance. When he did emerge, it was to do Beathag’s bidding. It hadn’t happened for seven years—most of the time the monster lay dormant and dreaming in his cave. But I knew Beathag wouldn’t hesitate to waken him again when she thought the time was right.
With the boys’ activities becoming too adventurous and too dangerous, King Cleotus sent for me, and we agreed they had to be watched more closely. He named two of his Lords as their guardians, Lord Alyxsander and Lord Keion. They were brothers—young men at the time, though high-ranking and from a powerful and wealthy family. Still, I wondered why Cleotus had chosen them. He explained to me that with his wizardry, he had discerned these two men would one day be mated to my sons. Who better to guard them now?
He knew that while they might look on the task as an irritation while they were still so young themselves, but one day, when the boys got a bit older, they would be all too happy to guard my sons with their lives. I was satisfied Cleotus was right, and so I agreed.
One of the men, however, Lord Alyxsander, or Lord Alyx as he liked to be called, found the task to be too onerous, giving him too much responsibility when he was busy living his rakish life and training for the Atlantean military. He was very young and rash, so he decided to find a caretaker for Kailar, his charge, and to further ensure Kailar’s safety, he sent both Kailar and the caretaker to the mortal world until the boy reached the age of twenty-one. Lord Alyx was from a family of powerful mages, and he altered Kailar to look and feel like a mortal. He also wiped his memory of any life he’d once had in the sea.
His brother, Lord Keion, allowed Adan to stay on in Atlantis, but assigned his care to bodyguards, who lived in a villa on the far side of the city. From that time on, he rarely saw the boy or paid him any attention.
I feared they’d both regret those decisions one day, but I had agreed to give the Atlantean Lords free rein over my children and trust that they knew what they were doing.
I only hoped they did.
Chapter One
Kailar, son of King Tearloch
Ten and a half years later in the water off Tybee Island
Leaning over the railing of the rented boat, I watched the dolphins performing for us. And I truly believed they were performing—even the two men running the boat and overseeing this tour had already commented on how mischievously the beautiful creatures were behaving, jumping in the air and splashing too close to us. The boat was small, more like a large fishing vessel, because that was all my stepmother and I could afford. But it was a beautiful day, and I was enjoying every second of it.
The dolphins seemed excited and were jumping and cavorting all around us, frightening some of the others, but I couldn’t lie, every fiber in my being begged me to dive into the water and play with them. Their black, shiny eyes, like a doll’s eyes, seemed to focus on me as I looked down at them. When I laughed aloud at their antics, they opened their toothy mouths and seemed to laugh back at me and jumped even higher, splashing all of us with cold sea-spray and causing everyone on board to scream and squeal. My stepmom smiled indulgently at me as I leaned way out and stretched a hand to them, feeling their same enthusiasm. I was eager to touch their smooth, wet skin. The sun was like a balm spreading over me and every drop of ocean water that touched me felt like a soothing caress.