Tides of Torment (Immortal Realms Book 2)

Wrapped in nothing but a sheet, Sereia moved across Travion’s room to the silver tray that sat on the table. Beneath the intricately decorated dome sat a plate of eggs, potatoes, blood pudding, and sausage. Another plate held a stack of toast and slices of tomato. Her belly grumbled at the smell, and she picked up a piece of sausage and bit into it greedily.

Sereia wasn’t sure when someone had entered the room to leave the tray, but she wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t woken. Once she and Travion had left the ball last night, their lovemaking had carried on into the early morning. From the position of the sun, it would seem she had only been asleep for a few hours.

“Travion?” she called out, but there was no response. Likely, kingly duties had pulled him away.

After securing the sheet around her like a dress, Sereia dropped several slices of tomato and a piece of toast onto the plate. She then poured piping-hot tea into the waiting teacup. With a cube of sugar and a dollop of cream, it was ready. After carrying both the cup and the plate out onto the balcony off Travion’s quarters, Sereia settled herself down onto the chaise lounge there.

She took a welcomed sip of the tea, sighing as she looked out over the water. Today, the sea was calm, its surface nothing but glistening sunshine that beckoned. She wondered how her crew was doing, and if the repairs to the ship had been completed yet. She’d only left Mointeach yesterday morning, but a lot could be achieved in a day when they were at port in a proper town.

A lot could also distract them.

Adrik would be on top of his duties, however, so long as he hadn’t gotten too deep into his cups last night, or too caught up in a pair of breasts. The man had never been enraptured with anyone that Sereia had noticed, but he did seem to enjoy his tavern wenches.

She set aside her teacup and dug into her breakfast, her stomach rumbling happily as the savory food was consumed. This was much better than the swill she typically feasted on aboard the ship or in the portside inns where they took up lodging.

Being royalty did have its advantages.

When she was finished and pleasantly full, Sereia set her plate aside and settled back, her feet drawn up on the lounge and her teacup resting on her knees. There was a peace inside her for the moment that had only come from setting her eyes upon Travion herself. Even when Yon had returned with reports that he was safe and alive, she’d needed to know for sure.

If the ache between her thighs and the tiredness of her muscles said anything, it was that Travion was well and truly alive. He may have borne a large scar across his chest to prove how in peril he had been, but he was okay.

Sensing a shift behind her, Sereia glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see Travion. Instead, it was Yon. She was dressed in her standard attire: cotton trousers, leather boots, a leather vest that also acted as armor, and leather vambraces protecting her forearms. On her back she carried two swords, pieces she was never without.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, startled.

Yon bowed lightly in greeting, her jet-black hair bound tightly with leather in a topknot. “Sir wished to know that you were well and that everything had gone smoothly for you last night.”

Sereia’s brow shot up. Adrik had sent Yon because he wanted in on the gossip? He was well aware of the fact that she had a tendency to slip in and out of the castle. Sereia hated that he knew this time was different because of her inner turmoil.

It felt like a weakness had been exposed.

“Well, as you can see, I am quite all right,” she said dryly. “And so very happy to see that Adrik is concentrating on the truly important tasks I’ve left him to oversee.”

“The ship repairs are coming along, Captain. The sails have been sewn or replaced, and the minor holes in the hull have been patched. Sir was working on restocking our stores when I left.”

“Mhm.” She sipped her tea, which had grown cold. Standing, Sereia tossed the remainder over the balcony and slipped past Yon. “Did anyone see you enter the castle?”

“No, Captain.”

“The king isn’t going to like that.” Along with her talent for acquiring information, Yon also possessed the ability to sneak through places undetected. It was nothing against the alertness of Travion’s soldiers, but Sereia had never known Yon to be caught yet. Her training in Caifu had been centered specifically around the ability to get in and out of heavily guarded places unseen.

Her skills were truly wasted on The Saorsa, but Sereia was happy to have her.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, pouring herself more tea.

“Is that tea?” Yon asked, a hopeful light in her eyes.

Sereia chuckled. “It is. Come, make yourself some.” She waved at the teapot and corresponding amenities.

Yon stepped over to it quickly and poured herself a cup.

Sereia took her own and moved to sit on the end of the bed, sipping from the steaming porcelain. “You can report back to Adrik that I am alive, and the rest is none of his bloody business.”

Yon, always so stoic, offered the slightest of grins—really just the twitch of her lips—as she carried her teacup across the room, where she chose to lean against the wall beside a chair rather than sit down.

“I will relay your message verbatim, Captain.”

Together, they took a sip of tea, mutual delight shining in their eyes. Yon, ever the professional, tended to keep herself distant from the other crewmen. Sereia had a feeling it was to do with her past and an inability to truly let herself get close to anyone. However, Yon had grown fond of Adrik, Sereia could see it. His brash behavior amused the serious fighter, which Sereia always assumed was due to his ability to walk a fine line between loyalty and insubordination.

The moment of quiet reflection was interrupted as Travion waltzed through the doors. He wore a dark green jerkin over a white linen shirt and even darker green trousers.

“You’re up! I thought perhaps I was going to have to come in here and stir you awake.” The smirk on his face told her exactly how he’d planned to awaken her. Travion strode across the room and came to press a kiss to her forehead. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” she replied.

“How did you sleep?” His voice was soft, gentle. And it warmed her belly.

“I don’t remember getting much sleep last night.” She eyed him, pursing her lips.

Travion chuckled and leaned down to steal a quick kiss. “And I don’t remember hearing any complaints.”

Yon cleared her throat from across the room, her eyes on the floor as she sipped casually from her teacup.

Travion glanced over at her, a look of surprise on his face. “One of yours, I presume?” he asked, peering down at Sereia.

“She was sent to check on me.” Travion’s brow lifted in question. No one had been sent to check on her during any of her other visits. But that had been before she’d thought he was dead. Before she had raced through every storm the ocean had thrown at her to make sure he was still alive.

He seemed to read that, and perhaps more, in her face, for he did not press her on the matter. “And how exactly did she get past all my guards?”

Yon remained nonplussed, sipping her tea.

“I don’t ask Yon how she achieves any of the miraculous feats that she performs. It is simply accepted.”

“Truly?” Travion glanced between the two of them, then shrugged a shoulder.

Sereia only smirked and looked over at Yon. “Can you give us the room?” Yon bowed and left, stopping only to first refill her teacup. “Yon is a highly trained warrior, and it is best for both me and her that I do not know the ways in which she acquires her information.”

“Highly trained by who?” Curiosity lifted his brows, but he didn’t appear angered.

“A vicious nobleman in Caifu who stole young children from their homes or bought them from their impoverished parents to fuel his personal army.”

“What were you doing in Caifu?” he asked, frowning.

Sereia eyed him. “I have been in all the nations that surround the vast ocean. The kingdom of Caifu is widely known for its many great tinctures and herbal remedies that can be kept on ship for long periods of time without spoiling.” Infections were the worst to deal with out at sea. Injuries could be stitched back together, but if infection set in, there wasn’t always time to make it to port before blood poisoning followed. The Caifuese possessed an herbal remedy that would not only store well for long durations of time but was a blessed relief.

“How did you pluck a soldier from the ranks of this man’s army?”

“Yon wasn’t actually a mere soldier. She was one of his trusted assassins. When I met her, it was in a dark tavern on the outskirts of Joujew.” Perhaps one of the more dangerous ports along the coast of Caifu. “I was meeting a man who wished to purchase something I’d acquired at sea, and she was there to end the life of that same man.” They’d come to an agreement in the end, that she would finish her deal first, receive her coins, and then Yon could follow through with her duties.

“That doesn’t explain how she came to be aboard your ship.”

“In the end, all slaves are for sale. No matter how valuable.” The deal struck between them had proven to be more beneficial than either of them would have thought, for it provided the funds to free Yon. “She has been on my ship for over ten years now, and her dedication has never faltered. She would never do anything to harm me. Which means you have nothing to fear from her either.”

Travion sighed but nodded. “You certainly have an interesting group of people on that ship.”

“You have no idea.” When he gave her a questioning look, she waved it off. “Just a motley crew of humans, truly. Odds and ends I’ve collected from across the sea.” Sereia stood and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Do you need to stay in the castle today?”

His jaw shifted, and he hesitated before asking, “What were you thinking?”

“Heading into the city proper. It’s been ages since I’ve gone to the markets of Caithaird.”

Travion brushed the hair back from her face. “We can do that.”

Sereia nodded. “Let me just go and get dressed.” She slipped past him and out into the hall, where Yon leaned against the wall, appearing calm and at peace. “I’m going to dress, and then we’re heading into the capital. You may head back to the ship.”

“Is that an order, Captain?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll stay here with you.”

Sereia eyed her closely before nodding. While Yon had learned to sail as well as the best of them, she preferred to remain where Sereia was, acting as a protector for her captain.

“There is, perhaps, something else I should have mentioned, Captain.”

Sereia halted on her way down the hall to the room where Travion allowed her to store some Midniva-appropriate clothing. “Yes?” She looked back at Yon.

“There was word in the pub last night before I left of an attack off the coast of Tribonik. A fisherman had gotten word from a family member who lives there. It sounded as if the entire seaside town had been destroyed.”

Sereia cursed. “Did they say what it was?”

“The kraken, Captain.”

Sereia’s teeth clenched. That damnable beast. If only she had been able to kill it. “What town?”

“Novgor.”

Clothes forgotten for the time being, Sereia turned back to Travion’s room, finding him at the table munching on a slice of tomato.

“There was another attack.”

“What?” He looked up, a frown creasing his features. “Where?”

“Novgor, on the coast of Tribonik. It’s a small fishing village, likely five hundred citizens in its entirety. Yon overheard a fisherman in the pub—the attack happened in the last day or so. It was the kraken.”

Travion growled to himself and plucked a knife from the table. Piercing the tip of his finger, he dropped blood into a goblet of water. After the quick muttering of a spell, he spoke Admiral Callahan’s name.

It took a moment, and then a deep voice arose from the goblet. “Your Majesty.”

“Callahan, new reports have come in. There was an attack on the Tribonik town of Novgor. Where are you presently located?”

“We are a few days from Tribonik still.”

“Have you come across any signs of the attacks?”

“One downed ship. All that remained were bodies and a mast,” Callahan responded.

While she listened, Sereia paced back and forth, feeling her own agitation rising. The beast attacked with no rhyme or reason.

“I want you to head to Novgor, see what news you can gather from whomever may remain.”

“Aye, aye, Your Majesty.”

They signed off, and Travion’s shoulders sagged as he leaned forward to rest his hands on the table. His head hung forward, and there was a tightness to his jaw that spoke of anger. “Useless,” he muttered.

“You have your ship out there, you’re searching. What more can you do?”

He slammed his fist on the table top and straightened. “There has to be more than this.”

“Let Callahan do what he is trained to do. Once you have more information, you can plan your next move.”

His jaw was still working, and she could tell he hated this inactivity.

“Come, let us go to the market.”

“There is no bloody time for the market.”

“Perhaps not, but I think you could do with the distraction.”

They took a carriage from the castle, down into the outskirts of the city, then asked to be let out there. It was better to walk in on foot and have a slight chance of being unnoticed than to announce their presence at the center.

They walked together, side by side, with Finn and Yon following at a good distance behind. She had insisted on accompanying her captain into the city and now looked rather comical strolling alongside the gigantic captain’s guard. Yon was slight and came just about to mid-bicep on the tall fae. Yet, Sereia didn’t doubt that if pitted against each other, Yon would find a way to climb Finn like a tree and take him out at the neck.

The sun was bright in the sky, and the day was turning out to be a warm one. Though clothing options in her quarters were limited, Sereia had decided on a simple white blouse that came off her shoulders, flowed down her arms, and widened into long trailing cuffs. It was paired with a layered hunter-green skirt that gathered up on one side to show off an impressive view of leg. Around her waist was a matching corset that laced up the front and ended just below her breasts. Evun, Travion’s valet, had tried to talk her into letting him do her hair, but she’d sent him away and simply braided her hair, then wound it just below one ear in a bun.

The homes nestled on either side of the cobblestone streets at the city’s center were small but well maintained. Stones from the shoreline as well as the ground around them had been used to build their walls, and natural grasses were woven for thatched roofs. It was easy to see that the kingdom was prosperous, the homes cared for, and the citizens coming and going from them cleanly dressed and nourished.

“You would never guess that you had been at battle not too long ago,” Sereia commented offhandedly.

“The attack was more centered on the castle and myself, fortunately. Lucem took the hardest hit for devastation.”

Sereia studied him for a moment, the ease with which he spoke of his own near demise. Like he’d rather it be him than any of his people.

As they passed a larger structure, Sereia took a deep breath and grinned. The sign over the shop read “O’Quinnlan Whiskey.” While other nations produced their potables in small shacks in the woods, Midniva was the only place she had ever seen where their whiskey was proudly brewed along the city streets. The scent of it mixing with sea air was something she had missed.

Their walk didn’t last long, and soon the street opened up into a large market area. Stalls with wooden structures over them and carts overflowing with vegetables and other wares filled the inner square, while the outside was lined with shops. People bustled, and it caused a soft hum.

“Is it everything you remembered?” Travion asked, peering down at her.

“That and more.” She nodded. That wave of emotion she’d felt at seeing Mointeach for the first time in many years washed over her again. Her chest tightened, and she was struck with a sense of nostalgia. This was the city where she had spent her younger years. Where, as a young fae, she had raced through the streets with a small hoodlum gang and learned to play hide and seek quite efficiently, how to best even the boys at marbles, and how to swipe an apple from the fruit seller without getting caught.

Naturally, she gravitated toward a table run by a young woman with light blonde hair twisted into many plaits. Her table was covered in small hand-carved stone items.

“Good morning, madam.” The young woman smiled.

Sereia bristled at the term but only nodded in a friendly manner. “Morning. Do you craft all these items?”

“I do.” She looked from Sereia to Travion, who stepped up beside her. The girl’s eyes widened a touch, but instead of saying anything, she merely curtsied.

Travion waved her off. “That isn’t necessary.”

He was at ease here with his people, Sereia noted. Almost as if he weren’t a king but simply another citizen wandering the marketplace with nothing more serious to concern him than looking at trinkets. A true warden of both their security and their peace of mind.

Sereia smiled a little as she picked up a small hand knife. The handle was made of beautiful gray stone that had been carved to mimic a wave. It fit nicely into her hand, the waves naturally flowing with her grip.

“Thinking of acquiring a new weapon?” Travion asked.

“For Adrik, actually. He recently lost the one he keeps in his boot.” Sereia looked over at the young woman. “How much for this?”

“Ten coppers, madam.”

Sereia pulled her coin purse out of the pocket at her waist and handed the coins over. She then bent to slip the knife into her own boot.

As she stood, a pendant hanging from a stand at the side of the table caught her eye. It was carved from a white stone with veins of green. Her fingers reached for it, brushing over the smoothness of the outer curve. The shape of the pendant was a selkie curled around itself. Its nose was at the heart of the piece, with its tail wrapping around the outer edge and creating the only point, where a small hole was drilled for the chain.

She considered buying it for herself for a moment but thought better of it. What purpose did pirates have for pretty baubles? No matter how lovely.

Dropping her hand, Sereia smiled at the young woman, thanked her for her help, and turned back to the rest of the market. So many people coming and going. It was a thriving city, and it was easy to tell how well Travion cared for his people.

Unlike many villages in Tribonik, which were taxed beyond their means by high-ranking lords, they did not starve, they did not fear being oppressed or locked away for speaking out of turn. They were not selling their children just to survive like those in Caifu or going off to war for a senseless need for more land.

Sereia stilled as the pendant fell within her view and a chain was clasped around her neck to nestle against her breasts. Wrapping her fingers around the stone selkie, Sereia turned to Travion, who stood behind her.

“You did not have to do that.”

“No, but I wished to.”

There had been a time when receiving gifts from Travion had felt like him attempting to buy her favor. When he’d been seeking to make her his wife, and fancy dresses and jewelry were deemed the course to a female’s heart. This, however, felt like nothing more than a gift. She stepped closer. He, in turn, trailed his knuckles along her jaw. It seemed fitting and only right to tip her head up for his descending kiss.

“Thank you for my gift,” she murmured against his lips.

“You are most welcome.”

“Fish! Get your fish!” A man close by shouted, carrying a large trout, breaking the spell that had woven around them and causing both to laugh.

“Shall we grab lunch?” Travion suggested.

“Absolutely. I haven’t had beef and ale stew in far too long.’