Submerging (Swans Landing) (13 page)

“Why are you asking me so many questions?” I asked. “I told you why I’m here. I want to find my mother. Then I’ll go and you can forget all about me.”

He stood and moved toward the window, his back to me.

“How would you like a more comfortable living arrangement?” he asked. “You can move out of that room you are in. You will be free to explore the island all you want.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What about my brother and Callum?”

Domnall’s shoulders tensed, but he said, “Your brother too. Callum...I will need to consider his case. He is a convicted criminal here. But I will see what I can do to make sure he is treated well.”

I suspected that all Domnall had to do was say the word and the charges against Callum could disappear entirely. A king had the ultimate power, didn’t he?

“What’s the catch?” I asked.

“No
catch
, as you say,” Domnall said. “I want you to be treated well during your stay here. I would like to get to know you, Sailor.”

There had to be something else, something I wasn’t seeing.

“No deal,” I said. “I’ll rot in that room, thanks.”

I got up to leave, assuming that our little talk was over now that I’d turned him down. But then Domnall turned to me, his hands clasped behind his back. The sunlight streaming through the window shone on his golden hair. He was handsome, even with the jagged scar marring his face.

“What if,” he said slowly, “I could take you to your mother?”

Chapter Sixteen

Josh lunged at me when I entered the room. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. I swallowed hard, then added, “We’re free to go.”

Josh stepped back, looking at me and then at Artair, who stood in the hall, his spear still in his hand. “What?”

“We’re being moved,” I said, not quite meeting Josh’s eyes. “We’re not prisoners anymore.”

“Moved to where?” Callum spoke up. He still sat on the mattress, unmoving, but he eyed me suspiciously

“Domnall is giving us a suite to stay in here at the palace.”

“But why would they lock us in here, just to let us go like that?” Josh asked, narrowing his eyes. “What happened in there?”

The room was silent for a moment. I didn’t want to tell them I had agreed to talk to Domnall in exchange for seeing my mama, despite the fact that he scared me. Josh might have understood, but I doubted Callum would.

“Nothing happened,” I said at last. “Domnall realized there was no valid reason to keep us locked up.”

Callum snorted, but I ignored him.

“If you do not wish to be captive any longer, I suggest you come along,” Artair said from the doorway.

Josh studied me a moment longer, then he turned toward Callum. But I grabbed his arm and shook my head.

“What?” Josh asked, his forehead creased into a deep scowl.

“It’s just us,” I said softly.

“Just us what?”

My gaze met Callum’s for the briefest moment. His green eyes turned dark and then he said, “She means Domnall is only releasing the two of you. I get to stay here, enjoying the comforts of these lovely quarters.”

“Sailor?” Josh asked, a sharp tone to his voice.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered “I tried, but...”

“But I’m a criminal,” Callum finished when my voice trailed off. He waved a hand at us. “Go. Don’t worry about me. I imagine I’ll be right here for some time, unless Domnall decides to toss me off the island again.”

Every part of me rebelled at the idea of leaving Callum locked away. But there was nothing I could do. Domnall had armed sentries everywhere. I couldn’t possibly hope to escape with Callum unnoticed, and not having his prosthetic made it impossible for him to outrun them.

“We can’t leave him,” Josh said. “He helped us get here.”

“We have to.” I pulled Josh toward the door.

The last image I had of Callum was of him sitting on the bed, his face turned toward the narrow window slit. He looked as if he had accepted his fate long ago, but something inside me lurched with fear.

“I’ll come back soon,” I said.

Callum didn’t acknowledge my words.

Artair led us to a wing of the palace on the lower level. He opened a set of heavy wooden doors to reveal a room suspended over the beach. A door cut into the center of the floor showed waves lapping onshore underneath the suite. The furniture was situated near the hole, chairs and tables gathered around it as if the hole in the floor were a wide-screen TV.

“There are two bedrooms,” Artair said, gesturing toward doors along one wall. “A conch will sound at meal times. Domnall usually eats alone in his quarters, but you may eat in the dining hall. You are free to come and go as you please.” The quick scowl that flashed across Artair’s face showed he didn’t particularly like that idea. “The village can provide you with anything you need, but please do not call attention to yourselves. I trust you will not cause any problems for our people.”

With that, Artair left without even saying good-bye. He shut the door behind him and Josh and I were alone in the small suite, listening to the sound of the water under our feet.

“Tell me what happened,” Josh demanded. “I want to know everything from the time you left to see Domnall until we ended up here.”

“I told you, nothing happened.” I walked over to a cabinet and pulled it open. Inside, dishes sat in neat stacks. They were old metal plates, etched with swirling designs. Silver cups rimmed with flaking gold lined an upper shelf. I pulled a cup down and inspected it. It looked like something from an old movie. A cup a king in an ancient castle may have used.

Josh crossed his arms. “Something must have, or else we’d still be in that room with Callum. What did Domnall want?”

“He asked a few questions,” I said. “He wanted to know where we had come from.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed. “What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t tell him about Swans Landing,” I said. “I told him we came from across the ocean, that’s all.”

“And?”

I scowled. “And what?”

“And how exactly did you earn his goodwill and get us into this suite?”

I gripped the back of a chair, digging my nails into the wood. “What exactly are you implying, Josh?”

“I’ve seen the way you constantly throw yourself at Dylan Waverly to get what you want. For all I know, that’s how you convinced Callum to bring us here. So what exactly did Domnall get from you that made him release us?”

I darted across the room, my hand smacking across Josh’s cheek with a loud crack. “I haven’t done anything except save your life,” I said through clenched teeth.

“What about Callum’s life?” Josh asked. His cheek was already beginning to turn bright red, but he stared back at me unflinching. “Can you live with yourself in this cozy little suite while he sits in that room alone?”

“I tried to get him out,” I said. “Domnall wouldn’t agree to it! For all we know, Callum did kill someone. We don’t know him any better than anyone else here. How can we be sure we can trust him?”

“He hasn’t given us a reason not to,” Josh said.

I turned away from him, blinking back the tears that stung my eyes. I had tried to get Callum out of there. It wasn’t my fault Domnall wouldn’t listen to my arguments. What else was I supposed to do?

“I’m going to take a nap,” I said. “Tomorrow I have to meet with Domnall again.”

“Why?” Josh asked.

I leaned back against the wall, sighing as the little energy left in my body drained away. I almost couldn’t say the words, couldn’t believe they might be real

“Because he’s going to take me to my mama.”

Chapter Seventeen

Josh’s snores drifted to me through the wall separating our rooms. At least someone was getting some sleep. I rolled over again, staring at the faint slivers of moonlight spilled across the bed. The mattress was too firm, the sheet too scratchy, and my room too cold.

But I knew all of that wasn’t what kept me up. My body bordered on exhaustion, but my mind was wide awake.

Was I wrong to leave Callum locked in that room? Was he okay? And where exactly was my mother? Domnall hadn’t told me anything except that he could take me to her. Part of me was terrified Domnall would take me to a grave. I didn’t even know if finfolk buried their dead or tossed them out to sea, but I prayed I wouldn’t find out anytime soon.

Early the next morning, a knock sounded on the door of the suite before it opened. Artair stepped back to allow Domnall passage into the room. He looked as towering and imposing as he had the day before, though he had tied his wild blonde hair back.

His eyes scanned the room, before settling on Josh and me. We sat at the table, eating fruits Josh had taken from the kitchen. Well, Josh was eating. I hadn’t managed more than a couple of bites of berries.

“Come,” Domnall said, gesturing toward me.

Josh stood with me and Domnall paused to look back at him. “I made my deal with your sister only,” he said. “You may wait here if you wish.”

Josh set his jaw and stared back at the older man. “Where Sailor goes, I go.”

Irritation flashed across Domnall’s face. “I assure you, your sister will not be harmed. You have my word.”

Josh laughed. “Your word doesn’t mean much to me.”

I didn’t want Josh to say anything else that would get him into trouble, so I stepped between them. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I said in a low voice. “I’ll tell you everything that happens.”

He scowled and then turned away. “Fine. Do what you want.”

I followed Domnall without looking back at Josh. He would be angry for a while, but he’d get over it.

To my surprise, Domnall led me away from the village. We followed the shoreline through brush and rolling hills, until we reached a narrow strip of beach. The water was calmer here than it had been where we’d come ashore a few days ago. A long, slender boat made of a pale wood bobbed on the surface.

Domnall gestured toward the boat. “After you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Where are you taking me?”

“Not far.” He pointed into the distance to our left, where I could see the shape of land. “It is a peninsula that juts off from the island. We could walk there, but the bay is quicker.”

I let him help me into the boat and then he followed, sitting down on a wooden seat near the bow. I sat on the seat behind him, and then Artair pushed us off from the shore. He expertly jumped into the boat, not even rocking it slightly. Then he rested his spear in the floor and replaced it with a long, slender double-sided oar.

The breeze lifted my hair around my head and I had to keep pushing it out of the way so I could see the peninsula as we drew across the water. The bay was clear here, almost a brilliant green. I could see fish and small sharks, even crabs and starfish moving across the sand under the boat. The water was so shallow I could reach down to touch the bottom if I wanted. It felt peaceful here.

It took me a moment to realize the peace I felt was because my body didn’t feel pulled between land and sea. We floated several yards offshore and yet I could feel both the water and the earth vibrating evenly inside me. I had never felt this kind of peace in my life.

When we reached the peninsula, Artair expertly guided the boat to a small dock that jutted into the water. He helped Domnall and me onto the dock, then he returned to the boat. Domnall offered me his arm and led me up the cobblestone path to a group of wooden homes.

I glanced over my shoulder at Artair, who sat in the boat with his face turned toward the water. “Isn’t he coming?” I asked.

“He will stay with the boat,” Domnall said. “I asked him for privacy.”

A chill prickled across my scalp at the idea of being alone with Domnall, far from Josh. He must have sensed my anxiety because he added, “As I said, your safety is assured.”

A miniature village sat along the peninsula, a group of seven homes all situated in a semi-circle. Behind the homes, the water sparkled in the morning sun.

But the tranquility of the scenery didn’t extend to the village itself. The peninsula seemed abandoned. Some cottages sat half-buried in the surf that lapped against the shore, the wood wet and crumbling under a coating of sea lichen. Black windows stared at us and doors gaped open in a silent scream.

I shivered. “What is this place?”

“It was once another village on the island,” Domnall said. At my surprised look, he smiled slightly. “The main village was not always the only inhabited place here. Once we lived all over the island, and others around it. But now...” He let his words hang in the air, unspoken.

No one came out to greet us as we approached the homes, but Domnall seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go. He passed by a few empty houses, until finally, he paused at one and nodded to me.

The house looked the same as the others, except this one had something carved into the wood of the door. I stepped closer and lifted my fingers to trace the image. A lily. Lily was my mama’s middle name, and mine as well. I placed my hand on the knob and sucked in a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for what I would see on the other side.