Youll be more careful with your gifts, Desdemona reached up to brush her neck. The pearls were digging too hard into her skin. Moran noticed it, too, and was not pleased.
Youre trying to tie me to the throne with pearl chains, she rebuked. Thats clever! I am a queen under compulsion. The moment I leave the royal chambers, they dig into my skin.
I cant get them off, he admitted.
You can pry them out with a knife.
It would be difficult and painful, and they would go under the skin, leaving pitted scars.
Then dont! Lets just hope they come off on their own.
Dont risk running away from me. Its not like Im hurting you. Im a monster, but I havent touched you.
Maybe you should have. Desdemona wrapped her arm around his waist and shuddered, feeling the strangeness of his body. She wished he hadnt put his tentacles around her throat and started strangling her.
The mirror again showed a quiet pool full of mermaids, her rivals.
Morans lips were as cold as frosted glass. His body was even colder. It was like she was hugging an iceberg.
Drink first! Moran pulled a blue vial out of thin air. Youll be too cold next to a sea creature if this elixir doesnt warm you from the inside out.
And every time I want to hold you?
It is until you get used to it.
Can you get used to something as magical as you?
You get used to anything over the centuries.
In centuries, Ill be dead. It is unless you have the elixir of immortality.
I may not have it, but I know someone who does.
One sip from the vial sent such a pleasant heat through her body as if she were basking in the hot summer sun. Morans embrace didnt seem icy now. No wonder why he favored his dragon friend. If she had a fire raging inside of her, she wouldnt be cold next to a waterman. But watermen cant tolerate fire. So how did Moran hook up with the fire lady?
You found all of my mothers jewelry boxes, Moran pulled out a set made of unusual stones that seemed to reflect the waves from a pile of jewelry. Only sirens have them.
Where did Princess of Aquilania get them from? Is it from the water king? Then why didnt she take them to the bottom with her? Does Lilophea come back here sometimes?
She used to, but not to this room. I think shes forgotten about all this jewelry by now. Theyre rightfully yours, since you found them here.
Desdemona took the jewelry from his hands, wanted to try them on, and heard voices. The beads, each of which seemed to contain the sea, were whispering among themselves. Once they were around her neck, they moved like snakes trying to strangle her.
She is not our mistress! They hissed unhappily.
Its only in the beginning, Moran said comfortingly. Theyll get used to you in time and even give you new abilities. Youll be able to understand the whispers of the waves or walk on water, for example.
The promise was tempting, but shed had enough of the living pearls.
No more presents! Desdemona put the jewelry back. All gifts from the watermen would not end well.
She brushed the inflamed skin around the pearls she had recently tried to forge out. The maids of honor were jealous of her new jewelry, enthusiastic about its enormous cost and the beauty of the pearls, not even realizing how burdensome they were.
They are not gifts, but parasites, complained Desdemona.
They wouldnt have gotten into your skin if you hadnt traveled too far from the palace.
But now Im here, and they keep coming.
They probably suspect you strongly of rebellion and flight.
It is too bad you cant get along with them like you can with a ring.
You can scald them and take them off, but itll hurt. Id better get you one of Arianas ointments.
Whos Ariana?
She is the White Fairy of the Waves. Shes known for her magical tinctures. Shes also known as the sea fairy. She flies above the waves and dives deep to gather herbs for her potions. She has a cure for everything in her arsenal.
A wave fairy! It sounds mysterious and romantic. Desdemona imagined a delightful creature with wings, floating above the waves and flirting with the sea prince.
What do sea fairies look like?
The same as all fairies, Moran shrugged. But theyre not as colorful as the fairies of groves, forests, and gardens.
If Id ever seen garden fairies in my life! She said indignantly. In our garden pond lived only hideous divas, as you have seen for yourself. Not one good fairy.
Fairies are not kind, Moran objected. Ariana, for instance, loves to trap ship captains. But I can always negotiate with her. She has an arsenal of magic potions for her friends.
Shes a friend of yours?
She is mothers friend.
That sounds more reassuring. Desdemona sighed in relief.
You can introduce me to fairies, she agreed, Im a little afraid of mermaids.
And you can take this mirror away from here, Moran nodded at the wall. Its a spy. If you want to see something, it will show you.
Where did it come from? Is it from the water king, too? Or is it from the fairies?
These mirrors are only made on the seabed. Theyre called spy eyes because they can see everywhere you ask.
Its a useful thing if you want to spy on someone.
She didnt mention that shed already spied on her rival. The mirror showed the beautiful mermaids in the lagoon, and Moran kissed her as if he didnt need all the beauties of the sea anymore. And neither did the lady of fire.
The idyll was dispelled by Livia, who hung outside the window like a black ghost. Apparently she had climbed up the wall, too. Her duty, after all, was to keep an eye on the queen. It was the duty of Bersaba too. She was still waiting under the door. Moran treated the slave girls as silent bodyguards who could be next to simply be ignored. But Desdemona, for the umpteenth time, felt uncomfortable under the gaze of Livias anthracite eyes.
The spys eye must be brought to the Queens chambers, Moran ordered, and Livia nodded understandingly. She flew easily through the window. Her dark webbed hands reached for the mirror. Turns out she knew what that magical thing was called. Curious how many other secrets of the sea kingdom Livia and Bersabe knew.
Surprises
Moran brought her a bouquet. It looks like lily of the valley, only it smells different.
What are they?
Snowdrops are flowers from the land of winter. They bloom right under the melting snow.
Where do they come from? All the countries around the sea are hot.
I have relatives in the ocean.
Even there?
Moran nodded.
I was there once. Theres ice and icebergs all around, and even colder kin that freeze everything around them. There are mermaids the size of ships, oceanidas with the beauty of winter queens, warriors and ocean maidens who, when they feel cornered, turn into white-wood statues. You might mistake them for sculptures on the bottom, but theyre really just sleeping. Ive awakened a couple of them and Ive come across their gratitude as sharp thorns. We fought, and then we got along. Now were friends and allies.
Just dont bring them here, she sniffed the snowdrops with pleasure. The white flowers in a cocoon of large green leaves were tiny, but they had a marvelous fragrance.
Put them in water and theyll never wilt.
Are you sure?
I guarantee it!
It was in his power, because the water obeyed him. As it turned out, in addition to water creatures heavenly creatures obeyed him too.
A dragon flew up to the archway. Moran carefully took the scroll from him, trying not to touch the scales. The dragon was wary of touching his hand as well. His hands, though wet, were partially covered with scales, as if he were the son of a dragon rather than a water dragon. Although fish have scales too, dont they? Desdemona rose from her comfortable bed and walked to the window. The dragon was still hovering behind it. His mouth was hot. It almost burned her face. Now her skin would definitely turn red. How could Moran bear his proximity, he was a water dragon. Fire should be destructive to him, but the dragon listened to him.