Submerging (Swans Landing) (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Artair led me directly from the market to Domnall’s suite in the palace. I was aware of the stares as I followed Artair past the merchant wagons. With his spear clasped in his hands, it looked like I was being taken away as a prisoner. I hoped Josh wouldn’t hear about it and try to come rescue me.

I didn’t want to talk to Domnall, but I needed to hear him tell me why he sat on the throne if Callum was supposed to be the finfolk leader. Mostly, I needed to know why Callum hadn’t told me this himself.

My stomach twisted as I waited in the silent hall. Would Domnall even agree to see me after what had happened at the peninsula?

After a moment, Artair returned and gestured for me to follow.

Domnall waited in the den of his suite. The shutters over the windows were open to allow the ocean breeze into the room and the crystal prisms made rainbows dance on the walls.

“This is a surprise,” Domnall said, standing as I stepped toward him. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?”

“Why isn’t Callum king?” There was no need to make small talk. I only wanted to hear what he had to say and then I would return to my suite to prepare for our leaving.

Domnall raised his eyebrows. “Ah. Did Callum finally confess everything to you?”

I glared at his back as he turned toward the pitcher of water and cups on their usual table. “Callum told me what happened to his sister,” I said. “And why he was banished. But I had to hear about this from Artair.”

Domnall glanced at Artair, who still stood in the doorway. The guard bowed his head slightly and Domnall waved a hand at him. Artair stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

“Artair may have overstepped his position a bit,” Domnall said. “He should not concern himself with this.”

“So then you tell me,” I said. “Why are you here and not Callum?”

Domnall poured a cup of water and then offered it to me. When I shook my head no, he took a sip and then returned to his chair. “Please sit.”

“I’d rather stand,” I told him.

“Callum was stripped of his birthright because of his actions five years ago,” Domnall said. “In actuality, the person who was meant to sit on the finfolk throne was his sister, Pearl. As the oldest child of their parents, she became queen after their deaths. Callum was her heir only until she gave birth to her first child, which unfortunately, did not happen. She was still only a young woman when she died.”

“And how do you fit into this story?”

“When Pearl died, the throne transferred to Callum automatically,” Domnall said. “Callum was meant to be our king. But when he told us what had happened, how his actions had killed his sister...To take the life of another finfolk is the greatest sin we can commit. The person responsible must be stripped of all rights, even the right to be called finfolk. Callum lost his birthright. There were no other siblings the title could transfer to. No cousins close enough to his father’s royal blood to have a legitimate claim. But there was me.”

He took a sip of his water, then set the cup down. “Pearl was my wife.”

My mouth dropped open. “You were married to Callum’s sister?”

“Aye. I had been captain of the finfolk guard for many years. Pearl was under my care, and I watched over her as a faithful servant. We fell in love, and married only a year before...” Domnall cleared his throat. “Before she died. When Callum was stripped of his birthright, I was named king by request of the finfolk people.”

“And then you cut off Callum’s leg,” I finished, crossing my arms. “Your own family.”

Domnall frowned. “I gave the order for the punishment, aye. It is our custom. It is what we must do to protect ourselves.”

“And going after my home, is that to protect yourselves?” I asked.

“To save my people, it is what I must do.”

“What about the humans who live there? What do you plan to do to them?”

Domnall shrugged. “Humans are not my concern. They have done nothing for us except take our land. We lost the other islands long ago, and we’re losing Hether Blether now. If the only way to fight back is to take the land that humans walk, then that is what I must do. I will rally the finfolk I find in the human world. They will see my side once they know the damage humans do to us. Once we unite all finfolk together again, we will be able to push the humans out of their land and rebuild the finfolk kingdom, stronger than it ever has been before.”

I shook my head. “You don’t know the humans. They’ll fight back, and not all finfolk will be on your side.”

He gave me a placating smile. “And you, wee one, being raised so far outside of our world, do not know the power of the finfolk. Have you never heard the stories about us? About how we could convince human men and women to leave their homes, their families, for the chance to live a life with us? The finfolk song is more powerful than you know. We show the humans what they want most, and their will is easily bent.”

I swallowed and gripped the edge of the chair in front of me to help steady myself. I didn’t want to believe Domnall’s words, but he sounded convincing even now. “You can’t do that. The people of Swans Landing haven’t done anything to you.”

Domnall’s eyes flashed. “But humans have. They are an infection on this world and I intend to put an end to their taint.”

“Why?” I asked. “Why not bring back the finfolk who want to leave and then live here away from them?”

He narrowed his eyes as he studied me. “Why do you concern yourself so much with the humans? Why do you care what happens to them?”

“I don’t. I care about my home.” I turned to leave. “Thank you for speaking with me. Callum and Josh will be waiting for my return.”

As I reached the door, a low hum started behind me. The air around the edges of my vision sparkled with gold light. I stopped, my hand frozen in midair above the doorknob. The humming grew louder, the sound vibrating through me and tickling the hairs all along my arms.

I heard a voice next to me, a whisper in my ear. “Child, don’t make me come after you.” Grandma. Her voice so clear in my head. A shape began to form and I could smell her salty scent. My legs trembled, my knees almost giving away.

I clenched my teeth and forced myself not to look. I couldn’t let Domnall see that his song had any effect on me. He would know I was part human.

But it was hard to resist. The two parts of me battled inside my body. The finfolk side told me to run and pretend not to notice. But the human side begged for a glimpse of Grandma, who I knew I would see standing next to me.

Sweat trickled down my back between my shoulder blades. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. I still carried the bag of fruit and I clenched my fist around the fabric, squeezing as hard as I could until the muscles in my arm burned.

Slowly, my other hand reached the doorknob. With painful movements, my eyes locked on the wall in front of me, I pulled the door open and then walked out, leaving Domnall still singing and the vision of Grandma caught in the air behind me.

* * *

Callum looked up from the knife he was sharpening on a rock when I burst into our suite. He leaped from his seat when he saw me, grimacing when he put weight on his wooden prosthetic. I had run across the palace once I’d left Domnall’s suite and I was out of breath. My mind was swirling inside my head like a hurricane, thoughts bumping into each other as I tried to make sense of them.

“Are you all right?” Callum asked, standing quickly. “Did something—”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re supposed to be king?”

Callum froze, his face paling so the freckles on his cheeks stood out. “Who told you about that?”

“I spoke with Domnall.” I swallowed, trying to settle churning sensation in my stomach. “He told me everything. Your sister was queen. And Domnall is your brother-in-law.”

Callum’s eyes darkened. “
Was
my brother-in-law. The man he is now is not the same one who married my sister.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “You told me your sister died and that you were banished for it, but you never told me she was the finfolk queen! You never mentioned you are supposed to be king.”

“I’m not!” Callum shouted. He bent over the table, pressing his fists into the wood. “I’m not king. I was never supposed to be king. Pearl was queen. Her children should have succeeded her, not me. But never she had a chance to give birth to an heir.” His body slumped, his shoulders shaking. “Because of me.”

“So the title transferred to you,” I pointed out. “You’re royal blood, Callum. You don’t think that at least deserved a small mention, somewhere in between kissing me and telling me about your childhood here?”

Callum shook his head. “I have no title. Not anymore. I lost my right to every claim when my actions killed my sister. I am not finfolk, but I’m not human either. I am nothing, which is exactly what I deserve to be.”

I crossed my arms. “You should have told me.”

His green eyes shone with the sheen of tears. “And what difference would it have made if I had?”

“You kept this secret from me,” I told him, my voice shaking a little. “How can I be sure you’re not keeping other things from me too? How do I know you’re the one I should trust and not Domnall? How can I be sure of anything now?”

He straightened, his body tense. The muscles in his neck twitched and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I told you all along you should be careful who you trust. Maybe that includes me too.”

“Callum—”

But he walked past me, his wooden leg thumping on the hard wooden floor. He pushed open the heavy door and stomped out, letting it slam shut behind him.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I tossed and turned all night, but sleep never came. I was already up, curled in one of the chairs next to the window, when Josh woke the next morning.

“Did Callum come back?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” I hadn’t heard him return, though I had listened for the sound of his wooden leg thumping across the floor all night long.

Josh had returned to the suite after Callum had left. He’d been angry that I had left the square without him, but he forgot about that when I told him what had happened with Callum.

“I don’t want to hear that I was too hard on him,” I said, shooting a glare at Josh.

He raised his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

He had said enough the night before. He didn’t seem to understand why I felt so betrayed by Callum not telling me about his heritage. But how else was I supposed to feel? I thought I had known who Callum was, but now I realized how little I knew about him.

And yet, I still held my breath, listening for the sound of his footsteps outside the door.

But there was nothing except the rhythmic whoosh of the water under the suite.

“We should go find him,” Josh said, as if he could read my thoughts.

“Can we trust him?” I asked. “Maybe we shouldn’t trust anyone except each other. These people aren’t like us.”

“He’s our friend,” Josh pointed out. “He helped us get here and kept us safe.”

A knock on the door startled me and I leaped from my chair, heart pounding against my ribs.

But when the door opened, it was Domnall and not Callum. My shoulders sagged as I tried to steady my pulse.

“I came to invite you to have breakfast with me,” Domnall said with a pleasant smile.

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?” Domnall had not invited us to breakfast with him during our entire stay. As Artair had mentioned, Domnall usually ate his meals alone in his suite and had only eaten dinner with us once.

“I will be leaving Hether Blether tomorrow,” Domnall told us. “I am looking forward to the journey to your land. I thought it would be nice to have one last breakfast together, a toast to good fortune on the trip.”

Josh and I exchanged glances. We needed to leave Hether Blether before Domnall did. Time was running out.

“Okay,” Josh said, surprising me with his acceptance. “Give us a moment to get dressed and...presentable.”

He sounded so formal and awkward, but this place was different from the world we’d always known.

Domnall nodded. “Very well, I will expect you in the dining hall shortly.”

He turned to leave, but I called out, “Wait!”

When Domnall stopped and looked back at me, his eyebrows raised, I said, “Do you...Have you seen Callum?”

Only a slight expression of surprise passed across Domnall’s face. “Callum? I thought you knew. He left Hether Blether last night.”

My stomach plummeted to my toes. “He what?”

Josh stepped to my side. “When did he leave?”

Domnall waved a hand vaguely. “He came to me last night and requested a boat. He vowed to abide by his banishment and leave the island for good.” He shrugged, giving me an apologetic look. “I assumed you knew he was going.”

I shook my head. Callum was gone? Without even saying good-bye?