Chapter 43

Two days after Halder had tried to take the Eye of Oris, I was still conflicted over the way things had turned out. I couldn't let the high fae have the Eye and risk someone undoing the Great Pact, but maybe I hadn't tried hard enough to change Halder's mind. Was there something I could have offered that would have been more enticing than the dagger with the trapped elemental? The idea of assisting Halder with an assassination was abhorrent, but perhaps that would have sufficed. I didn't know.

Given Halder's actions, I shouldn't have felt guilty about throwing that knife, but I did. Like it or not, he was the closest thing I'd had to a male role model growing up. Even if I didn't approve of his actions, I couldn't shake my residual feelings of loyalty. I needed to get over that and the recurring nightmares.

Shoving those thoughts from my mind, I reflected upon the fact that Ziola hadn't left me and run for safety when she'd had the chance. She'd stayed when I needed her most—something I couldn't say about very many people in my life.

I glanced at her slender, graceful form as we strolled along the docks with ships of various sizes and origins dotting the waters. The midday sun hung high in the sky, casting a brilliant shimmer across the azure sea and highlighting the red in Ziola's hair. Gulls swooped and circled above, calling raucously as they scavenged for the remnants of the day's catches. Sailors bustled about the docks, securing lines, loading cargo, and shouting jovial greetings.

I inhaled the salty tang carried on the gentle breeze, mixed with the scent of tarred ropes, weathered wood, and the faint trace of exotic spices from distant lands. I was no sailor and didn't yearn for maritime adventure, but I liked to swim, and something about the docks had always appealed to me. It captured the vibrant soul of the city more than the cobblestone streets and narrow alleys ever could. And strolling there with Ziola made it even more perfect.

We reached the harbormaster's office, and I stopped in quickly to see if Drex knew where to find Keillan. He seemed surprised that I would seek the selkie but suggested inquiring at the Salty Anchor.

The Anchor was more respectable at lunchtime than in the evenings, so we decided to find a table. When we were seated with drinks, I ordered oysters and looked at Ziola with raised brows.

"You've been eating for two days straight. I don't know how you can eat more," she said with a shake of her head.

I shrugged. "I like oysters and Ralph doesn't serve them."

She turned to the server. "Some fruit and vegetables, please."

Before the woman left to fill our orders, I asked, "Do you know Keillan? I'm trying to find him."

"Haven't seen him today, but he often stops in for lunch," she said.

Our food arrived and we dawdled, hoping Keillan would arrive. Most of the afternoon patrons had left, and I was beginning to think we'd have to look elsewhere when the door opened and Keillan entered. He was accompanied by two other men, one of whom I was certain had been with him the last time we were here.

His silver-gray hair caught the light as he turned his head and spotted Ziola. Leaving his companions at the bar, he strode to our table with a languid grace. My hackles raised and I had to force down my instinctive dislike. I knew it was solely based on the way his admiring gaze lingered on Ziola, but that didn't make it easier to ignore. Unlike a wolf shifter, I was not domineering and territorial—Ziola was free to choose whomever she liked. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. Unsuccessfully.

Keillan stopped in front of Ziola and took her hand between his. "It is wonderful to see you." He gazed into her eyes and smiled. "Plus, we still haven't had that drink."

Nor would they if I had any say. I narrowed my eyes at them but bit my tongue.

"Please, join us," Ziola said with a wide smile. "We were hoping to speak with you."

"Now you have piqued my curiosity." He sat and looked at her expectantly.

Her cheeks colored, but she said, "Remy is the better one to tell you."

Keillan turned and raised one brow at me. I suspected he didn't like me any more than I liked him, but he hid it well. A muscle twitched in my jaw, but I waved to the server and said, "It's a long story. You'll want a drink."

After he had a mug in hand, I began. "I assume you are aware of all the Enforcer activity in the city."

Keillan nodded. "Of course. We don't usually spend much time in the inner city, but the commotion is hard to miss."

"Recently, a powerful, ancient artifact was smuggled into Sageport. For reasons that don't matter, we tracked its location and acquired it."

Keillan suppressed a snort of laughter but grew somber when I explained the history and power of the Eye of Oris.

"By the gods," he exclaimed. "No one should have that kind of power."

"Exactly. But the real problem arose when I touched it."

"Were you seeking to use it?" he asked sharply.

"No. I didn't realize that simple contact with exposed skin triggered it."

He relaxed back in his chair, and I described my first vision. All the blood drained from his bronze skin and his hand holding the mug trembled. "Is this future definite?" he asked, voice tight.

"No. We learned what would cause this disaster and averted it."

He closed his eyes for a long moment and exhaled slowly.

Before he could speak, I said, "That's not all." Then I described my vision of fae domination if the Council obtained the Eye.

Keillan's mouth was a hard line. "You must destroy this thing." He leaned forward and tapped a forefinger on the table.

"I'd love to, but no one seems to know how."

"What do you want from me?"

I held his gaze and told him of my final vision. "The artifact isn't sentient, exactly, but has some level of awareness and does not want you to drop it in the ocean depths."

"Why not take a ship and drop it overboard when you are away from land?"

"No one can know where it is. Especially not me."

Keillan's brows climbed nearly to his hairline. "Why on earth not?"

With a sigh, I explained the Eye's addictive properties and what its use had cost me. "It is inside a shielded box, which helps suppress its aura, but even now I can feel its pull."

Ziola glanced at me sharply. "You didn't tell me that," she said accusingly.

I shrugged. "Why would I? We're already doing everything we can." Turning back to Keillan, I said, "Even if I stayed here while Ziola dropped it overboard, the captain and crew would know. Someone is bound to talk."

"That's true," Keillan conceded.

"Plus, neither of us would know if we were over deep enough water," Ziola added. "You could find the deepest rift to drop it in. Someplace even the merfolk don't go."

Keillan ran a finger around the rim of his mug and stared into his ale. He looked up at me. "You trust me?"

"Yes. The Eye seems to fear you, which tells me you won't use it for your own ends. It wants that. Instead, the Eye showed all sorts of possible consequences if I gave it to you, each increasingly dire and unlikely. One predicted an infestation of bloodthirsty tabby cats."

Ziola threw me an amused look. "That one was sure to strike fear in your heart," she said with a giggle, as her dimple flashed.

"At the time, it was terrifying." I said, smiling crookedly.

Keillan looked confused at the exchange, but he drank his ale in silence for several minutes, and I left him alone. It was a lot for anyone to take in all at once.

Eventually, he said, "I'll do it. The Glindale Trench is the deepest part of the ocean. As far as I know, nothing lives down there." He put his mug down and placed his forearms on the table. "We selkies live along the shorelines and only rarely swim across the deep sea. It will take me at least a week to get there."

Ziola leaned in and touched Keillan on the arm while I tried not to grind my teeth. "So far? That sounds dangerous."

His large, dark eyes rested on her. "I am indebted to you many times over. For the jail break, for stopping the alchemists from dumping poison, and now for preventing the disaster Remy's vision showed."

"I can't claim sole credit for any of those things," she said. "Remy figured out how to prevent that vision and he found the alchemists' workshop."

"Then I owe you a debt as well," he said to me.

"If you do this for us, I'll consider any debts more than paid."

Keillan nodded and stood, holding out his hand. I also rose and shook it. When he leaned down and gave Ziola a quick peck on the cheek, I clenched my fists and forced myself to stay quiet. She smiled up at him, then came to my side and linked her arm through mine.

"It's like that now, is it?" Keillan asked with a sad smile.

"Yes," Ziola said and pressed closer into my side. My heart kicked in my chest, and it was all I could do not to stake my claim right there in the middle of the Salty Anchor.