Chapter Eighteen Zeklan

I t is eerily silent as I enter the water. The soft splash as my tentacles drop into the ice-cold river is the only sound as everyone crowds around and waits for me. They are all still on high alert as I drop below the surface. Their swords are drawn as they pull into a circle, their backs against each other as they keep a lookout on all sides.

It's disturbing that we only managed to kill Tomkin. The others should have been there as well. Reeve, especially, since he is the one most desperate to find and reclaim Mabel. Plus, we saw him when Tomkin first jumped on our boat. The bastard must be around here somewhere.

I scour the murky depths, making sure no one is hiding down here. It wouldn't surprise me if the merpeople had become involved. Not now that Nerie hates me. And most certainly not now Aquor has fucked me over.

It makes sense that the merpeople would join forces with King Gilberd, especially out here. They have never been ones for the worries of landlubbers, but Kiros Somu is so close to being a watery island that it makes sense the merfolk should be interested in it. It doesn't mean I have to like any of it though.

No matter how hard I search, my senses reaching out when I can't see through the murk, I still can't find anyone. Once more that makes me nervous. They have to be here somewhere. Why send in a small army and no back up at all? There is no sense to be made at all from this mess in front of us.

At least Mabel is safe , I tell myself, and it brings me some comfort.

Gods, I was terrified when we were attacked. I knew immediately who they were after. Knew it and yet it still froze me with fear. Thank the gods that I came around and managed to grab a sword and do some major damage. Even with them all dead, I still worry. I didn't want to leave Mabel behind so soon, but her safety is the most important thing to me. I had to do this, to make sure there were no extra threats to her. Yet, by finding nothing, my fear has only grown. Something is going on, something I can't quite work out yet and I'm eager to break the surface, to reunite with Mabel again, to set eyes on her and to know she is still safe.

When I finally drag myself from the murky depths, she is standing there, her sword at the ready as she awaits the next conflict. For, without a doubt, there is always more trouble coming our way. That's been the way of it ever since we found each other, even before that, all the way back to when Brugo first laid eyes on her.

"Anything?" Arthur asks and I shake my head.

"We need to get back to the castle, though, make sure Mabel is safe and work out what's going on here."

"Agreed," Arthur returns, and he nods at the guards, who break out of formation, half taking the lead and the rest following up behind us as we surround Mabel.

"I'm alright," she argues. "I don't need smothering."

"Oh, yes you do," Brugo counters and the gravel in his voice tells me just how scared he is.

The march to the castle is hurried, all of us nervously glancing around, trying to take in any threat, no matter the direction. I feel like we are seeing everything as well as nothing at all with our frenetic searching.

While we are granted entry to the castle, Queen Siorah is not exactly cordial with our return. She nods once at us and glares at Arthur as he leads us back to our previous room.

"I'll see you in the war room once you have all settled back in," she hisses. Behind her, Magnus gives a tight smile and nods at Mabel before turning and following his queen away down a long corridor, his chains clanking softly.

Half of Siorah's guards rejoined with her as she left us, the remainder now line either side of the doorway to our room, adding extra clout to those already there. That alone has me more worried than anything else.

The castle is supposed to be secure. At least until the veil of fog thins, and the festival begins. With Siorah upping the security, particularly surrounding us, means she believes trouble is brewing, that it is bubbling away in the fog, ready to storm inside once the opportunity arises.

One look at Arthur confirms that thought.

We all change out of our wet and bloodied clothing, not bothering to clean ourselves properly. Instead, we quickly make our way to the room where Siorah is expecting us.

She must have come straight here as she is already seated at the head of the large table, the map of Kiros Somu already laid out and secured with blocks shaped like ships.

Not that there will likely be any need for seafaring vessels in the trouble coming. No, the battle will come straight to us, I realize with horror.

"The king must already be here," Arthur says, and the queen nods her head.

"Then we have to be ready for him," she replies.

Her gaze is lethal as she stares us all down in turn and my tentacles automatically reach out to cover Mabel, protecting her as best I can from Siorah's look of terror. Brugo's arms are already there. He, obviously, also has the same thought as me. Fenn steps up as well, his body flush with hers, giving his own version of protection, his cock resting along the seam of her ass.

"Regardless of the help I am offering, make no mistake, I want you all gone from my lands once the king is dead," Siorah continues, making sure we all make eye contact with her so that we get the full extent of her words.

"Don't worry about that," Mabel returns, her gaze just as steely. "But Reeve also needs to die before that."

"No!" Siorah shouts. "Gilberd is the only one here I have any interest in. He must be stopped, and I will not have any of you deciding to go on some ridiculous side mission in order to kill a grudge."

"With all due respect, Queen Siorah," Mabel says, pulling herself up as tall as she will go but still not quite reaching the height of the queen. Regardless, she isn't at all fazed by the woman as she continues, "Reeve is just as much a threat as the king, not just to us either. He uses his magic to sway those around him to get his own way. He needs to be taken out in order to truly remove the threat of Gilberd. In fact, he might even be the one controlling Gilberd's desire to have Magnus kill you."

There is silence for a beat before Siorah responds. Mabel is right in what she has said but the queen seems to be battling her own opinion on the matter.

"The king is the only objective here," she finally says. "If I find out you compromised that, I will have you all killed. Do I make myself clear?"