The Knight-Commander studied her for a moment. Whatever he was thinking was hidden behind his jeweled helm.
He turned, gesturing with one gauntleted hand. “You will come with me.”
Chapter 26
Wake up. John’s inner human prodded him insistently. Something’s wrong.
John lifted his head from his coils. He hadn’t intended to doze, but the currents gently circulating through his sleeping-chamber had been too soothing for his weary body to resist. Shifter-fast healing required a great deal of energy.
Nonetheless, he shook himself, forcing his stiff body into a state of readiness. His wounds were already starting to close up. Blinking bleary eyes, he cast around for whatever had disturbed his inner human.
Nothing immediately seemed awry. Evening had fallen while he slept. The strip of sea visible through the small window-slit in the ceiling had darkened from brilliant turquoise to a deep in
digo. The sleeping-chamber was dim and peaceful, lit only by the soft glow of a single uncovered light-pearl.
He flared his gills, tasting the water, but couldn’t detect any sign of an intruder. He couldn’t hear anything either. The thick stone walls of the Order’s headquarters muffled all sounds of the city outside.
Perhaps it was the very silence that woke me? John wondered. He’d become accustomed to sleeping in human cities, after all, surrounded by their unending din. He suspected his instincts had become warped by his long stint on land.
No, his inner human insisted. It’s our mate. She called out to us. We have to go to her, now!
John concentrated on the mate bond. It was pale and nebulous, as though Neridia was distracted, or veiling her thoughts from him. But surely if she was in any great distress, he would sense it.
Of course she isn’t distressed. She is home at last, safe in the heart of the sea. What harm could come to her in Atlantis?
His inner human promptly filled his mind with a flurry of pointed, vivid images. Sharks hunting her through the streets at their Master’s bidding. Assassins secreting poisoned sea urchin spines in her royal bed. Disdainful aristocrats making hurtful remarks. Feral moray eels. Deadly jellyfish. Fire.
“Fire?” John said out loud to himself. “Really?”
All right, so maybe that last one was a little far-fetched, his inner human grudgingly conceded. But we can’t just sit on our ass, blindly trusting that others will protect her in our place. She is our mate! We have to be at her side!
John stirred uneasily, his own instincts in full agreement. But the Knight-Commander had ordered him to remain here. He was honor-bound to obey.
“She will be fine,” he said, as much to reassure himself as his agitated human. “The Knight-Commander promised to guard her personally.”
His inner human rolled its eyes. And we all know what a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive person he is. And how much he loves humans. Yep, I see no way this could possibly go wrong.
That was far too close to being a treasonous thought, let alone a dishonorable one. The Knight-Commander was the Voice of the Emperor-in-Absence. To criticize him was only one step removed from insulting the Pearl Throne itself.
John crushed his inner human back down into the depths of his mind, resolving not to listen to its baseless fears any further. Circling round a few times, he tried to make himself comfortable again.
But not even the gentle rocking of the sleeping-chamber currents could relax his taut muscles. A deep unease gnawed at his soul.
No matter how he tried to tell himself that his inner human was being ridiculous…he couldn’t shake the feeling that Neridia was in danger.
Chapter 27
“Where are you taking me?” Neridia asked, yet again.
Just like all the other times, the Knight-Commander made no sign that he’d even heard her words. He strode on through the maze of corridors, never so much as glancing back to check that she was still following. Even with her long legs, Neridia was hard-pressed to keep up with him.
Despite his intimidating appearance, Neridia was starting to get annoyed.
“Look,” she said, panting a little. “I know you don’t like me, but there’s no reason to be rude.“
“I neither like nor dislike you,” the Knight-Commander said, without looking around. “You are a human. I have no more of an opinion on you than I would have on the personality of a particular sea slug.”
Neridia scowled at his muscled back. She stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, folding her arms. “Well, I don’t like you. I’m not taking another step until you tell me where we’re going.”