“We are leaving the sea, Your Majesty,” he sang. “I am responsible for your safety, and I take that duty seriously. It is a matter of personal honor.”
“Then I am safe indeed.” She looked up at him fondly. “Go on then, my Royal Consort, Imperial Champion, Knight-Poet of the First Water, and Firefighter for the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.”
And there was the th
ird thing he would never tire of—his new name. Even the short form of it sent a thrill through his very bones. No matter how long he lived or what deeds he accomplished, there would never be a greater honor than the first few notes of his name.
Royal Consort.
Pride swelling his chest, he increased his speed, rising toward the surface again. This time, she let him go. Leaving the Imperial retinue behind, he quickly caught up with the two knights he’d assigned to the role of advance guard.
To his surprise, he found them stationary in the water. They were so close to the shore now that the sea was barely deep enough to support a sea dragon’s bulk. Both knights had flattened their bodies along the rocky sea bed as though trying to hide, peering anxiously up at the glimmering surface just over their heads.
“Is there a problem?” John inquired, swimming up to them.
“Imperial Champion,” the first knight gasped, looking immensely relieved. “You have come to lead us in the charge!”
“Charge?” John said sharply. “Against what foe?”
“A great force of dry-landers is arrayed against us, sir,” the second knight said, his crimson eyes wide. “They are flying battle-flags and singing dire songs of war.”
John cautiously raised his head a few inches above sea level…and his neck-ruff bristled in amusement.
“Ah,” he said, sinking back down again. “Yes. Perhaps it would be best if I emerged first.”
The first knight extended his claws. “We shall be at your side, sir! We shall drive back this army!”
“No, no.” John waved them back down again. “I believe I can handle this on my own.”
Leaving them whispering anxiously behind him, he clambered up the sloping shore. As he emerged from the ocean, he shifted into human form.
“Sword-brother Chase,” he called. “Perhaps it would be better if you turned off the music. It is being…somewhat misconstrued.”
Chase obligingly pressed a button on the sound system. The thumping bass and screeching notes fell thankfully silent.
“I told you sea dragons wouldn’t like Beyoncé,” Griff murmured.
“Shut up. Everyone likes Beyoncé.” Elbowing Griff aside, Chase threw his arms wide open, grinning broadly. “Surprise!”
John’s mouth quirked as he took in the scene. “Yes. This is definitely a surprise.”
Colorful bunting hung from striped parasols. Shifter children—Griff’s son Danny among them—ran shrieking with joy, splashing in the shallow surf. Their parents watched indulgently from scattered beach towels. Other shifters wandered about, chatting and laughing in the sun.
A little way down the beach, Dai and his mate Virginia were roundly thrashing a couple of wolves from the local pack at some sort of game that involved punching a ball over a net. Hugh watched over their daughter while they played, an uncharacteristic smile on his face as he bounced the giggling infant on his knees. Nearby, Rose was dispensing chilled beverages from a cooler. Ash stood at her side, calmly flipping burgers over a barbecue.
John turned back to his friends. “Is this another one of your strange human customs?”
“Aye.” Griff clapped him on the shoulder. “The custom of throwing a party to welcome back a friend. We’ve missed you, these past few months.”
“And I you.” John breathed deeply, tasting the familiar scent of smoke on the air. “I never thought I would say this, but it is good to be back on land.”
“Good enough that we can tempt you to stay permanently?” Chase teased.
John shook his head, smiling. “Atlantis will always be my home. But truly, I belong to two worlds. All of us sea dragons do. Hopefully more of us will realize that, now that the Empress has decreed that she will be spending six months of each year on land.”
“Good thing she decided to pick Brighton as the site of her new sea dragon embassy,” Griff said, grinning. “You wouldn’t happen to have had anything to do with that, would you?”
“It was a sound political decision,” John said mildly. “We needed a human city on the sea, after all, with a large shifter population. And if there may have been a few personal reasons for the choice…there are some privileges to being close to the Pearl Throne.”