My stomach clenched and a horrified sound escaped me. Still, I tried to make a protest, “Once I free Slate of the Jinni, I won't have a pressing need for another lover.”
“Yes, you will. You will buy yourself time but not much of it. Not enough.” She held up a hand. “Don't protest; you're wrong. Think, Elaria. When did your need manifest? Was it before or after you lost your lover?”
She had me there but I tried again anyway, “The Witches are working on a spell—”
“The Witches will be too late,” she cut me off. “I think you know this. Great magic takes time; time that you don't have. You've foolishly put this off instead of addressing it when you had a greater chance of success.”
I sighed and sat back in my chair heavily. She was right; we had talked about this but done nothing to prevent it. We knew disaster was coming but somehow thought we could evade it by sheer will alone. We'd look for a solution, we'd said. But we hadn't searched as desperately as we should have. Foolish indeed. Foolish and foolhardy.
“You need Verin; only he can save you,” she said, practically quoting Daha.
“I do have other options,” I murmured.
“None that appeal to you as much as my son,” she said with a proud smirk.
“You sound as if you want me to take him for a lover,” I noted. “And I can't imagine why you would. Verin told me that you were in a harem once. He implied that you were mistreated.”
“Not mistreated; neglected,” Savassa whispered. “I was the Blue Dragon King's first wife; his queen. But once he began building his harem—after I'd given him an heir—he gave me very little attention, with the exception of court duties.”
“That is a type of mistreatment,” I said adamantly. “I'm not always able to... accommodate every whim of every man I love, but I try my best to make sure they all feel my love.”
“And that is why I approve of you.” She nodded decisively. “You will be good for Verin. You can show him that love comes in many forms. That, often, it is a give and take; not just one or the other. Such a basic premise and yet it's difficult for a king to grasp, especially my king.”
“You're implying that I'll make him stronger in return for the sacrifice of sharing me.”
Savassa inclined her head. “There is that as well.”
I saw a glint in her eye; a shrewd glint. This was a woman who had been forced to use her wits, not just her body, to get what she wanted. In fact, it sounded as if her physical appearance didn't help her much at all. At least not with her husband. She likely transferred her love from husband to son and focused on Verin's needs. But he was a king now. What more could she hope for him?
“Tell me that you're not scheming to have Verin conquer the other undersea courts,” I demanded.
“Not at all,” she protested. “I wouldn't want that kind of responsibility for Verin. I'm scheming—as you put it—to give my son more than the sea.”
“You want him to leave the ocean?” I asked in shock.
“Not forever. I want Verin to reclaim the land for us. I want the Lóng to remember that we can have both water and earth. We simply need someone to show us the way back to the surface; to learn about the world we left behind and discover the tricks of the Beneath so we can navigate that world smoothly.”
“You want Verin to learn how to blend in with humans so your people can return to the surface?”
“Precisely. And you will do that for him, Elaria. I have seen it. You will show him the bounty and beauty of the land above and put a desire in him for both the surface world and love.”
“What about his kingdom here?”
“I will rule in his stead. I've done so before.”
“Ah.” I grinned. “I get it now.”
“No, you do not!” She slammed her hand on the table and startled me. “Do not ever question my loyalty to my son! I want what's best for him and our people. I don't scheme to unseat him or steal his kingdom. I want him to—” her voice cracked. “I want him to live free. To stand in sunlight that hasn't been created by magic. To feel the warmth on his cheek and smell unfiltered air. To see what I once beheld.”
“You've been to the surface?”
“We started there,” she said gently. “And what a life it was. Castles along the shore. Horses that could carry us faster across the land than we could run. Basking in the sun then diving into the water. With our power and magic, we should have it all. Everything we desire. And yet we deny ourselves. We hide beneath the waves. I know Verin can free us, but he needs you to give him a reason. A little push. Show him the way, Elaria.”
“My husbands don't want me to take another lover.” I leveled a grim stare on her. “They would approve of a temporary agreement only. They want a man who will be able to leave me after the Witches finish the spell.”
Savassa nodded as if she already knew this.
“That's why you're okay with it,” I concluded in epiphany. “Because I wouldn't hold Verin forever.”
She shrugged.
“But what if neither of us can let go? This isn't about sex. The Rooster Spell needs love to fuel her. Verin and I must fall in love for this to work and although there is an overwhelming attraction between us, there is no love. And, as you said, there is little time.”
“There can be love between you; very easily. Trust me,” she brushed off my concern. “And Verin is strong in both body and mind; he will get over you. In fact, I believe that loving you will benefit him. It will open him to the emotion and show him there's
