The Ocean's Heart (The Dragons of Flareia Book 2)

Chapter 12 - Louin

A/N: Hey guys!! Sorry for not updating in a billion years, uni got super busy and I was kinda dying for a while BUT, now uni is coming to an end and NaNoWriMo is here, expect a bunch more updates! For this year's NaNo I'm being a bit of a rebel and just continuing this one, and I'm aiming to finish the first draft for it, then go back and edit TBF and this one together before starting book 3 (let's be real, book 3 is already planned out so the likeliness of me starting to write it as soon as this one is finished is like 99% but shhhhhhh Editor Sian can't know that), then maybe start sending out queries to agents and stuff. But for now, enjoy this chapter and get hyped for the next 50,000 words hopefully by the end of November! 

~ Sian x 

Cantella, Anemasi

26th Year of the Ocean

Fifth Moon

Louin trailed his hand down the waterhorse's flank, watching the other two creatures splash in the waves. Astra, Mulu and Zume, he had named them – after characters in tales his mother used to tell him before bed. His mother the Cantier. His mother, the traitor. His hand slipped from Astra's side, and the waterhorse galloped into the waves with her brethren.

Further along the shore, Annalissa yelped in delight, running back to the dryer sand and her small pile of seashells, something clutched triumphantly in her fist. Her soft curls were being pulled from her braid by the wind, and every so often she had to tear strands away from her face where they caught the salt water and stuck. The back of her white dress which usually trailed gracefully along the tiles of the palace was now caked with sand and seawater. Sand dotted its way up her calves and stuck to her bare feet. Louin was reminded of the night he'd told her to seek out Deus and become a Cantier; she was amess, but he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

He wandered over to her on the dry sand. "What are you doing?"

She sat beside the pile of shells and dropped a new one on the top. It was the kind a crab could have lived in, a spiralled cone where any kind of creature could hide – a thought that sent a shiver down Louin's spine. But this one reminded him more of Deus than of crabs. At first glance, the shell was an elegant off-white, but the longer he looked, he realised it shone a variety of soft colours, just like his dragon's scales.

"It's for Olivier," Annalissa explained. "Surely you noticed the shells in her hair – they're gifted in Avalona like medals. I daresay she's not received one since Tommél..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I think this one will be the best. It seems to suit Anemasi the most, but I'm not sure. I should have paid more attention to how they keep them in the braids. Do they make holes in the shells, or do they just braid in such a way that they're secure without damage?"

Louin placed his hands over hers, which had been worrying at the shell as she spoke. "Just give it to her," he said. "I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture. As you said, it has been a while since anyone has followed Avalonian customs for her."

"I don't know what I would do," Annalissa admitted, "if I were to be put in her shoes. My father dead, my brother a traitor – though, I have the advantage of other siblings. Do you wonder if all would have been the same, if perhaps Olivier and Tommél had another, like I do?"

"I doubt it would have made a difference. Tommél seems too power-hungry to let a second sibling get in his way." Louin observed. "But don't worry – I won't let anything happen to your family. Just as I won't let anything happen to our country."