This Poisoned Tide: The Last Water Witch Book One

Chapter 44

That was no bruise. It was a birthmark.

He almost took a step towards her. Almost.

"What—" he began.

"I understand the likeness is somewhat...remarkable." The king finally dragged his gaze from Juda, searching out the Naiad in the tank. "I have not seen your treasure for myself, but if what I have been told is true—and it will be true, for no one would dare lie to me—then there is a striking similarity between what is mine and what is yours. Between mother..." He glanced at Juda. "...And daughter."

Juda held still.

He should have been relieved to know this was the body of Eva Victori, the Naiad that Roth had carried and lain before the throne of King Aldolus Ban-Keren. He should have thanked the dead gods that it was not Elara in that tank, that she was still alive somewhere, and yet he could not allow his heart to beat harder in his chest at the thought of it.

Be still, Juda, Aleina said. Be still now.

The king turned away from Juda and approached the tank. The light from the water rippled across his face, the crow's feet clustered at the corners of his eyes deepening, shadowed grooves that told of time the rest of his face did not. He traced his fingers over the glass as if caressing her.

Juda did not move. He'd spent too long in the bloody square perfecting stillness such as this. Even when the muscles in his limbs screamed for release, he would remain on guard, ever alert for the slightest movement from his foes.

"I could not let her go," the king said, his voice taking on an awe-filled tone as if he was speaking to himself and no longer directing the conversation to Juda. "I could not let the Setalah take what was left of her. Why should the waters get what I could no longer have?" He spat the word 'waters' with a bitter tongue as if referring to an old enemy. "She was mine. I simply could not imagine a world in which I could not look upon her."

He walked the length of the tank, his fingertips smoothing over the glass, following the curve of her body. "My father had this aquarium built when I was but a boy. He knew how fascinated I was by the creatures of the sea. He had the finest glassmaker in Druvaria construct the largest aquarium in the upper echelon, and then he filled it with all manner of sea life. From the jade-scaled selka fish to the rainbow clams that would gather on the glass and the rocks, it was really quite beautiful to behold."

The king paused, his hand never leaving the glass. "Of course, I insisted on some more, let's say, exotic species. Have you ever seen a thorn-tailed tigerfish at work, Juda?" He stared at Juda and blinked, laughing softly as he shook his head. "How foolish of me. You would not have had the pleasure of such a thing. There has not been a tigerfish on these shores since before."

Juda knew what before meant. Before the curse. Before the Naiad.

"It was truly something to be admired," the king continued, his dark eyes sparkling. "The thorn-tailed tigerfish was the ultimate predator. It would lay out of sight, burying itself in the sand or tight into a rock crevice, and there it would wait, completely still. It was the perfect chameleon. Hidden in plain sight, and yet the other fish could never detect its presence. I would spend entire tides seated right here on the floor by the tank, waiting for it to make its move, so sure that it would attack. There were times when it had remained concealed for so long that I was certain it must be dead. Then, just when I thought the game was over, it would strike with a force so brutal and so magnificent that I could not tear my gaze from the spectacle. That long tail would wrap itself around its prey, the razor-sharp thorns cutting into flesh and then..."