Crest (Ondine Quartet Book 3) (21 page)

"Matt and I will take you over." Jesse's voice was rough like the surrounding terrain.

The guy in his twenties stepped forward and gave us a reassuring nod. "This the last group?"

"Yes." Ewan turned to us. "Jesse Fredriksen and his sons, Matt and Lucas, run flights to our kingdom. They've been bringing over conference visitors."

The flurry of introductions took a few minutes. Jesse's handshake was so hard, it was almost paralyzing. Lucas, the younger brother, spoke a bit longer with Helene. He was fourteen and rarely came across a girl close to him in age out here in the wilderness.

"Has it been busy?" Ewan asked.

Matt nodded. "Prince Belicoux helped by spreading the arrivals out over the past week. But it's still been tight with only two planes."

Our group divided in half. I was with the rest of the elites and Ewan. Everybody else went with Matt on the first plane.

While the others readied to depart, Jesse led us into their cabin office, a small space containing a worn desk, a few chairs, and a beat-up filing cabinet. Posters of grizzly bears and snowy mountains hung on the walls.

"Boys and I live a few miles south," Jesse explained. "Office is used for transport, supplies, and deliveries."

A deafening sound came from the lake as Matt's plane roared to life.

Blaise gestured toward a massive steel door at the back of the cabin. "What's that?"

Jesse opened it, revealing a large room filled with communication and surveillance equipment, supplies, and weapons. Monitors displayed security footage of the exterior and interior of the cabin.

A cot with pillow and blankets, the thick rug covering most of the floor, and rudimentary cooking supplies added an odd homey ambiance.

"Safe room," Alex murmured.

Jesse rapped the door. "Ten inch reinforced steel. Even Aquidae can't get through that thing."

Cam whistled and I had to agree. Pretty impressive.

The buzzing engine of Jack's plane faded to a hum and Jesse took us out to the pier.

We loaded our light luggage in the cargo pod beneath the fuselage. Heavier suitcases and supplies had been sent ahead of time. Once we buckled up in the ten-seater, the younger son, David, passed us headsets so we could talk while flying.

Jesse settled in the cockpit. The propeller sputtered and a high-pitched whine cut through the quiet air. Engine roared to life and the plane slowly pulled away from the pier, skimming across the surface of the lake.

It gradually gained speed, gliding with greater momentum. With a final scream, it climbed up to the sky and banked west over the tree line.

 
I stared out the window, ears popping, as the land below fell away. Around us were nothing but miles of untouched forest and the occasional road. In the distance, ice covered mountains stood like tall sentinels, watching over the endless land.

"Do you always travel back to your kingdom this way?" I asked Ewan.

The gardinels in Haverleau and other communities were so far from home.

"Sometimes we'll fly into a city, then shift and swim the rest of the way," he said. "Other times, we'll do the opposite and swim to Alaska before taking a private plane out. When we need to get there in a hurry, we'll do exactly what we're doing now."

"Doesn't it take forever to get there if you swim?

"It takes a lot longer, but if we had a choice, that's what we prefer." He paused and glanced out the window. His voice grew subdued. "We were meant to enter our home through the water."

As we headed further north, the horizon transformed. Late afternoon rapidly approached and the sun hung lower, casting a pink glow across the clouds.

The plane turned left and dipped down. My stomach rolled and Cam suddenly looked green.

"There it is," Jesse said.

A massive, rocky cliff jutted out over the glistening Bering Sea. The Selkie Palace perched on its edge, a magnificent castle towering over the water. Built from white-washed stones, its numerous large terraces extended from the central building, open to the air and shaded crimson by the sun.

Arching curves softened the harsh lines of the rocks beneath it. Spires reached for the sky and large windows sparkled like jewels across the delicate facade.

It was both imposing and beautiful, a striking representation of the people who navigated between land and sea.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Ewan said.

I nodded, an unexpected lump in my throat. Heart ached with a combination of regret and wonder.

A part of me wished my mother, Marcella, Gabe, and Ryder were still here to see this.

But I also marveled at the kingdom Tristan was responsible for. This was where he lived with his brothers. What he'd seen every day as he trained and grew into who he was.

For the first time, anxiety over the conference slightly eased. Coming here was a step in the right direction. Ondines and demillirs needed to see this.

"Hang on, everyone," Jesse said. "We're entering the boundaries."

The plane jerked slightly as if it passed through a pocket of turbulence.

"Wards?"

Ewan nodded. "When the Cloakers came to set up the wards, Prince Belicoux had the dessondines weave in a weather spell insulating the kingdom. The sounds, smells, and feel of weather remain the same. If it rains, it'll fall through. Only the temperature is maintained at a balance comfortable for all visitors."

Selkies' physical constitution easily handled difficult weather conditions, an important trait since winters in this part of Alaska were harsh and unforgiving. The amount of work Tristan put in to make this conference accessible for everyone boggled my mind.

As we descended, the terrain grew clearer. Large buildings dotted the land below, each surrounded by several hundred yards of empty, flat tundra before settling into rich forests that showed no sign of winter.

The plane turned for landing and I caught the sparkle of an aquamarine lagoon north of the castle at the base of high glacial ridges. Dark, thick canopy of foliage, similar to the rainforest, dotted the area behind the mountain.

Matt's plane soared before us. His passengers waited on the pier below. The gardinels had already left.

Jesse carefully brought us down on the inlet at the base of the palace cliff. Water sprayed up, the plane bobbling on its floats.

I pulled off my heavy coat as soon as we got out. The mild temperature reminded me of spring in Haverleau.

Electric energy tingled against my skin. Magic reverberated in the air, the water, the trees, even the rocks and hardened earth.

"Look." Renee pointed to a promontory south of us. It wasn't as high as the palace cliff, but it extended farther out, ending in a sheer drop straight into the sea.

Male silhouettes dove off the edge and whistled through the air. Pale white light pulsed around their bodies like lightening flashes against the darkening sky.

The distance made it impossible to see details.

But what plunged into the water were no longer men. Enormous creatures, ten to fifteen long, with prehistoric limbs and razor-sharp claws effortlessly sliced through the water's surface.

Selkies.

"Wow," Chloe whispered.

Helene took a few steps closer to the pier's edge her camera focused on the awe-inspiring sight.

Tristan once told me shapeshifting was an intensely private activity and part of the reason selkies preferred to be left alone by other elementals.

But watching them now, leaping off such heights, bodies arced in a current of snapping magic, was an experience both extraordinary and humbling. I couldn't help wishing Haverleau could see it.

"They shouldn't be doing that." Ewan scowled. "Come on, grab your things."

Reluctant, I turned around to grab my duffel bag. Forms suddenly appeared in the gloom at the head of the pier.

Aubrey inhaled sharply and Cam swore.

One moment nothing but shadows danced along the water's edge and the next a dozen selkies stood in a towering line.

"Told you," Alex said gleefully. "Ninjas."

All were over six feet and built like fighters. Stony faces and hard muscles made you not want to get on their wrong side. Each had a different
pedaillon
stone twinkling in the waning light.

As we approached, wary eyes swept over us, assessing every minuscule detail.

Every single one stopped on Ian.

I stepped closer to him. Although Ian was here as Tristan's personal guest, selkies deeply distrusted nixes. His dark aura would be problematic for many of them.

Cam and Alex also drew close. Aubrey slipped her hand in his.

Ewan strode to them, a wide smile on his face.

"
Kahliev
," he said in their selkie language. The word rolled like the ocean tide.

A selkie stepped forward and offered a small flash of teeth. "
Kahliev
."

Ewan rattled off several sentences in their language. Aubrey tensed by Ian's side but watched Ewan's exchange carefully. Finally the selkie nodded, face settling back into its default blankness.

Ewan turned to us. "Everyone except elites, please go with him."

Ian kept his head slightly lowered as he passed the row of selkies. Aubrey and Chloe flanked him on the sides while Renee and Helene protected his back.

The selkie led them to a line of large tour carts. Carrying bags on their laps, they squeezed onto the wooden benches. The selkie drove them up the slope to the palace.

"As for the rest of you, your training begins now." Ewan's mouth lifted into a smile I didn't like. "You guys are going up to the top that way."

He pointed to a staircase carved into the side of the cliff. Narrow and with a sharp ascent, the steps looked like natural indentations in the rocks. Definitely not something we were supposed to climb.

I stared. My gaze followed the steps up.

Up.

And still up.

At least three hundred fifty feet straight up a vertical cliff face.

"Are you serious?" I asked, incredulous.

"Completely." Ewan sounded cheerful. "Every selkie masters these steps by age ten. Whoever doesn't get there in five minutes has to serve hor d'oeuvres at the reception tonight."

Hell, no.

He grinned. "See you at the top."

He and the other selkies bounded up, some of them taking three or four steps at a time. How they kept balance when only the balls of their feet fit on each step was beyond me.

We looked at each other.

I ran.

Alex tried to trip me. I shoved Blaise but he pushed me back. Someone pulled the back of my shirt.

Cam got there first.

Swearing, I managed to dodge Ethan's swipe and sidled in after Blaise. Alex slipped in behind me.

There was no room for passing. This was the order we'd have to keep.

"Blaise, mark the time," Cam said.

"Got it."

"Cam, you better move," I said. "I'm not serving shrimp cocktails tonight."

"Just keep up, Irisavie," he shot back.

Everything else faded and the entirety of my body focused only on the step ahead.

By the time we hit the thirtieth step, I was sweating like crazy. Sporadic cursing punctuated the air.

"Ninja training," Alex huffed.

"Two minutes left," Blaise managed.

I gritted my teeth and lifted my knee up. Lungs strained, back and abdominal muscles screamed, thighs were on fire.

"Not. Much. More," Cam ground out.

"One minute!" Ewan called out from the top.

Oh God, if we didn't stop soon I was going to fall over. "Move!"

Without even realizing it, we'd adopted a uniform rhythm. Arms and legs pumped in unison, breathing settled into sync.

Inhale, exhale. Leg up, foot down.

"Twenty-five seconds!"

Cam picked up the pace and we pushed in a last sprint to the top.

Next step. Another...

I stumbled and hit flat ground, thighs and calves twitching in protest.

"Heart," Alex wheezed. "Stopped."

Ethan collapsed face down beside me.

"Can't feel my legs," he mumbled.

I flipped on to my back, stared up at the sky, and sucked in as much air as I could.

A pair of amber eyes blocked the view.

"Did we make it?" I panted.

"By two seconds." Ewan made a clucking noise. "Pathetic."

I would kick his ass. I would.

Just as soon as I could stand.

Once our pulses returned to normal, we wearily followed him into the palace. The striking entrance hallway was a combination of white stone, dark wood, and marble. Beautiful art lined the walls, the interior's natural muted hues providing a perfect canvas for the richly colored paintings.

A few Redavi I didn't recognize crossed the floor, eyes widening at my appearance.

Bits of grass and dirt stuck to the back of my pants. Sweat dried on my skin, hair remained disheveled.

I smiled. They fled in the other direction.
 

Maybe not the best look to convince everyone I was the next Governor-elect.

We joined Renee a little further down the hall.

"This Matisse," she murmured. "Something about it."

Curves and sharp lines delineated a bright blue ocean surrounded by vivid red shores.
 

The treasures of the Selkie Palace were legendary. Besides a rumored vault filled with art, gold, and ancient magical objects, it was also rumored to possess a stunning weapons collection and a library holding secrets even the most educated ondine didn't know.

"Where's Aubrey and Chloe?" Cam asked.

"They went to their rooms," Renee replied. "Someone's showing up to escort each of us individually."

A high-pitch shriek came from the entrance.

My pulse raced.

Helene.

By the time we got there, Ewan stood beside her near a large pile of luggage. "Are you okay?"

"No." She stared at the long piece of folded metal in her hands.

"Are you injured? Maimed? Hurt in any way?"

She looked up at him and blinked. "Why would you think that?"

Pounding heart slowed a little.

He threw his hands up and stalked away, muttering something about heart attacks and teenagers.