Shadows of longfin, p.1
Shadows of Longfin, page 1
part #10 of Legends of the Fallen Series
Shadows of Longfin
Legends of the Fallen Book 10
J.A. Culican
Cassidy Taylor
Shadows of Longfin © copyright 2020 J.A. Culican
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review. Trademark names appear throughout this book. Rather than trademark name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
The characters, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities or resemblance to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
About the Author
About the Author
Chapter 1
There was nothing I loved more than watching the sun rise over the waters of the Great River Gethedrelle.
Except maybe sleep.
Yes, sleep was good, too.
However, the sunrise came in a close second. Even as I rubbed the crust from my eyes, I couldn't be grumpy, not with this view. My window was high enough I looked down on most of Havenport, and even beyond it, to the masts of towering trade ships bobbing in the current. The brightly painted houses with their metal roofs glowed orange, pink, and blue. It was like the sun had set fire to the city.
I stepped onto the window’s ledge and dropped down to the roof below, landing with a bang.
Tomas came close behind, hanging off the windowsill by his fingertips before letting go. He was the youngest of my urchins, and I had to resist the urge to help him.
My urchins. I didn’t have any claim to the street rats who worked for me. But they didn’t exactly have anyone else, either.
“When did Hary get in?” I asked Tomas as we walked the seam of the roof.
He twisted his face in thought. “Not long ago. Aupra was still in the sky.”
He’d come in when it was still dark, which explained how Guillermo had gotten to him first. As head of the Trader’s Guild, he lived on the water and would have been alerted to the trader’s arrival.
“It’s not a bad haul. He has some dried goods and jewelry we could sell for an attractive price. But he wants to trade for some of Guillermo’s ale. Says he has a buyer up north.”
I nodded. Guillermo’s ale would put me out of business if people could live off it. Luckily, they needed other items, like food, cloth, and metals. Some of them had finer tastes and enjoyed the rarer artifacts I specialized in. Those were my favorite customers. I liked Hary, but he was practical. Definitely not a fan of my fancier items. He also wasn’t a fan of Guillermo, which was why he’d sent Tomas for me at this hour of the morning.
We reached the end of my block and turned right, tiptoeing over the roof of the Slippery Eel Inn and shimmied down a drainpipe in the back alley.
Emma met us there with a cup of steaming hot coffee in her hands.
“Thank you,” I took it from her and sipped at it delicately.
She smiled a gap-toothed grin at me. I swore she lost all her teeth at once, but it only made her more endearing. “You’re going to need it.”
“What? Why?”
“Guillermo found out Hary sent for you. He already summoned Madn.”
“Oh, no.” I hadn’t even run a comb through my tangled hair.
“Oh, yes.” Emma seemed to be enjoying this, which made me think I looked more disheveled than I realized. It also made me wonder if she was starting to look at boys with different eyes. I didn’t know if I was ready for that conversation.
Tomas skipped ahead of us, down the empty, oyster-shell street, oblivious. “I hope he brings some penydes.”
“Doesn’t he always?” The sticky, sugary candy was Madn’s secret weapon. Whenever things got out of hand, he’d pull a few pieces out of his pouch and pass it around, effectively shutting everyone up and making them happier as they reminisced about childhoods spent sneaking penydes from pantries.
We passed storefronts and the open-air market, nearly everything shuttered tight this time of morning. The baker was in his shop, the door open to let the heat of the oven out, but he eyed us mistrustfully as we passed. I knew he would rather feed his burned loaves to the pigs than offer it to the urchins. I’d have to make a point later to buy some rolls to hand out in front of his shop. If only to see exactly how red his round cheeks would turn.
The marina was quiet. I followed Tomas and Emma down to the dock, the wooden walkway bobbing beneath our combined weight. The ships around us—some mine—creaked and groaned as they rocked in the river’s deceptively strong current. I tried to ignore the way my body reacted to being this close to the water. If I didn't have a tight rein on the mermaid part of me, I would have stripped naked and dove in without a second thought.
But I had years—a lifetime—of experience keeping that part of me hidden. No one needed to know the truth about my mother’s heritage, and few did, except for my father and my best friend, Deria.
Rimuss had stopped talking to people a long time ago, so I didn't have to worry about him divulging my secret anymore.
I trusted Deria with my life. Her dragon, on the other hand? Well, he couldn’t talk to anyone but her.
The boat house sat where the floating walkway met another, forming a T. It was small, rickety, and smelled like fish, but it was where Guillermo would have taken Hary to hurry negotiations and escape my notice.
My urchins, though—saw everything. Even though nobody saw them.
I slammed the flimsy wooden door open. It banged back against the wall, drawing the attention of the two men seated there.
Guillermo snatched the sleeping cap off his head as if only my presence had reminded him he was no longer in bed. He scowled, and I couldn't blame it on the hour. It was how he always looked at me.
Hary was in much finer spirits. He hefted his considerable girth out of the chair and smiled at me, his cheeks ruddy from his trip down the river.
“Mischal.” He pulled me into a friendly hug, smothering me against his broad chest.
I held my breath until he released me, then returned the smile. “Hary. How have you been?”
“Fine, fine.” He sat back down, the chair groaning.
Guillermo flinched.
I would have paid gold to see his face if the chair collapsed.
Oblivious, Hary continued. “I'd be a lot better if Mo here wasn't trying to swindle me.”
Mo. I snickered, not bothering to hide my amusement at the nickname.
Guillermo gave a long-suffering sigh and put his quill down, leaning back in his chair. “Perhaps we should wait for Madn.”
I shrugged, propping myself against the wall, crossing my arms. Nonchalant. “I didn't think you liked using Madn. You know, the profit share and all.”
Guillermo narrowed his eyes at me. “We all know how you like using Madn.”
I snorted, fighting the flush which threatened to creep up my neck. “Nice one.”
Hary looked away uncomfortably. He wasn't in Havenport enough to really know the dynamic which existed between Guillermo and me. It was simple, though. Guillermo was the guild master and I was the thorn in his side. He tolerated me because everyone liked me. I respected him because he'd established a place for himself in this world long before I'd even dipped my toes in the water.
“I will not undervalue my ale. It is the finest of its kind in all Lynia. You'd be lucky if I gave you one cask for your entire load.”
Hary’s jowls quivered. “Now, that’s not—”
I pushed off the wall, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe we should wait for Madn.”
As if summoned by his name, he appeared in the door. With the rising sun behind him, he stood shining and resplendent in the doorway for a moment as if he knew what kind of figure he cut. He tucked his silvery-white wings against his back and ducked inside, taking in the three of us in the small boat house.
He grunted and took another step forward as if accepting this was his fate. When he was beside me, he murmured, “I didn’t know you would be here.”
My whole body thrummed at the deep rumble of his voice. “I suppose it’s your lucky day.” I flashed him the most confident smile I could muster, unbathed and unbrushed as I was. How he always managed to look so put-together, I would never know.
He glanced from me to Guillermo. “That’s not what I would call it.”
Madn greeted them and set to work, trying to get each man to compromise so they could reach a mutually beneficial deal.
I played my part as Hary’s advocate, balking at Guillermo’s earliest offers and encouraging Hary to come down a little when the time was right.
True to his job, Madn took a more neutral stance. He was so level-headed it made him the perfect mediator. Outside of work, he could be a little self-righteous, but that came with being an avian. Especially a disgraced avian working to restore the family name for some long-forgotten faux pas. I could forgive him, because he also had a delightful sense of humor and a protective streak that made the old-fashioned part of me sit up and take notice when applied to me. Not to mention, his mouth was good for more than just talking.
When the negotiations were finished, both men had given a little to gain a lot. They shook hands across the table, and Guillermo didn’t even flinch when Hary called him Mo again.
Outside the boat house, Hary clapped a large hand on my shoulder. “Always a pleasure, Mischal. Sorry to get you out of bed so early.”
I subtly slid out from under his grip, though he barely noticed as he patted his pockets, searching, no doubt, for his pipe. “Hmm, maybe you can repay me with a cask of this fine ale you bought.”
Hary laughed as if it were the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time. “Not a chance. I may like you, but not that much. Do you know how much a cask of that will bring me? No, you don’t, and I’m not going to tell you because I don’t want it to get back to old Mo.” He stuffed his pipe full of tobacco, then lit the leaves with a match. When he was done, he pinched the match between his fingers and stuffed it into his breast pocket, puffing his pipe through his teeth.
“Well, maybe next time.” I was ready to go. I could see Tomas and Emma at the riverfront park.
Tomas was balancing on the bulkhead, heedless of the waves crashing against it.
Emma was talking to the twins, Nel and Noe, who’d been gone following a lead on a locket said to contain a rare stone I’d heard about through the gossip mill. I was eager to find out what had happened.
But Hary wasn’t done with me yet. “Wait, I do have something I want to give you.” From the same pocket, he pulled out a silver chain. On the end of it was a perfect, pearl-white Certhiidae shell, narrow and spiraling to a fine point. He dropped it into my hand. “A merchant threw it in with one of my purchases.”
I held the shell lightly in my hand. It was strange how even this little piece of the ocean seemed to beckon me. I could almost see the spiraling towers of some underwater city I never knew. “Are you sure?”
He blew smoke out the side of his mouth. “I don’t have a wife or daughter to give it to. And besides, you’re right. I probably owe you something.”
Not one to turn down a gift, I nodded my thanks and draped the shell around my neck. I wondered if my mother had worn Certhiidae jewelry. Maybe I’d ask my father when I saw him next.
Hary left to arrange delivery of his goods as Madn emerged from the dock house.
“Everything squared away with Guillermo?” I questioned.
“You mean Mo?” He smiled for the first time all morning. “Yes, he’s all set. A little upset because Hary wanted you and he was forced to bring me in.”
“You mean, forced to pay you.”
“That, too.”
We walked in silence up the walkway. One of Guillermo’s fishing vessels had come in. The men were unloading their catch, moving the fish from the nets to barrels of ice they would transport to the market for the day’s sales.
I tried not to look at the beady black eyes or the shining silver scales. Instead, I held a hand up to shield my eyes and searched the riverfront for the kids.
Nel, Noe, and Emma were gathered around something on the ground, probably counting coins. They were ignoring Tomas, who was still walking along the bulkhead, balancing on the narrow row of stones. Below him, the river churned. I could feel it, a roiling, tightness in my gut. It was angry today, hungry. I picked up the pace.
But Madn’s hand reached out and grabbed mine, pulling me back, dragging me down a walkway between two slips. “What’s the hurry?”
My eyes flicked toward the riverfront park, hidden from view by the bulk of a ship.
Madn didn't glance away from me. “They’re fine.” His hands found their way to my waist.
Tomas was fine. He was with Emma, Noe, and Nel. Nothing would happen to him.
I made myself believe it, then I forgot all about him when Madn’s lips found mine. I brought my hands up to his neck, then slid them along the curve of his wings where they apexed over his shoulders. He shuddered and pressed me tighter to him.
We’d known each other for years but had only been doing this for a few weeks. It was still strange, new, and exciting, to be able to touch him whenever I wanted. Well, within reason. We tried to keep it professional at work. But it was still exciting, even when we were trying to behave, teasing and stretching the cord of tension between us so tight at least one of us was always on the verge of snapping.
I almost didn’t hear it.
The splash.
The shouts of alarm.
But the sounds cut through the haze around us and I pulled back, pushing Madn away, and running to the edge of the dock. A crowd gathered by the bulkhead, eyes on the water. And there, a dark head surfaced, a hand flailed, and Tomas was under again. He’d fallen in. I’d known he would, but I’d let Madn distract me.
Emma scanned the crowd for me while Nel and Noe kicked off their shoes. No one else made any move to help. The boys were strong, but they weren’t swimmers. Not like I was.
“Mischal, no, you can’t.”
Madn’s fingers just barely brushed the back of my wrist before I threw myself into the rushing current and was sucked under.
Chapter 2
I’d learned a long time ago the world was divided in two—the land and the sea. Most people went about their lives content in one or the other, while the other piece of the world existed as a mere idea, something they knew was there, but had no real interest in. But it wasn’t that way for me. Both parts tugged at me, constantly pulling me in opposite directions.
The world of the land dwellers faded away, and my body adjusted to the change with ease. The gills along my rib cage opened, filtering out the water and letting in air. The webs between my fingers stretched, and the opaque third eyelid slid over my eyes to help me see. I willed my legs not to change. Now was not the time to have that conversation with Madn. When he’d seen the gills before, I’d explained them away as scars from childhood trauma. It wasn’t far from the truth.
The tide was high, and the water pressed right against the bulkhead. I pushed myself faster, slicing through the water for the spot I’d last seen Tomas. But he wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere.
I surfaced, finding Emma in the crowd, hoping her panic would keep her from paying close attention to me. “Where is he?”
She yelled something and pointed past me.
Back underwater, I turned, scanning the darkness. Now that I was still, the seashell around my neck floated up in front of my face, the silver chain tugging me slightly away from the shore.
Of course. The current was dragging Tomas away, out to sea. I let myself go with the current this time instead of against it. I didn’t know how long I was under before I caught a glimpse of white below me. I dove, the water getting colder and quieter the deeper I went. My legs tingled as I fought the urge—no, the need—to shift.
The current was tossing Tomas around like he was nothing more than a rag doll. His face was blue, his eyes closed.
I caught him by the wrist and propelled us to the surface, all the while focusing on the slow, faint pulse beneath my fingers. I would never forgive myself if he died. It would be worse, more personal, if it were the water which killed him.
