Free The Sea Devils Eye by Mel Odom Page A

surprised Jherek, but he said nothing.
    “Enter.” Dehnee stepped back and held the folds of sea lion skins back.
    Jherek entered last, his mind and eyes seeking danger everywhere. He hadn’t forgotten the story about the diviner sharing her cave with a ghost.
    The cave evidently divided into three or more rooms. Some of the division was natural but the young sailor could also detect scars and markings from tools and stone cutters.
    More hides taken from sea creatures decorated the walls along with mounted fish on lacquered wooden plaques. Shells and bits of coral of different sizes and colors strung on sections of net in designs and patterns hung from the uneven ceiling. Red, blue, and green lichens clung to the walls in whirlpool patterns, evidently carefully directed in their growth.
    Two clam shells more than a foot across hung upside down from more nets. They were filled with blubber and burning wicks to fill the cave with light.
    Dehnee passed her hand over a small net with silver bells and shells that tinkled and rattled. The sensation of clawed feet crawled over Jherek, causing him to shift his shoulders.
    “It’s all right,” Sabyna said in a soft voice. “The spell was intended as protection only.”
    “I have been hunted before,” the diviner said. “I like to make sure that no one enters my home while bewitched by a charm, and that I have no unseen guests.”
    She sat cross-legged on a sea lion hide that had the creature’s head still intact.
    Jherek’s hand tightened as he stared at the maned head. The itching sensation grew even stronger. Dehnee turned a hand palm up and offered seating on the piles of hides in the center of the cave.
    “If you don’t mind, lady,” Glawinn said, “I’ll stand. The armor becomes rather cumbersome.”
    “Of course, Sir Knight. I know merely being here must be troublesome to you. Some of the objects I use in my divinations would not be comfortable to you, but they are necessary in what I do.”
    “Thank you, lady.”
    Gazing at the paladin, Jherek saw that Glawinn was a little paler than normal and held his lips tightly as a man at rough sea might. The young sailor didn’t feel well himself and was experiencing a throbbing behind his eyes.
    Sabyna and Azla sat in front of the diviner.
    Dehnee looked up at Jherek with dark, liquid eyes. “I can attempt this without you,” she told him, “but my best chance of success will be with your assistance.”
    “I don’t understand,” Jherek said.
    “You come here seeking an object,” Dehnee told him. “Of all, you are the most closely tied to it.”
    Jherek hesitated only a moment, wishing there were some other way. “What do I need to do?”
    “Sit.”
    Dehnee pointed to a place before her. The young sailor pulled his cutlass from the sash at his waist so that he could sit in comfort. As soon as the blade came free, the sea lion’s eyes glinted with unholy light and tracked his movement. The massive jaws unhinged and loosed a coughing roar of warning. Skin prickling and heart hammering in fear, Jherek stepped back.
    The sea lion’s body rose from the carpet, magically transforming and coming fully to life.
    VI

6 Flamerule, the Year of the Gauntlet
    Half formed from the diviner’s carpet, the sea lion glared at Jherek with hot hatred in its emerald green eyes. In life the creature had been easily a dozen feet long. Light danced on the shiny scales that began just behind its forelegs as it slithered protectively in front of Dehnee.
    “Narik!” Dehnee cried, tugging on the fierce mane. “No!”
    Slowly, the sea lion shifted its attention from Jherek to the diviner. The coughing growls subsided and changed to a plaintive whining that filled the whole cavern.
    “He means no harm,” Dehnee stated, continuing to pull on the ensorcelled beast. “He thought you were going to hurt me. He’s not been around many such as you.”
    As if in grudging obedience, the sea lion glided back to the cave’s stone floor