Free Reunion by Kara Dalkey Page A

filled with . . . unpleasant-looking men who are drinking?”
    â€œYou’ve got it right,” Corwin said. “And they don’t just look unpleasant. Most of them are unpleasant.”
    â€œThis place will be safe?” Nia asked, raising her eyebrows in question.
    â€œFrom the kraken, possibly.”
    â€œBut . . . there are other dangers?”
    â€œThere are always other dangers.”
    â€œYes, I forget I’m among land-dwellers now,” Nia said, sadly staring at the ground. “We were taught about the violence here.”
    â€œWell . . . we aren’t all bad,” Corwin went on, hoping she wouldn’t think badly of him just because he was a land-dweller. If they lived long enough, he assumed she would find whole new and unique reasons to think badly of him.
    â€œRaawk!”
    Nia jumped back. “Was that the kraken?”
    Corwin shook his head. “No, that’s just a raven. His name’s Nag. And who asked you to comment on landlubbers, eh?” he called out to the bird. “This is all your fault, you know. You led me to that beached leviathan.”
    â€œDoes the . . . raven understand your speech?” Nia asked.
    â€œI’m not sure,” Corwin said. The bird was regarding Nia curiously, tilting its head one way, then another.
    â€œIs it friendly?”
    â€œNo. Ignore him. He only wants to be a nuisance. Let’s keep going.” As they walked faster down the road, Corwin added, “So why is this serpent creature only after us? What does it want?”
    Nia sighed. “Remember I told you about an evil king who wants all power?”
    â€œYes. You have a Vortigern of the sea.”
    â€œIn Atlantis, power, magical power, comes from the Farworlders. What you call the leviathan. Our prince may be the last leviathan.”
    â€œSo this king wants . . . whatever little creature is in that shell?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHow can there be any power worth having from a baby squid?”
    â€œYou’ve already seen it.”
    â€œWhat, you mean that . . . thing you did with your hands? The blasts of air?”
    â€œYes. And that’s only a small part of it.”
    Corwin paused. A small part? Kings and generals would give all their wealth just for the amount of power she’d displayed earlier. Hmm. If I live, is there some way I could profit from all of this? Corwin could almost see what Fenwyck would have done with Nia. “Behold the Lady of the Sea! Watch her knock over barrels at twenty paces! Only five pence!” But Fenwyck had been a fool, and Corwin was capable of bigger dreams than that.
    â€œI see,” Corwin answered carefully.
    â€œIf Ma’el can’t capture the prince,” Nia went on, “he would want to destroy it, so that the prince’s power won’t interfere with his own. And because we’re bound to the prince—”
    â€œKilling either one of us would be as good as killing the prince himself,” Corwin finished for her, his body feeling very heavy.
    She pressed her lips together. “Yes,” she responded.
    â€œAnd to think, just this morning I was feeling like life couldn’t possibly get worse.”
    â€œI have felt that way, too,” Nia said, the note of sadness back in her voice. “I was wrong.”
    â€œWell, we all make mistakes.”
    â€œIf Ma’el succeeds and destroys the prince, not only will he rule Atlantis, but he will conquer the land-dwelling kingdoms as well. No one will be able to oppose his magic.”
    Corwin stopped and took Nia by the shoulders. “Nia, maybe we should stop talking about this. I don’t really think I can take much more right now.”
    â€œI’m sorry,” she said. “I thought you wanted to know.”
    â€œSo did I. I was wrong.”
    â€œWe all make mistakes,” Nia said.
    They stumbled on, keeping to the shadows that were