Echidna waited…somewhat patiently as the opportunities to attract the Princess's attention slipped away. She said a few things here and there, trying to catch her attention from the shadows in between the pages of books, trying to speak to her from beneath the looming shelves and out of the mouths of some of the darker trophies of war that tackily decorated the library shelves, but the little monarch was simply too focused. Echidna might have been impressed if it had not vexed her so greatly.
At last, when the testy cecaelia had finished blocking her magical view with his great, looming magical presence, Echidna was delighted when the princess addressed her.
"You," she said, sounding somewhat regal for one with such young speech. "I know that voice."
Echidna laughed from the shadow, using the shades about the room to observe the princess from every angle from her scrying mirror in the trench.
"My name is Echidna. I used to…assist your dear brother Ezra. Such a shame he failed me so badly—and you as well. It seems we have something in common."
The princess glared at the space beneath the desk, probably believing Echidna to be on the recieving end of her sweet little ire.
"Assist? Ezra is being held prisoner by his own people, and deservedly so. What use was your assistance?"
"Ezra's misuse of my gift was entirely his own doing," said Echidna, having expected a degree of suspicion from the girl.
"Indeed. Such a pity…but you haven't found how to restore your friend. Do you even know what's wrong with him?"
"You're a sea-devil," she said flatly, catching Echidna's meaning. "He made a deal with one of you."
"Such a clever princess…or is it queen? How quickly the power can shift among mortals."
"What do you want?"
"Oh, it isn't what I want, but what you need, clever queen," she flattered. "I can't undo a deal with another devil, but perhaps….Since he trod on my fins, he won't mind if I give him back a piece of his own scheming. I could help you."
"By your own admission, you can't," said Ariel. "Whatever he's given away, whatever he's lost, you don't have it."
"We can help each other," Echidna insisted once more.
"Not today. Not with this. Be gone from my kingdom," the princess ordered.
Echidna laughed a laughed with a hard lilt, this time from shock. She couldn't remember the last time one of her deals had been…rejected.
"Alright little princess," she seethed, determined to make one more offer. "But you won't live forever…and neither will your friend."
"Leave!"
Something in the Princess's order severed Echidna's connection to the shadows, but no matter. Echidna moved her scrying mirror's connection to the shadows outside the library…only to find that those had been severed as well. Her ire mounting, she tried the palace. The grounds. The city…nothing. That little chit had managed to cut her off from the entire territory of the Atlantean kingdom!
Echidna screamed, and threw the nearest rock on her cavern floor at her mirrors. Had they not been enchanted to be nearly unbreakable, they would have shattered and gotten into her gills, and then where would she be…but she didn't much care. It would take more than inhaling a little enchanted glass to kill a Devil.
In a rage, she turned on her inky tail and fled her cavern, her spines scraping against the mouth of her underwater cliff-side cave, only to be greeted by a set of giant glowing red eyes, and even larger grinning white teeth.
"Fate," she snarled. "At the great risk of wasting all of that fine appearance…I really should kill you."
"You are most welcome to try, Echidna," Fate said agreeably, turning a lazy loop above her head. It was enough to make her want to sever his.
In less than a week, Fate had sabotoged her ploy with Ezra—not that that had been all that difficult. Ezra was rather easy to manipulate, what with his desperation to play the hero. What truly made her angry had been the news that Fate had not only undone so much of her work, but had created another, much younger Devil. One who would want her head should she learn about her part in her son's near-death. Such a small pawn with such a price. It was maddening.
And now, with her grasp entirely removed from the Atlantean palace…although…
Echidna felt quite the fool.
The Kingdom of the Depths was once more open. Its location was no longer a secret. That curse broken, her ban should have—would have been lifted. Her grin returned, inch by creeping inch. Perhaps then, all was not lost. In fact, all would have much higher stakes. How terribly entertaining.
"You nearly undid my war," she pouted, not one to lead Fate to believe he had the lower hand prematurely.
"Oh, don't blame me, Echidna. Some devils just structure their deals so shakily. Pull one tiny thread and it allll comes apart."
"I admit it's been a diverting game, Fate," she allowed, "but I believe you know this isn't over. We're playing for blood."
"It's a date," said Fate, and before she could say another word, another quip, perhaps a threat or two, he slipped away into the dark of the trench.
Get ready for…. THE AUTHOR'S NOTE! AHAHAHAHAHA!
WAHOO! I finally managed to release the last chapters! It's finished!
Or is it…?
That's right. There's more. There is… a sequel in the works. A spicier, funnier sequel. One with passion, and tongue, and all the tentacle-curling trimmings! (Tastefully done, of course.)
But how can you lot read the sequel? Or other, funnier, far-more polished romances by this author? Well, my most esteemed and distinguished readers of the court, I am tickled purple that you asked.
I've begun publishing on Kindle Unlimited, and I'm making my work as low-cost (and free) as possible.
Search for the edited, polished, version of Ink-Crossed under the title: The Sea-Witch's Apprentice by Marisa Bowman (Release Date 3/15/2024) and its sequel, The Chamberlain's Apprentice (Release entirely dependant on what you lovely readers tell me you want me to work on. Could be the month after this one, could be end of year. Up to you.)
Kindle Ink-Crossed is getting more chapters, more backstory, more jokes, and….better punctuation.
The reason it's taken so long to release these last few chapters from hostage negotiations, is that I've just published another adventure romance on Kindle.
Title: Swashbuckler, by Marisa Bowman.
If you thought Ink-Crossed was amusing, then tie yourselves to the mainmast, readers!
Exciting brawls, hair-raising escapes, magical powers, two intrepid friends, a budding romance begun in questionable locales, and pirates with even more questionable hygiene. This fiendishly funny tale will take you across the seas on a magic comic ride.
Masters of sleight-of-hand by necessity, Kingsmen-turned-mercenaries Akacia and Cieki have a stroke of luck when a terrible storm blows several crews of pirates (and all of their gold with them) into port where they are drunk, bored, and ripe for the picking. However, fate blows the two friends right back into the clutches of the same pirates they've cheated when their kingdom falsely accuses them of attempted regicide. Worser still, signs point to Akacia being favored by the God of Whims, a deity notorious for his unpredictability, and lack of commitment to keeping his champions alive.
Forced to rely on the good graces of the bottom of the hierarchal barrel, the girls are hired by Pirate Lord Jak Jeredsen, a cunning tactician who happens to cut a fine figure in a leather coat. Taking their escape to the seas, Jeredsen opens Akacia's eyes to new possibilities and adventure. As she enables his schemes in explosive fashion, he in turn begins to show her that not everything in the world is as it seems. Jeredsen has his own agenda regarding their kingdom, however. Caught between his desires, and those of meddlesome deities, Akacia and Cieki find themselves entangled in a race to clear their names, prevent pirates and kings from taking more than their share of power, and reach the ultimate goal—survive until retirement.
You lot are my muses! Thank you so very much for your comments. They've kept me going!