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“Sense what?” He rubbed his forehead. “My head is killing me.”
“Mine, too,” Fin chimed in from behind us.
I hadn’t even known he was awake. “How’d you sleep?” I asked them.
“Like a merbaby,” said Nemo.
Sea god. How was he always so chipper? Whenever I got my moon cramps, I curled up in bed, wanting to die from the pain. For the first two days, I was as grouchy and prickly as a stonefish.
“Been better, Princess,” replied Fin, rubbing his neck.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve detected water to the west.”
Up ahead, the road split at a fork, one route going in the direction where my senses called me. Perfect! Surely, we could spare a bit of time for a dip. As we approached the intersection, I jerked the horses’ reins, and they shifted right, following my guidance.
I glanced at Nemo’s wound. His bandage was soaked with blood. It needed changing, and the cut needed cleaned.
“How’s your leg?” I asked him, clasping his hand and squeezing it.
“Better now.”
The way his eyes lingered on me sent a tingle up my spine. His smile was like the rising sun, bursting with light and beauty, and I couldn’t pull away.
He laughed and ended my little trance.
I snapped out of it and tried to concentrate on the path. But that was a little hard. In his presence, I felt strange. A little out of control. The sensation was exhilarating and daunting at the same time. But I didn’t want it any other way.
A few leagues down the next road the desire for water became stronger, telling me we were on the right path.
My instincts told me to take the next two rights, and we passed a little town with a well in the center, but that wasn’t what I sensed. This was a large body of water. My chest wouldn’t throb over something so small.
Four brick huts with straw roofs lined either side of the lane. Judging by the size of them, they were reasonably spacious like the apartments at the palace. Horses were tied up to wooden poles outside. Smoke curled out of the chimney of each structure. The smell of something delicious wafted from one of the buildings, making my stomach groan.
“Give me some of that.” Nemo rubbed his flat stomach. “Gill, we’ll sell your trident for some of that grub.”
“More like we’ll sell you,” said Gill.
I raised a brow, surprised to learn he actually had a sense of humor.
We all laughed at that one.
A couple of children who were playing kickball and jumping on strange ropes in the courtyard stopped to run up to the horses. Watching their delighted faces warmed my heart. One day, I wanted three little ones of my own. I’d picked out names for two of them. Ariel after my aunt. Neptune for a boy. The third…well, I wasn’t sure what I’d call him or her yet.
When I turned the next corner, and the wagon headed along a massive field, the internal barometer inside me was practically exploding. Strange animals with hulking bodies and tiny legs that didn’t look strong enough to hold them up grazed on the grasses in the field along the road. They kind of reminded me of dugongs, but with longer legs.
A couple of leagues down, I spotted a huge lake bordered by forest on one side and grass on the other.
“Poseidon,” I whispered.
Oh, my. I had cursed too much today to the sea god. He’d already passed me to the pirates. What next? Strike me down with a tsunami?
“What?” Nemo swung his head. “I still can’t see.”
“Me neither,” Fin said.
As usual, Gill didn’t say anything, but that was probably a good thing when he was such a grouch.
“A big, beautiful lake,” I said.
