Chains of Fate

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

“What do you mean it’s unsafe to travel by sea now?” Clarice asked Lucan the next morning, her mouth agape at the news the Norian prince told her. “If the sea is dangerous, how will we get over to Nor?”

I stood with Clarice and Lucan in the entrance hall of the castle. Lucan just told us that the ocean leading to his kingdom was in an uproarious state because of the magical creatures. The Norian ship that was coming to take us to our destination sank before it reached shore. But it wasn’t just that ship. The creatures of the ocean were acting more wild than usual, sinking ships in all corners of the ocean. The only question was why they were sinking ships. What was making them act like this?

Lucan sighed. There were dark shadows beneath his blue eyes. He must have spent all night thinking about how to resolve this problem. “It’s only a roundabout way, Clara,” he said, twirling a ring around his finger. “We’ll ride on horseback to Letrine until we reach the northern bank. From there, we cross the Norian ocean and hope for the best.”

I scuffed my foot on the red carpet beneath me and looked around the entrance hall. The familiar din of servants rushing to complete errands up and down the two grand staircases filled the silence that spanned after Lucan spoke. “Are the magical creatures acting the same way in Nor?” I asked him warily. We were going to go to the Eremithian Forest, the home of the Sylph Queen, who classified as a magical creature.

And if she was acting insane, we’d all die.

“It seems so.” His usually happy-go-lucky face that always made me want to punch him was void of any positive emotion. “Something is happening over there,” he murmured, looking down at the floor in thought. “I don’t know what it is, but I intend to find out.”

I raised an eyebrow. Even though I had only known the prince for a few weeks, this seemed uncharacteristically serious of him.

At that moment, Titus jogged into the entrance chamber from the right hall. “I have everything prepared,” he said as he came to a stop before us. “Are you all ready?”

Lucan gave a sly smile. “Yes, but I don’t know about my cousin. Do you have everything you need?”

Her face instantly colored. “Y—yes, of course. Don’t treat me like a child, Luca.”

I forced myself to keep from smirking. It was amazing how Lucan could put Clarice into such a pathetic state. The two were cousins and had known each other ever since they were young, but they weren’t related by blood. Lucan was adopted by the Norian king. It was unusual and mystifying as to why Lucan was chosen by the Norian king to rule Nor. Why not choose his niece, Clarice? Then again, I could see her becoming a tyrant. I shivered at the thought of her being queen. If I hadn’t stopped King Gavin’s impostor, Titus and Clarice would have been forced into a marriage that the impostor arranged to disrupt Aria. It would have been disastrous. Would Titus even survive if he was married to Clarice?

I dispelled of those thoughts as Titus led us outside the castle. When I saw the familiar wooden structure of the stables, I had a sudden, horrible realization.

There were too many times that this had happened to me. Too many times that I had been caught off guard.

But not this time.

“Titus,” I began, taking a firm step back as the others walked into the building, “what are we riding?”

He backtracked and gave me an apologetic look. “Water horses,” he replied. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have a choice.”

I knew that, yet my gut still twisted in the worst way possible. Water horses were aquatic equine monsters with gills, sharp teeth, and a desire to kill me. They could apparently sense that I was a Harbinger, so they were especially tuned to the “magic” inside of me. Whatever that was.