It’s #BookQW – and ‘perfect’ timing –it’s release day for Lost Whisperer of the Seas!
More from Chapter 8, Trading Confidences:
Coral wished Ty’s question was about something else, but he hadn’t wasted time. Nice and open.
She climbed off the scooter, using the action to avoid his gaze and decide. Better to tell him herself, since he could find out from Spike anyway. “’Tis, uh, complicated.” She glanced at him. “You canna tell anyone.”
After a moment’s thought, he said, “Okay.”
Well, he hadn’t answered carelessly. She put her hands on her hips, like she would at a meet. “Tern Bay’s top duelist.”
He frowned. “But magical confrontations are—”
“Against the rules, aye. We keep them quiet.”
“You competed and won this duel?”
“Not just one. Multiple duels, three years running. Depends on how often we’re in port.”
Ty stared at her. “You must be powerful.”
Thank the Orb the pavilion was empty. “Aye, that I am.”
“Where did you train?”
Coral laughed. This wasn’t going half bad. “It’s against Windborne rules, remember?” She waved her hand to the sea. “Dueling is but a way to pass the time when you live on ship, after our lessons and work. Ma would send the four of us off flying to have a speck of peace. She didn’t know what we were up to.”
His brows shot up. “You and your sisters dueled each other?”
“Two sisters, a brother and myself. Does that make it more believable, that there was a boy involved?”
“No, I have sisters. I know girls can be rough.” He swiped up the sleeve of his shirt. A four-inch-long scar crossed his shoulder. “It’s dueling on your own, without a trainer, I can’t understand. It’s dangerous.”
“Aye.” Coral flashed a grin. “To be honest, it started as flying challenges. Skim the water, track a particular dolphin in a pod, hide-and-seek around the ship. Plus, some energy ball throwing practice that, well, sometimes fell into fights. Because the others were all older, and better skilled, I had to perfect my aim and flight maneuvers. I’d make mistakes. Often, one of them had to fish me out of the sea. If it was something we weren’t supposed to be doing, they’d cover for me with Ma.”
Ty’s face creased in doubt. “She fell for it?”
“I got better at dodging them fairly quick. I didn’t like the dunking.”
“So, show me how good you are.”
“Are you challenging me?” Ah, spells! What had she said? That flip response was…bad. A plain no would have been safer.
Ty answered in a toneless voice, his face now unreadable. “No, of course not. I was just curious. You’re—you have no presence of power about you.”
Had he been about to say she was too small to win a duel? Coral had heard that three years ago, but not since. What was this presence of power? It sounded like he could sense a Windborne’s magic.
***
Lost Whisperer of the Seas is out today! Buy it here!
If you haven’t read the rest of the series, pick up Book 1, The Witch of the Meadows, for free this week only.
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