Shifting Waters: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Bound by Fate Book 2), page 1
SHIFTING WATERS
JB TREPAGNIER
Shifting Waters Copyright © 2024 JB Trepagnier
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
Cover by Hannah Sternjakob Designs
Illustrations by Ma Aljane Compendio
Edited by Michelle Hoffman
Originally published as The Spirus 2016
Created with Vellum
CONTENTS
Nestran
1. Oris
2. Esylle
3. Sono
4. Neptis
5. Leodos
6. Oris
7. Joron
8. Sono
9. Oris
10. Sorcha
11. Leodos
12. Sorcha
13. Esylle
14. Neptis
15. Leodos
16. Sono
17. Sorcha
18. Sono
19. Esylle
20. Sorcha
21. Oris
22. Neptis
23. Leodos
24. Fluvis
25. Sorcha
26. Esylle
27. Joron
28. Sorcha
29. Esylle
30. Oris
31. Leodos
32. Sorcha
33. Esylle
34. Sono
35. Sorcha
36. Neptis
37. Sorcha
38. Leodos
39. Sorcha
40. Oris
41. Sorcha
42. Oris
43. Leodos
44. Sono
45. Lisana
46. Esylle
47. Lisana
48. Neptis
49. Lisana
50. Sono
51. Esylle
52. Leodos
53. Lisana
54. Lisana
55. Lisana
56. Leodos
57. Esylle
58. Lisana
59. Sono
Epilogue
Afterword
SHIFTING WATERS
Inanos is full of secrets. I died here once.
The humans are drawing closer, intent on killing me. I've only got a short time to figure out why Belisarus told me to head to Inanos and unlock the secrets here. I was scared of my magic once. I thought I was over that, but I'm getting new powers and learning how to use them.
There's a light here, and the light wants me. It wants me more than the humans do.
Frankly, it terrifies me.
NESTRAN
My father finally let me go. Esylle and Leodos managed to get loose and ran to her. Sono and Neptis also broke free, and Frog had come as well. She was lying on the ground with her skin red and blistered, but she was still breathing. Now that the gills on her neck were gone, she seemed to be able to breathe again.
“Volaris, the door!” Voxis said.
I didn’t give a shit about the door. All I cared about was her. I never wanted to see that again. She nearly died. I hadn’t known her for long, but I really cared about this girl. I wanted to hurt someone that this had even happened.
“Why should we let you bring her in there? You saw what those doors did to her. She’s not supposed to burn like this!” Esylle yelled.
“We need to get her inside and have food waiting when she wakes up,” Leodos said. “You saw how much it took for her to open these doors. There’s something important inside.”
Leodos gingerly picked her up, and Volaris called everyone to come inside.
We hadn’t been inside here in so long, I didn’t know what to expect. There was a long corridor and a throne at the end. It had to have belonged to her before. It was dark in Inanos. There were no windows because it was carved into the cliff. Esylle flung out her hands and lit every single torch and candle in the room. There were stone arches along the corridor that looked like they led to other rooms.
Everyone slowly started spilling into the corridor and looking around. Now that it was lit, I could see that there were frescos on the wall. Most of them must be of Essos, playing with the playmates created for him as a child. My footsteps echoed as I walked along the stone.
I was looking for one painting of the Spirus. I wanted to see if there was a resemblance in the paintings to the girl I was in love with. Something to make watching her get tortured out there worth it. I didn’t have any luck. All the frescos on the wall were of Essos as he grew into a man.
“We need to find her a bed and make food for when she wakes up,” Leodos said. “She’ll wake up when she’s ready like she always does,”
Esylle was still wringing her hands and looking like she wanted to yell at anyone for not stopping this. Yeah, I did, too. We really had no way of knowing this would happen and it was technically Sorcha’s idea to come here, but someone should have stopped it when it was clear she was in pain. I really wanted to hit someone.
Volaris instructed everyone to find food and a place to sleep now that we were here. Sono looked like he was going to stay with her. Neptis wouldn’t. He was too proper, but I could tell he wanted to.
Not me. I went off in search of food. She was going to need to eat when she woke up and there was this part of me that needed to take care of her. I grabbed Neptis.
“We need to find food.”
He looked out towards where we came.
“I wish she ate fish. I could gather seaweed again. She liked that.”
“No, I smell something. This way.”
We didn’t have Esylle to light anything, so I grabbed a torch so we could see. I finally found a large open area in the center of the mountain where the previous occupants had been growing food. There were fruits, vegetables, and grains growing here that were appropriate for this climate. I could smell the magic coming off this garden. Everything was still abundant and pristine, despite not having a gardener for so long.
“We can feed her when she wakes up.”
“Do you know how to cook for her?” Neptis asked.
“No, but I’m going to learn.”
Because I would. I was going to learn to take care of her and get her things before she needed it. I didn’t give a shit about the Spirus stuff.
I was in love with the girl.
Inever wanted to see anything like that ever again. I was terrified. I thought I was watching my child die right in front of me. They hadn’t wanted to come here because they said she had died here before. Coming here was a huge mistake, and I had no idea why Belisarus called it out to her during our fire message.
We wandered around the dusty halls while I lit torches until Leodos kicked open a door that had a gigantic bed and servant’s quarters. I hated this place. Leodos kicked several doors, and these were the only ones that opened. It was carved into a mountain, but this was easily just as much as a palace as my home. This looked like my father’s quarters and there were servants' rooms off to the side. I wasn’t fancy when it came to my child. I could sleep in there.
Sono rushed over and wiped the dust off the bed as Leodos set her down. I knew I couldn’t touch her because I didn’t want to hurt her, but I laid in bed next to her. Sorcha could heal herself, and I’d watched as the claw marks closed up after she fought the bear, but that was nothing like what I’d witnessed at the doors. Sono found chairs and brought them for him and Leodos to sit.
“She had to sleep through the night last time. I don’t know how long she would need for this. You should get some rest,” Leodos said.
“After what I just saw? It was like every gift she had was turning against her. She couldn’t breathe and you saw those wings rip out of her back. I’ve watched her shift before and it never looks that painful!”
“Shifting is never like that. It’s not painful. It feels a little like someone is shaking you and you can feel yourself shrinking. When my wings appear, they don’t rip from my back the way we saw today. Maybe this was a trial for her and that’s why it hurt her this way.”
“Coming here was a mistake. If she died here before, how do you know she didn’t manage to free herself before the doors killed her?”
“I hated it, too. I tried to get to her to stop it, but the door opened because of her. You’re going to have to prepare yourself for the fact that some of the things she’s here to do may hurt her. Maybe that’s why she heals the way she does. It was hard for me to watch her at the door, too,” Sono said.
I propped myself on my hand and looked down at my daughter. Her hair was knotted from fighting against the door, so I didn’t stroke it. I could see her chest rising like she was deeply asleep. I would have loved to have felt her heartbeat to make myself feel better, but she was covered in burns, so I wouldn’t.
I felt a little better and didn’t know how long she would need to sleep this time. I still thought we should get Lisana out of there. I hated what Sono said about having to watch her be hurt again because I knew he was probably right. There was a soft knock on the door, and Oris and Neptis stuck their heads in.
“We found a garden,” Neptis said. “There are a lot of fruit, vegetables, and grains that are still good. I think there’s magic in the garden because some of those things should
Oris looked like he was sulking.
“There’s not much in the way of prey out here and she doesn’t eat like me. The Farkhi and Tark will handle most of the cooking, though the Theran do have several recipes we can make if the Farhki women actually allow us in the kitchen.”
“You’re just mad you got threatened with a spoon,” Neptis said.
Oris made a rude gesture.
“We found a wing for us. It’s right near here.”
“Tomorrow. I’m not leaving her tonight,” Sono said.
“Where are you sleeping? It better not be her bed!” Oris snapped.
“Like you already did?” Neptis pointed out.
“That’s different. She’s injured.”
I didn’t know how I could have forgotten Frog was in the room.
“I’m sleeping next to her like I always do. And I’ll kick his ass if he tries anything,” Frog said.
“Damned right!” Oris said.
Frog stuck his hands on his hips and glared at Oris.
“The only reason I didn’t kick yours was that she told me not to.”
If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would have smiled. All three of the princes could have easily bested Frog in a fight, but they wouldn’t, because he was so important to Sorcha. She never would have forgiven them if they so much as shoved him. They would have had to just sit there and let him beat them.
The Farkhi brought up food, and we all ate, but it was getting late and Lisana hadn’t woken yet. I checked on her, but didn’t touch her because of her burned skin. It was time to sleep, and I didn’t know how she would.
Leodos moved like he was going to find his own rooms and I stopped him.
“Stay, please. I need you and she does, too.”
He gave me a nod, and we tried getting all the dust off the bed in the servants’ quarters. I snuggled into his arms and it was perfect. I wasn’t as small as Sorcha was, but I wasn’t much bigger than she was. Leodos was so tall. I felt safe here.
“I’ve been wanting you alone for so long. Now that I have you, I can’t enjoy it.
He squeezed me and kissed the top of my head.
“We’ve been fussing at her for days that she can’t mate until she’s chosen and is wed. After all the yelling we’ve been doing towards her, we shouldn’t do the same thing until we wed.”
“We are much older than she is and we know how we feel about each other. She’s young and doesn’t know who or what she wants. You know why everyone tells her she can’t.”
“I think you know why we can’t, either. These people have super noses. They could smell it. She could, too. You know the Imp would say something just to embarrass me because she doesn’t know better.”
I smiled. Sorcha's embarrassing Leodos had been a highlight of this trip and I knew he thought it was funny. There was just one problem. She knew better. She did it because his reaction amused her. He’d never admit it, but he found it funny, too.
“What are we going to do if she keeps her word and goes back? I don’t want to lose her so soon after finding her again.”
“We’ll find a way to keep her here with us. We’ll find the right words to say or something will happen that makes her want to stay. We should get some rest,” he said, blowing out the candle.
Iwas trying to get comfortable with no luck. I tried to sleep in the chair I’d brought out by the bed. The room was full and there was no place else for me to sleep. I even tried to see if sleeping as an eagle was more comfortable. I woke up with my neck bent back and every bone in my body hurting.
I was the first one awake and walked to the bed to check on her. Frog had disappeared, which was weird. She was still sleeping. It was still early and might be awhile before everyone woke, so I went out of the room to get food brought to them. The Farkhi women were already awake and cooking. They chased me out with a spoon when I tried to suggest something I thought she’d like. Yeah, Farkhi women didn’t fuck around.
The food came up right as Esylle and Leodos came out of the servant’s quarters. They both went to check on her and seemed concerned she didn’t wake up with the smell of food. She woke up just after breakfast after she fought the bear.
“This was way worse than the bear. She said she sleeps through the worst of the pain. She’ll wake when she’s ready.”
I went to lean against the wall as they fought. I’d never seen Leodos and Esylle disagree on anything but Sorcha, but they’d never fought like this before. I was torn between leaving and wanting to stay in case she woke up.
“You need to help me get her out of here. This place tried to kill her once. How do we know it won’t again?” Esylle said.
“This place could have answers for her. You, too. I hate it, but we’re probably going to have to watch her be hurt to get them. Belisarus wouldn’t have done everything he did just to send her here to die.”
We were all at the bed in seconds when we heard her take a gasp of air. We crowded around the bed at once, hoping she would wake up. When her eyes fluttered open and she saw me by her bedside, she lifted one burnt arm and hand and touched my cheek. Even her palms were blistered and burned, so I didn’t kiss them.
“Did you stay here all night while I was sleeping?” she asked, trying to smile. It looked like it was hurting her.
“I slept in the chair. I couldn’t leave you while you were like this. Watching you at the door was awful, and we didn’t know what was happening.”
“Sono brought up food in case you woke up,” Leodos said, bringing her a bowl in bed.
“I never want to see anything like that again, and I think you should leave this place. I don’t think it’s safe for you,” Esylle told her.
She ate and didn’t comment. She ate several bowls of food before she was healed. I wasn’t there when she healed herself the other times and wasn’t looking at my hand when she was healing me. I loathed what happened at the door, but it was kind of neat to watch the blisters scab up, fall off, and heal while her skin became its normal color instead of a burnt red. I touched her face because it looked like she had never been injured.
“I’m sure that was even more uncomfortable than when you healed my hand. I don’t know how you keep doing it.”
“Why didn’t you tell us it felt bad when you healed?” Leodos asked.
“I didn’t think it was important.”
“I want to know when you’re hurt and uncomfortable. Now that you’re healed, we should leave,” Esylle said.
Esylle was going to keep pushing. I got it. I didn’t know if my dad would be the same if I had been born the Spirus or he’d be more willing to let me get hurt because I could heal. Some of Esylle’s issues were that Sorcha had been kidnapped and she only just got her back.
“I was able to open that door for a reason. I’m supposed to be here. I know you don’t like seeing me hurt and I didn’t know what was happening to me while I was trying to open it, but there are answers for me here.”
“Do you think I liked watching my child scream in pain and not be able to breathe? Do you think I want to see that again?”
“I think…. I think I was meant to experience what it was like to die by everything I can do. My bones broke when the wings came out and I experienced what it was like to drown. When my hands changed, it felt like when the bear cut me. I’ve never been burnt like that before, but now I know what it’s like when the rest of you are around me when I’m angry. It felt like it was killing me before it stopped, but I think that was what was supposed to happen. It was supposed to teach me what it’s like to not be able to do what I can do.”
“There are other ways to teach you without nearly killing you!”
She gingerly got out of bed, and it seemed like she was still in pain. I helped her, but I didn’t know if it was still painful for me to touch her.
“Are you okay?”
“I can heal cuts and scrapes, but that’s about it. I can’t do anything about headaches or being tired. Opening that door took a lot of energy and I slept pretty hard. I’m just tired and my head hurts.”
“You should stay in bed until you feel better,” Esylle fussed. “And then we should leave here.”
If I could take away her headache, I would, but I wouldn’t take away her choice about being here. If she wanted to leave, I’d help sneak her out. If she didn’t, no one could make her leave. She was probably the smallest person here, but she was also the strongest.
