* * *
The next day before dawn, Leo crouched behind some bushes on the bluff that overlooked the beach. As he waited for Tatiana and her guards to arrive, he assured himself that his main purpose here was to protect her. It wasn’t that he was spying. He had his bow and arrows with him in case the remaining two assassins attempted an attack.
He sighed. Admit it, you’re spying. But wasn’t it normal for a man to want to know everything about the woman he was to marry?
As the twin moons descended toward the western horizon on the far side of Vindemar, the beach below him fell more into shadow. Patches of mist hovered over the dark sea and rocky shore.
In the distance, Leo spotted a light, moving slowly through the mist. As it came closer, he could see it was an oil lamp. Jensen was using it to illuminate the path to the beach. Tatiana and two more guards followed close behind.
All three guards were well armed. They wore sword belts, their swords sheathed. Jensen had a spear he was using as a hiking stick, while the other two had bows and quivers of arrows slung across their backs. Tatiana was dressed in a simple black gown tied around the waist with a strip of leather. Her dark hair was braided, her face pale as she concentrated on the steep path down to the beach.
Leo narrowed his eyes. Her left hand was lifting her skirt a few inches, but her right hand was hovering over a pocket as if she was protecting something inside. Was it the bottle? Was she sending a message today instead of receiving one?
Leo glanced toward the sea. The mist was heavy farther out, making it harder to see, but still, there was no boat in sight. Was Brody keeping his distance so Tatiana wouldn’t suspect? By the time she and her guards reached the beach, the sky in the east was brightening with muted shades of gold and pink. Soon the sun would peek over the horizon.
The second and third guards sprinted along the beach, checking behind rocks to make sure no one was hiding nearby. From Leo’s position above them, he couldn’t see anyone else. To the right, close to Vindemar, there was a jumble of massive boulders, shrouded in mist. Somewhere, hidden in those rocks, was the secret tunnel that led to the catacombs. The duke had told him it was an emergency escape route in case the fortress ever fell.
While the guards looked around, Tatiana removed her shoes and began wading into the dark water. When Jensen followed her, she shooed him off.
He returned to dry sand and stood there, one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other gripping his spear, as he surveyed the length of the beach. When his gaze lifted to scan the bluff, Leo kept perfectly still behind the bushes.
The sun continued to rise, and Tatiana strode deeper into the water. Leo winced, imagining how cold it must be. A wave swept out and nearly took her with it. She skidded a few feet but kept her balance.
He tensed. Dammit. He should go down there now and stop this nonsense before she was carried out to sea.
She headed toward a large, flat rock, wading deeper until the sea was higher than her waist. The next time the sea retreated, she let it pull her straight to the rock. Leo grimaced, afraid she’d smash into it. She caught herself, then gripped the rock with her left hand.
As the sun continued to rise, he saw a flash of light reflect off the glass bottle in her right hand. She hefted herself up, then planted the bottle near the center of the rock.
So she was sending a message this time. Leo quickly scanned the foggy horizon, but no sign of a boat. Where the hell was Brody?
When the waves roared toward the shore, Tatiana released her grip on the rock and let them carry her toward the beach. Thankfully, she managed to have her feet firmly planted before the sea pulled back out. She slipped a bit, but kept her balance. Soon she was splashing into shallow water that only reached halfway to her knees.
Leo exhaled in relief. She was safe for now.
Jensen joined her, saying something to her that Leo couldn’t hear, but he assumed Jensen was making sure she was all right. She was being clever, Leo noted. She was positioned so that Jensen’s back would be to the rock when he talked to her. That way, he wouldn’t notice the bottle. The other guards were scanning the bluff.
Suddenly the water around the rock became frothy and agitated. A seal leaped onto the rock, followed by another and another till a dozen seals flopped around, barking, their sleek bodies glistening in the sunlight.
Leo shook his head. Unbelievable. Whoever had arranged this had to possess the ability to communicate with animals, or at least seals.
Jensen’s exclamation was loud enough for Leo to hear. All three guards were now watching the seals. Luciana waved and called out a greeting. There was no reason for her to worry about the guards seeing her bottle, for it was completely hidden in the midst of the sea creatures.
While Tatiana and her guards remained focused on the seals, Leo spotted a movement on the beach, far to the left. Something moving from behind a rock, partially hidden by the mist. He reached for his bow and arrow, then stopped when he realized it was Brody.
What the hell? How could he track the seals as a dog? Brody slipped into the water, unnoticed by Tatiana and her guards, who were watching the seals dive back into the water.
Soon the rock was bare, the bottle gone. One of the seals had it for sure. The surface of the sea frothed as the dozen seals started their journey.
Leo glanced back at Brody. He dove underwater, and a few seconds later Leo spotted the sun glistening off a slick black body as it broke the surface and made another dip underwater.
What the hell? Leo stood up and frantically scanned the surface of the sea. Where the hell was Brody? Was he in trouble, or had he actually transformed into a different creature?