One Salt Sea: An October Daye Novel

I realized she was serious.

Humans inhabit just one level of the world: the land. They can travel through the air and sea, but being unable to fly or breathe water puts a damper on long-term habitation. The fae don’t share their limitations. There are Kingdoms under the ocean and high in the clouds, thriving outside the range of mortal eyes . . . and most fae eyes, if we’re being honest. Land fae rarely go to the trouble of visiting the Undersea, and the majority of the winged races are too weak to reach the Cloud Kingdoms. We may be everywhere, but that doesn’t keep us from being divided by environment.

“Is it so difficult to believe? The land poisons their waters and kills their people. The Undersea has never dealt with humans when they didn’t want to, and they don’t understand why the land fae have let the humans get so out of control. They’re in a state of mild annoyance about ninety percent of the time. Not actively pissed—hence the lack of annual invasion—but annoyed.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“In small words? Somebody’s been harassing the Duchess of Saltmist and her family. You know Saltmist?”

“That’s Connor’s home Duchy.” He technically hails from the Selkie fiefdom of Roan Rathad in Half Moon Bay, but Roan Rathad answers to Saltmist, which stretches the length of the Northern California shoreline. It was Saltmist that decided he was expendable enough to be sold into a diplomatic marriage with Rayseline Torquill. I’d never met its Duchess. I couldn’t say I had much respect for her decision-making skills.

“It’s a coastal fiefdom, with holdings in both land and sea, although it’s primarily aquatic,” said the Luidaeg, in a calm, “you should already know this” tone. “Duchess Lorden has been regent there for the last two hundred years.”

“Merrow?” I guessed. Merrow are to the sea as Daoine Sidhe are to the land, only without the blood magic, and with a tendency to summon storms when annoyed. Oh, and fins, although they can have legs when they want to. Little Mermaid, eat your heart out.

“Yes.” The Luidaeg sipped her coffee. “She was a contemporary of King Gilad’s. He worked to maintain ties with the Undersea. The current Queen . . . doesn’t.”

I was starting to feel like I’d missed a whole series of memos. “King Gilad had open dealings with the Undersea?”

“Things were very different in this Kingdom before the 1906 quake.” Her expression turned distant. She set her coffee cup gingerly down. “The Queen of the Mists hasn’t cared to stay in Saltmist’s good graces. I doubt she believes they matter.”

“She has Sea Wight blood. Didn’t her parents teach her where she came from?”

The Luidaeg paused, looking at me levelly. Then she continued like I hadn’t spoken: “Dianda Lorden has a soft spot for land fae. Her husband’s Daoine Sidhe. He was a landless Baron before he ran off to play Ducal consort.”

“So how does he not drown?” I was interested despite my innate dislike of water. I’m pretty sure Daoine Sidhe aren’t aquatic. Someone would have told me.

“He’s married to a Merrow. They’ve had plenty of time to work something out. Sadly, there’s been some bad blood over the union, and the Lordens have been forced to cut off the majority of their relations with the land Courts.”

“Why?”

“Some people are more politically aware than kelp, Toby. Please note that I’m not including you in their number.” She sighed. “Most purebloods don’t like mixed marriages, and they especially dislike marriages that cross the realms. So when a land noble marries an Undersea Duchess . . .”