Of Poseidon

will.” In fact, he’s insulted his brother would doubt it.
    Grom nods, relaxes. “I know. But I needed to hear it.” He looks away when he says, “I had a private meeting with Jagen.”
    “You what ? Have you lost your mind?” A distant cousin of King Antonis, Jagen is the bluster behind the storm of conspiracy brewing in the Poseidon territory. Anyone can see he’s making a play for the throne, but over the decades, Antonis’s inflexibility has bloated the ranks of Jagen’s followers.
    A good reason for Grom to be concerned with his siblings’ safety. If Jagen is truly ambitious enough to plot against his own king, he can’t be trusted not to try to overthrow the house of Triton. Plus, if anyone saw Grom meet with him, they might assume Jagen gained the support of the new Triton king. Or worse, King Antonis might assume that. The question is, should they?
    “I know what I’m doing, Galen,” Grom growls.
    “Apparently not. What does Father say?”
    “You know I didn’t tell him.”
    Galen nods. Grom would be a fool to tell their father. King Herof and King Antonis were friends long before they were enemies. And now King Grom would widen the chasm between them? “What did Jagen want?”
    Grom sighs. “He requested permission to use Toraf. He needs him to Track someone. Someone the other Trackers can’t find.”
    Nothing extraordinary. Because of their value, trackers are the only Syrena able to cross kingdom borders without fear of arrest. Of course, Jagen would want Toraf—he’s the best Tracker in the history of their kind. Out of respect for Galen’s family, though, Toraf never crosses the borders. And he would never agree to do Jagen’s bidding without royal permission from the house of Triton. Even then, he might not do it. “That’s it? Who does he need to track?”
    “I wish that were it. It’s not so much who he needs to track, but why. ”
    “I swear by Triton’s trident if you don’t start talking—”
    “His daughter Paca is missing. He thinks Antonis took her.”
    Galen rolls his eyes. “Why would Antonis take her? If Antonis cared about Jagen’s treason, he would have done something about it years ago.” But Antonis didn’t seem to care about anything these days. Since Nalia died, he’s holed himself up in the Royal caverns. Some Poseidon Trackers told Toraf he hasn’t come out since he declared the house of Triton an enemy.
    “According to Jagen, Paca has the gift of Poseidon.”
    The words knock the breath out of Galen. “That’s not possible.”
    Slowly, Grom shakes his head. “It’s not likely. But it’s possible. She’s got Royal blood in her, no matter how diluted. And if she is of Poseidon, I can’t ignore the ramifications of her ability.”
    “But that’s not how it works. The Gift has never shown up in anyone but a direct descendant.” What am I saying? Won’t I be trying to convince Grom of the same thing about Emma, with even less proof than this? At least Paca can prove some royal blood. But Emma’s father isn’t trying to claim the throne. In fact, Galen found Emma by accident. Which makes Paca’s Gift seem suspicious, at best.
    “I spoke to the Archives. Of course, I didn’t tell them about Jagen’s accusation. They believe I’m just a new eager king, exploring our legacy.” The Archives are the collection of ten of the eldest among their kind—five from each house—entrusted with remembering the history of the Syrena. Galen agrees it would be natural for Grom to seek their counsel.
    “And?”
    “In their collective memory, they don’t recall it ever happening. But one of the Archives, your friend Romul, believes it would be possible. He reminded us that the Gifts were to ensure the survival of our kind, not just the survival of Royal lineage. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if Triton and Poseidon thought of this beforehand, that a Royal might abuse his power. He thinks they might have made a provision somehow.”
    Galen crosses his arms. “Huh.”
    Grom chuckles. “That’s what I said.”
    “But you said you didn’t tell them about Jagen.”
    “I didn’t. I’m a new king without a mate inheriting a bloodless war against the only other kingdom of our kind. It’s only natural for me to be asking creative questions.”
    Galen nods. “But if the Gifts can be transferred to someone else, why even bother forcing the Royals to mate? The Law of Gifts has always been strictly enforced. Romul’s theory renders that