Protected by Emeralds (A Dance with Destiny Book 5) by JK Ensley, Jennifer Ensley

the Water Stone, Shae. But I wish to hear of the adventure you had in obtaining it.”
    He smiled again. “Very well.” He sighed. “You are aware of how those jittering little Mermaids speak inside your head, are you not?”
    She nodded.
    “Underwater… you cannot fight their siren voices. That’s how I knew the exact words the Mermaid Queen and the Angel shared. That is also how I knew the incessant jabbering of her attendants was driving her every bit as mad as it was driving me.”
    “You are extremely lucky such a rare visitor showed up at the same time as you.”
    “Extremely lucky indeed. Perhaps… divinely lucky.”
    They shared a small laugh.
    “Anyway, they took no note of me because of Uriel, this is true. So I hid myself in her chambers. Once she had declared the onset of a killer migraine and shooed away all those twittering little she-fishies, I only had to wait until she had fallen asleep. It didn’t take long.”
    “How much time did you have left with the potion?”
    “I’m not sure exactly, but it wasn’t long. Lady Luck found me once again in the fact that I was dealing with Mermaids.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “As I told you before, they aren’t real worried about intruders or thieves. My Queen wears the Earth Stone around her neck constantly—never takes it off. Not so with the Mermaid Queen. I found the Water Stone hanging with a bunch of other necklaces on a hook beside her dressing mirror. I snatched it from the chain and hurriedly scrambled back to dry land. Just as I thought my lungs would surely collapse, I broke through the surface. And I’m not too proud to tell you… I grabbed hold of the muddy bank, crawled out of that sea, and collapsed there on the shore. Air had never tasted so good. I lay there for a good long while—breathing in deep, filling breaths. When my panic had ebbed and I was certain I would no longer die, I rolled onto my side and gazed back out across those rippling little waves. And do you know what I saw?”
    She shook her head. “What?”
    “Four sets of bulbous eyes bobbing not far from where I lay upon the beach.”
    “What did you do?”
    He snorted. “What do you think I did? I jumped to my feet and took off as fast as my tiny wings would go. I vowed never to near that sea again… no matter what.”
    “Oh yeah… I forgot you used to have wings.”
    Shaemon rolled his eyes. “Of course I had wings. Well, for the moment, anyway. But that would soon change. Damn Death Angel,” he mumbled. “Here’s precisely how that all played out.”
    Jenevier could guess almost exactly what he was about to say, but she stayed silent as his trembling voice filled her ears—sorrowful scenes playing out vividly in her mind…
     
    “Whew… that was close,” Shaemon mumbled as he rubbed his brow. “A few more seconds and I’d have been a goner for sure.” He pulled his tiny fist to his lips, kissing where the stone was securely hidden. “Now, to save Garoth. If that old Bat laid a single finger upon him, I swear I will—”
    “Swear ye’ll what?”
    Shaemon pulled up short, quickly searching for the strangely accented voice he was certain he had just heard. No one was around. He quickly dropped to the ground, hiding deep inside the tall grass. He held his breath, frantically scanning the area. Ducking his head as he slumped over, the terrified Fairy ran wildly across the flowing field.
    “Now then, just where do ye think yer going, wee Fairy-man?”
    Shaemon didn’t even stop to look that time. He hurriedly darted from the tall grass and into the dense forest.
    “There’s nae sense in trying tae hide, Fairy. A summons came down for ye. Ye’ll nae be getting away from me. Run as fast as ye can. I’ll still be there tae exact yer punishment when yer breath an’ those wee legs of yers gives oot.”
    The man’s threatening words did nothing to deter the frantic Fairy. Shaemon panted loudly as he climbed up the steep mountainside, pain now