“And yet, here you are.” She tilted her head back to catch the rays of the sun. “This place is very real, just like the merfolk, and your kind, the ones who are in between.”
I ran my fingers over my legs, tracing the faint shimmer.In between.Of the sea, and yet, not.
“The merfolk keep to themselves,” she continued, “but love has a way of breaking barriers and forging new family lines. How much do you know about your heritage?”
“Only enough to get me into trouble. I wish I’d known more. It might have made a difference.”
Her lips curled slightly. “Knowledge is power. But it’s never too late to learn. Do you know your role as someone who lives in between?”
“No. Just that a lot of people are counting on me.”
“I’m sure that’s true. You’re one of the keepers of the ocean’s magic.”
My pulse quickened. Not just a prisoner who’d failed her family and a kingdom.
“You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The pull of the sea? The energy in objects transformed by it?”
“Like sea glass?”
“Possibly. If that’s what calls to you.”
A shiver rolled through me. “I don’t understand how any of it works. It feels like another curse.”
“It’s not a curse. The ones who can wield it are rare and very powerful. You’ll learn when the time is right.”
“I don’t have much time left.” I stared absently at the water lapping at the pool’s edge. I’d always believed there was more to the sea glass than just a conduit of energy or a blessing on stolen treasure. But I had no idea how else to wield it, and a week didn’t feel nearly long enough to figure it out.
I needed to find that shard.
“You’ve been here a long time, haven’t you?” I swirled my fingers through the water.
“Long enough to watch people make a fool of themselves chasing the same legend over and over. They never listen.”
“The castle?”
She nodded.
“How many have tried?”
“Too many to count. None have ever come back.” She tapped her fingers along the pool’s edge. “But they always stop here first, and I wish them good fortune and hope they find what they are seeking.”
“What do you know of the castle?”
She hummed thoughtfully. “They say it’s surrounded by a maze, suspended a hundred feet in the air. Something evil lurks inside. People whisper of the bones scattered through the twisting paths.”
My blood chilled. “What if someone survives the maze?”
“They must cross the Moat of Clouds before they face the giant. But you’ll need two tokens to cross, one for each of you.”
My pulse ticked up. “Where can we get them?”
“They can be forged in the sky market and infused with the right magic. If you can afford them.”
“And the giant?”
The innkeeper lifted her brow. “A cursed creature with fists that crush boulders and teeth that devour human flesh.”
I made a face. “Sounds charming.”
