“Bay and Alessio are in there in this heat! Break it!”
“They’re protected by my shield,”Myko replies coldly.“They’ll be fine. Onyx, though—”
The water around us shifts violently. A roar—“Nyx!”—thunders through the corridor, so loud it feels like the stone cracks might splinter even deeper.
Myko coils next to the door, dragging my body with him, his growl echoing off every wall as King Volar barrels into view, stopping just short.
He isn’t even flinching from the heat.
“I don’t know what you did to me earlier, but your games end here! Get my daughter out of there!” His voice rips through the water like a spear.
Myko lowers his massive head, teeth bared, purple glow flaring in his eyes. Volar recoils instantly, terror flooding his gaze.
“So now she’s your daughter? Where was this fatherly concern when you sent her to the hunters’ pod?” I hiss, struggling against Myko’s protective hold.
“If it helps, she’s not your blood anymore. Once she walks out, she’s Black Blooded—like me. Like my aunt. Likethe beast.”
His gills flutter, choking on the words. His eyes widen.
“You don’t understand—”
“No,” I cut him off, the heat bubbling under my skin, turning my words into molten iron. “Youdon’t understand. She was chosen. You have no say anymore.”
“Please. Just listen—” he swims forward, but Myko’s snarl forces him back again.
“Please, Depthborne. Onyx is different. You saw it. She doesn’t resemble her perfectly matched brothers.”
I arch a brow. “I don’t care about your family’s twisted purity games. Onyx was chosen—whether you accept it or not.”
His gills vibrate, but this isn’t anger this time. It’s… fear.
I inhale deeply, focusing on his soul—brown, trembling like wet sand before a wave.
“Curse. Banishment. Shame,”its whispers swirl, gnawing at the edges of my mind.
What does it mean?
“She’s a Runjer’ar!” he finally explodes, the confession ripping through him like a blade.
Myko’s aggressive roar rattles through the chamber, the water churning violently around us, and the king squirms in terror.
Runjer’ar?
“She’s a Rune Whisperer! We haven’t seen one in centuries—and that’s dangerous.Verydangerous,”Myko finally growls out, each word vibrating in my bones.
“Myko, calm down! It’s hot enough in here already!”My marks glowing hotter.
“Tell him to open the door,”he orders, ignoring my plea.
“King Volar. Open the door,” I command, my voice cold as deep ocean trenches, not even flinching when following Myko’s words.
He doesn’t wait to even test my approval. Without hesitation, he swims quickly to the stone door and presses his palm to the mark—but nothing happens.
He curses, voice slicing the water, then drags his hand across a jagged rock, letting his blood drift in the glowing water. He presses it to the mark again.
My marks suddenly blaze brighter than before, glowing so fiercely I think they might split me open. But this time, somehow, I feel steady. Like, I can manage it myself without even fighting it.
“I’m okay now, I think. You can release me.”
