Too warm. But something’s missing. Like a chord struck just slightly off.
She rises again, gliding closer until she’s right in front of me.
“The Great Depthborne,”she says.
There it is again—that name. The one they all whisper, but no one truly explains.
“I’m honored to meet you finally, and I’m grateful you came to our aid. There’s no time to waste—come, I’ll show you everything.” She gestures toward the dome, but when I follow her hand, my gaze lands on an icy entrance tucked beneath it.
A deeper cave.
So this was planned. She expected me. She knew we wouldn’t decline.
I don’t know whether to be annoyed or impressed, but I nod anyway. “Lead the way.”
She bows slightly again. “But we can’t bring a huntress into our power source. She can’t come.”
She points toward Onyx, who flinches. Her wide eyes are fixed on the ocean floor, as if staring at anything else might get her killed. Or blind…
I shift, turning back to meet the Queen’s gaze, my tone sharp. “I won’t leave her out here alone. I don’t trust your guard with her.”
The pink-haired guard huffs—just like Bay does when I make a good point mid-argument and she hates that I’m right.
“I apologize, Great Depthborne. But we can’t let her in, no matter wha—”
“It’s okay,” Bay cuts in, voice steady and decisive. “I’ll stay here with Onyx. You take Myko with you.”
I glance at her, trying to read what she’s thinking. No clue what she’s planning, but I have to admit—it’s smart to bring Myko along. His shield might be the only thing between me and whatever power source they’re hiding.
“I assume you won’t refuse the Guardian then?” I arch a brow at the Queen, my voice laced with challenge.
If my mom were here, she’d slap me in the face with her tail for being this disrespectful. But she’s not. And I’m not about to play the polite card if this Queen thinks she can set rules for me.
The Queen gasps softly, her gills flaring open in surprise. She doesn’t even try to hide it. “The Guardian is here too?” She scans the water around us, searching.
A low heat builds under my skin—the same strange warmth that’s been humming through my marks since I arrived. I stretch my neck, feeling the energy pulse through me as a realization settles deep in my chest.
They all know about the Great Depthborne.
But somehow... they have no idea about Bay.
Or Myko.
“He’s here,” I say, nodding toward Bay.“You can come out any time now,”I add, annoying him right back after that last remark.
What’s even stranger? I never expected them—especially as the one city far enough from any human civilizationorother royal pod—to speak human languages the way we do.
The ancient merlanguage was banned long ago—outlawed after it was twisted into dark spells, runes, and corrupted by those who didn’t understand its weight. Even non-Royals misusing it led to disasters.
But I didn’t expect them to speak English this easily. Not this fluently. Not this naturally.
There’s more to this city than anyone’s ever told us. That much is clear now.
After we finish here, we need to head home.
There are too many things I need to ask my mom.
The violet glow surging from Bay’s chest pulses stronger, and in the next blink, Myko coils out of her body. His massive tail spirals around her protectively in one fluid motion.
