I nod slowly. I do. The hunger. The imbalance. Something terrible is happening to the missing ones.
“I’m sorry about your daughter,” I say, “but why do you think I can help?”
“Because our powers are connected,” she says quietly. “We can sense each other. That’s how I know… she’s not in any of the oceans.”
My stomach drops. “You mean—”
“Yes.” Her gaze falls. “She can be only on land.”
How did the princess of Sur-El end up hurt on land?
“Here.”
She flicks her hand, and a small orb splits from the main one, drifting into her palm. She closes her hand over it, and her body glows brighter—almost burning—before stabilizing.
“This city is going to blind me if we don’t leave soon,”I mutter.
“You won’t miss much anyway,”Myko snorts.
I’m about to shoot back with a middle-fin when the Queen swims closer and places something into my hand—a golden star-shaped pendant.
“It will shine as long as she’s alive,” she says. “And it will guide you to her. If you listen.”
Listen?
“You know land better than any of us. And you can feel what we do. Can I trust you to bring her home?” Her voice cracks. “I’ll owe you a life debt.”
She bows. Deeply. Doesn’t rise.
Myko grumbles.“What are you waiting for? Breaking her back? Let’s go.”
She’s waiting for my permission.
The Queen of Sur-El.
“I’ll do my best,” I say, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Only then does she rise.
“Thank you." She clasps my hand in both of hers. "Thank you.”
“And now,”Myko huffs,“a few days long swim back home with all this Queen bowing thing getting to your head. The Great Depthborne.”
“Who was the one who said the Coral of Life bows to no one?”I shoot back.
I let go of the Queen’s hand. The pendant warms in my palm.
We’re going home—
But not yet.
The next beat of the hunt is already building. The hunters who didn’t give their own in the first round? They’re still out there. Waiting.
And I need every drop of energy to deal with this mess.
And then there’s the beast.
I follow Queen Marcella as she swims out.“What should we do with Onyx?”I finally ask, remembering the other problem Ipromised Bay I’d handle. Because clearly, I didn’t have enough on my plate.
