"Tell them to drop their arrows. Now." My gills twitch as I narrow my eyes at the lead guard.
"Merchers, retreat!" he barks, after a long, tense moment.
Finally. He knows his damn place.
The archers back off, and I hear Onyx curse under her breath behind me. She’s pissed. Good. We all are.
"Commander, requesting permission to speak!" The young guard from before darts forward, posture stiff, spear pressed to his chest with both hands, chin up.
"For ocean’s sake, Mon. What are you doing?" the commander grits out, teeth bared. That look—I know it. That one soldier you can never quite control.
I fight the smirk creeping at my lips.
"You’re granted permission. From me." I arch an eyebrow at the commander before turning to Mon.
He flicks a glance at his commander, who reluctantly nods. The commander’s gills flare, and the tips of his fins vibrate with rage. I might as well enjoy this—he hates every second of my authority.
The commander’s following eye roll is sharp enough to cut kelp. And suddenly, I’m thinking of her.
Roran. Her balls to roll her eyes at me.
What is she doing right now?
I have questions—so many—about what Kayla saw. I shouldn’t have lost my composure back then. I should've asked more.
"We have two merfolk missing from our city," Mon blurts, voice shaking. His orange tail’s glow matches the sudden spark in his orange gem eyes. "One of them is my boyfriend. Please… please find him."
He bows so deep he almost rolls forward over his own tail.
His boyfriend—
"Odin’s missing?!"
A sharp gasp erupts behind me. Onyx, no longer silenced in fear, rushes forward and seizes Mon by the shoulders, her gaze drilling into him.
"Tell me my brother is okay. Tell me this is a joke."
Mon drops his eyes to the sand, gills trembling. Is he… crying?
"I wish it were," he chokes.
"No—"
Onyx’s sob cracks open the water around us. She sinks toward the ocean floor, eyes locked on the gate ahead, lost.
"The only warm, caring soul this royal house had… my Odin…" she murmurs.
Bay swims forward fast, wrapping Onyx in a hug before she can completely fall apart.
They didn't let us know a royal was missing here, too… why?
I shift awkwardly as Onyx sobs get louder. What the hell am I supposed to do?
"If it makes you feel any better, I don’t feel any loss in Kolox city yet. So he’s alive," I say finally.
Mon and Onyx gills flare in unison—like they’d been holding the ocean itself in their chests.
Gods. I’m terrible at comforting. Why do I even try?
