What am I missing?
Bay starts to move closer, but I raise a hand to stop her before she can approach Myko. She shouldn’t interfere yet. Not until I understand what’s unfolding.
“We don’t choose—”Myko begins in my mind, but Morvakar cuts him off.
“Nothing can break a bond once it’s decided. And neither side gets to choose.”
I don’t like his mocking tone, but something in his words gnaws at me.
I frown.“Didn’t you choose Bay?”
Myko exhales heavily in my head, as if he’s finally resigned to explain.
“We don’t choose. We recognize our anchor the moment we encounter them up close for the first time. The bond attracts opposites—evil and good, grief and joy, pessimism and optimism. That’s why we call them anchors—they complete what we lack, binding us into one.”
I turn to Bay. Her defeated expression tells me she heard it all, too. I wonder if she always knew.
But it doesn’t matter now.
“What do we do with Onyx?”
“Lead her to the beast.”
“What?” I gasp aloud. Onyx’s head snaps back toward me.
“I will not interfere,”Myko rumbles again, his voice crawling across the water toward Onyx. I glance around, unsure if everyone else is hearing it too, it feels too loud to be confined to my mind.
The red glow fades from Onyx’s eyes, revealing her dark, shimmering gems as she blinks, dazed.
“What’s going on?” she murmurs, shaking her head.
“The beast is already awake. The only thing that would keep it from tearing through everything is an anchor,”Mykoexplains.“We can’t interfere, Malec. I hate to admit it… but he’s right. It’s for the ocean’s safety.”
I clench my teeth so hard I taste blood.“I hate when my hands are tied. I never break my promises.”
Bay drifts closer to my ear after a few seconds.
“It wasn’t your promise to begin with. It was mine. Let me handle it.”
She rests her hand briefly on my shoulder, then glides over to Onyx, guiding her gently toward the far side of the room.
I nod, forcing myself to let go, then turn to the king and queen.
“I need you to coil around Alessio and hold him in a moment,”I tell Myko, glancing at Alessio. He nods back in understanding. If I don’t need the king specifically now, then it’s time.
“Are you planning—”Myko starts, but I cut him off, focusing on the king.
“King Volar.”
I pause, dragging out the words, buying a few crucial seconds. The king suddenly tilts his head sharply, his gaze locking onto mine.
Bingo. There it is.
I fight a smirk. “I need you to take me to the beast’s sealed chamber.”
“It would be my honor,” he replies, glancing toward his sons.
“Lead the Depthborne to the beast’s chamber,” he orders. The queen’s sharp gasp beside him is so loud, I half expect her heart to give out right then—especially with everything unfolding.
