The velsinyte net.The sickly weight of it, of how it clung to her like a second skin the second it dropped down onto her, robbing her of every drop of power.
Her head rolled back against the wall as a bitter laugh escaped her lips. She was trapped like some common thief in the belly of her enemy’s ship. One ofLephyrin’sships. She didn’t need to see the royal insignia on the rusted bars to know.
Would Draevyn think I ran?
A fresh wave of pain hit her chest, raw and scorching her from the inside out. Not just from the loss of her magic… but from the memory of him.His eyes, his hands on her thighs, the sound of his voice trying to reason with and reach her.
And he had. Draevyn had managed to get her stubborn ears to listen to him when she swore to herself she never would again. It made her realize that all her grief, all her heartbreak and suffering wasn’t by his hands, but by her sister’s.
And now she was all alone.
Esmyra brought her knees to her chest and let her head drop forward, listening to the creak of the hull, the distant sound of waves crashing against the wood, and the stomping of boots overhead.
Atlas had said they were bringing her to Sumnae, where they planned to break her. And if she couldn’t fight with her power, she’d have to fight with something else.
Patience, hatred, and spite were a few things that came to mind. And the rage of a goddess stripped down to her bones.
Atlas had threatened her with their magic, but they wouldn’t be able to break into her mind so long as she wore velsinyte… so perhaps there was a way she could use this to break free.
Let them free her of these velsinyte bindings and drown them where they fucking stood the moment her power came back.
Esmyra didn’t hate that idea. She liked it quite a bit, actually.
The door creaked above her, the wooden steps groaning beneath the weight of heavy boots as someone stormed down the stairs.
She had played this game many times before, only then she was the one on the opposite side of the bars. Staring down at the floor, she refused to give him the satisfaction of thinking she’d been waiting for someone to come.
“Well,” came Atlas’s voice, amused and borderline cruel. “Thesea goddess, reduced to a wet, shivering prisoner in my brig. How poetic.”
Her eyes flicked upward slowly, like storm clouds dragging across the sky. She was surprised to see he wasn’t alone. The man who dragged her from the alleyway before knocking her out—Varis, she believed his name was—accompanied him, standing a few feet behind.
She met Atlas’s gaze, unflinching.
“Come to gloat, little king?” she rasped, her voice raw.
It was the first time she spoke since waking up, and every word was agony. The pain was a physical force that wracked her body, yet she managed to mask her suffering, refusing to show him any sign of weakness.
This wasn’t like any other time she’d been trapped in the substance before. It felt different, as if the velsinyte was somehow splitting her spine open.
Atlas crouched just beyond the bars, hands folded over one knee like he was observing a caged animal. “I came to see the witch who managed to turn my brother against me.” He shrugged. “Wanted to see what all the hype is about. You surely must be something special.”
His cold dark eyes roamed over her. She was used to hunger lingering in the gaze of those who stared at her, but there was none in the newly crowned king’s. Only pure, unrelenting hatred.
Esmyra smiled faintly. “I’ve never said a word against you to your brother. Perhaps he realized you’re much closer to becoming your father than even you believe.”
She loathed how weak her voice sounded, but she knew the words hit their mark.
His grin dropped, his expression tightening. “Careful. You’re inmysea now. You have no magic to protect you. No water to drown me with nor lightning to strike me down. It’s just you, me, and the consequences of your choices.”
“You captured and tried to slaughter my crew.”
He let the silence stretch for a moment before saying, “It reallyisa shame I only succeeded with half of them.”
Esmyra’s mind emptied, her eyes flaring while her lip curled back in a furious snarl. “You son of a bitch!”
“Their fates were sealed the moment they decided to sail beneath you. They were traitors to Lephyrin.” He tilted his head, all mock sympathy. “And let’s not forget, you killed my king. Myfather.”
She tried to lunge forward, but the chains snapped her back against the wall. “That bastarddeservedit!”
