Cyrus hesitated. “They trust me…enough. What is it that you want? And why me?”
“A war is coming to their shores,” Vydenne said. “It would be in their best interest if they met.”
“What war?” Cyrus asked, his brows furrowing.
Esmyra took another step closer to them, rage from both her and Kaelypso boiling in her veins as they watched the plot of their demise.
“The one you’re going to tell them about.” Vydenne clicked her tongue as she began to circle him. “You were in port at Lephyrin when you overheard the talks of war and whispers of guards after too much wine. How the three northernmost kingdoms of Rymelle plan to eliminate the kingdom of the sea. Lephyrin, Sumnae, and Terrana formed an alliance, and they plan to bring war to Maerinys’s shores. You think the only way to help the sea kingdom is by getting their goddesses involved.”
Those fucking bastards, Esmyra thought as her lip curled back.
Cyrus stared at the elven goddess, eyes narrowing. “And you think they’d listen to me?”
Vydenne raised a brow, amused. “Don’t play coy. You have more influence than you let on.”
The sea breeze caught the edge of her father’s cloak, makingit flare like a flag. His lips twitched, guilt overtaking his features as he frowned and averted his gaze to the sand.
“The sea doesn’t answer to men. Not even to those who’ve bled for her.” Cyrus managed a laugh, a dry sound that didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re fools if you think I’ve got any pull with them. And besides, why should I betray the Aeress family for you?”
“Because you want power,” Vydenne said simply. “You want freedom and to sail forever, unchallenged.” She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and whispered the last few words in his ear. His body went rigid as goosebumps lined his neck.
“Convince the royals their goddesses need to attend the summit, and we’ll make you the eternal ruler of the sea. An immortal among gods.”
The cove fell silent aside from the soft wash of the tide brushing the sand.
Esmyra’s mouth fell open, and her father went still.
His gaze drifted to the horizon—to where the sea stretched wide and endless.
He swallowed. “You mean to say, that I can remain as I am, and sail the seas for eternity? A god among men?”
“Well, I wouldn’t saygod,” Irah growled.
“But you’ll be immortal nonetheless,” Vydenne added.
A long moment of silence passed between them. And then Cyrus gave a sharp nod. “I’m listening.”
A single tear slid down Esmyra’s cheek.
As Irah moved to stand behind the others, his demeanor seemed to crack. His jaw clenched, muscles taut beneath his skin, and his fists glowed like burning embers. Though he said nothing, the barely contained storm in his frame earned Esmyra’s curiosity.
Had he been expecting Cyrus to refuse? Did hewanthim to?
“We’ll give you a ship that sails beneath starlight without time,” Vydenne said as she took her place alongside Irah and Villaem. “Cyrus Blackwood, you will be a king of your own right, wearing a crown forged of reef and ruin. You’ll be untouchable in the seas, ruling the tides.”
Her father sighed, his eyes squeezing tight as his jaw clenched. “If I’m to rule the sea in every sense, what’s to happen to the Aeress royals when I deliver them to you?”
“You let us worry about that, Blackwood,” Villaem said. “Now, what say you? Will you sail over Rymelle’s seas for an eternity, or do we have to find someone else to take the position?”
The wind fell silent as Cyrus lifted his stare back to them. “Aye.”
“No,” Esmyra whispered, lips parting as sadness cloaked her.
Her vision tunneled and blurred the moment the agreement left her father’s lips. A suddenwhooshof pressure yanked her backward. She screamed soundlessly as her soul once again rushed through time before slamming back into her body, hovering above the Veil of Visions.
Esmyra’s back arched, lungs seizing, and she gasped as her hands clawed at the basin’s edge. Eyes wide, she stared up at the towering chamber as sweat slicked her brow.
I’m back. Back in her own skin and body. But the weight of everything she saw was still sinking in, like an anchor weighing her down and bringing her to the depths.
