Page 13 of Stolen Magic of the Deep

I pause, letting her words settle. I can see how overwhelmed she is now, plain in her eyes and the way her hand shakes against her forehead. I know that feeling. The heavy weight of the unknown. I felt the same way when I rose to the throne after my father never returned home. Not to mention the increasing surge of power she must be feeling, raw and untrained, making her feel like she is losing control.

I would try to get closer but I know she will just step farther away. “Look, I know this situation makes no sense to someone like you, land-dweller, but I can help you. The magic inside you, it is ancient, but nonetheless when it finds someone new, it must be trained again. Though that doesn’t matter, given you are not from my world, therefore you must relinquish them. Not to mention, now that it is within you, it makes you a target. If I found you this easily, then that means another could be close behind.”

She looks directly at me now, her eyes widening slightly, lips pressed together in a thin line. She paces as if it will help her digest the words I have spoken. More time passes than I would like to allow before she speaks up.

“How . . . How do I even begin to control it?” Her voice is quiet.

“Controlling it is not what matters right now,” I say, firmly. “The magic cannot stay with you. It belongs to my kingdom, and you will return it to its home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she replies. “Can’t you just take whatever is inside me and return it that way?”

“As much as I wish I could, you have to voluntarily relinquish the magic yourself. Rejecting or accepting it is your choice. I highly recommend the former option.” I say, clasping my hands behind my back, watching calmly. “Look, you have every right to doubt me. But you need to understand something important—we do not have much time here, as I’ve stated several times already. There are reasons why magic from my kingdom, and certain life beneath the seas, have been kept hidden from the surface world.”

Her head snaps up, as if I have finally caught her attention. “Certain sea life? Hidden? Why?”

I take a deep breath, the weight of century-old secrets pressing down on me. “Mother Ocean, and everything that lives within her, is not something that land-dwellers were ever meant to know. It’s not just magic. It’s the creatures, the history, the ancient knowledge. It’s far beyond what your kind could ever imagine. If it were to be revealed, chaos would follow. The balance we have maintained for centuries would shatter, and the power we have kept secret could fall into the wrong hands.”

I pause, analyzing her reaction, as I continue to speak the truth I have known for too long. “The surface world is reckless. Your kind has already done enough damage to the seas. Imagine what would happen if more land-dwellers discovered the power within my kingdom’s barriers—magic like my father’s, which you now hold, or creatures capable of shaping tides and commanding storms. It’s not something your people could handle appropriately. They would exploit it. Destroy it. And the seas, my home, would become a battleground.”

She stops pacing as I inch closer, her body frozen by my words.

“That is why we keep it hidden. To protect the balance, to protect our worlds. And now, because of what you stole, that balance is at risk.”

Her mouth opens, but no words come out, as if she is still processing my confessions.

“You keep accusing me of stealing something, but all I know is the only thing that got stolen was my sanity.” she says, words finally spewing from her lips. “I was just on a dive. Researching marine life, when I came across a rift in the ocean and after I grazed my fingers across it, something shot inside and through me, tumbling me through the waters. How is that stealing? I did not know that would even happen.”

“Well, however it happened, you are a part of this now, whether you like it or not. The magic inside you is too powerful to be ignored, and others will come for it eventually. I came for it, not because I wanted to hurt you, but simply so it can be returned to where it belongs before things get out of hand.”

And to understand why it chose you.

She quiets, her eyes unfocused, thoughts flashing through them like shadows. Given that humans are unaware of my world, and the concept of magic is hard to grasp, I can understand if she is having a hard time accepting it all at once. But she needs to, my kingdom is dependent on it—on her.

“I must still be asleep,” she says, clearing her throat. “This is like some kind of nightmare I haven’t woken up from.”

“Look, I cannot force you to believe me. But I can force you in other ways.”

She glances at her feet, taking her lip between her teeth, before looking at me again. “And if I refuse? What happens then?”

“Well, I won’t let that happen, but if you do, we lose everything,” I admit. “Not just our lives, but the very balance that has kept the seas and the land from destroying each other. The longer you fight or deny my demand, the more dangerous it becomes for both of us.”

A buzzing sound erupts behind me before a voice cuts through an item mounted to her wall.

“Miss Fischer, it’s Randy. Are you alright? The cops are down here saying they received a call and pinged it to our building,” he starts, “They gave me your name as the one who called. I apologize for not getting him before he broke into the building. We can head up and remove him, if you can let us up.”

Sarah walks past me, ensuring her eyes never leave sight of me. She presses a raised stud on the item mounted to the wall with her knuckle. “Yeah, I’m okay Randy. It was a mistaken phone call. I lost connection with them after I dropped my phone,” she replies. “I don’t need them anymore. I’m good up here.”

She turns away from the mounted box. “I still don’t believe what is happening is real. However, I’m an ocean enthusiast, so I will allow you the chance to explain why this puts me and the sea in danger . . . in detail.”

“I can explain but first, let me ask you this,” I pause for a beat, searching for the right words. “Has anything unexpected happened since you stole—I mean, acquired—my father’s magic?”

Her eyes flicker, the truth pressing at the edges. When she finally speaks, her voice is low.

“You could say that,” she admits. “Something happened last night . . . but I’m not getting into the details with an intruder.” She crosses her arms, rubbing them, her gaze shifting away. “I just know it wasn’t normal.”

I nod, understanding more than she realizes, even with all the missing details. “Anything you humans do not understand, you label as unnatural. And this magic—it is new to you, which means it is not fully under your control. In high-stress situations, it can become dangerous and unpredictable. Which could explain whatever occurred last night.” I clear my throat and continue, “Which is another reason you need to come with me to return it. It is not meant to be in the possession of a human. Now I know you want an explanation but the best explanations are the ones I can show. You are coming with me, end of discussion. We can head for the sea at tomorrow’s first light.”

Whether we trust each other or not, this prophecy has brought us together, even if for a short time. I just need to get her back to Virellan, have her relinquish her powers, and return her home. Simple and easy.