Page 29 of Claimed By the Depths

Weather-Worn Monoliths

ROHEN

“The loathing Caspian displays toward you is a farce, a behavior controlled by Sorva.” Kael drummed his fingers over the impressive span of oak in the meeting room, one responsible for housing the conversation we were now having. “Your manufactured hatred toward one another keeps the gods locked behind the veil the Others have glamoured.”

Leaning against the wall closest to the door, I folded my arms across my chest. With my hair tamed by a perfectly woven plait, my observation of the unknown lands became far easier. We’d arrived at the docks in Hollowmere an hour ago. Still, Syoran and Kael remained adamant about discussing before we dove into exploring the town for one of the five artifacts.

I turned back to peer at them beneath the tricorn I still wore, the one Caspian had insisted was his. Lips pressed in a firm line, I stared at the former prince. “So she’s our wall. How are you suggesting we climb it?”

Shoulders rising with a shrug, he grinned. “I don’t know, Divari, you tell me.”

“I enjoy him,” Ellira hummed down our bond, her tune indicative of her delight in Kael’s response.

“Of course you do. You prefer those who wish to challenge me.”

“No, not challenge. Strengthen.” There was a brief pause before she continued, “Everything he has shared is truthful, just as my utterance had been upon our first meeting. You and the pirate captain are Divari, bound by prophecy and soul tie. It is just… nice to feel you begin to accept that when one of your friends confirms my truth.”

Exhaling through my nose, I ignored her last sentence. “Elaros didn’t have any other Children to offer? Someone more appealing? I’m into women also, so there’s no excuse to find me another.”

Laughter flooded the back of my mind, my heart warming at the sound. “Oh, by the graces. I will have to inform Jaskor of your statement, for he will find it rather amusing. But, to answer your question, no. Our last standing descendants are you and Caspian, as well as three others in your proximity.”

Keeping the information to myself, I allowed my attention to wander through the space.

Kael stood at the head of the table, palms plastered against it, regality billowing from him in thick plumes. Parran remained beside him, and with the proximity, the information they’d shared about being from the same land suddenly made sense. Moving from the otherworldly energy they emanated, I settled on Syoran, who positioned himself to Kael’s left, a single brow raising in an annoyingly cocky way as soon as we locked eyes. Not granting him a second longer of my time, I peered over to Alastair and Leilani, the latter’s fingers tracing soothing shapes along his back.

A throat cleared, but the voice that came didn’t belong to anyone I would consider pertinent for the divine to wish to inhabit them. Gods, I really have become a self-righteous cunt, haven’t I? “Well, is there anything further we should know?”

The dagger was freed before I processed myself performing the action, its sharpened point spearing between the gap in the wooden slats to the right of Callahan’s head—Alastair’s navigator. His breath stalled, and I nudged myself from my perch, challenging the strawberry blonde captain to see if he’d bite. As if he read my mind and caught my intent, his golden glower found me, welcomed by my primed smile. His brows dropped in response, as well as warning, and the satisfaction it bred carried through each of my footfalls.

Closing the gap between Callahan and me, I plucked the blade from where it rested. With a quick dance between my fingers, I settled the tip against his manhood, a sinister smirk painting my features. “Interrupt a conversation of pertinence like that again, especially when no one has requested your engagement, and I will cut your prick from your body.”

“I-I didn’t mean it like⁠—”

My lips brushed his ear as I leaned forward, the pressure I applied with the steel increasing slightly. “I don’t give a shit. In case your captain has failed to warn you of the type of woman I am, I have a thing for finding any reason to neuter a man, so tread carefully, darling.”

His gulp was audible, and I grinned as I pulled away. Patting his shoulder once, and rather harshly, I sheathed my dagger as Alastair spoke behind me.

“Now that Rohen displayed her lack of⁠—”

Kael cut in, saving the Scarlet Tempest’s captain from my wrath. “I believe we’ve covered everything unless anyone has any questions?”

A prolonged silence fell, and in it I relished Callahan’s drumming heartbeat. Waiting for someone to speak up, I tossed another grin filled with damnation at Alastair before shifting my focus. Finding Syoran’s deep gaze, I started to offer him the same expression of distaste, but stopped as he dipped his chin at me, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

The first sign of his approval since that night.

Nestled on the eastern coast and bordering both Velispar and Serevalen, Hollowmere was a fog-drenched mining town carved into the jutted, uneven cliffs. The dark buildings mirrored the land on which they were built, all erected from the sharp rock barely visible through the thick clouds of mist. While their shapes and purposes varied, every structure stood above the winding walkways, rusted lifts, and narrow mining tracks like silent sentinels—watching the mining tracks that disappeared into the mountains above.

The village’s wealth came from the glittering gemstones extracted from the labyrinthine maze below ground. The wooden sign near the entrance to Hollowmere displayed the veins of luminous crystal that lined the tunnel walls where generations of miners had spent their lives. A few carts carrying such precious goods sat near the docks for export to nearby lands, ensuring survival despite the harsh location.

Slipping from the Scarlet Tempest, I breathed in the freshness that somehow clung to the air in a place renowned for oil use and smog production. It was as if the clouds overhead devoured it all, leaving behind a rejuvenating dampness. Soaked by the recent rain, the timbers leading to the innards of Hollowmere added a scent of woodiness to every inhale. But my senses sifted through familiarity, picking out something mysterious, something hidden amongst the town and the people who occupied it.

“Oh, good, you are tapping into the power bathing your soul,” Ellira crooned, her smile evident. “Do not allow the natives to divert your attention. They will speak of the oldest mining shafts that descend below sea level, flooded caverns where saltwater mingles with ancient stone. In their beliefs, few are permitted to enter the depths, and even fewer can speak of what occurs there. For it has been claimed that sailors, merchants, and passing travelers have borne witness to whispered stories of the midnight processions where hooded figures gather around weather-worn monoliths, providing offerings to the black waters that seem impossibly deep.”

“If you’re trying to create some terror-inducing ghost story, it’s not working,” I grumbled, the breeze combing through my tangled locks. “If anything, it sounds as if those occupying Hollowmere dedicate a lot of their time worshipping you.”

Ellira snorted, her humor evident. “You are my daughter for a reason, Rohen. Expand your thinking.”

“Are you insinuating they are devoting themselves to a goddess who hasn’t yet⁠—”