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My hands tighten around the hilt of the blade Ryker gifted me and I can only hope that his part in this is going well, and more than that, that he’s safe.
“Fiona,” Orion growls. “We shouldn’t linger.”
He’s right. We’re supposed to be approaching the palace from the side, around one of the many unguarded entrances. The people of Homeworld are so afraid of Lamia that she doesn’t need to have guards posted, and in any case, most of them have probably gone to take care of the attacks the rest of our crew is taking care of right now.
I still can’t seem to will my feet to move, despite knowing that it’s exactly what we need to do.
“Lead the way, my warrior queen,” Orion growls softly, his voice deep and low, and I fist my hands at my sides as I take large strides toward the palace. We’re staying closing to the wall, as Orion told me to, but more than that, we need to make it seem like we’re supposed to be here.
So we’re not running. We’re just walking, and Orion acts like this is perfectly natural while I feel like I need to vomit.
The side entrance to the palace is large and completely open, intricate designs carved into the oval-shaped entryway. As soon as we step into the building, I can feel the cloying humidity on my skin, the walls feel like they’re closing in on me.
The deep ocean surrounds us, making this large building feel like it’s about to collapse in on itself. There’s no time to focus on the bright luminescence of the creatures surrounding us, but they feel like they’re watching, waiting for us to go deeper into the beast’s mouth.
Even our footsteps feel dangerous. I wish I could sound like Orion, his talons barely clicking on the ground as we walk softly together.
I don’t look back at him, though; my grip tightens around the hilt of my blade even more, until I’m sure its intricate carvings are leaving marks on my skin.
I can’t just walk up to the queen of the Merati and…slaughter her, right?
No. Not slaughter her.
Execute her. She is a criminal—a mass murderer, an enslaver. And she has hurt the men I love deeply.
I’m doing this for all of us.
“We should make sure that the plan is going well,” I tell Orion. The only sound the Mlok hunter makes is the soft swish of his tail on the tile floor under him. “We need to cover our bases. We don’t want to end up like Ahab, right?”
“What’s an Ahab?” Orion asks.
I mean, I should’ve guessed the Mlok wouldn’t have read Moby Dick. But that’s how I feel about Lamia. She’s larger than life and terrifying, and there’s every chance that we might lose.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say, holding the comms on my wrist up to my face. “We’re in.”
I expect someone—anyone—to tell us what’s happening. I want Ryker to update us, Kye to tell me what he’s seeing on the Wrath. All I hear is the sound of static instead, and my heart drops.
I flash Orion an alarmed look.
“Come in,” I say. “It should only take us a few minutes to reach the throne room. We’re on track. How’s it going for you guys?”
I whisper it, but Orion puts his talon on my hand and pushes it down softly. He doesn’t have to say anything; I know that even if we lost comms, we need to continue. But this worries me, and it makes the next steps I take feel even heavier and scarier than the ones before.
Still, despite the fear, I’ve never felt more resolute in my entire life. If my men are in danger, I need to stop Lamia straightaway.
There’s no time to waste.
I quicken my pace until I’m panting for breath, and we’re suddenly in front of a large, closed marble door.
“This isn’t normally closed,” Orion says under his breath.
“She’s been expecting us,” I say, my mouth dry.
As if on cue, the doors slide open, creaking on their hinges. The throne room is far bigger than I expected, dark and humid, the seashell throne shining in the middle of the room.
Lamia stands tall next to it, a smirk on her ghostly white face, her eyes midnight dark.
“Ihavebeen expecting you,” she says, her smirk growing into a grin as she snaps her hand up. Orion tries to make a move for her, the same way he did to overtake Xanthos. But he’s not fast enough. Lamia brandishes her hand in the air like a weapon, throwing Orion against the wall. He tries to stagger to his feet, but there’s no way for him to, Lamia has him pinned against a wall.
