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The entrance was tucked at the end of a narrow alley. The smell that lingered in the stairwell was clean and damp.

Like an underground cathedral, the main chamber was enormous, with raw crystal walls that sliced down into the dark. The ceiling was arched, supported by a forest of marble columns that rose from the water, each crusted with thousands of tiny blue gems. Aether shimmered in their depths, glowing softly and filling the room—the water—with ripples and veins of shattering blue light.

A narrow maintenance boardwalk stretched across the water, the only path forward. The wooden planks had a bit of give underfoot, bobbing gently as Taly waded out. Her entourage followed close behind. The glow of the crystals framed their silhouettes, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls.

“Well, that’s not good,” Sarina murmured, peering over the edge of the boardwalk, where fish swam listlessly below the water’s surface.

Taly followed her gaze. The fish moved slowly, their gold-and-black scales dulled, some flecked with white. One drifted sideways, its gills flaring weakly before it righted itself.

Ivain’s voice echoed in her mind.That’s how you know the water is safe,he’d said the first time he brought her down here.The crystals—they can’t remove every impurity, which is why we have the fish. If the fish can’t survive, then neither can we.

But the fish weren’t surviving. They were sick.

Taly knelt beside the water. Why hadn’t anyone checked? Surely, there was someone assigned to test the health of the water.

She’d just have to be extra careful not to swallow any.

Taly toed off her boots.

Skye’s face was incredulous. “You can’t be serious.”

Except that she was. And she proved it by jumping in the frigid water.

“What the—gah!” Skye let out a wordless scream as he kicked off his boots. “You’re not helping,” he barked to a laughing Sarina.

The cold hit like a slap, but he took a breath and dove beneath the surface.

The world around him was eerily quiet, muted in the stillness of the submerged temple. Blue water crystals glowed faintly in the hollowed columns he passed, their light shimmering like unblinking eyes watching his descent.

Small fish darted through the water, weaving in and out of the ancient structure.

Just ahead, he could see Taly. She moved like someone who knew exactly where she was going. Her legs kicked in a strong, practiced rhythm, arms pulling cleanly through the blue-tinged water as she pushed deeper into the ruins.

Skye surged forward, closing nothing. Taly was still pulling ahead—faster now, stronger.

She moved past a school of fish, their silver bodies flashing like shards of light. The massive, crumbling arches of the temple framed her.

Then she slowed.

Her body stilled, focus sharpening, locked onto something ahead.

The statue loomed out of the depths, pulled into view by the shifting light. Algae clung to its surface in ragged patches, eating away at the once-pristine stone. Long trails of green and brown swayed lazily in the current, draped over its carved shoulders like a mantle. Cracks ran through its torso, like veins etched deep into the stone, and barnacles clustered around its base.

And in its outstretched palm was a light, green and glowing.

Skye’s eyes locked on the earth crystal in the statue’s hand. He jolted, air escaping in a rush of bubbles before instinct reined him in. He knew what it was. Didn’t need to get closer to confirm. He could taste it in the water—metallic and wrong.

Taly hovered just in front of it. She wasn’t moving. Her eyes were fixed on the weathered face of the statue, its carved features dimly lit by the pulsing green glow of the gem.

With a powerful kick, he closed the distance between them. His hand closed around her wrist. The sudden touch startled her, and her head snapped toward him, her eyes wide and questioning.

Skye jerked his head sharply toward the surface, his expression making it clear they weren’t negotiating.

She reached for the gem. He dragged her back through the water before she could touch it. She pointed stubbornly, and he nodded as if to say,leave it to me.

Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. She seemed almost glad to get away. With her rising toward the surface, he stripped off his shirt. The fabric swirled in the current as he wrapped it around the glowing stone. The gem’s light dimmed slightly through the layers, but its pulse was still visible, like a heartbeat.

He gave the statue one last glance, then pushed off, rising fast.