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Daphne

I had one blissful week before everything went to shit. No matter how normal everything seemed or how many people smiled and acted like everything was fine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop.

And dropped it had, based on the look of abject terror on Zale’s face.

He was at the other end of a long hallway, but there was no mistaking that he had something that would burst my bubble. While he walked toward me, I mourned the day I’d had.

I’d spent the morning with Lukas, waking up in his bed. We’d decided that we wanted to redesign our rooms, tearing down the wall between them.

They were already connected through the patio and the warm bath carved into the building and the rocks it rested against, so it made sense to just expand. I’d sent Quinn Hephaestus a letter asking if he’d help, and he sent back one that still buzzed with his excitement.

We’d be seeing him in just over two weeks at the Council meeting, our first in two months.

Lukas had started drinking his morning coffee sitting next to my desk again. It would be a while before my stomach stopped erupting in butterflies whenever he sat down next to me and slid a coffee my way. His with just sugar, mine with sugar and cream.

He’d left soon after breakfast, parting with a quick kiss. I was pretty sure he was down in the training center today.

Wherever he was, I had a feeling I’d be finding him soon.

“What happened?” I asked as Zale approached.

Zale shook his head, pulling me off to the side. “It’s bad.” He spoke through his teeth, keeping a bland smile and nodding at someone passing.

My stomach churned with anxiety. Iknewthis wasn’t over.

“What?” I kept my voice low to match his.

Zale winced. “A group of fishermen just came back with empty nets. Not lean. Empty. As in not a single fish.”

My breath came out shaky.

“Eleni just went out to check,” Zale continued. “The fish are still there, but they aren’t moving up to the surface. All of them are hundreds of feet lower than they should be.”

Breaking an instinctual pattern like that meant there was something very,verywrong with my power. And itwasmine. I still didn't have a tonic.

This was far worse than ripping holes in barriers or a lean year. “Shit.”

Zale’s expression clouded, growing haunted. “I know.”

I shook my head, crossing my arms as if that would do anything to dispel the storm raging in my chest. “I just don’t understand this. It must be something here. I just don’t see how it’s tied to Lukas and I’s relationship.”

“What did Sebastian say?”

“He’s supposed to come at the end of the week.” Lukas told me he checked in again after their run in with Adrian. He told me about that conversation too. I almost choked on my coffee when he said he almost punched Sebastian. But when he checked, Sebastian had told him he just needed a few days to test the tonic and make sure it wouldn’t kill me, but his schedule was as busy as the rest of ours. Even more so, given the wide range of his power.

Zale took a deep breath. “It’s getting bad, Daphne.”

“I know.” I nodded my head, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. We couldn’t afford this bad of a disruption to human lives, not when the unrest was barely settling after the catches replenished. “Let me go to try and find Lukas. Then we are going to Sebastian’s hospital. If he doesn’t come to us, we can go to him.”

Zale’s chin dipped once in agreement. “I’ll look too. I’ll come to you if I find him.”

We parted quickly and I scurried down the hall as fast as I could without drawing alarm. We hardly ever took portals inside the castle, choosing to walk instead. I took the shortest way to the training room I knew, walking through the kitchen.

I nodded at everyone, sneaking off to the smaller one that was dedicated to me and Lukas. I almost made it through but stopped short at the door.

Something felt off.

I turned, scanning the room for anything wrong. My eyes landed on the pantry door. It was slightly ajar, not something to notice on any other day, but a flash of instinct hit my gut.