Page 51

Esmyra

E smyra’s entire body went rigid.

In the center of the grand chamber, a massive dais rose like a pedestal from the floor, carved of shimmering pearl. Upon it sat a woman, her back straight, her posture regal and serene as her crown glinted in the light.

The woman’s stare bore into Esmyra’s, and it stole the breath from her lungs.

It wasn’t just the stranger knowing her name that had her heart nearly stopping.

Her lips parted as she took in the sight of the woman. It was like looking into a mirror, only different. The same sharp markings traced up her arms while matching cheekbones, full lips, and almond-shaped eyes adorned the queen’s face. However, everything else appeared inverted.

While Esmyra’s skin was tanned from several lifetimes at sea, the woman on the dais was pale, almost luminous in the dim light. Where Esmyra’s hair was dark as the abyss, the woman before her was as golden and warm as the sunrise.

Aside from the shape, their eyes, too, were different—while Esmyra’s were a piercing, glacial blue, the other’s were a fiery amber .

Esmyra felt like she was looking into her own reflection within the sun itself.

A moment of silence passed between them, thick with the weight of something she couldn’t place. Perhaps it was recognition, though she knew she’d never seen this woman before in her very long life.

As the woman on the dais smiled, Esmyra was taken aback by the unexpected kindness radiating from her, a stark contrast to the cold sneer she had anticipated.

Suddenly, the woman’s eyes narrowed on her arms—something she was used to due to the runes her flesh bore, but she soon realized that wasn’t what caught her attention.

“Release her.” The words came out as a demand radiating through the throne room, and they immediately removed their grip on Esmyra’s arms.

The native soldiers all took a single step away from her in unison—the sounds of their steps and the shifting of weapons echoed with the movement.

A million thoughts were rummaging through Esmyra’s mind, though she couldn’t find a single word to speak.

The woman, who she could only assume was their queen, stood from her seat and descended the steps of the dais as if she were floating.

Esmyra watched in awe as she moved. The dress she wore was revealing, yet stunning—a style she’d never seen in any other kingdom.

The fabric was a cream color with a pearlescent sheen, draping over her shoulders as it crossed in an X pattern over her breast, revealing glimpses of skin before wrapping around her natural curves and flowing to the floor.

With each step she took, her lean thighs were exposed as the fabric of the high slits flowed around her.

The queen came to stand before Esmyra, her gaze roaming over her slowly. Then their eyes met. “Why can I not sense your power?” The words left the woman in a near whisper, seeming confused.

Esmyra’s brows furrowed before lifting her wrist to reveal the wound from the velsinyte.

It didn’t appear like any other wound she’d received before or seen on any other.

Her body hadn’t even begun to heal it. Onyx, spider-like veins cracked atop her skin and crept along her forearm, spreading slowly.

Her eyes flared at the sight, not realizing this was what had been causing such pain.

“What in all gods?” she whispered, bringing it closer to her face to get a better look, but the woman’s hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, only her touch was gentle as she carefully rotated it to inspect the wound.

“Azarian,” she said, facing the one Esmyra assumed was their leader. “Why does she bear this mark?”

Esmyra could sense the rage beneath her false tone of kindness. She recognized that fury, knew it as if it were her own—for that was what it mirrored.

“To be sure it was her,” he answered.

What the fuck?

The queen dropped Esmyra’s arm and cocked her head to the side as she stared her soldier down. “And if it killed her?”

Azarian shrugged. “Then she wasn’t who we needed.”

Esmyra’s lips curled back, revealing her canines. “It could have killed me?!”

“Not you . But anyone else, perhaps.”

Esmyra stomped a foot in his direction as she threw her wrist before her on display. “You will release me and my…” she searched for a word that would make the most sense, “ companion at once, or I will skin you down to the bone with my teeth.”

She looked at the queen, whose face wore a subtle grin.

The golden woman lifted her hand and pointed to the wound, her gaze fixated on it.

Esmyra’s eyes flared as she watched the onyx veins retreat to the site of the wound.

And then, a vile, black substance lifted from it, levitating in the air just like when she conjured seawater from Draevyn’s lungs.

Her lips parted as she gasped, eyes wide in disbelief, while her power surged within her chest once again. And then her skin began to mend.

“Esmyra, forgive me for the late introduction, but my name is Syrena. You don’t remember me, do you?” The queen’s voice was soft, almost tender.

Esmyra’s brows furrowed in confusion as she rotated her arm, inspecting it. “I don’t know you,” she whispered before her stare lifted to meet the woman’s.

She was met with a genuine smile. “But you do, sister.”

The word hit Esmyra like a wave, knocking the breath from her lungs. She took a hesitant step back, shaking her head in disbelief. “Sister?” she echoed. “That’s impossible. I don’t…I don’t have a sister. I don’t have anyone.”

Syrena’s smile remained as she reached out, gently cupping her face in her hand. There was no malice in the touch, only warmth. Yet, Esmyra pulled back.

“You do,” she said softly. “We were born of the same waters, the same magic. Separated long ago, before either of us could remember.” Her hand fell to her side as their eyes remained locked.

“I am Syrena Aeress. Queen of the Kingdom of Maerinys. And you , Esmyra…are my twin sister. Stolen from us long before we had a chance to properly meet.”

Maerinys .

Aeress .

The lost, sunken kingdom and the ancient family name that ruled over it in servitude to Kaelypso and Naerysa.

How was any of this possible?

Esmyra’s heart raced, her mind spinning. Her memories were hazy, like a mist that clung to the edges of her mind. But there was something deep within her that stirred at the name. Something old.

“I don’t…I don’t understand.” Her eyes widened with confusion, and for one of the first times in her life, she found herself utterly speechless.

Syrena’s warm gaze roamed over her. “That’s quite alright, I wouldn’t expect you to. But we’ve been waiting for a very long time, hoping you would return home.”

Home .

Esmyra took a shaky step back, her chest rising and falling in a sense of panic at the queen’s words.

Conflicting emotions surged through her.

She wanted to recoil, to reject everything Syrena was saying, but there was a part of her that longed to believe it—longed for the connection of a family she had never known, of a people who would understand who and what she was without judgment or greed.

She felt the truth in Syrena’s words, in her very being, and that terrified her more than anything. Esmyra, however, had never been a trusting woman, and she wasn’t about to start now in a strange, lost world.

“Say I believe you, Syrena.” She swallowed before squaring her shoulders. “What comes next? And what of my captive your soldiers stole from me?”

“Perhaps,” Syrena started, “we should take a walk together in private. I can show you better than I can tell you. And as for the man, he’s currently being placed in a holding cell.

But if he’s your captive, and not a companion as you stated, then I assume he’s an enemy.

So, I suggest he remain where he is, and we’ll retrieve him once our story is told to keep our kingdom’s secrets safe. ”

Enemy . Was that what Draevyn still was to her? It certainly didn’t feel that way any longer, but she didn’t know who she could trust.

Was her enemy the son of a king who held her own father hostage in his need of greed and power? Or was it the ancient, forgotten queen of Maerinys, claiming to be her kin?

The queen offered her arm to her, and Esmyra stared at it through narrowed eyes. A giggle left Syrena as she lowered her arm. “Apologies, Esmyra. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Aye,” Esmyra breathed. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.” She gestured to the door and allowed the queen to guide her as the soldiers followed at their backs.