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Claira

PRESENT DAY

A greeing to learn to read glyphs had undoubtedly been a mistake. Freaking sea wizard . The morning hadn’t even brought the first feast of the day, and here was Aracos with a scroll clenched between his needle-tipped teeth.

At least waking up to a friendly eel floating circles over my face was better than waking up to one of Queen Sagari’s pawns—or, as I was now expected to think of her, my grandmother’s pawns. That word would never feel right to me. Not when it came to her.

I yawned a greeting before carefully retrieving the scroll from Aracos’s mouth. He wrapped around my arm, clinging to it like he wasn’t yet ready to depart. “Affectionate today, aren’t we?”

In all honesty, I enjoyed his company. It also helped that he could decipher glyphs. “Well, let’s see what tortures your master has prepared for us today, shall we?”

I took a moment to steel my resolve before I dared to unravel today’s scroll. In the short time I’d spent here, the sea wizard had proven himself to be a challenging tutor.

“ Argh! Not again!”

Both Aracos and I flinched as my attendant growled from across the chamber. Her front two tentacles seized hold of her pike from the floor.

Uh, oops . I hadn’t expected her to be awake so early.

“Wait, Hari—” I called out, but Aracos proved to be quicker than my words. The end of his tail playfully brushed against my arm as he vanished under a concealment spell, slipping away from plain sight.

The water vibrated with my attendant’s rage. “Cursed creature! I can’t believe I let it get by me again!”

“Don’t worry about him, Hari.” I sighed, my eyes fixed on the faded outline of Aracos’s long body. He moved toward the exit, disappearing and reappearing like a phantom in my line of sight. “He’s harmless.”

Maybe it was my newfound knowledge of the magic Aracos used to conceal himself, but it was getting easier to catch glimpses of his movements, however faint.

My reassurance appeared to have little impact on Hari. Go figure.

She was all brusque and brawn, with tentacles that moved with the deadly synchrony of a web-weaving spider. It was clear she wasn’t accustomed to being evaded, not by anyone. Let alone by a creature she thought to be as inconsequential as an eel.

“Why must I suffer this indignity?” Her inky appendages coiled around her weapon—a deadly, sharpened pike—her annoyance palpable as she spat, “I’m a knight, for blunder’s sake! Yet here I am, shoved into this infernal barnacle pit, doing a pawn’s work.”

I’d come to realize an empty stomach had this sort of effect on Hari. It was a wonder she hadn’t snapped her weapon in two.

Hari’s dark eyes bulged with fury. “And that wretched eel! It has the audacity to sneak in here every morning to mock me.”

“Mock you?” I bit back my laughter as I rolled out of my seagrass bed. Hari was right about one thing—this post was well below her station as a knight. But I was immensely thankful the queen had agreed to let me take a female attendant.

The pawns she kept sending me at first... Ugh. I would forever be grateful for the shell the sea wizard had given that kept them out of my chamber.

Queen Sagari hadn’t been particularly pleased by his gift. She didn’t like the idea of my chamber being blocked off by magic. Hari had been our compromise.

At first, she’d displayed little interest in the role. But she soon warmed up to the idea once she realized the abundance of food that was brought to me with each feast. It also helped that I didn’t care how much of it she ate.

“Aracos wasn’t mocking you. He was just delivering this.” I held up the sea wizard’s scroll, then pulled myself over to the flat rock I used for my studies.

Without these scrolls to work through each morning, I wondered if I’d find the will to drag myself out of that seagrass. After all, there were a lot of thoughts about what I’d left behind on the shore that I knew would never become easier to escape. But at least, for as long as the glyphs kept me occupied, I could forget.

“You think a knight doesn’t know when she’s being mocked?” Hari growled, slumping back against the rocks next to the entryway she used when she slept.

This was why I liked her. She didn’t coddle me, didn’t expect me to stay put, and she certainly didn’t insist on helping me and carrying me around. No, she was only interested in my entryway, particularly who and what came through it.

Oh—and also food.

I smoothed open the scroll as Hari continued to grumble. “And what does the queen’s puppet want from you now?” She crossed her arms over her chest like she might try to doze back to sleep, yet her tentacles still held her pike perfectly aloft. “You know, if I were you, princess, I wouldn’t be so quick to entertain a scrawny man like him.”

“Whoa now, scrawny? ” I chuckled, shaking my head at the thought. “We’re talking about the sea wizard, right? I’d hardly label him as scrawny...”

Of course, compared to Hari, most would seem scrawny. I’d been more than amazed when I’d first laid eyes on her. Between the size of her forearms and the massive pike she wielded, looking at her was like staring down a battleship.

Well, if she had a penchant for large men, it made sense now why her voice seemed to crack every time the chef came to deliver our feasts. Now that was a hefty cecaelia.

I grinned at the thought of them together while my gaze swept over the careful, elegant symbols written in today’s scroll. The sea wizard’s writing was so… sleek. There was no other word for it. Each glyph looked almost like its own work of art, and I stared for a long moment before even thinking about taking up a pen to practice them for myself.

Even after days of practice, my pen still felt strangely cumbersome in my hand. Presumably because of the magic inside it that kept it flowing with… ink? I shuddered, remembering how the sea wizard had used a similar pen to collect a drop of my blood.

At least, I hoped this pen held ink. Whatever it was, I’d been going through a lot of it.

“Here goes nothing,” I mumbled, tapping the blunt end of my pen against the parchment. Today’s symbols were the most intricate I’d encountered so far. Yesterday, I had only tackled half a dozen glyphs, but today’s lesson included ten.

Biting my lip, I started practicing the first symbol. It was beautiful, with a wide, curling swish and three delicate blots in the middle. Okay— his version was beautiful. Mine, well… It would take me a few tries.

Four attempts in, and I found myself missing Aracos. He was unexpectedly encouraging while I practiced my scribing.

Then, my gaze happened upon the minuscule script the sea wizard had noted underneath the first glyph, and I snorted into the back of my hand.

‘ Creep.’ That was the symbol’s English equivalent. The insult I’d spat at him when we first met.

As usual, the sea wizard’s twisted humor surfaced when I least expected it to.

The sound of Hari clattering over to the entryway was the only warning I had before a smooth voice drifted into the chamber. The moment I looked over my shoulder, I froze, my eyes wide.

Had I… somehow manifested him?

“Harini,” the sea wizard said through tight lips. The tip of Hari’s pike was sitting directly under his neck. “Always a pleasure.”

“Don’t give me that sharkshit, puppet.” As usual, Hari didn’t bother hiding her disdain for the man she considered to be no more than her queen’s puppet. “Say the word, princess, and I’ll send this scrawny scum away.”

“Let him through, Hari,” I said, signaling her away from him with a wave. “I’ve already made it clear that the sea wizard is welcome to visit my chambers.”

The sea wizard waited with the patience of a saint for Hari to lower her pike. She grumbled a few extra choice curses but ultimately moved aside.

He wasted no time gliding over, his obsidian hair sweeping elegantly back. The strands reminded me of smooth, dark strokes of ink.

I blinked a few extra times at him. Wow—clearly, I’d spent way too much time staring down scrollwork. Strokes of ink?

“Good morning, princess.” He traced the back of his knuckles beneath his sharp jaw, where Hari’s pike had grazed him, though the look in his eyes as he peered down at me suggested that he didn’t regret it.

“Morning.”

As he approached, one of his tentacles brushed over my tail. A fleeting touch. Almost accidental. Then he leaned in, directing his attention to my workspace.

He was studying my tail’s curse again, wasn’t he?

“I see you’re hoping I’ll be writing you letters one day,” I said, gesturing at our first glyph of the day.

“So you’ve already started. Good.” As usual, he completely ignored my teasing. With Hari here, the sea wizard was colder—detached and wooden. It made me want to send her away.

I shook that thought right away. I liked Hari. She kept me safe, and if I was being honest, I needed her here.

“Well?” The sea wizard braced a hand next to the scroll, his pointer finger tapping a slow beat on the rock beside it. “By all means, continue. It’s important that I watch your technique.”

“O-of course.” I readied my pen, and my eyes rolled when he immediately corrected my grip.

When my hand throbbed, the sea wizard conjured up a fresh new scroll. My eyes felt like they were about to explode.

“Since you’re doing so well,” he said with the slow, silky drawl of a freaking demon. “We should continue.”

Yes—agreeing to let him teach me to read glyphs had been a mistake.

I sighed, readying my pen again. It wasn’t like I had anything better to do, did I? No, if it were up to Queen Sagari, I would be lounging my days away on top of a never-tiring pile of pawns. When I wasn’t out selling luxury condominiums, of course.

I couldn’t imagine living my life the way she lived hers, although a part of me did wish she’d offered to take me with her to land. Even if it was just to sell condominiums.

I would accept in a heartbeat because then I’d have my legs. There wasn’t much hope of an escape, but at least I could try.

Leander. Kai. Barren . Memories of them filled my every dream. They were the reason I had to fight to open my eyes when morning came.

They played like a bittersweet melody, offering welcome relief that quickly turned into a searing pain once I awoke. It was a tune that, with time, would destroy me completely. Swallow me up until my heart was as cold as the embrace of this damned Undersea.

A chilling numbness gripped my chest. No, I—I couldn’t allow my mind to drift onto land. Not now. Not when the sea wizard would see me break down over the work that he’d carefully prepared for me.

“Your Highness,” a voice called, pulling me from my spiraling thoughts.

There was a rotund cecaelian man filling out the entryway. The chef. It didn’t escape me that Hari hadn’t stuck her pike to his neck.

In fact, she suddenly looked like she didn’t even know how to hold her pike. Or any of her limbs, for that matter.

Oh, Hari . It seemed that food wasn’t the only thing she was interested in.

Silence ensued until I glanced up at the sea wizard to see why he hadn’t answered the chef. He was staring back down at me. Hard.

“Your Highness?” the chef repeated.

“Oh! Oh .” My face flushed. “You’re talking to me . Of course.” I’d clearly been spending too much time around princes. The sea wizard always carried himself so well that for a second, I thought?—

“Sorry, I-I’m still getting used to this royalty thing,” I explained, but the chef’s face lacked even an ounce of sympathy. “Um, yes? What can I help you with?”

“I do not require any help from you,” the chef said coldly. His beady gaze shot knives at my tail. “I am here to tell you that your feast has arrived.”

He shifted aside, which was no easy feat. A swarm of cecaelia filed in, each bearing dark, tarnished platters. Despite knowing they meant no harm, I couldn’t help but shudder as they invaded my chamber.

Would I ever stop thinking of the first cecaelia, the one who attacked us? About how Kai had nearly died after being struck in the back by one of their weapons?

The sea wizard pulled in front of me, effectively shielding me from the commotion. “You’re biting your lip, princess.”

I was… what?

My lip popped from between my teeth. Oh . Aside from him and Hari, cecaelia really did make me nervous.

One of his tentacles swept over me, dropping something down on my head.

“Oh, right—my crown. Thank you.” I hated wearing it, but the cecaelia seemed to treat me better when I had it on. Perhaps it reminded them of my grandmother and what she might do to them if they didn’t.

Once the last of the swarm had left, the sea wizard swept aside. “We’ll take a quick break so you may enjoy your feast.”

Hari hadn’t waited; she was already opening the platters, cheering as she did so.

My night vision had me squinting at the platters. It was much harder to discern types of fish when they were all speckled with shades of black and gray.

“Eat up.” The sea wizard brought a platter within my reach, reminding me why I appreciated Hari’s non-involvement in my life, apart from my entryway. But, I supposed I could let it slide. Just this once. “There’s a lot of work to get through today,” he said, the demon.

Poseidon help me .

I glared up at him. “Just how many scrolls did you bring with you?” But because Hari was here, he didn’t answer. No, instead, he taunted me with only his eyes, letting his amusement show through them.

How frustrating. Was there some law stating that he had to cling to his puppet persona all the time? Even now, instead of helping himself to fish like Hari did, he resigned himself to standing there as a silent observer.

“Why don’t you ever eat with us?”

His response was as icy as his stiff posture. “I eat alone in my chamber.”

“Oh, I see,” I replied, poking around the fish on the platter before choosing one I believed to be a mackerel.

Alone in his chamber... Why did that bother me? “There’s plenty here if you want to join us. I have no idea why the chef thinks I can put away fifty fish for breakfast.”

Hari growled around the school of fish she currently had stuffed in her mouth.

“Ignore her,” I said, offering the sea wizard the top of a platter to use as a plate.

He didn’t take it. The corner of his mouth twitched with suppressed amusement. “I… typically catch my own meals,” he said carefully.

So it was a pride thing, then. Why wasn’t that surprising?

His eyebrows shot up when I seized his closest tentacle and wrapped it around the bottom of the platter. Then I tossed a fish into it. “Oh, look, you caught one,” I said dryly. “Good job. Now you can eat.”

That did it. The sea wizard failed to suppress a snort, and his head shook in defeat. I wasn’t ready for the throaty edge in his voice when he said, “Only because it pleases you, princess.”

I nearly choked on my bite of mackerel. “Don’t—say it like that!”

“I wonder what you mean.” With a hum, he selected two more fish for his plate. When he looked back at me, his head was cocked in mischief. “But as you wish, princess.”

Hari was not amused by us in the slightest. Her eyes narrowed on his plate of fish like he’d personally stolen them out of her mouth. She snarled, angrily crunching up flesh and bones before swallowing them down in one great gulp. “Tell me he isn’t going to be here all day.”

“Hari!”

“Actually, I was about to leave,” the sea wizard cut in, and my stomach dipped.

“Already?” I glanced down at the growing pile of scrolls on my desk. I supposed we’d managed to accomplish a lot in one morning. Why, then, did I feel so disappointed?

“Indeed.” He sat his emptied platter aside and worked out his shoulder. It must have been stiff from hovering over my work.

“Well, all right.” What was I going to do with myself for the rest of the day? “Thanks for the lesson.”

As I eyed the parchment, an idea sprang up. Maybe I could use the back of an old scroll to write him a note. Show him my progress. Aracos would surely bring it to him if I asked.

Hari wasted no time moving in on the platter in front of me the moment the sea wizard went to leave.

But as he turned, I noticed a wince, his hand finding support against the rocks as he passed through the entryway.

“Wizard?” I called after him, pulling myself around Hari.

But he was gone, not even a trace of his magic smoke visible.

“How… strange,” I muttered.

It was the first time, I realized, that he’d forgotten to bid me farewell.