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35

Claira

M aybe asking Hari’s brother to take me to Malkeevo had been a mistake. His tentacles, strong and unyielding, wrapped around my tail and waist, reminding me of just how much power he had in that massive frame. Damn.

It was a small comfort that he hadn’t thought to carry me in his arms, but his tentacles’ grip felt no less confining. They held me as if I might try to slip away at any moment, and honestly, with the way they kept kneading me whenever he spoke to me directly, I’d thought about it.

Without the sea wizard here to poof us, it was growing painfully clear just how deep the Undersea went. So far, we’d taken two portals, which had been a surprise. Even more surprising was the fact that the first portal had only brought us closer to the Undersea’s mouth rather than through it.

But I had to get my letter to Cyre, even if finding a moment to hide it where he could retrieve it was proving to be challenging. Hari’s brother seemed determined to get to know me, leaving me barely a chance to think since we’d left. And with his tentacles all over me, I wondered if one might find the thin parchment hidden in my ocean silks before I even got the chance to deliver it.

Fortunately, Jagati had remained a perfectly gentlemanly knight—at least for now.

“It is truly an honor to escort you, Princess Just Claira. ” I could feel the low rumble of his voice deep in my bones as he pulled me in almost as close as he had when we’d gone through the portals.

“Yeah, thanks for taking me,” I muttered back, trying to sound casual. It looked like we were finally reaching the summit that supposedly led to Malkeevo. Thank goodness.

I glanced around at the cecaelia lingering above, my stomach tightening. There were so many of them already.

“Stay hidden,” I projected to Cyre with my mind, sensing his excitement in response. He’d managed to stay close since we’d emerged from the second portal, but I didn’t want to risk him being seen.

“Cyre HIDE,” he sent back, and I let myself relax a fraction.

The cecaelia above us scattered to let us pass, but whether it was because of the crown I wore or Jagati’s imposing presence, I wasn’t sure. Just in case, I straightened it on top of my head.

“ Jagati .” His name began floating through the water. He lifted his thin, near-translucent tentacle, letting it guide our way. “ It’s Jagati .” The whispers grew louder with each group we passed, a mix of awe and reverence, making it clear that it definitely wasn’t my crown making its presence known.

So Hari’s brother really was a big deal.

He’d certainly taken his job as my escort seriously. The twin spears he’d retrieved before our departure trailed behind us, held firmly by two of his back tentacles. Just seeing those spears made me uneasy, so I tried to avoid looking back. If he was anything like his sister, he knew exactly how to use them.

Still, the thought of those sharp tips slicing through flesh lingered in my mind. I had to remind myself that the cecaelia weren’t my enemies—at least, not anymore. And yet the way they were moving like an army toward Barren’s kingdom…

“Princess?” Jagati’s deep voice resonated through the water, snapping me out of my thoughts.

My gaze flicked up to his face, momentarily catching on the scar on his lip before finding his eyes. He’d said something before calling out to me—maybe even asked me a question, judging by the look in his dark eyes. But what was it?

“Sorry.” I blinked at him, swallowing back my nerves. “Did you ask me something?”

He chuckled softly, the tentacle around my hip giving a less-than-subtle squeeze. “I caught you admiring your crown, so I asked if you were looking forward to your upcoming ceremony.”

“Oh, that.” Did he want the truth? Since he claimed to never speak to my grandmother, maybe it was safe to tell him. “Not particularly, no,” I admitted. Honestly, the last thing I wanted to think about was the ceremony, and I definitely hadn’t been admiring my crown.

Jagati’s expression softened, revealing a thoughtful look beneath his harsh exterior. “I can imagine acclimating to the Undersea has been quite difficult for you, as you are now.”

While he spoke, I felt a pressure on my tail—another deliberate squeeze? As I was now… I glanced away, focusing on the empty water ahead and letting my thoughts drift to how close Cyre might be following behind us rather than engaging with whatever he’d meant by that .

“NEAR.” Cyre’s voice flooding my mind was an instant relief.

Jagati continued, “But that will not last forever.”

Okay, so the squeeze had been intentional. But those words weren’t as comforting as he’d likely meant them to be, and I had to fight off a shiver. I wasn’t looking forward to my curse breaking or to even fitting in with the cecaelia. I couldn’t imagine a time when I ever would.

“I have been told that one day, your appearance will return to its true state.”

Oh. He was still going. Wonderful.

“And when that day comes,” Jagati said, his tone shifting to a more earnest note, “finding your place among us will be easier than you think. You will be whole again, able to start a family, to be blessed with spawnlings.” His gaze grew intense, locking onto me with a hint of something more personal than the small talk we’d been engaging in until this point. “Do you dream of bearing many offspring?”

“Uh—” With my tongue hanging, I froze under Jagati’s intent gaze. Starting a family? Spawnlings? Was this dude really asking me how many children I wanted?

What the heck was I supposed to say with him holding me and studying me so closely? That the idea of bearing children as a cecaelia made me want to curl up and never let another tentacle graze me again? “I—I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it.”

“Pardon my forwardness,” Jagati said, with a slight incline of his close-shaven head. “That was rude of me. Only, now that we have met, I cannot seem to stop myself from looking to your future here. But there is no need for us to speak on it now.”

Us? What did he mean by ‘us’? Oh, god. I was positive I was starting to shake.

“My sister is partly to blame,” he continued with a gentle chuckle. “Rini has been very worried about you. She has told me you have grown close to the queen’s shadow puppet.”

Shadow puppet? With the way my mind was reeling, it took a second for me to realize who he was referring to. “Yes, I have,” I said with a slight catch in my voice. We had grown close—despite the sea wizard’s best efforts to deny it.

The slope of the seafloor gradually leveled as Jagati moved us through the water. My magic hummed, and I knew Cyre was close behind us. It took everything in me not to teleport away and try to hitch a ride on his back.

Just as I started to daydream about my escape, Jagati was talking again.

“You should know, the puppet is not very well-liked among our kind.” His voice was somber enough to catch my attention. When I looked up, he was watching me, waiting for my reaction. “I have never found him to be very charming, but Rini seems to think you enjoy his company. If he has shown you any kindness, I hope you know it is not genuine.”

Not… genuine? Rationally, I knew the sea wizard didn’t need me to defend him. He could melt freaking bones with his magic and turn Jagati into a puddle of goo if he wanted to. Still, a surge of protectiveness rose in me. “He can be very charming,” I said sharply, which, now that I’d said it out loud, seemed like an odd defense. “And I’m not very well-liked among my kind either.” That one was better.

“Really?” Jagati regarded me with a chuckle, his scarred lip smoothing with amusement. “I do not think that is true.”

That cut through me like a knife, striking a nerve I didn’t even know was exposed. “But you don’t really know me, do you?” I countered. Nor did he know the sea wizard, not even in the slightest.

Instead of showing offense at my outburst, Jagati leaned away, giving me space. “Perhaps not yet,” he mused. “But I believe I am beginning to see who you are. It is my hope that, in due time, we will know each other as well as we know ourselves.”

His words hung in the water between us, mingling with the current. Head tilted back, he smiled that roguish grin. And all I could think was, why?

Why did he want to know me better? Because someone—I didn’t even know who—favored him to be my rook?

“We should be approaching Malkeevo soon?—”

“If you want to know me, then you should know that I don’t plan to have children,” I blurted. Not with you, at least.

Jagati’s smile faltered a mere second before he recovered, the corner of his mouth twitching at my sudden confession. “Then I look forward to the day when I change your mind.”

“Excuse me? ” I choked out, struggling to believe what I’d just heard. “That’s not what you’re supposed to say to a woman who is trying to make it clear that she doesn’t want to bear your children. ”

The ocean rippled with his laughter. “I understand why you are opposed to bearing offspring, Princess Just Claira . But trust me, what you are fearing will obviously not be a problem for me.”

“You understand why I’m opposed to children?” I echoed. This, I had to hear.

“Yes,” he continued with unnerving calm. “You know that you are soft like your mother was. You fear no one will want to risk taking you as their mate because of it. But as I said, that does not bother me.”

What the hell did he mean by that?

He reached out, his scarred hand touching my hair. Suddenly, that smile of his didn’t look quite so kind. “It is true, most require a mate who is strong. Capable. But as you can see, I am powerful enough. My offspring will not inherit any weakness, no matter what their mother lacks.”

The way his tentacles flexed around me as he said it had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Jagati may have seemed respectful at first. A perfect gentleman. But now, he was like one giant monochromatic red flag waving in front of me.

“You think I’m… soft,” I said, testing the word on my tongue.

He nodded in acknowledgment. “It does not bother me.”

Well, okay then. My mouth opened to retort, then shut again as I realized that my magic was gathering underneath my palms, reacting to his words in a way I’d never experienced before.

Maybe this was why the sea wizard hadn’t wanted me to burst through the invisibility shields I’d made. Because if I wasn’t careful, I could easily unleash a similar blast. One that might fix Hari’s brother’s crooked nose for good. Although, it would maybe add a scar or two.

But would it be worth it? I thought, resisting the urge to let my magic loose. Jagati didn’t know me, even if he thought he did or even thought he ‘wanted’ to. And soft or not—I was nothing like my mother. I would never bring a child into this world just to abandon them.

Dammit , why was I still thinking about children? That wasn’t the real issue. The issue was this arrogant cecaelia next to me, his tentacles coiled around me like a trap, while I desperately needed to get my letter to Cyre and warn Barren about the danger closing in on his kingdom.

But looking at the massive number of cecaelia heading toward Malkeevo, I couldn’t help but wonder if his kingdom even stood a chance. My mind flashed back to the devastation in the Atlantic—how the gates had been torn down, the homes razed, and how the vibrant corals and gems were completely stripped away as if their beauty had never stood a chance.

It was about to happen again, and I was just as powerless to stop it now as I had been then.

“Barren…” As soon as I let the name slip out, Jagati’s expression changed.

“Barren?”

Oh, crap.

I pointed to the seafloor in front of us, hoping to disguise my mistake. “Are you sure we’re close to Malkeevo? The ocean here looks awfully barren.”

Just then, a brittle star scuttled by, its slender arms waving as it propelled itself across the seafloor. Lovely.

Jagati didn’t seem to notice. “It is true that this area has suffered under the merfolk who lived here,” he said, his eyes sweeping across the seascape. “They are always taking more resources than they can replenish. That is why they seek refuge on land for half of every year, to help build up their depleted kingdom.”

Wait… Was that true?

“There.” Jagati’s voice brightened as he pointed eagerly into the distance, his thick neck stretching as he nodded. “The gates. I never thought I would get to see them.”

When I followed his gaze, my throat squeezed. The gates of Malkeevo rose in the distance with magnificent structures that were even taller than the ones surrounding the Atlantic kingdom.

These were the gates Barren had wanted to show to me. Yet, when he’d brought me, all I’d managed to see was an ominous sand pit. Now, accompanied by Hari’s tactless brother, I was witnessing all the grandeur I’d once missed with him.

I wished it could have been with Barren instead.

Towering columns marked the main entrance, and the hard stone carved to look like branching coral reminded me of the entrance to the Indian Ocean’s casino. I could almost imagine how the columns might look bathed in the glow of bioluminescent algae. Unfortunately, no such light shone here now.

Jagati guided us closer to the bustling mass of cecaelia gathered around the gates. When we finally passed through the grand columns, a gut-wrenching scene unfolded before my eyes.

The cecaelia had already taken over the kingdom.

Beside us, an ornate lantern, much like the ones back in the Atlantic, was being dragged away. “Even the lanterns?” I gasped. “Seriously?” Cecaelia had no use for them. My comment caught the attention of the looter, who quickly abandoned his prize once he noticed Jagati’s approach.

“It is not about the lantern.” Jagati’s massive shoulders shrugged slightly, his expression unbothered by the scene before us. “It is about claiming every possible spoil of war.”

I stared, disbelief flooding through me. “The cecaelia really think they’re at war with the merfolk?”

“We are at war,” he said, his voice carrying an unsettling, dominant certainty as he pulled us past the abandoned lantern. “And today marks a resounding victory for the Undersea.” His declaration sliced through the surrounding chaos, met with cheers and triumphant cries from the cecaelia as they continued their relentless plunder.

Everywhere I looked bled destruction. Cecaelia swarmed over the Indian Ocean’s abandoned kingdom like a dark tide, tearing apart what had once been home to many, leaving the streets choked with debris.

My heart sank, the realization of my failure gripping me by the throat. I was too late. There was no coming back from this. My letter to Barren was meaningless.

Now that they were inside, the cecaelia wouldn’t stop until the entire kingdom lay in ruins.

“So, princess, what do you think of Malkeevo?” Jagati asked conversationally. As if we weren’t hovering in the midst of its ruin.

I craned my neck to look up at the highest peak of the kingdom’s central palace, wondering how long it would take for the dark cloud of cecaelia to consume it as well. “I think it’s a tragedy.”

“A tragedy?” Jagati didn’t seem to agree. “Not at all. This long-awaited conquest will be celebrated for generations.”

There was nothing worth celebrating here. He pulled us closer to the central palace, and I didn’t think my heart could take it. I couldn’t watch Barren’s home be picked apart.

Then I saw it—the grand statue sitting in front of the palace. My eyes widened in recognition because it was more than just grand. It was an actual titan carved into stone.

Broad shoulders, a powerful jaw, and a stern, impassive face. He was a sentinel. The last remaining protector of this deserted kingdom. And I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“Do you know who this is?” Jagati asked, bringing us to a halt in front of the statue.

A lump formed in my throat as I gazed up at the titan’s stoic face. Did I know him? In a way, yes. But at the same time, no.

“Barrentos Arwa the First,” came a voice from behind the statue, smooth and rich, like an errant wisp of smoke.

My heart fluttered wildly in my chest. “Wizard,” I breathed out before I’d even laid eyes on him.

The sea wizard appeared, his tentacles gliding behind him as he dropped from above. His cold stare swept over Jagati before resting on me, a sly smile forming on his lips. “But I’m afraid our princess is far better acquainted with the Second.”

So the statue was… Barren’s father? I stared up at it, feeling my face flush. They were identical in almost every way.

The tentacles coiled around me cinched. “Shadow puppet.” Jagati’s voice dropped to an impossibly low register as he pulled me up against him. “What do you want?”

The sea wizard’s earlier amusement vanished as he took in the sight of Jagati’s tentacles tightening around me, my back against the knight’s front. “I’m here to borrow the princess,” he said coolly, even as Jagati raised his spears in warning. His gaze then turned to me. “May I?”

“Take me,” I said, reaching out to him, desperate.

The sea wizard’s smirk returned. “Very well.” Before Jagati could impale him, the sea wizard stole my hand, and the water around us crackled with his magic.

Snap.