Page 39

Chapter

Thirty

“ K ing?” I choke out. “Wait, you’re telling me my faithful mirror man is royalty?”

Eron produces an adorable blush. The guards stand and take up station around the room. Holy Idol babies, there’s enough maleness in here to make a maiden faint. Luckily, I am immune to their charms and muscles, because no one could ever live up to my knights.

“I suppose you could say I have responsibilities. But right now, we need to focus on the deal, don’t we?” He glances at Poseidon, who wields Excalibur like he’s attempting to put any knight to shame.

Sorry Poseidon, I’ve seen your kinky side.

No amount of sword wielding is going to persuade me you don’t love leather, paddles, and objects in your butt.

Hmm. What would that feel like? Painful, probably.

But then again, there’s nowhere else to fill on a man’s anatomy, other than his mouth. I blink. Mind back on the task, Daphne.

“Focus? Oh, right, our magic weapons. I have the trident!” I blurt, waving the shiny fork around, only to jab myself in the chin with the other end. “Ouch! Perhaps it’s a bit too pointy?”

Poseidon raises an eyebrow, and there’s a flicker of amusement behind his tempestuous demeanor before it dies out. “You stole from an Idol,” he snaps. “That is punishable by death in my realm.”

It is? “Is that the case if I didn’t know?”

“Ignorance is not a defense,” he snarls as he points my sword at me threateningly. I clutch the trident tighter, its power responding by flowing through me in waves. Poseidon’s eyes narrow on the trident like it’s cheating on him by not smiting me where I stand.

“Actually, Poseidon,” Eron says as he comes to his feet and straightens his jacket. “This is my realm, and there is no such law. In fact, we long ago outlawed Idols. You are here at my invitation, but make no mistake, this is to aid Daphne, not you.”

Poseidon’s scowl deepens. “Are you threatening me?”

I scrunch up my nose. “I’m pretty sure he just told you to behave yourself inside of his house as his guest. No threats. Don’t be so dramatic and make this entire situation about you.”

“We may have to conform to your rules while here, Eron, but the tempo she sets foot back in our realm, I own her. She is the Lady of the Lake; fated, fooled, and fettered to my world. My power fuels that legend, and she will return to fulfill it.”

That’s a lot of F words for a split tempo. “Why?” I ask as Eron’s hands fist at his sides. My mirror man isn’t happy with the Idol. That makes two of us, but when will I again grill an Idol about the way the realm has to bow down to his kind?

“Why what?” Poseidon snaps.

I pace. “Why do we have to fulfil these outdated narratives? Does it really give you power? And what are you honestly doing with such power? Why do we have to suffer for you to, what? Stock up for a stormy diurnal?”

“It’s the way it’s always been,” Poseidon snarls, pointing my sword in my direction. I can feel the sword rolling its eyes at the Idol handling it.

“That logic is illogical,” I declare. “If we don’t question our ways, how can there be progress?”

“Progress bleeds power,” Poseidon interjects.

“It bleeds your power, not ours.”

His face reddens. “You think to defy me? That you’re worthy of forging your own path? You are nothing, a mere mortal in a realm of power your tiny mind has barely grasped.”

I shrug. “I never claimed otherwise. But this mere mortal still bested you to escape, taking with her your weapon, that by all accounts incinerates anyone else.”

“Because Excalibur was made from a fragment of my trident. Don’t think yourself special. Any current Lady of the Lake could wield it.”

I glance at the glowing fork. I’ve not actually tried wielding it, just carrying it around like I’m waiting for the realm’s biggest sausage to fall in my lap. Sadly, it didn’t occur.

I drag my bottom lip between my teeth and push my will into it. Lightning flashes from my hand to the mirrored floor, creating a giant crack in the surface, splitting the room in two.

I glance at Eron as my cheeks heat. “I’m so sorry.” My gaze follows the damage all the way to the far wall. “I wouldn’t have tried that had I realized what a giant crack it could create.”

Eron waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. A rug or two will cover it until it heals.”

This world heals itself? Wow. Maybe I shouldn’t leave.

Poseidon’s frown deepens even further as he examines the damage and takes a step toward me. I hold my ground as Eron descends to stand between us. The rage of the seas rolls in Poseidon’s eyes. Stunning, but destructive.

“I want an oath,” Poseidon drawls, as if he couldn’t give a rategon’s ass about any oath I could give. But if that were true, he wouldn’t be saying it.

I tilt my head. “What would I, a mere mortal, have of worth to you?”

Poseidon’s gaze flicks to the guards who work hard to appear uninterested, but something tells me this is the most excitement they’ve seen in a long time. Stick with me, boys. I’ll show you more excitement than your annus can handle.

“Leave us,” Eron demands.

The guard who greeted him earlier twitches. “But?—”

“Go, Erik. I promise I will not disappear from this castle before speaking to you.”

Erik doesn’t look convinced, but he jerks his head and the room empties of guards in less than a tempo, the doors banging closed behind them.

“Speak clearly, Poseidon. If I detect a lie, I will send you back to your ocean without your trident or your Lady. And before you think to deceive, do not forget that you are in the Land of Reflection, where your true self is revealed. Lies do not exist here.”

Poseidon’s lips press into a thin line. “Fine. I want an oath that when you discover the depth of your true power, you will free me from my prison beneath the waves.”

“Prison? Like, bona fide, no-cake-at-all prison?” I blurt out, my mind racing.

“I mean, you already have a sausage issue.” My gaze drops unbidden to his billowing pants.

“So I understand your need to escape. I can promise a lot of things; primarily that I will definitely trip over my own feet at least five more times this turn. But freeing an Idol from an ocean? Sounds like a stretch for a maiden from Strongfair.”

“The sea realm is harsh. Your promise will bind you to it,” Poseidon insists, his immense presence darkening like a gathering storm. “You do not know your true power yet.”

“True power?” I echo, raising an eyebrow. “Aren’t we all just puppets in the land of the Idols? Living out our annuses with nothing more than the duty of fulfilling the narratives your kind are responsible for?”

Eron clears his throat, drawing our attention.

“I have observed you, Daphne Stone. I know your heart, mind, and soul are truer than any false princess. But your refusal of the potential within you will spell doom, not just for you, but for us all. When the time comes, you need to wield your strength.” Eron’s usual complacent tone shifts into one more firm and commanding.

A long breath leaves my mouth. I thrust the trident forward, making Eron jump back. “One promise? That if it’s in my sphere of power, and it doesn’t cause harm to me or those I love and care for, I will help you break your bonds.”

Poseidon’s stern lips twitch, like I’ve missed something important. “The bargain is set.” He offers Excalibur with a flourish. The sword’s hilt gleams, and it stretches toward me like a languid cat ready to curl around my legs. The air crackles with an energy that resonates through my bones.

As I grasp the sword, an icy sensation washes over me—an unmistakable connection that slithers into my soul. What is that?

With a swift jerk, the room sways, and I stumble again, nearly losing my grip on Excalibur. “This whole deal was advertized as a royal exchange, right? Not a wrestling match.”

“You’re the one holding on to my trident.”

My hand cramps as I try to let go. Poseidon’s eyes glitter as if I’ve whispered secrets to him, ones I don’t even know myself. “Your part in this adventure is just beginning,” Poseidon warns. “Do not let your clumsiness divert your course.”

“What course? My biggest task is keeping myself vertical.” The chill in the air grows thicker, wrapping around me like a frosty cloak.

The castle quakes, rattling the walls as if an enormous sea monster wants to crash the party. “That wasn’t me.”

“Focus, Daphne! The exchange is of paramount importance,” Eron yells, but the words are drowned out by a cacophony of phantom crashing waves and the imminent shattering of the castle.

The crack I made in the floor widens. Is this how I end?

Here lies Daphne Stone—befallen into Poseidon’s giant crack.

“Daphne!” Eron’s voice breaks through my daze. “Decide now! Will you accept this responsibility, or let the waves consume you?”

The choice looms before me, heavy. I see Poseidon’s serious face, Eron’s desperation, and the distant thunder of an oncoming storm.

“I accept,” I snarl, my voice trembling with a mix of determination and fear as I grit my teeth, struggling to remain on my unsteady feet.

I refuse to bow before this tyrannical Idol.

“I swear I’ll return to free you once I learn how to navigate this treacherous path—after I stop stumbling over my own feet and mastering this colossal sword!

” Each word I utter feels like a defiance against the very elements surrounding me, each syllable a promise etched deeper into my soul.

“Then let the tides of fate bind your heart to the sea,” Poseidon’s voice booms, echoing through the tempest of my emotions.

As those ultimate words resonate through the air, an overwhelming darkness crashes down around me, a swirling abyss that seals my vow with an invisible chain.

The weight of this pact presses heavily on my chest, the enormity of it clawing at the edges of my mind. What have I just committed to?

As the world shifts and contorts around me, a power awakes deep within, a pulse of potential promising change yet soaked in uncertainty.

What am I truly getting myself into? Questions whirl through me like the chaotic currents of the ocean, and as the waves rise, hungry to devour what remains, one thought pierces through the turmoil—how clumsy can destiny really get?