Runebreaker

Chapter 30 The Sunken Palace

THE SUNKEN PALACE

Hours later, the forest thinned into silver-streaked sand. The sea stretched before us, endless beneath a setting sun. Kairos pulled his mount to a stop.

“Once we’re inside, you stay close. I will allow you ten minutes with Vaeris, but I’ll be within earshot.”

If I could just tell him about the stupid deal.

“Agreed.”

His eyes darkened with suspicion. Then he turned away, heading toward a massive rune on the beach.

Kairos stood over it. A low hum pulsed, and the beach trembled as something pushed from the earth. Sand collapsed as it rose higher and higher. A platform formed a walkway onto the ocean.

As Kairos walked over the first stone, I slipped my arm through his. He tensed but kept walking until we arrived at the edge of a platform.

I stared into the blue depths as a sun-kissed face rippled underwater, growing closer, and then a fae splashed from the surface.

His skin shimmered like the inside of a seashell. Full lips, thick lashes, and copper hair—his beauty wasn’t mortal. It was designed to lure prey.

“You are expected, Kairos,” he said in a musical voice. “You’re late by fourteen minutes.”

Kairos made a fist over his heart, inclining his head. “Soren.”

Slowly, his eyes found mine. Dark, without whites or pupils. “And you’ve brought a human.”

I dropped into a deep curtsy. “Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“A Skaldir greeting. How curious.”

Kairos grunted. “She was born there.”

I tried to smile warmly.

The fae blinked and gathered several cords around his neck. He lifted them off, separating them into multiple necklaces. Small shells hung from them. Spiraled, opalescent, etched with runes.

Kairos took them and passed them along to the other fae. He held one out to me. “Wear this.”

“What does it do?”

“It’ll let you breathe.”

I waited for more explanation. A reassuring word, perhaps a term of endearment for Soren’s benefit. Kairos just offered the necklace, his expression blank.

The fae’s head tilted, frowning.

Say something. Anything.

“You have to put it on,” Kairos said.

Gods, Kairos.

I raised my hair off my neck, beaming at him. “Would you?”

He stepped closer. His hands came up, brushing my neck. The chain dragged over my skin. He snapped the necklace closed, his hands sliding to my shoulders.

The wind tugged at my braid, lifting the loose strands. Kairos caught one, brushing it down along the side of my throat before letting it fall. My heart hammered as I turned around and reached for Kairos’s necklace.

“Your turn.”

He stared at me, then handed it over.

“You’ll have to bend down.”

He lowered himself, bringing his face level with mine.

My fingers trembled as I reached up, looping the chain around his neck. The shells clinked together. His skin burned my knuckles. I studied the fullness of his mouth. Then the ink curling down his throat drew my gaze—black lines disappearing beneath his collar.

Focus.

I fumbled with the tiny mechanism. His pulse hammered against my wrist, matching the frantic rhythm in my own chest. My palms slicked with sweat.

“Almost,” I whispered.

The clasp slipped. I tried again, my fingertips grazing the nape of his neck. A muscle in his jaw ticked. His hands hung at his sides, rigid.

The chain slid through my fingers. I caught it, hooking the clasp one more time. Click.

His exhale hit my mouth.

I couldn't move. We were close enough to kiss. Close enough that I could see the way his gaze dropped to my lips before snapping back up.

I rose on my toes, fingers still tangled in the chain at his collar, and pressed my lips to his cheek. The scrape of his stubble sent heat blooming through me.

Kairos froze.

I pulled back, my face burning.

The fae motioned toward the sea. “The palace awaits. Stay close.”

The others fastened their necklaces. One by one, they jumped off. The ocean swallowed them whole. They plummeted down, their forms shrinking into the darkness.

My heart hammered.

The Thalir fae followed me with those unsettling eyes.

Kairos stepped beside me. “Your turn.”

So much water. The waves rolled and crashed, dark and endless. I’d never learned to swim.

“I…I’m a bad swimmer.”

“We’re not swimming.”

Helpful as always.

The Thalir fae was still watching. Might as well give him the show. I trailed my fingers up Kairos’s chest.

“But it’s so deep, my love. What if this doesn’t work?”

Kairos frowned, his gaze clouding like I’d spoken a language he didn’t understand. Oh gods. We’d never discussed what to call each other. What if he hated my love?

“It works,” he muttered.

“But—”

“You’ll be fine. You won’t even feel wet.”

I forced a smile. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

My hand slipped off his chest. I sat on the edge, legs dangling over. The water looked bottomless. What if the magic failed? What if I sank and drowned—

Kairos rubbed my back. “Jump in.”

I glanced at the fae, who was definitely frowning, and pushed off. I descended like a leaf falling through wind. Then my feet hit the ocean floor.

Kairos landed beside me.

I gripped his arm. “Where are we?”

“In the sea.”

So informative. “But…where’s the water?”

He lifted his free hand. “Everywhere.”

Shafts of sunlight illuminated what seemed like air. I was under the water, but I couldn’t see waves. Or feel them. Above us, the sky glowed bright blue.

Fascinating.

This necklace didn’t just help me breathe. Sight, sound, gravity had all been altered.

I fingered the chain at my throat. “If I remove this, what happens?”

His stony gaze slid to mine. “You’ll die.”

I gritted my teeth. No “please don’t” or “be careful, darling”—just a flat prediction of my demise. Did he have to wield every word like a blade?

We strolled deeper into the underwater world, shapes appearing in the distance.

Towers, glowing windows, lights pulsing through a hidden city.

Pale stones dotted the seafloor, illuminating the way to a palace.

The path curved around coral structures.

Homes—dozens of them, nestled in kelp forests. Even a market.

Stalls were set up beneath canopies of translucent membrane.

Fae walked among them, shopping. One haggled over strips of sun-dried hide.

A sapphire flame burned from a brazier, cooking a whole fish.

Then a child darted past, trailing a kite shaped like a stingray. Something about them seemed different.

“Is that boy human?”

“Half. The Thalir strike bargains with seaside villages.”

I peered at him. “For what?”

“Maidens. Given to the depths every year, in exchange for seas teeming with fish and ships guided to harbor.”

My palm slipped in his hand.

His mouth twitched. “They are honored consorts. Sometimes wives.”

“And their villages…agree to this?”

“Gladly. To them, the sea becomes a living blessing.” He pulled me closer, his arm sliding around my waist. “The Thalir choose carefully. They want maidens who’ll survive the claiming.”

“What do they do to the girls?”

“They fuck them, Aelie.”

My neck flushed. “I gathered that. But for what purpose?”

“Thalir is the largest realm.” Kairos leaned in close, his voice tickling my ear. “Fae don’t reproduce quickly enough to hold that much territory.”

“So they need humans.”

“Yes. They breed faster, and the hybrids have enough fae traits to maintain control of the currents.”

I swallowed. “What about the girls?”

“If they carry a child, they’re doted on.” His breath ghosted across my neck. “Many choose to stay and raise their families here. Some miss the surface and return home once the child’s born. The Thalir don’t force them.”

“They don’t?”

“No.”

“They can leave whenever they want?”

“Yes, but most don’t.” His fingers pressed into my waist. “Not when they have every comfort they’ve ever dreamed of.”

I nodded slowly.

Kairos steered me where the fae waited. As we approached the palace, towers rose like bones from the floor. Veins of pale light ran through them. We reached the base of an archway and entered a large room where a group of fae waited.

Tall and elegant, their skin shifted with iridescent color—pale blues bleeding into silver, hints of coral catching the light.

They wore robes of netted fabric. Some had veils of translucent material draped over their shoulders.

Others had shells woven into elaborate braids, their eyes dark as black pearls, rimmed in the faintest violet.

The hairs on my neck prickled.

“Welcome, Aelie.”

Soren leaned in and brushed a cool cheek against mine. Once. Then the other. He did the same to Kairos and moved back.

Soren swept his hand to the courtyard. “The binding, if you please.”

Kairos released me and walked to the center of the space. A massive rune sprawled across the floor, its lines filled with what seemed like crushed pearls.

He drew a dagger from his belt.

“King of Sanguir,” Soren’s voice rang out. “Do you swear that you will bring no harm to any guest within these walls?”

“I swear it.”

Kairos dragged the blade across his palm. Blood welled up, and a stream of crimson splattered the rune.

The lines flared white and heat rippled outward, washing over me like a wave.

“Do you vow,” Soren said, circling the rune, “that you will raise no hand in violence against the rulers gathered here, regardless of grievance?”

“I swear it.”

Another drop fell, and the rune blazed. The heat rippling from the rune crawled up my legs.

Soren stopped. “And should you violate this oath, will you submit yourself to the judgment of this court?”

Kairos’s fist clenched. “I will.”

The final drops hit the rune.

Heat slammed into me, the rune burning so bright I shut my eyes. Light flashed against my closed lids, and when I opened them, the rune glowed cerulean.

Soren turned to the Sanguir warriors. “The oath applies to everyone in your party. Break it, and the binding will kill you. I won’t intervene.”

Attendants emerged from the shadows. They moved through our group, reaching for the shell necklaces.

One approached me.

A low growl rumbled from Kairos.

The attendant froze, hands hovering near my neck.

Soren frowned. “Is there a problem?”

“No one touches my human,” Kairos snapped.

The attendant stepped back quickly.

“The depth charms must be collected,” Soren said coolly. “They will be returned when negotiations are over.”

“What about her?” Kairos demanded.

Soren’s dark eyes flicked to me. “The palace sustains its guests. The sea is bound outside these walls.”

I placed my hand over Kairos’s chest, smiling. “It’s alright, my love. I’m safe with you.”

His eyes fractured with pain before his jaw clenched, and the ice slammed back into place. He unclasped the necklace, his fingers surprisingly gentle, but he wouldn’t look at me.

“There,” he said flatly, shoving the necklace at the nearest attendant.

The pressure over my head settled. The air was denser, like breathing steam, and the windows to the ocean pitched to dark blue. The palace runes must be doing whatever the charm had done, but if I stepped outside these walls without it...

I touched my throat.

Kairos rubbed my arm. “You okay?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. If I left this place, I’d die. Instantly.

Focus on something else.

I forced my gaze from the windows. Pillars rose toward vaulted ceilings where glowing creatures drifted like stars. Runes were everywhere—carved into the floors, etched along the walls. Some pulsed. Others remained dormant.

My fingers twitched.

I wanted to trace the lines and feel what they did. Water pressure regulation? Breathable air? The light?

“Come.” Soren inclined his head. “Let me show you to your room.”

We walked on. The fae gestured for the warriors to follow them down a different passage.

“The palace has stood for over two thousand years,” Soren said proudly. “Built by a king who bound the currents themselves to his will.”

“Impressive,” I managed.

Kairos grunted.

I squeezed his fingers hard. “What’s down there?”

I pointed down the descending staircase. A strange groan rose from the depths.

Soren glanced at it. “The oldest parts of the palace. Even I don’t venture there.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“The deep remembers what the surface has forgotten,” Soren said ominously.

Kairos rolled his eyes at his back.

We stopped before pearlescent doors. Soren palmed the rune in the middle, and they swung open.

Massive windows revealed the depths of the sea—dark water stretching endlessly, and in the center sat a bed. It was covered in indigo blankets threaded with silver.

“Oh,” I breathed. “This is gorgeous.”

He turned to leave. “The summit is tomorrow, at the seventh chime. Don’t be late.”

The doors shut behind Soren with a soft click.