Chapter 34 #2
For a second, I think maybe Eldoris isn’t that far, and we didn’t need Hazel’s spell, but when I glance back, there’s nothing but dark ocean stretching endlessly.
The pressure on my ears and chest builds with every second until it’s almost unbearable as we get closer to the underwater kingdom before it finally comes into view.
And it steals the air from my lungs in a different way.
We stop, stunned at the sight of Eldoris, the kingdom we’ve only heard whispers about. Seiji and Anxo exchange a baffled look, unable to find the words to describe the architectural marvel before us.
Eldoris sits on an underwater mountain shaped like an infinity loop, split at the center by massive gates that divide Tiberius’s palace from the villages.
The contrast between the two sides is staggering. Tiberius lives in a glorious palace fit for a king, while his people have huts that you wouldn’t expect even in the poorest supernatural kingdoms.
Hazel told us that his part of the kingdom is restricted to everyone. Once someone is taken beyond those gates, they don’t come back. Especially the women.
I knew he ruled through fear, but this is worse. He holds so much power over them, I’m starting to see why the villagers sacrifice their women and children to keep the rest of them safe. It’s not devotion… it’s desperation.
There’s a thin line between betrayal and survival here.
A flicker of movement catches my eye. I turn and freeze at the sight of two sirens swimming toward us faster than we can blink. But it’s not them that makes Seiji screech… it’s what stands behind them. Spirits of two shadow horses with glowing red eyes.
Kelpies.
Not something you want to meet in the dark.
They are like distant cousins to sirens, who are usually found near lakes. I didn’t know they had hunting grounds this deep in the water.
The kelpies nudge the sirens forward, urging them closer. They have human forms they transform into to lure their victims, so I know they can shift. Which means they’re purposely staying in this form to drag our corpses deeper into the water by our necks.
The sirens circle us, snapping their sharp teeth at us when we try to move. When they get close, I notice their noses twitch like they’re trying to scent us.
Hazel’s mark on our wrist must be blocking their senses, but it won’t last long because my Divine is gearing up for a fight.
Once my shadows come out, our cover is blown.
One of them opens her mouth, releasing a piercing note that makes Seiji and Anxo recoil, hands clamping over their ears. The sirens catch on instantly, eyes sharpening with recognition, and my wrist burns as Hazel’s magic flares to life, shielding us.
Hazel told me their song wouldn’t work on me since we’re mates, but it would work this well.
While they focus on torturing Seiji and Anxo, they fail to realize I’m immune to their song. I use their distraction and summon my scythe. With two clean strikes, two severed heads now float in the water.
The kelpies lunge before we can blink, jaws snapping, ready to sink their teeth into our flesh, but slam into Anxo’s barrier instead. He’s quick on his feet and adjusts the barrier just enough for their heads to slip through, then Seiji’s whips snap around their neck, ripping them clean off.
That was… interesting. I was expecting sirens to protect their territory, but I didn’t think they had other sea creatures aiding them.
“We need to move before more of them show up.” I link them.
They nod quickly, just as eager to get the hell out. Without Jackson’s marks, this would’ve drawn far more attention.
Logically, I know my lungs are not filling with water, but I still feel like I’m going to drown if we stay here any longer. My heart is racing like it’s going to beat out of my chest.
Something about the two sirens threw me off. I didn’t expect them to be as… primal. I was comparing merfolk to Hazel, but I think it’s time to accept she’s the exception, not the rule.
As we push forward, the water begins to swirl around us.
It’s time.
Hazel was adamant about not fighting the waves when this happened. The spells around the kingdom will be fooled by the blood stamp on our wrists, and the current will carry us through. But if we resist, we’re done for.
The current tightens, trapping us in a rush of bubbles before slamming us through an invisible barrier and spitting us out onto solid ground.
I rise to my knees, coughing up water as I dust the sand off my armor.
I look up at the dome that surrounds Eldoris, sparkling water that looks both mesmerizing and dangerous at once.
No matter how spellbinding the exterior might be, we know it’s all window dressing.
We start moving as soon as we catch our breath. There’s no time to waste when we need to finish our part so the other team can accomplish theirs.
Anxo was able to pull a memory from deep inside Hazel’s mind, and it’s the only map we have. And we’re about to find out how much of it still holds true.
We move along a path that runs parallel to the slave quarters. Hazel said it’s the one place mostly ignored unless Tiberius asks for someone to be brought into his quarters. Even then, only a handful of guards follow.
We’ll break into his palace from there. If the layout hasn’t changed, it’s our safest path without alerting the whole kingdom and being bombarded by an army of mind-manipulating sirens.
Before I came here, I thought I’d stop and look at the life my mate lived before she came into my life. I thought it would help me understand her better. But now that I’m here, I can’t bring myself to look away from the path before me.
The stench of the quarters alone tells me everything. Blood. Filth. Rot. It paints the perfect picture of how Tiberius treats his people.
It took me years to accept that not every kingdom has the same values and morals, but the way Tiberius has treated his people still baffles me. His cruelty has no limit. No one is spared. And the worst part is… it’s all without reason.
It’s ironic that I can barely stand to think about it without feeling queasy, while my daughter and mate had to survive these monsters.
It doesn’t take us long to slip past the quarters and into his fortress. It still blows my mind how this part of the kingdom has an enormous castle, and right next to it are the slave quarters.
Like that’s all the bastard ever needed. A throne and people to break with that power.
Anxo moves ahead, his Divine weaving a barrier that swallows every sound we make. Merfolk can’t sense Divine like Horsemen, so even if Anxo lowered his shield, they won’t know we’re here until it’s too late.
At Anxo’s signal, I grab the next guard, pull him into a chokehold, and let my essence pass through him, swallowing his life force. I lower the body carefully before Seiji drags it into the growing pile in the shadows.
It’s going to be a nice surprise for Tiberius when he wakes up.
If he wakes up.
I’d enjoy this more if I didn’t have to stay quiet. Every part of me wants to burn this place down.
I smirk as Seiji drags another body to a corner, waving it off with the tip of my fingers.
Toodle-oo motherfucker.
I ease open Tiberius’s door carefully when Seiji whispers, “That went surprisingly well.”
I shush him quickly. Is this idiot trying to jinx us?
I nod at Anxo to take the right as Seiji flanks the bed on the left. I stay at the foot of the bed.
I want the asshole to wake up to my face so I can see the moment it dawns on him that it’s the last day of his life.
We close in, weapons raised, ready to end this.
And then… everything goes to hit. The doors slam open, and guards flood the room before we can react.
Fuck.