Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
QUINN
M y clothes are sopping wet, but at least, for once, it’s not blood I’m dripping on this floor. To make matters worse, this is the only carpeted room I’ve seen in this entire underwater city. After the chaos that was Jade’s awakening, Aurelia ushered us to the only quarter of Marein I’d yet to have seen—and being here now is more than uncomfortable.
We’ve gathered in what was once a throne room, evident by the ornate throne consisting of various pieces of coral in a range of colours. Whites, pinks, purples, and even a bit of soft orange. I don’t know how they’ve maintained their vibrancy being out of the water, but it’ll likely have something to do with Tideus’ hold on this place. Despite its disuse, that chair appears to be the only part of this place that is still in perfect condition.
This place had mesmerized me when we first arrived, but now that I’ve had time to really look at it, it’s impossible to miss the cracks. As Tideus’ power wanes, the ocean is dying—and so too is this city. Only the throne seems to have maintained its former glory, and despite its beauty, I can’t bring myself to look upon it.
Although I can’t be certain, I doubt the room has always looked like this. The glass walls are probably just as they were before Lunae’s attack twenty years ago, but the massive round table at the base of the dais must be a recent addition. Laid atop it are maps unlike any I have seen, even within the books and journals in Rosewood’s library. I’d love to get my hands on them, but now is most definitely not the time.
The chaos with Jade may have ended, but as soon as we arrived in what Aurelia called the council room, a new chaos began.
There wasn’t even time for each of us to claim one of the fifteen chairs that encircle the table before the arguments began and they show no sign of stopping. The only people, aside from myself, who aren’t currently yelling are Aurelia—who looks too angry to speak—and Abby, who’s shaking like a leaf at my side.
I mentally brush up against our bond again, but her walls are still up. She doesn’t want me to feel what she’s feeling, but I can read it clear enough on her face. She’s already admitted to feeling weak and useless beneath the waves, and being unable to keep Jade in his human form only strengthened those feelings. I want to tell her it’s not her fault. I want to scoop her up in my arms and rush her out of this room, up those damned stairs, and back to our tower.
But I can’t.
We’re here for a reason and we’re not any closer to figuring out what to do about Jade than we were when we came to this room to discuss .
“Enough,” I say, before even realizing my mouth is moving. Either no one heard me over their mindless arguing, or I’m being outright ignored. A flash of anger flares inside me and I slam a fist down on the table. “I said stop talking!”
Silence fills the room at last as all heads swivel in my direction. Each face seems to display a different emotion, ranging from surprise, annoyance, and outright anger that might even match mine. This is not how a room full of adults should act.
“Did you have something to say?” my aunt asks. Her face is still hard, but her words come out with a controlled softness. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s trying to hide her true emotions just as much as Abby, and failing just as miserably.
“All this fighting is getting us nowhere, and it sure as fuck isn’t doing Jade any good.”
“So, what do you suggest?” The voice came from Ocena, the blonde healer who stitched up my leg.
I slide my gaze around the room, stopping on each person for just a moment before moving on. Abby, Merrick, Rhett, Petra, the other dragons whose names I still keep mixing up, Aurelia, Erwyn, Ocena, and finally the older healer who sometimes reminds me of Tess. “We all clearly have strong opinions,” I say, trying to keep my tone reasonable. The last thing we need is another shouting match to break out and I doubt I’ll get another chance at a silent room. “Let’s voice them. Respectfully . One at a time.”
Erwyn takes a step forward. “I will go first, then. He should be put out of his misery.”
Gasps and grumbles of objections sound from the dragons, but Abby remains silent at my side. A quick glance in her direction is all I need to see that her face has gone entirely white. What’s surprising is that Aurelia’s face looks to have done the same.
Rhett steps forward before I can respond and jabs a finger into Erwyn’s chest. Brave, but stupid. “You shouldn’t even get an opinion. You aren’t part of this.”
“I agree with him,” the old healer says, and this time I can’t keep silent.
“You can’t be serious. You’re a healer!”
“Some injuries cannot be healed. He should have been allowed to die peacefully.” I don’t miss the look she gives Abby, and if she wasn’t ancient, I might just throttle her.
“It’s still early,” one of the dragonesses says. Nuri, I think. Or is this one Dru? I really need to work on remembering their names. “Next time—”
The old woman cuts her off. “Next time? You wish to wake him again? You saw the pain he was in, and that was not just physical. His mind is broken. Gone. That is not your friend. That is an empty shell that will know only pain. You cannot do that to him again. It is cruel.”
What’s cruel is that we’re even having this debate to begin with. I was in that room, too. I saw the look Jade gave Abby. I sensed the malice. The bloodlust that comes when predator spies their prey. If Rhett and Merrick hadn’t been holding onto him—if I hadn’t jumped in—he would have killed Abby without even realizing he’d done it. That wasn’t Jade, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still in there. Even with a direct threat to my mate, I can see the value in trying again. If Jade is still in there, we can’t just kill him.
“This is Jade we’re talking about,” Rhett says, only fractionally calmer now. “If anyone is stubborn enough to get through this, it’s him. We need to give him more time. More time to heal and more time to calm down.”
“You mean more time to suffer,” Erwyn grumbles. “I will do it while he sleeps. It will be painless. A clean death.”
“No!” Rhett looks to Merrick. “Say something! They’re talking about killing Jade!”
I hadn’t even realized that Merrick hasn’t yet said a word on the matter and he has more reason to object than most. Jade is his cousin and the only family he has left. And not only that, Jade is still his heir. One of them must survive if the dragon line is to continue. Without that blood magic, they truly will be the last of the dragons and their species will finally be eradicated.
“Rhett,” Merrick sighs. “We tried. Maybe—”
Rhett darts around the table and comes to a stop in front of Abby. “They’ll listen to you. Tell them this is wrong.”
Tears brim in Abby’s eyes in response to his desperate plea, and fuck, this is killing me. I can’t protect her from this, and even if I could, it isn’t my place. This is happening because of the choice she made and we’re not going to get anywhere until this happens. I brush my hand against hers to remind her it’s there. She has my support if she needs it. If she feels weak, she can borrow my strength. The Gods already know that she’s the source of mine.
Abby chews on her lip a moment before answering in a voice that’s so low that I’m uncertain anyone on the other side of the table can hear her. “I couldn’t change him. I can’t change him.”
Rhett takes one of her hands in both of his and gives it a gentle squeeze. “So that doesn’t work. We have other options.”
“Like what?” The question came from one of the other male dragons. Ory? Wyatt? Fuck it, it doesn’t matter who said it.
“We can tie him up.” Rhett’s suggestion is met with eye rolls and grumbles.
“It is too dangerous,” the old healer says. “There is strength in pain. If he breaks the glass, he will flood us. We cannot risk it.”
“So we’ll take him to the ruins. You said yourself, his body has healed. He doesn’t need the water.” How is it that Rhett became the most reasonable person here?
“That water is the only thing keeping him alive.”
“If that were true, then you’d get your way, wouldn’t you?” His pleading eyes flicker between Abby and I. “You can’t agree with them.”
“I don’t,” I say, honestly. I was content with letting Jade die that night, but killing him now would be murder. “He saved my life. I won’t take his.”
Erwyn squares off with me from across the table. “This is not up to you. He is a threat.”
“And so am I, according to you. Are you going to kill us both?” I regret the question instantly when I feel a jolt of fear through the bond.
“Maybe I will just let you wake the dragon again and he will do it for me.”
“Enough!” It’s Aurelia this time. “We are not murdering anyone. End of discussion.”
Erwyn scoffs. “You sound so much like your mother that you may as well sit upon her throne. You do not get to decide this. You are not our queen!”
“And neither are you!”
His face flashes red at her words, but I feel mine do the opposite. It wasn’t until this moment that I truly realized that this place has no leader. I knew Aurelia didn’t think of herself as queen and not wanting a throne is something I completely understand, but if she’s actually not their rightful leader, then…
“Who is?” With just those two words, all confidence and authority have vanished from my voice.
“We have no queen,” Erwyn grumbles, either annoyed by the question or that I was the one to ask it.
“But how is leadership in Marein decided? Is it by blood? Strength?” I can already feel an imaginary crown tightening around my head and it’s a struggle to keep my breathing under control in response. My mother was the youngest of the former queen’s three daughters. Aurelia was older, but if the crown didn’t pass to her, should it have passed to my mother because of some custom I don’t understand? If that was the case…
Erwyn makes a big show of rolling his eyes and makes a sound of exasperation. “The throne is not yours, and thank the Gods for that.”
“How is it decided?” I say every word slowly and with force. I need to know.
A look crosses Aurelia’s face. A look I can’t quite understand. “A weaver has always ruled Marein. Until one is found, the crown will sit upon no head.”
Words from an earlier conversation I’d had with her flash through my mind. Your sister is a seer, yes? She gets that from her grandmother.
My grandmother—a weaver.
Oh, Gods. So that means Kaylee is…
The faintest of nods from Aurelia is all the confirmation I need. Not only is Kaylee the rightful ruler of Marein, but she’s a weaver. It all makes sense now, but at the same time, it brings more questions to light. Like why could she only see the future when she was in Lunae? If she can weave fate in addition to seeing it, that should make her the most powerful seer alive. If even she has limits, what does that mean for the rest of us?
“We have gotten off topic,” the healer says, bringing me out of my thoughts. “We must decide what to do about the dragon.”
“We give him time,” Aurelia says, as if it’s that simple. And perhaps it is. His body has healed, but his mind? Maybe more sleep is all he needs.
“Are you okay with that?” I ask Abby. All she’s done is point out her insecurities and still hasn’t given her thoughts on what should actually be done. Her opinion matters most. At least to me.
She nods, but doesn’t make a sound. Her defences have crumbled under the weight of this meeting, and through the cracks, I can feel her mind reeling and emotions flaring. I want to tell her to let me in, to let me shoulder the weight of this so she doesn’t have to, but that will only make her feel weaker than she already does. I can’t be her strength without making her feel like she has none of her own. I just wish she would talk to me.
“No one will touch him,” Rhett says, as if his word alone is enough to make it so. The threat behind the statement is an obvious line drawn in the sand. He knocks his arm into Merrick. “Right?”
“Yeah,” Merrick agrees after a tense moment, though he didn’t sound as if he’s entirely in agreement. “One of us will stay with him so that—”
If he finished the thought, I didn’t hear it over the sudden blaring of horns that hit with enough force that my hands fly to my ears on their own accord. I’ve heard that sound before and the terror that slams into me through the bond tells me that Abby recognizes it, too. The weight of her fear nearly knocks the air from my lungs.
‘Stabby?!’ I force the word through her crumbling walls and bring down the barrier separating my thoughts from hers.
‘It’s him. He promised he’d come for me.’ Is she talking about Void? I knew she was having nightmares, but is he talking to her in them?
My head snaps up to Aurelia, who mirrors my concern. “Is it Imelda?”
She and Erwyn share a look before he storms off out of the room without a hint of explanation. When her eyes return to mine, there’s a tiredness to them. “Come with me,” she says, and her voice sounds equally as tired.
“Someone needs to stay with Jade.” I’m not trusting anyone with the confusion that’s about to ensue if this really is another attack. Especially with the way Erwyn rushed out of this room. We can’t even trust the healers not to kill him themselves!
“I will,” Rhett says, already moving for the door. “No one will touch him.”
I take Abby’s hand in mine, and we follow closely behind Aurelia. Whatever this is, we’ll face it together.