Chapter 14
Nixie and I walked down the dark corridor to our rooms. The sea, held back by the latticed glass, could have been mistaken for a midnight sky. Only the strange, swirling siren light illuminated our path.
War. Hylos wanted war. I’d read and reread history books on the subject throughout my education.
I’d always had a strange and morbid fascination with the subject.
With learning what horrendous things men of power would do to one another during times of conflict.
The lengths they would go to for their proclaimed cause.
Some wars were virtuous—at least that was how the victor painted them—but most were senseless.
Driven by honor. Valor. Pride. Or the desire for more power.
And in exchange for their vanity, influential men sacrificed the blood of innocents, just as Hylos was willing to do.
We turned to the alcove that held our rooms. A potted orchid rested upon the sill of the expansive, sea-filled window above a stone bench that bridged our rooms. Despite being in the ocean’s depths, the flower still found filtered sunlight that coaxed the orchid into bloom, even so far from true sky.
Its vibrant, purple petals seemed to gaze back at me. I had to do something to stop Hylos.
“Is there anything else you need tonight, Elowyn?” Nixie’s voice carried a weariness that matched the heaviness in her mauve eyes, which they’d retained since Hylos spoke of war.
What did she think of this? Of her leader? Of Oakhaven? I thought of asking her, probing how she justified such drastic measures. Why war was on their lips when sirens were mere legends upon land.
But in the pit of my stomach, which still burned from drink, I knew she wouldn’t tell me.
At least not truthfully. She would instead paint a pastel picture to convince herself and me of the righteousness of her leader’s actions, the same way many loyal followers before her had prepared to march into battle for their leader.
Even at the expense of the lives of their friends and family.
There was only one course of action left for me to take.
“No, I’m fine, thank you.” I smiled, hiding the turning of my thoughts. “Good night.”
Ear pressed against the bedroom door, I waited until there wasn’t the slightest sound before slipping out of the bedchamber.
In the hall, silence greeted me. The siren light had waned to deep citrine and collected in pools on the white marble floors as I crept soundlessly with the smallest semblance of a plan.
First, find one of those pools that led to the ocean.
Then, dive into its depths.
Finally, pray.
Only Nymphaea herself could safely guide me to the surface, the somehow-invoked prayer beads the only thing protecting me from dying in the sea’s black belly, gasping for breath.
The armory’s pool seemed like my best bet.
Hylos and Raylik had easily swum out to what appeared to be open sea.
Calypstra’s monsters slithered through my mind like eels.
They were lurking out there. I looked out to the surrounding sea, past the arching glass ceiling above.
Shadows lurked in the folds of the sea’s darkness.
My blood ran cold. There are monsters in these waters that would devour you in one bite. Or worse, Hylos had warned. But I couldn’t remain idle when he was planning an attack against Oakhaven.
I had to warn my father. And I didn’t ignore the small hope that wriggled in my chest either, that maybe he would even reward me for warning him and allow Vega to return to my side, or even call off my marriage to Cedric.
Then, a soft shimmering of yellow appeared, lightly bounding to the center of the dark hall.
I stepped closer, straining my eyes to see the source of the light. In the center of the lemon-colored aura was a butterfly. How did it find its way down here?
Princess, many voices woven into one called. Come to me, little forgotten princess. I will take you home.
Curiosity and that voice compelled me to step closer to the butterfly bouncing through the air, as if on an unfelt breeze.
Let us go home, the voices called louder, warming in tone with each step I took nearer, the sound intoxicating. Home for the princess, safe and sound, sweet forgotten princess no longer lost at all.
Yes. Home. That is what I wanted. What I needed.
When I reached out to touch it, wishing it would land on my finger and grace me with its acceptance, it flitted just out of reach.
I smiled. It was as if we were playing a game. I took a step forward, and then another, until I was walking down a set of steps, not even watching my footing in the pitch black. That little yellow butterfly was all I focused on, just out of reach. All I could see. All I could think of.
Home for the princess, it said again and again, calling me forward, step after step. Deep in the haze of my mind, logic tried to remind me, You are no princess at all. You have no titles. You are no one. But that beautiful voice kept on repeating it until I believed it true.
Home for the princess.
Home for me.
The butterfly passed through a craggy wall with effortless grace, plunging me into darkness. My heart tripped. I had to follow it. It would take me home. It knew the way. A nipping breeze trailed fingers across my skin, thick with the smell of damp and brine.
Come, princess, the voice demanded, pulling me from any sense. Let us go home. The familiar yellow glow illuminated a seam in the stone, like a crack of light under a door.
Desperately, my fingers found the grainy, rough seam. The wall only appeared impassable. With all my strength, I heaved the stone to the side. The rock broke my nails and made my fingertips painfully sore, but that harmonic voice dulled all aches. All questions.
Stone scraping stone echoed through the black. I shifted the impasse enough out of the way so that I could writhe through the gap, rough rock snagging on my skin, clawing my body. It was worth it for home.
I stood on the other side in a cave-like room with a pool in its center, not perfectly circular like the others I’d seen that allowed the sirens to come and go from Naiadon.
This pool was uneven, like a natural fixture.
An inky pond in the center of a dark cave.
I should have been afraid. Should have been wary.
But above the center of the pool, that happy little butterfly fluttered and my heart swelled.
Let us leave, little princess. Let us go home.
A smile stretched across my face. Home. Mother hugging me, my face hidden in her thick, raven hair.
Home. Father picking me up, raising me above his head with ease as I giggled so hard I couldn’t breathe.
A time long ago when I was the center of their world, all candied in that yellow light.
Home. Granger House bloomed in my mind. The warm sun on my skin, Vega bringing me tea and sweets as I read on a blanket in the garden, the mountains surrounding me like an embrace.
The water’s black skin gave way to more lambent butterflies that danced out of the water, one after the other, until hundreds fluttered around me, gilded and radiant, blessing me in winged kisses.
A laugh bubbled from my chest as I smiled.
Yes, they would take me home.
Then, a glorious golden stallion cantered out of the water, huffing clouds of hot steam.
Let us ride there, princess. It was the owner of that beautiful voice that sounded as if it came from Nymphaea herself.
Yes. Let us.
Wading into the pool, I found a step beneath my foot; it was slimy and slick but I did not care. I ran a hand over the steed’s smooth-coated neck. The creature whinnied, nuzzling its velvet nose into my palm.
I would go home. I would be safe. I would find my mother, and my father, and Vega. And all would be right in the world again. This magnificent steed would take me there.
With a steadying breath, I prepared to mount.
“Get the fuck away from that!” a voice demanded, a thunderous rhythm pulsing beneath the words, drowning out the comforting call of the horse.
It was Hylos, an orb of illuminated water bobbing at his shoulder.