20. 20
twenty
Orion
Iguide Sarah through several basic weapon drills, adjusting her lower stance to better align with her upper body movements, and she picks it up quicker than she should, given how new this is.
And yet—she handles it like she has done it before.
She was in shape the moment I met her. With the many hours she has occupied the ocean, of course, she would be strong.
Strength is survival. I know that, but as we move through the corridor, I can see the exhaustion sinking into her bones.
Her tail drags beneath her like dead weight, doing the bare minimum to keep her moving.
Her head stays down, eyes fixed on the polished floor below us.
Hours of repetition take their toll on even the best of my guards.
By the time we reach the end of the corridor, I know training has taken everything she had left to give. Her pace slows, her attention drifting toward the direction of our separate chambers, up the spiral way. I almost let her go. Rest is what she needs. Sleep is what she wants.
"Come with me," I say, instead. "There is something I want to show you first."
She hesitates only briefly, fatigue warring with curiosity. I shouldn't be surprised when curiosity wins. It always seems to find a way through, even though she has every reason to surrender to exhaustion. She follows without question.
I veer to the right of the spiral way, and approach a stone wall that blends seamlessly into the structure of the palace.
To the left, I reach for the kelp-veined seam running along the stone.
Most overlook it—appearing as part of the stone’s natural pressurization marks—but near the base, one of the kelp curls into a circle with enough room to hook a finger through it.
I pull gently, and the wall releases with a soft groan.
Closing the distance between us, I lower my voice so only she can hear. “What I am about to show you cannot be discussed with anyone else.”
She tilts her head upward, one brow raised, eyes locking on mine for a long moment before she gives a single nod.
We descend into a narrow hallway, the stone pressing close as the ceiling lowers and the walls draw in.
The passage is barely wide enough for us to pass single file, forcing Sarah to swim directly behind me.
Darkness clings to the space, broken only by faint veins of marilume embedded in the stone, their soft glow casting rippling light across the walls.
At the end waits a crystal-infused doorway. Entry is permitted only to those of royal blood—or to anyone in direct physical contact with a member of the royal bloodline. Without hesitation, I reach for her hand. The barrier pulses once, responding to my blood, and yields.
Together, we slip through.
The last time I came down here was before I became king. The walls stretch high, lined with towering shelves packed to the edges with books. Knowledge layered so densely it could take lifetimes to absorb.
My father used this chamber for his royal duties. It was never open to anyone else. Except when he chose to teach me. History lessons. King lessons. Lessons meant to shape the ruler I would one day become.
I swim to the center of the chamber, the space being as intricate as I remember. At its heart sits a bright red coral reef desk and a high-backed chair, carved in the curved likeness of a sea serpent.
Settling into it, I remember how I used to be swallowed whole by its size. Now, I fit perfectly. My tail curls easily around the side and rests along the smooth stone floor, and when I lean back, I glance toward Sarah.
She remains near the threshold, head tilted upward, slowly turning in place—eyes tracing the towering shelves. Admiration flickers across her expression, soft and genuine.
“What do you think?” I ask, though I already knew this would be her reaction.
I don't know much about Sarah’s past, but I know she craves knowledge. She has to. Especially with the way she questions everything. Like she is trying to piece the world together one answer at a time.
“It’s wonderful. What is all of this?” she asks, her tone full of energy, despite the exhaustion she showed not long ago.
She's beaming, eyes sparkling beneath the marilume’s soft glow.
“This is the royal archives. Here lie the sacred tomes of our kingdom. In Myrrhallow, you’ll find copies of some of these, but most are redacted and hold only limited information.
" I gesture toward the towering shelves as I continue.
“Every tome in the kingdom is marked with a preservation rune to protect it from water damage. These are the originals.” I let my tail settle against the stone.
“This is where I thought I could teach you.”
“Teach me?” She swims slowly toward the lounge chaise to the left of the desk, settling on the cushions of pressed sea-silk.
The mother-of-pearl frame catches the marilume’s glow as she moves, pale and luminous as moonlight beneath waves.
The cushions cradle her easily, too easily, and the sight tightens something in my chest. It was made for my mother, so she would have somewhere to read while my father attended to his duties.
“Yes,” I say. “If you want to be a trusted member of my kingdom, you will need to understand some of our history.”
She goes quiet, eyes searching mine, as if the words I spoke were in another language.
I watch her closely, curiosity flickering behind her eyes—the same spark I noticed during training.
For just a moment, I remember the uncanny slip earlier, when I could have sworn I heard her voice, though her lips never moved.
A coincidence, more than likely, but the sensation nags at me.
Like a distant current tugs at something deep and unseen.
“If I were okay with this, what would you teach me?” Her voice cuts through the thoughts still threading their way through my mind.
“Well, I thought since I am king, it would be my duty to make sure you understand why land-dwellers are so mistrusted in my kingdom. Especially from Nyx’s perspective. Other topics can come later, depending on what you want to learn.”
She lets out a breath, leaning back slightly. “After everything you and Nyxalene just put me through, I'm not sure I would retain much right now.”
“We can start tomorrow, early in the morning,” I offer, “before the Pearlguards rotate their first shift. You would be well rested, and I can make sure breakfast is here while we go over things.”
It's not much, but I hope it's enough. She doesn't answer right away. Her gaze flickers with quiet consideration.
I take the silence as permission and glide toward one of the towering shelves, each one stretching from floor to ceiling, packed with the knowledge of generations. I swim halfway up, fingers trailing along the spines. After all these years, I can still locate any archive tome in this room.
My hand closes around the worn cover of A Historical Record of the Siren Decline. The preservation enchantment keeps it in perfect condition, as if untouched by time. I pull it free and return to the desk, the weight of it grounded in my palm. Without a word, I hand it to Sarah.
“I want to start after we rest,” I say. “Take this with you, read some of it before then, if you can. Bring it to training and ask questions.”
She takes it with both hands, holding it firmly.
“I would like it finished in two sea days,” I add.
She blinks, meeting my gaze without looking away this time. Whatever hesitation lingered there before has begun to loosen its grip.
“I guess I'll start this right away,” she says, looking down at the book in her hands before adding more softly, “Thank you, by the way, for showing me this place.”
“You're welcome,” I say, dipping my head. “You're dismissed for today. Get some rest.”
She rises from my mother’s chaise, the tome clutched close to her chest, and turns to leave the archive.
When she reaches the threshold, I add with a grin, “Don't forget to shift to human form before entering your chambers. Unless you want your scales to dry out and repeat last night’s session with me.”
Her head snaps in my direction, freezes for a beat as the color drains from her face, and I swear she is contemplating throwing the tome at me, but she rolls her eyes and swims off without a word.
The last thing I see is the tip of her tail vanishing around the corner as I settle back into the carved seat behind me, already replaying yesterday’s events in my mind.
As a prince, my life granted me options others didn't have.
Those options weren't as grand as some thought they were. Having to be awake before everyone else to ensure the kingdom was running smoothly. Delegating orders to the warriors to establish proper security throughout the kingdom. And receiving lessons from someone who was my father by blood, yet never showed me what a father’s love should've been.
He was a king, through and through. Weakness was something he never showed.
Now, with this unknown threat in my kingdom, I can only think of the king who raised me. The one who taught me unseen enemies are the most dangerous thing to happen to a kingdom. They reveal weaknesses too easily.
My current issue is becoming harder to manage.
This omen has derailed everything I have put into place for the last two years.
Efforts to contain this lurking shadow have provided no triumphs.
I've ordered extra guards to the borders, extra security detail throughout every village, including the palace, and created a curfew until the traitor is captured.
Yet none of these efforts have yielded results.
Nyxalene has assisted where she can. Mainly by giving battle lessons on Current One to Sarah, allowing me to hold military meetings with Lord Zevrin over the past several weeks.
While he is excellent with battle strategies, asking him for assistance in locating a threat within the kingdom reminds me why my father made Nyxalene my general and not Zevrin.
I requested her to join us this morning before she makes her way to the sparring room for battle lessons later today with Sarah, hoping she would be able to give some insight on what we could do.
Having Nyx around has never made me feel inferior to her.
We work well together and I can always trust she has the kingdom’s best interest when it comes to these things.
Not to mention, she would refuse to rise to the crown if I died.
Then again, if that happens, she doesn't have a choice. She's next in line.
We've been huddled around this damn forsaken stone table in the council room for hours, strategizing on what remaining tactics would work to locate this shadow.
My patience has thinned. I have kingdom lessons with Sarah soon and I'm no closer to finding a solution to this problem.
How can I continue Sarah's lessons in magic, battle, and kingdom history, when I cannot even protect my own subjects?
“What other options do we have, general?” Zevrin’s voice is thick with tension, slicing his words right at her.
“Watch your tone, Tidewarden. We're all facing the same problem. I suggest you take a breather before you lose your head. Literally.” Nyx’s warning flashes in Zevrin’s eyes.
Though very tiny, Nyxalene has proven herself ten fold.
Lord Zevrin might be the top of our military, but he knows not to push her. She knows no bounds.
“Look, either way, we need to do something.” I say, diminishing the rising tension. “How are the outskirts of Virellius Deep?”
“The attack was small. Only a few homes were ruined. As if something came in and dismantled the entire thing, but looks as if Mother Ocean came in and desecrated it over several hundred years,” he says.
“That's impossible. Unless . . .” My thoughts derail for a moment. “What if they possess magic?”
“That's a possible development, your majesty, but that information continues to be unknown to us until we locate them.”
I turn my head to Nyxalene. A single idea pokes at my mind and Nyx returns my look with quiet understanding.
“Since this shadow refuses to dissipate, then we go to the one person who may be able to give us some insight as to what to try next.” I direct my words at Zevrin.
“Report to Velmira. Find out if she has had any recent visions about the recent attack in Virellius Deep. Return to me with everything she says.”
Zevrin nods his head with a slight bow and exits the room. It's not much, but it will give Zevrin something to do until I can come up with more ideas. And the only one brimming to my mind now is searching the archives for any remaining books that could be helpful.
Hopefully I can tame the anger steaming from within before kingdom lessons with Sarah or they might get cut short today.