29. 29
twenty-nine
Sarah
Nothing but silence follows for longer than I can keep track of. How do they even tell when one day ends and another begins down here? Besides when the guards do shift change.
Orion and the clan leader continue their discussion without speaking aloud. Since their conversation happens through their bond, I can only watch as Nyra occasionally feeds me a sliver of what they're saying, but it's never enough to piece the conversation together.
What are they talking about?
I don't know if the thought actually reaches her or if it simply disappears inside my own mind. I still haven't figured out how to use whatever connection allows Nyra to speak to me.
Damn, could you be any louder? Nyra's voice reverberates in my head, cutting off my through process. I've been told not to give details, human.
By Orion? I try again, pushing the thought toward her the same way I imagine she does when she speaks to me.
She doesn't answer. Or I just didn't do it correctly.
My attention returns to Orion. He gestures with his hands while Ildrina responds through their bond, her snout shifting slightly as if she's reacting to words only they can hear.
It's strange, watching a conversation happen right in front of me while being completely unaware of what's being said and not being included.
Nyra . . .
I bite the inside of my cheek. I want answers. I feel left out. I have to step up. Try and say something. But if I am to be included, I'd rather it be because they choose to—not because I force my way into the conversation.
So I wait.
While they continue, I wander around the carved-out space, tracing my eyes over the inscribed designs fixed into the walls as I occasionally watch them from a distance.
The carvings stretch across the back wall, directly opposite the open bay window where the waterfall descends endlessly.
Seashells of every size dot the stone, connected by flowing ribbons of seaweed.
Larger images break up the pattern. A siren in the middle holds a conch shell at her side, Snapdragonis filling the remaining spaces.
Almost as if they’re calling to the siren.
The detail catches me, tugging at the back of my thoughts. Something about it feels purposive, but I press it down for now, filing it away to ask Nyxalene about later.
Boredom presses in, my patience unraveling. Desperate to be added into the discussion, I finally move beside Orion. Folding my hands behind my back, one over the other to steady them, I speak up. “When am I going to be included in this conversation?”
Orion tilts his head downward at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips, but his eyes are serious.
“We were discussing the best way to find out if the bond we share is true,” he says, voice low, just for me. “And we all agree the best way to find out is by testing if you have the same abilities I do.”
He swims closer, the water between us hardly noticeable, and I feel my chest tighten. He gives me that same look from moments ago, part mischief and pride. My pulse hammers faster. His effect on me grows harder to ignore with each passing day.
“What little bits of information was Nyra giving you?” he asks.
But before I can answer, he waves a hand toward her.
“Actually, let's start with marine telepathy. The easiest way to practice is with your own bonded Snapdragon, and then moving on to others in the sea, but obviously only when you are capable.”
I nod, unsure of what else to say, trying to keep my hands steady behind my back, though a shiver of anticipation runs through me. I won’t deny that practicing the magical aspects is what I look forward to the most.
When I first learned to shapeshift into my serpent form, there was this internal feeling of belonging.
Then, in my room, I expanded my ability to cover myself in scales all the way down to my wrists.
And because I practice every night before sleep, I can now change my scales to any color, including each individual scale.
It’s captivating—I’ve become my own scientific study.
If there was an experimental study like it back home, it would be on the news. We'd have sponsors lined up for weeks. But I'm glad I've never been the kind of person who would exploit the deepest secrets the ocean has to offer.
You also need to learn how to quiet your thoughts better, human. Nyra’s voice cuts through my mind like stainless steel.
“I don’t know how!” I scream, glaring at her in frustration. God, she's infuriating.
As are you, human.
Ignoring my outburst, Orion’s voice rises above the heavy silence that follows, his hands clapping in front of him. “Alright, I think we're ready to begin.”
“Why are you making that face, Sarah?” Orion asks. “You’re finding the mental barrier in your mind and crossing it. The expressions aren't needed.”
I glare at him. He's been explaining the same information to me over and over, for what feels like forever.
“Close your eyes and place yourself in your mind. Once you find your feet on the floor of that space, locate the magical barrier line. That line will help you find your magical tether. You need to allow that tether to slip past the barrier,” he says again, his voice maddeningly steady.
“I don’t understand what any of that means!” I grunt. "Humans can’t just walk into their minds. It’s physically impossible."
The way he explains it is like asking a toddler to solve calculus. I keep trying, though, closing my eyes, remembering to keep my face relaxed. I don’t see anything except darkness. I’m so close to giving up.
You need to do more than just relax, human. Yet again, Nyra cuts in, her suggestion sounding more like an instruction.
God, I want her to shut up already.
Then make me.
I ignore her and return to my mind, doing my best to block everything else out. I walk aimlessly through the dark, arms stretched out as if something might jump out and scare me.
Then, without warning, a surge of energy swallows me whole. It races up my body and through my mind, making me feel as if I’ve been dragged back to life. I hold my breath, terrified that even breathing will let the energy escape.
Light blooms in the distance. A single source. I creep toward it, my steps cautious, until the glow takes shape—a golden rope.
I grab it—half expecting it to vanish, but it holds firm. The rope isn’t loose, it’s tethered tightly to something on the far side of the barrier. Still, as my hand slides along its length, I find an end trailing free.
I pull the loose end with me, guiding it to the barrier. The moment it slips across, the darkness around me ignites. Light surges outward, spilling into every corner, until the emptiness reshapes itself.
My penthouse. The white leather couch and its matching lounge chair. The white marble counters and the identical island.
The king wants me to inform you to tie the tether to a sturdy item in your mind. Something that will not let go unless you allow it. Nyra informs, calmly.
I glance around. The space is nearly perfect, but something’s missing.
No balcony. No endless San Francisco nights to look out over. Not that I ever truly appreciated them. I was always too swallowed up in research to notice.
I decide to bowline the rope to my coat rack, screwed tightly into the wall. It’s barely used, but San Francisco rains a lot, and that’s where I’d put my raincoat and umbrella after a rainy day.
I step back from the tether, admiring the knot, taking note of where I entered from—the elevator. I close my eyes, in my mind, and focus on exiting the space. I’ll revisit it when I’m alone.
When I open my eyes, Orion is in front of me, the Snapdragons aren't in direct view because he’s so close.
My breath hitches. But my mind feels free, almost expanded. Wider.
“Welcome back, Snapdragon,” Orion whispers, his warm breath brushing a few strands of my hair that flow in the water. He lowers himself to meet my eyes.
“Next step. Build your barrier walls,” he says, a spark igniting in his gaze.
“My barrier already has walls. It’s my penthouse,” I mention, unsure how I can build walls to something that already has walls.
“Where did the tether come in?” he asks.
“The elevator.”
“Oh yes, the metal doors of death. Close it or lock it if you can,” he says simply.
I close my eyes, walk up to the elevator, and enter the code, locking it securely like I would back home. Suddenly, everything feels quieter. Peaceful.
My mind has been in a constant state of panic since arriving here, with new information thrown at me every time I blink. Now, that panic is gone. Locked behind the elevator, unable to enter unless I allow it.
I reopen my eyes. “Done.”
“Let us test that.”
No more words follow, just the dip of his head toward Nyra and her dipping her snout in response.
A moment passes in silence. An internal tug reaches me, but no words follow.
“She says she cannot get past your barriers,” Orion states.
Which means I can keep her out. Finally!
“Moving on,” he says. “Unlock your mind. When you do, open the doors to it slowly. Only allow in what you want, maintaining that barrier for unwanted visitors.”
I do as he says, entering my subconscious again. I enter the code and press my palm to the seam of the elevator doors, easing them apart slowly—just enough for the tether to loosen.
Easily slipping out of my own mind now, I’m floating in front of Orion again. Nyra moves closer to his side, up near his shoulders.
Damn, it was about time your thoughts were quiet. Are you ever gonna tell the king you have feelings for him?
My eyes widen, and my head snaps in her direction. I glare. My blood boils, and I know my face is red as the heat climbs my cheeks.
Oh come on, human. Talk to me. Out loud. I dare you, she smirks, her eyes narrowing in a testing glare.
Focusing my energy on my thoughts, I throw everything into my next thought, but frame it as words I would speak directly to someone.
Mind. Your. Business.
I can feel my words echo through my mind, against the walls of my penthouse. I mentally shut and lock the elevator doors—closing her out, temporarily.
“What’s next?” I start. “Nyra and I can communicate now as needed. I would prefer to keep her away from my personal thoughts, though. Is there a way to lock those away fully when I allow her into my mind?”
If Nyra can hear me because of our bond . . . What about him? Wouldn’t the sea mates bond work the same way? My pulse quickens at the thought. Carefully, I reach for the tether in my mind and push a thought toward him instead of Nyra.
Can you hear me?
Nothing. But his mouth curves, barely, like he knows exactly what I tried. Heat simmers in my stomach.
Orion doesn’t answer my question immediately.
His gaze remains on Nyra, lifting to me a few moments later, his voice softer than before, threaded with something that makes my skin prickle.
“Your mind is your sanctuary, Snapdragon.
If you don't wish for anyone to slip inside, you'll have to remember to lock it tight.”