35. 35
thirty-five
Sarah
His words fasten themselves within my brain. I was fully prepared to deny the bond, but something inside wouldn’t let me. Almost as if my soul could feel a small tear forming and stopped me before there could be any lasting damage.
Or maybe it's because his lips were just pressed against mine a minute ago and my brain has short-circuited.
Either way, I'm not ready to admit what that kiss did to me.
A ghost of his warmth clings to my mouth, an unwelcome reminder of how much that kiss affected me.
Along with the strange sensation of something inside me shifting, settling into a place I didn't know was empty.
I knew he left because he didn’t want to give me the chance to disavow what had just passed between us.
I've slowly become aware of his behaviors even in his absence I've learned small tendencies of his, like I’m studying a creature of the sea. But Orion isn’t a creature.
He's a king, and though my mind hesitates on the title sea mates, my heart and soul have slowly begun to accept it.
I won’t tell him that. I have too much to focus on, and I didn’t even tell him the next step in my training.
I move on to Current Two’s challenge in a few days now that I’ve passed all my duels. Honestly, they were a great distraction, a way to release anger and anxiety when I needed it most.
From what I’ve acquired from other finlings in passing, I will go up against a sea creature in an arena in the deepest parts of Drekaris.
Since I'm ranked as the number one finling, I get to choose my three team members for this battle tomorrow. I’m still shocked it happened the way it did.
My magic definitely carried me through the ranks.
Aniah and Defymin have surpassed every one of their duels.
And Keil, though he did sustain many injuries after his first duel, quickly became as determined as Defymin and now sits neck to neck with him on the rankings.
After Keil's first duel, Aniah went to check on him while he was recovering and gave us updates as best as she could.
He was gone long enough to miss his second duel, but he and his opponent made it up when he returned, and it actually became a good learning moment for our peers.
Lord Zevrin used it as a way to teach us different angles that could've landed a better blow.
My mind races with everything I still have to do before this battle, and my anxiety rises at not knowing what creature I will be going up against. I came here with Nyxalene at the end of the sea day, like I've been for the past couple of weeks, but with Orion’s return, I feel comfortable returning to Drekaris.
I'm already seen as an outsider and favored by the king’s people, and in his absence, many of his subjects began to worry.
Zevrin did an amazing job reeling in the finlings and keeping us on task during drills and sessions.
The eating quarters were always filled with low murmurs about what the king was up to and fears about why he had been gone for so long.
Eventually, the noise would die down before meal time ended, allowing me just a few moments of mental appeasement before having to practice against all of them.
Retrieving my daggers and the necklace I created, I shift to serpent form and work my way down the palace corridor. It isn’t super late at night, the Pearlguards haven’t done their tide changes yet, but it’s late enough that evening meals have ended.
I reach the end of the hall near the entryway and inform a Pearlguard that I need Nyxalene’s presence to escort me back to Drekaris. They disappear down the hall, rounding a corner to what I assume are her private quarters.
As moments pass, I swim in tight circles, taking note of small details decorating the ceiling and walls of the corridor.
I’ve never had the time to stop and admire the structure.
Not much is here, just a few ribbons of seaweed intertwined along the walls, slightly moving with the push of the underwater currents.
But it doesn’t stop my mind from remembering a time when I, too, could just enjoy the push and silence of the ocean without the constant fear of what was to come next.
Nyxalene comes into view, her posture still that of a general. Her tail whips behind her as she swims my way. “You spoke with him?” she asks.
“I did. Not sure how much it helped. I would like to return to Drekaris now that he's returned.”
During Orion’s absence, Nyxalene and I grew closer. I knew he would be gone for a few days, but when she informed me that he still hadn’t returned, I immediately requested to return to the palace. We talked often and discussed my options in case he didn’t come back.
Surprisingly enough, our conversations revolved more around her life—what it was like growing up around Orion.
He was basically a brother, and being raised by his father was different from how she was raised by her parents.
She spoke so highly of the late king, also mentioning how much Orion resembles him, but holds a different outlook than his father did.
The love she feels for them both is apparent.
She asked about my life and my different upbringings.
I mentioned my life before I was adopted, though I don’t remember much, as I was so young.
It was interesting having another female companion to discuss these things with.
Eventually, our conversation turned to past lovers I had known, which somehow led back to the present situation—the bond.
At that point, I couldn’t tell if Nyxalene was pushing the idea onto me out of curiosity or if she genuinely wanted to see Orion happy. Later, I decided it was probably both.
“Ready to go?” Her voice cuts into my thoughts. “I need to return to the palace before the night is completely over.”
I simply nod, and we depart.
It takes several minutes to descend to the depths of the arena.
Last night was another restless night. My anxiety, and possibly fear, got the best of me.
I sat on the floor, coiled tightly in the middle of my tail, polishing my daggers with my seaweed blanket and sharpening them against the scales on my tail.
The descent looks like everything else in Drekaris—dark, mysterious, and old.
We break through a narrow passage into a vast space that holds a massive structure.
Its walls are made of obsidian and stretch several hundred feet high, while thick rings of metal wrap around the base and crown of the structure.
Rising above is a fence-like dome that glints faintly whenever the minerals hanging from the trench ceiling catch the light.
Outside the dome lies a stadium-like arena, with tiered seating for anyone who dares to attend and watch the event unfold.
At the head of the seating, a throne overlooks the arena.
It appears uncomplicated at first glance, but nothing about it actually is.
It’s made out of the same obsidian as the arena, and where the top comes to a point, lie several crystals embedded into the chair.
It sits higher than everything else, offering a commanding view of the battleground below.
Beside it rests another, smaller chair. I’m not sure who it’s meant for.
I’d assume Nyxalene, but she doesn’t seem like the sitting type.
My team and I are escorted by Zevrin through the massive vault door that seals us inside the arena. It closes behind us with a deep, echoing thud, sending ripples through the water and disturbing the resting sand beneath our tails.
“This here is the Arena of the Broken Shell,” Zevrin’s voice echoes through the chamber, the sound bouncing off the obsidian walls.
“Tonight, this will be where you fight. We won't announce the creature you're up against until right before the battle commences.
You may rest before then, or, as many before you have done, you may use this time to acquaint yourselves with the space provided.
As a team, you will be expected to work together in this fight.
“As always, any foul play against a teammate will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the arena. All that will do is hurt yourself and your peers. So please, fight fairly. We all have a common goal here in Virellan—to serve and protect our kingdom and the king.”
The echo of his words fades, leaving the arena in a deafening void. The only sound that follows is the groan of the gate opening again as Zevrin swims out, sealing it behind him.
It’s early in the morning still, so Defymin, Aniah, Keil, and I do what we do best—we train.
The space we’ve been given is a massive improvement compared to the training caverns.
Not just in width but in depth. While the others test their combat skills below, I rise a few hundred feet above them and focus on commanding the ocean.
During Orion’s absence, I had nothing but time to train, to practice, to push myself under Nyxalene’s guidance. Together, we even discovered something new—another skill I’m still learning to control. It hasn’t reached the same precision I have with shaping the currents, but I can feel it growing.
I practice now, closing the door to my bedroom in my mind. I lock it and open a door to where my new skill rests. Releasing just enough magic to pool between my hands, I sweep them in front of me, left to right, scanning the water before me.
A while back, after the bond started to awaken between Orion and me, I realized I could feel his emotions in the ripples between us.
Eventually, those feelings expanded. I started sensing the emotions of others, too, but only if their mental barriers were low enough.
Nyxalene’s never were, but when I respectfully asked if she’d lower them so I could practice, she agreed.