Chapter 35 Malec
Malec
King Volar and Queen Cortier are seated on a massive black stone that stretches and coils like a serpent frozen mid-motion, forming a cushion wide enough to swallow them both.
Its surface gleams under the throne room lights, unnervingly smooth, almost too perfect—as if it shouldn’t exist in nature.
There’s some unspoken power that makes my chest tighten.
Before I can examine it further, five mermen glide in, moving with fluid precision at the top of this impossibly overbuilt castle. The echo of their fins cuts through the stillness, each one radiating authority, and I can’t help but feel like an intruder in a world that wasn’t built for me.
It wasn’t until Myko’s fierce command scattered the dragonfish into retreat that Lurx finally deigned to appear, his presence was looming, scolding us for being “late” to meet the royals. Every movement he made rippled tension through the water, like a storm about to break.
“I’m rethinking eating that one…”
I smirk despite myself at Myko’s retort, and Bay’s snort beside me comes out too loud. We both got the message—he’s not kidding.
"Be my guest."
“We apologize for being late,” the five mermen say in unison as they bow deeply. “Mother.” They rise once, then bow again. “Father.”
Strangely, all five have the exact same tail—a dark chocolate hue, perfectly uniform. It’s as if they were duplicated, each scale a perfect copy.
Even on my own silver tail, a few scattered golden scales break the uniformity.
The king shares that same deep brown tail. Is this some bloodline color for their males?
The queen, however, doesn’t resemble Onyx at all—her tail is a bright, gleaming white, her eyes an almost blinding amber, like twin gems.
“You may rise and present yourselves to The Great Depthborne,” the king commands.
They straighten immediately and turn to me, bowing again.
“Welcome to Kolox Palace, Great Depthborne,” they chorus. “We are blessed by your presence and grateful for your help.”
Onyx shifts behind me, and I sense the tight coil of tension in her movements.
I tilt my head slightly, catching her dark onyx eyes. She looks like she’s holding her breath underwater.
When I turn back, each prince’s gaze locks on mine—cold, unblinking, amber eyes.
No.
One of them has completely white, almost ghostlike eyes. Onyx mentioned Queen Marcella blinded her brother.
That must be him.
Aside from him, they all have those same amber eyes.
Except Onyx.
Is that why they named her that?
They look eerily alike. I know that in the first five royal lineages, generations of intermarriage— cousins, sometimes siblings—were used to preserve the “pure” ancient bloodlines.
If there were multiple offspring, they might marry one into another royal house or start a new lineage with one parent non-royal.
But for over four generations, no new royal bloodline has been successfully created. Do they keep breeding within their own line?
They’re definitely a very ancient bloodline—but not one of the first five.
Why would they do that?
I don’t know if it’s because I’m half human, because I grew up on land, or simply because I still have a sane mind…ish, but I find it disgusting.
“I don’t need formalities,” I say coldly, meeting the king’s gaze directly. “And I don’t have time to waste—as you know, we have a problem here.”
“Yes. Of course.”
The king rises from his black stone throne, breaking through the line his sons had formed. They scatter instantly, as if touching him would detonate them.
"Ask Bay why they’re all so terrified of him," I tell Myko, keeping my expression sharp, unreadable.
Seeing how scared they are of him, I can’t help but wonder if he’s the actual reason the sixth prince is missing.
"I don’t need to ask her," Myko growls, his tone dark as abyssal water. "I’d recognize rune magic anywhere—"
“My son Odin went missing, along with his guard,” the king interrupts, his voice vibrating with unmistakable rage.
Maybe he isn’t the one behind Odin’s disappearance after all.
Rune magic?
They’re using the ancient letters here.
“I know you live mostly on land,” the king continues, drifting closer, a smirk twisting his lips. “Rumors say your father is human.” Mockery bleeds into every word.
“You’d better respect my father,” I hiss, my voice low, lethal. Or I won’t mind erasing your entire bloodline, even if it costs me everything.
Myko’s growl rumbles so deeply in my mind that I’m almost certain everyone else can hear it.
"They don’t touch him because he’s cursed," Myko seethes. "He’s keeping the Beast of the Depth sealed with rune magic. But that magic comes with a price… though I don’t yet know what he paid."
No one dares to mess with rune magic anymore. It’s too dangerous. Too unpredictable. Even my mother always said: the price these runes demand is never worth the power they promise. I don’t think I ever even saw one.
Even speaking our ancient language became forbidden over time, because the letters themselves—the power in each word—carried too much risk.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to disrespect. I’m just…” He runs a hand over the dark scales that cover his chin, sliding down to his throat. “Curious.”
“Where was he last seen?” I cut him off, refusing to let him steer this conversation.
“He foolishly left the city when he heard the hunters were at the hunters' port, supposedly hunting for you. He’s been secretly keeping an eye on—” He tilts his head, peering past me. “—his little sister.”
The port?
He pauses, his jaw tightening as he glares at Onyx.
“Who also had the nerve to swim back into the city after being banished.”
The last words grind out between his teeth, his expression darkening.
Heat surges through my veins.
“Malec.”
“I’m fine. I can control this much,” I snap back to Myko—who’s back in Bay’s body since we entered the throne room—even as my gills flare and close in a steady, dangerous rhythm. Fucking. Politics.
I don’t have to look to know my marks are glowing now. And the king doesn’t need to ask what that means.
He glides backward, quickly putting space between us.
“You. Do. Not. Threaten. My. Merfolk.”
Each word spits from my mouth like fire, each syllable landing sharp as a blade, driving straight into his skull like a hammered nail.
“I’m here to find your son,” I say, my nostrils flaring, sending a stream of bubbles upward. “But if you think you can unleash your dragonfish pets on us and play these cheap power games—” I point at my glowing marks. “—think again.”
The king’s gills vibrate like they’re holding scalding steam. But after a moment, he releases his clenched fists and schools his face back into that political, practiced smile.
“We are not your enemies. We just want our son back,” he says, voice lower now, trying to sound conciliatory. But he doesn’t dare come closer.
I let out a low, menace-laced chuckle that makes the queen squirm behind him.
“Correction: you do not want to be my enemy,” I say slowly.
“I never made any oath to obey royal bloodlines. I’m not bound by you—” half a lie, but they don’t know that.
“—but you’re bound by me. I’m here because I respect my family and the royal house of Mal-El, to maintain peace among the pods.
So let’s be clear: Onyx is to be pardoned—”
He opens his mouth, but I slice him silent with a glare. I’m not done.
“—and you will personally tell me everything about what happened to your son, without all these pathetic power plays. From what I’ve gathered so far… he won’t survive much longer, so don’t waste my time.”
Shock ripples across his face, the scales on his forehead rising so high he looks like a startled puffer fish.
“Onyx almost released the Beast of the Depth—the deepest betrayal our line has ever known!” the queen spits, darting forward, her finger jabbing at Onyx behind me, her amber eyes gleaming with disgust—at her own daughter.
I open my mouth to shut her gills for her, but the king grabs her wrist, shaking his head firmly.
Now he’s starting to understand…
“It’s your lack of vision and your blind judgment of your own blood that is the true disgrace to the royal lines!”
My head snaps to my right. My aunt. Her eyes blaze purple light, furious—and Myko pulses around her, ready to challenge anyone who dares disagree.
Soft-hearted as always. I sigh, my gills opening and closing heavily.
“The beast chose her. The beast bonded to her,” Bay hisses, her words scorching. I wonder if this is how she felt when Myko chose her.
“And instead of helping her—of trying to understand—you exiled her, forcing her to endure the torment alone!”
She’s trembling now, every muscle locked, her chest beginning to glow.
I promised Onyx I’d help her. And Alessio… he knows exactly what to do if they refuse to play by my terms.
Lurx swims forward with two guards, their waterbows aimed at Bay as he raises a spear toward her back.
Is he begging for a quick death?
Bay’s chest glows bright purple an instant later, and Myko explodes from her, his massive tail coiling around us as his snarling face dips just above Lurx’s head. The high-pitched scream that erupts from the merman strips away every shred of dignity he had left. He glides back in an instant.
That’ll do it.
I don’t bother silencing my aunt. I turn back to the king and queen.
“You kept the Beast locked for centuries. Now that it’s awake and bonded… your forbidden rune magic won’t hold it much longer.” I hope I’m right—if not, I just gambled away my leverage.
The princes start whispering, and the queen drops her gaze to the floor.
I knew it. They hid the truth.
“No.”
A soft voice rises behind me. Onyx’s hand grips my arm.
“I don’t want to go back,” she whispers. “I don’t want their forgiveness. I only need to sever the bond with the Beast.”
She says the last words louder than she probably meant to. If she doesn’t want to stay, then I don’t even need to get closer with the king…