Chapter 1
Chapter One
Eris
The only sounds I hear are the scuffing of my shoes against the stone steps leading to the tallest tower and the rapid beating of my broken heart ringing in my ears. My breathing is fragmented, my soul fractured. I can't live this way anymore.
I've tried telling my parents and my sisters of my husband's abuse but either they don't believe me, or they don't care. He's a wealthy Hydran and a loyal subject. My mother would never think of severing my marital contract when she relies on his resources.
But I'm her daughter. Her flesh and blood.
Born of magic and sea. Reduced to a princess in title alone, my duty now to serve a man twenty years my senior who holds little regard for me.
Six months of torture. Six months of hell.
Six months of no one listening to my cries.
Six months of being made of water only to feel as if I'm drowning.
The music of the closing ceremony fades to a distant lull as I fling the door at the top of the spiral staircase open and breathe in the warm, crisp night air.
I throw my head back, staring up into the star riddled sky and plead to anyone who might be listening to save me from my torment.
But no one speaks. No deity streaks through the clouds to whisk me away from my prison. No one comes for me.
I shakily make my way to the rooftop railing and stare down at the city streets below. Crowded with smiling faces enjoying the success of another exciting Magical Tournament. None of them the wiser that it a matter of seconds, my body will slam against the pavement, ceasing to exist.
There's no other way to be free.
I hike my skirt up to my thighs and clumsily climb on top of the ledge. The wind picks up, whipping hair across my face. I take a deep breath and scan the Hydran cityscape. A fondness blooms in my chest.
Until I married Crius, I was happy, even if my mother expressed her disappointment in me daily.
Her disapproval wasn't limited to me, she distributed her disdain equally amongst her five daughters, but I was never burdened by her words.
I loved my city and my people. I will be sad to leave this world.
But if not by my own hands, I won't outlive my husband's treatment.
I inhale.
This is it.
I squeeze my eyes shut and ball my fists tucking them against my things.
But as I lift my foot, dangling above the expanse of the drop before me, a husky voice from behind startles me.
"That's a long way to fall."
I plant my foot firmly on the edge of the roof and twist my body enough to latch eyes with a man.
He stares at me with both curiosity and horror.
My stomach churns and burns in embarrassment.
He wipes his gold frame glasses clean before slipping them up his nose.
The breeze sweeps some of his brown locks across his face, but with a tattooed hand, he tucks the strands behind his ears.
"Would you care to sit with me?" he asks, patting the open space beside him. "I've been up here for hours. It's nice to see a friendly face."
A friendly face? What is he going on about? I'm standing on the ledge, about to end it all, with tears streaming down my cheeks, my make up probably smudged beneath my eyes, and he claims my face is friendly.
"Listen," I say, "I would rather you not distract me please." I roll my shoulders back and refocus on the city before me.
"I'm sure you have a good reason for jumping," he presses, "but before you do, let's think things through."
"Think things through?" I hiss, turning to face him. "Why don't you go somewhere else if what I'm doing bothers you?"
"Technically, I was up here first, so perhaps you should find a different ledge to plummet from."
"I don't appreciate your morbid candor," I huff, crossing my arms across my chest.
He shrugs. "All right."
"All right?" My eyes widen. "That's all you have to say? All right?"
"What else would you like me to say?" His hazel eyes sparkle in the moonlight. "I invited you to sit with me, you declined."
"My refusal doesn't give you the right to be rude."
"How am I being rude?" His head tips to one side. When I don't immediately answer, he hops up from the ground and comes toward the ledge, resting his elbows on the perch. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Finn. Finn Harland."
I glance at his ears and sure enough, there are no points to them, making him human. And since Midorians haven't graced our shores since before I was born, that would make him a Tronovian.
"Harland?" It hits me. "Weren't you supposed to be competing in the tournament?"
His shoulders tense. "I was, but I don't like to use my magic, so I bowed out."
"You bowed out?" I frown. "I thought it was an honor to compete for one's kingdom."
"An honor I will never earn if I use my magic on competitors." He doesn't miss a beat. "You know my name, do I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
I swallow hard under his unwavering stare.
I can't remember the last time I felt so unnerved by someone staring at me.
I'm a Talay. I'm used to people, both Hydran and foreign alike, gawking at me.
I'm the third of five water wielding daughters.
And although I will never be at risk of ruling the Hydrans, my magic is what captivates and frightens people.
How does he not know who I am? The white tattoos on my fingers give my lineage away.
"Are you toying with me?"
"Why would I toy with you?" By the mischief brewing in his eyes, it's evident he knows exactly who I am.
"Listen, Finn, I appreciate what you're trying to do here – "
"I'll make you a deal," he interrupts, drawing my focus. "If I can guess which Talay you are, you'll agree to come down and talk to me for an hour."
"An hour?"
"If after that hour you still want to jump, I won't stop you."
"Very chivalrous of you."
"I can't stop you from doing what you want, but I can do my best to delay you."
I eye him curiously. "Why go through the lengths to save me when I do not want to be rescued?"
"I didn't say I was here to rescue you. Maybe you're here to rescue me."
Something stirs in my barely beating heart, whispering I should give him a chance to explain.
I bob my head. "You have one guess."
"One guess?"
"Yes," I stare down at him. "You have one attempt to guess my name."
He smiles and my belly heats. No one has genuinely smiled at me in years.
"Challenge accepted."
He rolls his shoulders back and it's then I take note of the shorn sides of his head and the longer locks tied in a knot at the back. He looks studious, but I sense a danger about him lurking in warning.
"I know for sure you aren't Jocasta. Everyone knows the heir to the Hydran throne. And I know you aren't Thalia because she was clamoring after my brother, Atlas, all week."
"Watch your mouth," I bark in defense of my older sister, though she would never think to stand up for me. "Princesses do not throw themselves at men."
"Then someone should inform her ladyship of that," he doesn't hesitate, and I can't help but snort a small giggle. "That leaves Eris, Clio, or Hestia." He rubs his ringed fingers beneath his chin.
"You're running out of time." I press, I'm starting to lose my nerve to leap and that won't do. Because at the end of the night, if I don't jump, I'll be forced to return to my husband's house and endure whatever drunken cruelty he deems suitable for the evening. "Guess."
He squares his shoulders to me and with a confidence I envy says, "You're Eris Talay."
A lump forms in my throat and I swallow hard. "How did you know?"
"Come down first. Then I'll tell you how I knew. " He extends his hand. A part of me wants to reject it, but a deal is a deal. So I grab his hand and hop down.
"You have an hour," I whisper when I stand in front of him, his hand still cradling mine. "Make it count."
"I always do."
I clear my throat and retrieve my hand from his, instantly missing the warmth. "So, how did you know I was Eris?"
He chuckles. Dimples carve into his cheeks and draw a hard-earned small smile from me.
"You must be incredibly humble to assume I wouldn't know who you are, Your Highness.
Your performance this week in the arena has been all anyone has talked about.
Even my brothers were impressed, and that rarely happens. "
My heart leaps and butterflies flutter in my stomach but I swallow those unexpected feelings, keeping my face stoic. I cross my arms across my chest and tsk. "So you cheated."
"I pride myself on being well-informed." He shrugs. "Sue me."
I purse my lips to keep from laughing. I perch my elbows on the ledge I was standing on moments ago and he mirrors my posture. Our elbows brush. From the brief contact, he slides slightly to the right, giving us breathing room.
"Why are you up here?" I ask.
He doesn't look at me, keeping his eyes pinned on the horizon. "I'm hiding."
"Why?"
"Well, typically when one hides, Princess, it's because they don't want to be found."
"Are you always this sarcastic?" I shake my head. "You can call me Eris."
That draws his gaze.
"Titles can feel stuffy."
"I wouldn't know. I'm just Finn."
There's a familiarity about him that comforts me. I know we've not met before, but it's as if my soul recognizes him.
"You aren't just Finn," I say quietly.
Another peaceful silence stretches between us before Finn asks, "Why were you going to jump?"
"I still might," I shoot back but my comment is met with a sorrowful look.
I sigh, wringing my fingers together. How do I explain to a stranger – even one I'm unexpectedly drawn to – a truth my own family ignores?
My thoughts are interrupted when Finn slides his hand across the ledge and lays his palm atop my hands.
It's a simple gesture but bears so much weight.
He sees me. He doesn't want me to feel alone.
It's enough to kickstart the tears burning my eyes.