Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
The touch of a kraken always has an intent.
–An Incomplete Guide to Kraken Survival
Four Days Until Convergence
Sleep refused me.
I lay beneath cool sheets, staring at the painted ceiling, listening to the faint hum of the dome, hoping to detect a whisper. But nein. I heard only the distant churn of the sea beyond it.
Every time I came close to falling, his voice dragged me back into that car, my hand in Sebastian’s.
We introduce our budding relationship to my people… and get you used to my touch.
Used to. As if the coming touches would be so carnal, so life-changing, I must first become acclimated to them. Or so my traitorous imagination insisted. Something low in my belly pulled tight, and I kicked off the sheets.
But honestly, even without contact, I had noticed the pull of his presence. The way my skin electrified when he looked at me too long. How my pulse raced, and my cells fizzed.
Even now, my heart declined an invitation to calm down. In a matter of hours, I was supposed to move into a room connected to his. We would be as good as living together.
By the time dawn arrived—known here as crest—spilling bits of light into the chamber, I gave up on sleep entirely. I climbed from the bed and practiced pointing my toes.
Two hours later, a hard double rap sounded on my door soon after. Freyja, right on time at shimmer, exactly as promised. I braced and called, “You may enter.”
“Excellent, you’re up,” she said as she swept inside. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll escort you to your new room. The staff spent the night preparing.”
I tried to decipher her opinion about my latest sleeping arrangement with her king, but I got nothing. Same precise manner. Same clipboard in hand.
Fighting for composure, I smoothed the nightclothes provided for me. A soft white tunic and loose linen pants. Then I slid my feet into plush slippers I very much enjoyed.
I followed her back to Sebastian’s door, my heart drumming harder with every step. There, Freyja faced me with the same obligatory briskness. “Your suite is connected to the king’s by a door. Protocol says you may not open it. He must.”
I’d already known about the door, just not the protocol. Which I didn’t need to consider because he wouldn’t be opening it. I certainly wouldn’t be.
After my nod, she continued. “Your lady-in-waiting is Soley.”
I wasn’t even shocked by the lady-in-waiting.
One of Adelaide’s many warnings echoed. Servants are good at being invisible. Remain aware. Be kind to all, but never fully trust.
I exhaled and entered the new suite. A space shockingly expansive, awash in the same ice-blue tones and pearl-whites as the rest of the royal wing. A painted sky arched across the ceiling, reaching draperies that reminded me of clouds. Crystalline light fixtures glowed like frozen stars.
My attention snagged on the area between the bedroom and the sitting room. Mirrored walls reflected a perfectly polished floor smooth enough for turns. Someone had installed a barre. The kind used only for serious training.
Awe wrapped itself around me. This wasn’t decoration. The height of the barre—perfection. The spacing from the mirror was exactly where it needed to be. The flooring carried just the right amount of spring.
This was done for me, specifically. My music box waited on a dresser.
My knees knocked. Ambassadors preferred to remain in the shadows, observing. I wasn’t supposed to dance until I returned home. Though I had planned to craft a makeshift studio myself, so I could stay in dancing form. But this… this exceeded every expectation.
Sebastian meant business, and I didn’t know what to think about that.
“You’re here!” A grinning woman with sun-gold curls and freckles scattered across her cheeks sprang from a settee and clapped.
“Halló, halló. I’m Soley, and I am so honored to finally meet you.
” Words spewed from her at warp speed. “I got to watch one of your shows, virtually of course, and I’ve been eager to meet you.
” A wider, toothier grin accompanied more clapping.
“How may I help you? Whatever you want, whatever you need, I’m your girl. ”
Her natural warmth hit like a balm, and I smiled despite my nerves. “Thank you, Soley. Truly. I appreciate your help.”
“Oh! Your new wardrobe is exquisite. The finest I’ve ever seen. I’ve hung the gowns in the closet. Want to see?”
Well, Sebastian did say he expected me to wear the clothes he selected. “Please.”
She led me past the sleeping area, through a stunning crystal-faceted bathroom, with cool lights glinting off walls made of sea-glass.
“This is the king’s door,” she said along the way, waving to a closed entrance across from the bed.
I maybe, perhaps, stared at it until we entered a massive walk-in closet that felt less like storage and more like a private gallery.
Rows upon rows of gowns filled the space. Not dragon hues, but kraken colors. Midnight blues. Storm-gray silks. Pale aquamarines that shimmered like moonlight on water. Honestly? My best colors. No flats or boots, but an endless selection of stilettos in every imaginable shade of blue.
“Any clothing that I brought with me?” I asked, hoping Sebastian had kept some of it. “Perhaps my casual wear? Or nightgowns?” There was playing a role, sure, but new sleepwear?
“None, my lady.” Soley beamed at me. “I personally heard the king say you are to have only our best!”
So he’d given me a perfect barre, with the exact right spring in the floor. But had also purged every vestige of my old life. Taken my armor and replaced it with his own. I didn’t know whether to be moved or afraid, and that not-knowing was becoming the most familiar thing about him.
I forced a smile. “How… kind of Sebastian.”
“He’s such a good king,” she said, so proud, and some of my irritation deflated. She disappeared in the thick of the garments, and soon, the soft slide of hangers and rustle of fabric sounded. “You are in for a treat today, and I will make sure you are properly dressed.”
“Oh?” I pulled myself upright. She must know something I didn’t. “Do tell.”
“You’ll be playing Tideweave, my favorite, most romantic game.” A wishful smile softened her utter determination as she threw open the wardrobe’s doors. Kraken colors shimmered inside it too.
She found what she was looking for and withdrew the gown with great reverence. “This one,” she declared. “If my princess agrees?”
The fabric was deep blue, nearly black, shot through with threads that gleamed like submerged stars. The cut was deceptively simple. Bare shoulders, fitted bodice, flowing skirt. But the material shimmered as if alive, responding to the smallest shift of movement.
I didn’t know what Tideweave was, but I did know a little about what Sebastian planned. He would use the game as an excuse to touch one another, acclimating me to contact. Bare anything might not be the best idea.
“You’ll look so beautiful,” Soley said, already bubbling over with eagerness.
I still had zero clue how to say nein to this woman. “It’s lovely. Of course I’ll wear it.”
Grinning wide, she gave a little squeal. “Oh, I’m so glad. Let’s get you ready for the game.”
For the next hour, we worked on my appearance, scrubbing me within an inch of my life, hydrating my skin with scented creams, styling my hair in elaborate plaits. As for the dress…
It fit like a dream, soft and perfectly molded to my lean curves, as if sewn just for me.
Either Sebastian had correctly guessed my measurements, or his informational dig went deeper than I’d realized.
“By the great abyss,” Soley said, pressing a hand to her heart. “You are… princess, I don’t think there are even words for beauty such as yours.”
Pleasure unfurled beneath my sternum. “What a nice thing to say.” Of my nine sisters, I was the lone flaxen-tressed, pale-skinned, blue-eyed sibling who resembled our great-grandmother. The others were either redheads, like our father, or brunettes, like our mother.
I twirled before my barre, watching myself in the mirror, surprised to find the skirt flowed with me, offering no resistance. So not just lovely, but functional. My preference. But what would Sebastian think?
Nervous tremors spread through my limbs. “What is Tideweave, exactly?”
“A game of movement and timing.” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “You’ll be in the royal garden and—”
A hard double rap sounded at the door, and I startled. Freyja, here to escort me?
“Don’t worry,” Soley rushed out. “Someone will explain before it starts. You’ll catch on quick, I’m sure of it.”
Yes, but how was I supposed to concentrate on learning a new game, or even the game itself, while also starting a fake courtship with Sebastian?
The walk to the gardens with Freyja was mercifully brief.
Morning had arrived fully. The waters above the dome light and frothy, with faint currents carrying colorful fish.
As we passed under an arched threshold, exiting the palace, the air changed, becoming cooler, saltier, blooming with the subtle glow of bioluminescence.
The royal garden unfurled before us. Coral hedges traced elegant paths. Anemones blushed in soft blues and greens, swaying despite the absence of a breeze. Floating orbs of light drifted lazily overhead, responding to movement and sound.
“What causes this?” I asked.
“The dome,” she answered as she did everything: efficiently, without elaboration.
Well okay then. One orb flickered, dimmed, then flared too bright before shattering into cold sparks. No one reacted. Either it was normal, or their discipline prevented them from showing fear. I, however, remained unsettled. Was the primordial somehow responsible?
Focus. At the center of the festivities was a circular dais of pale coral stone, etched with faintly glowing patterns. Shallow channels of luminous water traced its edge, pulsing in slow, rhythmic waves.
Servers carried trays of seaweed bites, octopus-shaped puff pastries, and black sesame crackers with squid-ink hummus and bubbly drinks.