Elias led the way inside, and I looked around in wonder as we passed into another room decorated with paintings of the ocean’s creatures. Above the throne room doorway, the Insignia of the Ocean was rendered, which revealed details the earlier carvings I’d seen lacked: a purple-haired mermaid, a Drowned man etched in shadows, and a sea beast with writhing tentacles that brought the Fisherman’s arm to mind. Therewas also a seal, and a Siren—though in this depiction, she had a sweeping tail, not scaly legs like Skye’s.
The colors faded as we stepped into the throne room, an off-white marble chamber lit by a decadent chandelier that swayed with the current. Six thrones lined the space, with the grandest at the center, where the purple-haired Mer king lounged beside his Siren queen.
Purple hair—of course. Just like Abalone. My throat ached with a wave of sympathy for Finn. This was his dead mother’s kingdom. I shook off the emotion and stood taller, reminding myself that he couldn’t be trusted. Instead, I focused on the royals before me.
“Uncle.” Finn bowed his head, and I rushed to follow suit, pulling Skye with me.
“Come now, there will be none of that around here. This isn’t the Neptunus Kingdom.” King Proteus chuckled, as did the six royals by his side.
He glided down from his throne, lavender tresses cascading to his shoulders. His eyes were deep umber, and his skin golden brown in the chamber’s light. Age had carved furrows into his brow, but his face still carried traces of handsomeness.
“This is my wife, Queen Peisinoe.” He gestured to the woman seated to his right.
She smiled at us. Her hair and eyes were dark, like Skye’s, and the scales covering her body were the same translucent aqua. She must be from the Agápe line.
“If you have legs, why does the Siren on the insignia above the door have a tail?” I blurted out, my gaze drifting over her.
“The Siren is a creature whose image has changed over time, shaped by artists, cultures, and eras. People assume we were adapted to fit their propaganda, but the truth is, we evolved. Agápe believed in love aboveall else. Her people were once winged, claw footed, and scaled, but they interbred with Mer and humans. Now, some of us have legs, wings, or Mer-like tails, though claws have become rare.” Queen Peisinoe’s gaze moved to Skye with a welcoming smile.
“And this is my daughter, Porphura,” King Proteus boomed, waving to a purple-haired mermaid on his left. She had porcelain skin, like her mother’s, and deep-brown eyes, like her father’s. Her tail was a rich indigo, and matching scales adorned her torso and chest.
Porphura grinned at Finn. “Nice to see you, cousin. This is my wife, Layla Okeanós.” The mermaid beside her had dark skin and a golden tail. Bronze earrings hung from her ears, and a crystalline headband shone in her ebony hair, which was arranged into hundreds of tiny plaits.
King Proteus motioned to his far right. “And these are my sons, Damon and Alexandros.”
I turned to the two males, and my breath hitched as I drank them in. They were twins. Both had strong stubble-shadowed jawlines, thick dark brows, and wavy hair that drifted in the ocean’s current.
Although their faces and chests—which my eyes kept darting to—were identical, they weren’t entirely indistinguishable. Alexandros had lavender hair and a fuchsia tail, its scales glittering onyx in the aquamarine light. Damon’s hair was dark, and his torso blended into a black tail, but its scales glinted a deep plum.
“And who are our lovely guests?” Damon asked.
I flushed as his eyes lingered on me.
Skye stepped forward. “I’m Skye, and this is Morgana and Edward.”
“It is our pleasure to welcome you,” Alexandros said, his gaze moving from head to toe over Skye’s curvaceous body.
Finn coughed, drawing the attention back to himself as he turned to Queen Peisinoe. “My father says you have agreed to grantus a dream.”
The queen rose, and her aqua scales glittered over pale skin. Her long, ebony hair flowed behind her as she approached us. “For thousands of years, the Sirens have remained neutral in the feud, but now... ” She stopped, her eyes welling with tears as she turned to her husband. “Now Proteus has fallen ill with the Shadow. I need to find a way to save him.”
Finn’s brows drew together. “Uncle, is this true?”
King Proteus scooped back his hair to reveal a trail of spidery black veins creeping across the side of his throat.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine. Beside me, Finn’s throat worked, and he toyed with the silver armlet on his right wrist.
“Our healers have managed to slow the disease, but I am willing to defy the gods and offer you a dream of what you most desire, hoping it leads you to the prophecy and a cure.” Queen Peisinoe stifled another sob.
Finn nodded. “Thank you, my queen.”
He was being granted the dream? That meant I’d have to follow him wherever it led—and my insides tangled at the thought.
“I think you should offer us both a dream.” I stepped forward. “Y-Your Majesty,” I added quickly as the Siren queen turned her dark eyes to me.
Finn spun toward me, his brows furrowed and face suddenly pale. “Morgana!”
His reaction only steeled my resolve. I lifted my chin and locked eyes with the queen. “I am related to Iona Selich. She was Abalone’s closest friend and spent time in this kingdom long ago, and I think it’s more likely thatI’llsee where the rest of the prophecy lies.”
