As we reached the bottom of the stairs, laughter echoed from beyond the stone pillars lining the corridor. The voices were unfamiliar, and I exchanged a glance with the others before we quickened our pace down the marble hallway. The sound grew louder as we neared the threshold, and then we stepped into the throne room. It was lit by the shades of moonlight and the three-tiered crystal chandelier hanging from its decadent roof. Its glow fell upon Pisceon, Finn, Glacies, and King Proteus, floating in a group before the six towering thrones.
The laughter died away as we approached them, and my throat constricted. The last time I’d seen Finn’s cousin Pisceon and his bride-to-be Glacies, I had put them into a bewitched slumber.
King Proteus swept a webbed hand against Pisceon’s back. “These two have come to report their success: all seven Mer kingdoms and the four Siren houses have agreed to attend the summit. They’ll remain here with us until we depart.”
“If it isn’t the little shifter.” Pisceon turned to me and pulled himself from Proteus’s embrace, his mouth tugging into a grin. “Should I be afraid of you knocking me out again?”
I folded my arms and rolled my eyes.
Finn’s gaze flicked to me, but he quickly looked away. He was wearing the ornate wrist guards again, and the daggers he’d been fastening when I barged into his room remained on his back. He hovered beside his futurewife, who was looking radiant as ever. Her obsidian tail glistened in the shifting light, and her long, pale hair twisted elegantly in the swell. A silver breastplate adorned her torso, much like Finn’s, giving her the air of a Nordic warrior queen.
Pisceon’s eyes traveled across Skye and Edward, his face falling into a scowl. “And you’re all going on this quest to Santorini.”
“The Siren girl and Drowned boy are staying with us. Oh, we will have some fun!” Proteus winked.
“Really, Proteus?” Pisceon swung to the king, muscles flexing as he raised a brow. “You’re going to allow the Drowned boy to stay?”
“Come now, Pisceon. This is not the Neptunus Kingdom.”
“If you’d seen what we’d seen”—Glacies’s eyes flashed—“you would not be so quick to harbor one.”
“Mer dead and drained... Their bodies were scattered across the Atlantic. All the work of Manannán’s henchmen.” Pisceon’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed on Edward.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine as memories of the Fisherman’s scaly face, silver eyes, and beast-like tentacle crept into my mind. I rubbed the goosebumps from my arms.
“This attitude is exactlywhywe have wars. We’ve gotten to know this young man and enjoy his company.” Proteus waved a hand at Edward, whose face was burning with pride.
Pisceon looked to Finn. “Cousin, I trust you got the dream you needed.”
“I did,” Finn said stiffly, his gaze darting to the right.
Something twisted in my gut as I glanced between them, my fingers tightening unconsciously around my dagger. So Pisceon and Glacies knew we’d come here to get a dream about the prophecy.
Pisceon folded his muscled arms. “You need to move fast. Darkness spreads through the Atlantic as Manannán grows stronger. We torturedand interrogated several Drowned. They revealed that he has built an underground fortress near Port Royal. That’s where the Drowned are gathering their forces.”
I choked back a rising tide of emotion. If all the Drowned were gathering at Port Royal... could my father be there too? Would he have stood against Manannán’s henchmen, or would he have joined their ranks? Maybe I could find him after we uncovered the prophecy—even if it meant walking straight into the lion’s den.
I stepped to Finn’s other side, lifting my chin, fingers still grazing the hilt of my blade.
Turning to Glacies, Finn kissed his wife-to-be’s porcelain hand. “I hope you enjoy the hospitality of the Thálassians while we’re gone.” Then he winked at Pisceon. “And you too, cousin.”
Pisceon offered him a tight-lipped smile. The ever-joking Mer was gone, replaced by someone worn, his eyes darker, his face drawn. Whatever he’d witnessed on that journey had changed him.
My stomach remained in knots. The last time I’d seen Glacies, it was clear her heart belonged not to Finn, but to Princess Aarna Okeanós. Yet she’d still questioned Finn being tasked by his father to follow me. Her composed demeanor suggested that she and Pisceon knew exactly why Finn and I had come here, which meant King Neptunus knew too. The thought chilled me to the bone.
“We look forward to seeing you both return safely and attending the summit,” Proteus boomed with approval, clasping his hands before waving us away with a sweeping gesture. But behind the bravado, I saw it in his eyes as he reached beneath his purple locks to stroke the spidery black veins on his neck:fear.
27
Morgana
Pháos joined us for the swim to the island, and the silence that weighed over Finn and me was broken only by the dolphin’s odd click or chirp.
I glanced at Finn from the corner of my eye. His jaw remained tight, his gaze dark—he was no doubt replaying the cruel things I’d said.Good.
My mouth was dry as I kicked through the moonlit water, frustration burning inside me. If only I’d spent more time mastering my mind. But it was too late for regrets. I was bound for Santorini, alone with my sworn enemy, Prince Aigéan—King Neptunus’s most dangerous henchman. I needed to keep my wits about me.
Although I’d jeopardized my plan by telling Finn I no longer cared for him, he didn’t know I knew the Neptunus family had killed my grandmother. I planned to keep it that way.
