Raylik shoved him in my direction, and I lunged across the room to support him. The weight of his heavy frame was staggering. The captain steadied his balance.
I gathered his restrained hands in my grasp.
His eyes flared at my touch and he ripped away with a scowl.
“Why is he bound?” I demanded. A gash ran along his jawline. My hands longed to trace over it gently, to assess the damage. But this time, I kept them firmly at my sides.
“To protect you,” Raylik said.
“Why do I need to be protected from him?”
“You are a guest here,” Raylik grumbled.
“I am as much a prisoner as this man. Shall you chain me next?” I snapped.
Nixie frowned. “Sirens are wary of terra men. These restraints were mostly for show as we walked through the castle.”
“Calypstra saw in his mind that he locked you away on his ship,” Raylik added.
“Who did what to my mind?” Arlo exclaimed.
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Calypstra, that snake, even nearby the captain. Sinking her fangs into his thoughts.
“He was told to keep me confined in that manner,” I said. “That was not his choice. Unshackle him.”
“There is always a choice,” Raylik argued.
I turned to Nixie. “Please.”
Nixie nodded to Raylik, who grunted disapprovingly but obliged her silent request.
He brushed a hand over the chains, a deep sound pounding rhythmically, and water shimmered from his palm. With a click, they unlocked and clattered to the marble floor.
The captain watched us warily, like a fox cornered by hunting dogs, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to breathe through the fear. My heart panged at that look. The brave, stalwart captain was afraid.
“And may we have some food and drink as well?” I asked Nixie, unwilling to try Raylik again.
“Of course.” She nodded and turned to leave, but Raylik stood sternly, arms crossed.
“Raylik, will youpleaseassist me?” she called from the staircase.
He was reluctant, scrutinizing the captain, who stared back boldly, ready to fight. They were the same in height but Raylik was broader and I knew his strength was unnatural.
I sent a prayer to all four Guardians that Arlo would remain calm. Otherwise they might not allow him to visit me alone.
“Try anything stupid and I’ll drag you to the bottom of the sea and watch as the fish eat your meat,human,” Raylik said, then shouldered past him, sending the captain stumbling.
Then the pair disappeared down the stairs.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Where the fuck am I?” he said, rubbing at his wrists. His breath was slowing, but he scanned every corner of the library, no doubt searching for an exit.
I pointed up at the glass dome that topped the library, to the expanse of sea above, as a large fish swept by.
He looked up with me.
“A castle … under the sea.” It sounded utterly mad.
