Kairos’s fist clenched. “I will.”
The final drops hit the rune.
Heat slammed into me, the rune burning so bright I shut my eyes. Light flashed against my closed lids, and when I opened them, the rune glowed cerulean.
Soren turned to the Sanguir warriors. “The oath applies to everyone in your party. Break it, and the binding will kill you. I won’t intervene.”
Attendants emerged from the shadows. They moved through our group, reaching for the shell necklaces.
One approached me.
A low growl rumbled from Kairos.
The attendant froze, hands hovering near my neck.
Soren frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“No one touches my human,” Kairos snapped.
The attendant stepped back quickly.
“The depth charms must be collected,” Soren said coolly. “They will be returned when negotiations are over.”
“What about her?” Kairos demanded.
Soren’s dark eyes flicked to me. “The palace sustains its guests. The sea is bound outside these walls.”
I placed my hand over Kairos’s chest, smiling. “It’s alright, my love. I’m safe with you.”
His eyes fractured with pain before his jaw clenched, and the ice slammed back into place. He unclasped the necklace, his fingers surprisingly gentle, but he wouldn’t look at me.
“There,” he said flatly, shoving the necklace at the nearest attendant.
The pressure over my head settled. The air was denser, like breathing steam, and the windows to the ocean pitchedto dark blue. The palace runes must be doing whatever the charm had done, but if I stepped outside these walls without it...
I touched my throat.
Kairos rubbed my arm. “You okay?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice. If I left this place, I’d die. Instantly.
Focus on something else.
I forced my gaze from the windows. Pillars rose toward vaulted ceilings where glowing creatures drifted like stars. Runes were everywhere—carved into the floors, etched along the walls. Some pulsed. Others remained dormant.
My fingers twitched.
I wanted to trace the lines and feel what they did. Water pressure regulation? Breathable air? The light?
“Come.” Soren inclined his head. “Let me show you to your room.”
We walked on. The fae gestured for the warriors to follow them down a different passage.
“The palace has stood for over two thousand years,” Soren said proudly. “Built by a king who bound the currents themselves to his will.”
“Impressive,” I managed.
Kairos grunted.
