Like the mers, I choose to believe we are all connected in minute, mystical ways that draw us down our chosen paths. To think we are completely separate from the water, the dragon, or the food we eat is foolish. I won’t make that mistake again.
Calypso raises two blue arms to the water above. Like magic, the liquid bursts. I flinch, Gideon and Rivern caving in on me. Small droplets of water rain down on us.
When I look up again, a large bubble big enough to fit Saff inside travels towards us.
“This is how we will travel to your God. I assume you all require air to breathe, yes?” Calypso’s hands are now at her side, the bubble just above us.
“Yes,” I murmur in disbelief.
“The bubble will keep you alive until we get to the island.”
Trust.The word doesn’t come from Rivern or Fury or Gideon. It’s just there. I don’t even know if it comes from the Goddess anymore. Maybe it is me, reminding myself. Back when I’d originally sung the Goddess’s song, I thought it was her telling me to sing.
Now, though…
Now, I wonder if it’s something else, especially as I’m bonded to a God who is steadfast in seeking revenge on the other Gods. Maybe thevoice was just my own wishful thinking, some part of myself urging me on.
Pushing myself past a growly Gideon, I stand before Calypso, a niggling undercurrent preventing me from fully leaving yet.
I look past the wide-eyed mer queen and spot her tentacle-carved throne.
“Free the kraken,” the words spill out of me. He may be free of his chain, but before we leave, I need to make sure he is free to roam without being captured again.
Calypso’s eyes flash with irritation, squinting. Taking my measure, she moves one step forward.
“He is our beast. While the silvers have their dragon, we will have the kraken.” The hypocrisy of her statement makes me want to counter with …What about everything being connected?Instead, I tell her the facts.
“The dragon no longer presides over the Sands. She is free to travel the lands as she chooses, just as any other creature.” This new information gives the queen pause.
“Once I see proof of the dragon free, I will free the kraken. We no longer have a need for him if the threat from the Sands is neutralised.”
I nod my head—no need to go into this topic any further. Brutality on the backs of miscommunication is nothing new. I care about moving forward. The longer we take to get back to Fury, the longer my people are starving.
I hope the people in Terra are faring better with the fae behind them. The longer this journey spans, the more worry builds in my chest. Argus has barely made a peep since journeying through the Sands towards the void, like a statue, a relic of a rhythm when I relied on thestrength of a mighty dragon from children’s stories to keep me moving forward.
Now, I rely on…connection.
There’s no need for the independence I once sought, for a separation from others, for a dragon who isn’t real. By breaking through the walls of the temple and speaking up, I found my voice, and I found my strength.
And I’ve found my people.
There’s still so much I’ve yet to do, but I take this small accomplishment as a win.
Warm, soft fingers lace through mine on my right. The bonded fae of my heart feels like a comforting forest breeze as calloused fingers find my left hand, wrapping Rivern’s pine scent around our little threesome in a hug.
The energy—their energy—fills me up.
“Are you ready to go?” Calypso asks in her no-nonsense tone.
“Yes,” I reply, squeezing my protectors’ hands as the bubble comes down around us, pushing at our bodies until we breach the lining and are inside an air-filled sphere, encased in a thin layer of shimmering water.
“We are coming,”I whisper down the bond.
“That’s my good pet.”Fury’s voice is a velveteen slither down my spine, making every inch of my body tingle at the untold promises in his words.
I’m in trouble.
thirty-nine
