Her fingers curled into fists on her lap, knuckles whitening. For a moment I thought she’d spit a retort, but instead her shoulders rose and fell once before she looked away.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, softer now, frustration threaded through it. “My mother never told me about… any of this.”
Something in her expression went raw. Unguarded. She wasn’t lying. Or she was damn good at it. Either way, her lack of answers only deepened the mystery.
“Your mother?” I pressed, tilting my head. “Whatdidshe tell you?”
Her gaze snapped back to mine—fierce and unyielding—though I caught the smallest hesitation before she hardened again. “She told me to stay away from humans.”
A low, humorless chuckle escaped me. “Smart woman. But I haven’t been human for centuries.”
Her scowl deepened. Most people cowered under scrutiny. Nerina met it head-on.
I studied her another beat, then tilted my head. “And yet there you were—drifting alone in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of a storm. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘safe distance from humans.’”
Her expression flickered, unreadable. She didn’t answer right away.
“Where are you from, Nerina?” I pressed, voice low. “What were you running from?”
Her lips parted—she might’ve answered—but she only shook her head. “Nowhere you’ve heard of.”
“Try me.”
She hesitated, then looked away again. “I wasn’t running. I was… leaving.”
I raised a brow, crossing my arms. “And what exactly were you leaving, then? A kingdom? A lover? A war?”
She glanced at me sidelong, then looked down at her hands. “A cage,” she said quietly.
I didn’t respond at first. Her words sat heavy in the room, sinking in like seawater into rotted wood.
A cage. Freedom always costs more than you expect.
Then I cleared my throat, shifting my stance—grounding myself in the mission.
“We’re heading to the Forgotten Trench,” I said abruptly, watching her reaction. It was dangerous. But if it held the key to my freedom, I’d risk it. I’d risk going back after all these years. I had to.
I glanced at her; tension held her shoulders tight. Her eyes snapped to mine, weighing me, but I didn’t look away.
“I don’t know what you are, Nerina, but I intend to find out.” My voice hardened. “If there are answers about that mark and this artifact, they’ll be there.”
“I need answers,” I added, quieter now. “And if that place can give them to me… I’ll take the risk.”
I looked at her—really looked. “Even if it means riskingyou.”
She didn’t argue. Instead, she nodded slowly, brushing her fingers against the shard, testing its response.
“Fine,” she said, her voice edged with fire. “But if you think I’m just some helpless fish out of water, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
I smirked, stepping back toward the door, studying her. Did she truly not know—or was she simply a better liar than most?
Either way, I wasn’t about to let her slip through my fingers. Not when she might hold the key to breaking my curse.
As I turned to leave, I caught the faintest flicker in her eyes—fear, maybe, or recognition. She was fiery, unpredictable, but out of her element here.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, but the words landed thinner than I intended.
The artifact’s pulse lingered in my mind, sending unease through my chest. It wasn’t just curiosity. It was a call.
