It is like stepping into the past and twisting it to the tune of death.
He doesn’t turn to look at us as he guides me past all the sets of judgmental eyes. We walk in silence until we approach the Ardorflame. It is smaller than the temple in Enduvida, but it pulses with the same gods-gifted magic.
Standing before the rich, pulsing light, is another Enduar with a missing ear. His hair is cut short, like Thorne’s, and his shoulders are broader than any Enduar I’ve ever seen. The rugged cuts of him remind me of my father’s legacy as he turns to glare up.
I freeze in place when his eyes meet mine. One of his eyeballs is replaced with a crystal orb that studies us with the same intensity as his good eye.
I know him.
Our guide salutes his leader who doesn’t acknowledge him in return.
“Tir’Suel,” the Enduar who brought us calls out. “I have found some of our kind in the open waters. They request an audience.”
The leader’s name brings forth dozens of memories from my old life.
This is the head of one of my father’s private battalions. There were ten in total, each containing a thousand highly trained soldiers. Most were men, but women fought for him aswell. As I glance around the room, I see no sign of female Enduares.
“Fuck me. Prince Ma’Teo,” Tir’Suel sneers in our native tongue.
I can practically hear Vann’s teeth grinding, and I wonder if he has made the same connection I have.
“Tir’Suel. Leader of the ninth royal battalion,” I say, refusing to lower my chin in his presence.
“I thought you were dead,” he says flatly, seconds before his eyes drop to my side. Tir’Suel’s gaze lingers on Estela, his eyes narrowing as he takes in her radiant form encased in the shimmering crystal suit. A flicker of anger passes through his steely facade, quickly masked by a veil of indifference.
It was a mistake to bring her. I place my hand on my hip, where the sword is attached with a special sheath.
“I didn’t know that anyone else was spared after the eruption. I have been living in what’s left of Enduvida with the other survivors,” I say, my voice tinged with trepidation and lingering sorrow. “I would’ve come sooner if I had known that it was even possible to survive this long down here.”
Tir’Suel’s sharp features are etched in a permanent scowl, his eyes betraying a deep-rooted bitterness.
“So you live in the summer city?” he asks, his tone dripping with disdain that stirs a pang of defensiveness within me.
“Yes. It was the only place we had left,” I respond, frustrated by his callous judgment.
His lip curls contemptuously, and his words cut like knives, “Cowards. All of you. You should be dead on the ocean floor, like those that surround us now.”
“Enough! I do not wish to fight.” I take a deep breath to steady myself and try again, determination fueling my words. “We seek passage to the royal palace,” I declare firmly,my voice echoing with unwavering resolve through the damp bubble that encases us.
“The palace is no longer a sanctuary for you,” Tir’Suel proclaims with venom dripping from each syllable, sending shivers down my spine and igniting a spark of defiance within me.
Vann steps closer toward me, his hand instinctively tightening around his weapon as tension crackles in the air between us. Tir’Suel has the audacity to laugh—a chilling sound that echoes through the desolate ruins around us, stirring up a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within me.
“What do you intend to do with that? You both are no better than pups sucking on your mother’s teat. Do you think, prince, that I don’t see the marking on your neck? I see the female cowering at your shoulder. You have mated outside of your people, refused to die with honor, and now, after all this time, you come here. Why, sniveling little rat?” He spews his words like poison.
My blood begins to pump hotter and heavier. “I will not be spoken to this way.”
“No? Well, where have you been for the last five decades while we rotted away down here—protecting your legacy and watching over our people’s graves?” he bites back.
I stand up. “I didn’t ask you to do this. In fact, I’ve come?—”
“You wouldn’t have made such a great sacrifice! Look at you, you are weak, crawling around in a castle gifted to you while we die and wither down here.”
His words reverberate through my mind like a haunting melody, reminiscent of my father's stern voice that has lingered with me for an eternity—a voice I have struggled to silence. The sacrifices I've made, trading my time, health, and even the very vessel of my being for the Enduares, now weigh heavy on me.
“What if I agreed to take you to the surface?” I try one last time.
He shakes his head. “I would rather die down here with my people than go to that disgusting city.”
