Haesan starts, his eyes flying to the king’s onyx crown. “Forgive me for my insolence, Your Majesty. I should have paid you my respects first.”
“You’re fine.” I flap my hand, then remember it’s not my place to forgive thein’eo. The King of Underworld seems cool, but I can’t forget he is also scary powerful. “Right, Your Majesty?”
“Right.” He smiles distractedly. “But about why he is here ...”
“Oh yes.” I turn to Haesan. “Do you want the good news first? Or the bad news?”
“Bad news. Always the bad news first.” He gulps. “Unless it’s really bad ... Never mind. I want the bad news first.”
“The Amheuk has breached the Realm of Four Kingdoms.” I’m getting sick of repeating that gods-awful sentence.
“Gah.” Haesan draws back, clawing at the air like he wants to climb up a tree and hide. “What possible good news could follow that?”
“Well, we’re planning to fight back.” I pop up to the balls of my feet. “So ... yay.”
“I need to sit down.” Thein’eosways on his feet, and I’m tempted to yell,Timber. I’d forgotten howbighe was. “I have to throw up.”
“Don’t,” the King of Underworld commands in a deep, rumbling voice.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Haesan straightens and comes to attention, his nausea royally intimidated out of him. He blows out a long breath. “Okay, Stormy. I’m ready to hear what part I have to play in this.”
“You need to get me an audience with the Queen of Water and help me convince her to send troops to the Kingdom of Mountains.” I watch for signs of renewed nausea from him. “There is no time to waste on a war between the kingdoms. The Realm of Four Kingdoms has to unite to fight the Amheuk.”
“And you assume because I’m from the Kingdom of Water that I know the queen?” He side-eyes me.
Fair point. What was I thinking?
I hide my cringe with a scowl and cross my arms. “Well, do you?”
“I do, in fact.” He grins, and I’m too relieved to be annoyed at him. “My aunt is thejimilsanggungto the Queen of Water. But still, you shouldn’t assume things. You just lucked out this time.”
“Sure. Anything you say.” I cup my forehead, limp with relief. Besides, I am due some good fucking luck. “Okay. We need to leave now.”
“There is one small problem ...” Haesan raises a finger. “You can’t breathe underwater.”
“The Kingdom of Water is ... underwater?” My jaw drops.
“I don’t understand why you are so surprised.” He frowns. “You would think it is rather obvious. It is the Kingdom ofWater.”
“I guess when you put it that way,” I grumble.
“To be fair, the kingdom itself is beneath a watertight dome,” Haesan allows. “But we have to traverse by water to get to the Kingdom of Water and the Dragon Palace.”
“I can assist with that problem.” The King of Underworld raises his index finger in all his nerdy glory. “I invented an apparatus that allows you to breathe underwater. It never failed me when I used to visit Bora—That is, I’ve tested it numerous times to great success.”
“If it’s good enough for a king, then it’s good enough for me.” I follow him to his cluttered desk. I have no idea how he can find anything there, though.
“I know it’s here somewhere.” When the king can’t find the apparatus on his desk, he haphazardly opens drawers that are filled to the brim with what appears to be junk. “But I haven’t used it since ...”
“Did you find it?” I ask, leaning over to peek inside the drawers.
“Not yet.” He straightens and taps his chin with his finger. “Ah yes.”
The king drags out an overflowing chest from beneath his desk.Good gods.He willneverfind it in there.
“There you are.” He greets what appears to be a wooden clothespin like an old friend. Then he holds it up in the air with a triumphant grin. “This is what you need.”
“It is?” I expected something ... bigger. Something that can hold or make oxygen.
