She shrinks into me a little more. I relish the feel of her in my arms, but hate that she had to go through all this.
“But you left them eventually. That’s all that matters,” I say.
“What changed your mind?” Hunter asks.
“Ah, well, that’s a little embarrassing.” Madi’s cheeks flush. “Do you know what a forum is?”
Hunter scoffs. “Of course I know what a forum is, I’m not that ancient.”
“But youareold.” I can’t help myself, the words slip out on autopilot. It breaks some of the seriousness of the moment, and we all laugh before Madi continues.
“Okay, so I always lurked on a few forums, but mainlyon one for those interested in the more mystic archaeological theories. You know, like Lunara’s temple or Ocearus. I got kinda close with this beta there, and we used to video call each other when we both had time. One night I confessed all about Pack Prescott, and he—” A crash sounds from somewhere to our left, and we all startle then fall silent.
“What was that?” Caspian whispers.
“Do you think they already found something?” Madi can’t hide the panic in her voice. Her flashlight flickers, and she hits it against her thigh to get it shining again.
“No,” Hunter and I say at the same time.
“Everything I’ve ever read about Ocearus says the library is hidden. I doubt they could have stumbled upon it,” Hunter adds, but there’s a wrinkle between his eyebrows that I know he only gets when he’s worried.
“Then what was that?” Madi asks. “Do you think they’re hurt?”
“Can’t say I care if they are.” Hunter scowls. “But come on, let’s keep going.”
I don’t give voice to my real fears. That noise might not have been from Branson’s pack at all. When humans abandon cities, animals tend to move in. A place like this could be crawling with predators.
34
The guys watch me as we work our way down the winding street. Their eyes brand my back, and I can tell they’re expecting me to pick up my story where I left off, but I stay quiet as I take the lead, turning down a side street that looks a little bigger than the last one.
Our conversation stirred up all kinds of things I don’t want to think about. That season of my life, when I left Pack Prescott, was hard. The only thing that made it a little better was Evie and FishyBillionaire47. I still think about him sometimes, though we haven’t talked in months. I don’t even know his real name. But I’d recognize his face anywhere.
The last time we were on a call, we fought. Well, it wasn’t exactly a fight. More a disagreement. I wanted to meet up in person. He didn’t think it was a good idea. I knew he struggled with some social anxiety, but I had the biggest crush, and I was lonely. It was six months after I left Branson, and I was about to go through another heat alone. I wanted my fishy billionaire with me. I pushed toohard. He didn’t come back on the forum for weeks, and when he finally did, it wasn’t the same. I never really forgave myself for making him uncomfortable like that.
I apologized over messages. And he said it was fine. But we never did another video call, and it all just kind of fizzled out. I still think about him sometimes, though.
The cobbled road dead-ends into a slightly bigger street with a canal running beside it. Hunter shines his flashlight into the water. A few tiny fish scurry away from the light. It’s difficult to see much, but it seems deep.
“Do you want me to see what’s below?” Caspian asks.
“No, let’s keep going. This street looks like it might lead to the city center.”
I’m working on the assumption that the bigger streets will lead us to some kind of central gathering area, a town square, or a palace, or even the library itself. It probably won’t be that easy, but it’s as good a place to start as any.
Caspian offers me his hand as we pick our way over fallen stones. This part of the city is in greater ruin than the area where we entered. I wonder what happened. It could just be the normal decay of time. But the way rubble clutters the streets makes me wonder if it was something more. Some of the buildings are half torn down. I also notice there’s no glass or screens or anything like that on the windows. They’re just open, though they're too narrow for a person to climb through. The doors are made of thin metal rather than wood, though only some of them are still on their hinges.
I wonder if this place had more influence from humans or merfolk, or was it an equal combination of both worlds.
“What are your cities like?” I ask Caspian.
“Wet.” Caspian deadpans. Did my merman just make a joke?
Phoenix snorts a laugh behind us and knocks into Caspian’s shoulder. “Just how I like it,” he says with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.
“Nix, can you ever be serious, even for one moment?” Hunter chides, but a hint of a smile reveals his amusement. “Go on, Caspian.”
“Our cities are… large,” Caspian starts. “The buildings are taller. There’s more room deep in the ocean than in a cavern like this one. The castle is the tallest, though.”
