Pull, throw, swim. No distractions.I repeated Laziel’s instructions over and over, in hopes that in the moment, I would hold true to them.Don’t mess this up.
I unsheathed my dagger that I shifted around my waist for my sea form, rotating it in my palm until it felt right. The scarf around my nose and mouth nearly suffocated me, but I yanked it tighter. Then, I pulled the trigger and threw the vial toward the soldiers, releasing the clear, Oceanwrought lirion fish poison into the water.
Chaos ensued immediately.
Uniformed guards ambushed the doorway I watched through, but they didn’t make it to me fast enough before the poison seeped into their systems. Dizziness overwhelmed me, a small stagger slowing my swim. The guards drifted down, eyes closing—falling asleep sluggishly against their will.
Clever, Laziel.
I weaved past, dodging the arms and swords that slashed through the water lazily in any attempt to slow me down. A blade grazed my shoulder, glimmering blue blood swirling in the water, but I pushed onward.
Wide-eyed prisoners clasped to the iron bars, their bodies also giving out to the poison that filtered through their gills and into their systems. They looked desperate, pleading to be released from the depths, and for some reason, my heart ached to set them free. My distrust in the Ocean Mother convinced me the prisoners were innocent. I promised myself I would return for them when the realms were safe—give them trial and offer them freedom if deserved. Laziel could be the decider, having worked in the Abyssal Hold as a guard, he would know the allegations against each being behind bars. But I also knew I had no power in offering them a fair trial.
The guards and prisoners all met the ground, eyes closed in a deep sleep. I had only minutes before they all awakened.Minutes to find the chamber that kept the last trident piece. Minutes to collect it and escape before chaos resumed.
I rushed through the chamber, searching each of the tens of cells on the level, every one containing a tattered and malnourished prisoner. Grime slicked across the stone in the tiny chambers, algae blooming through the cracks that held them behind bars. Kelp salads molded on silver platters, the chains that locked merfolk to the ground rusting, and many breathingshallow or not at all.
A soft shuffle sounded behind me, and I whirled.
“It’s at the end, hiding in shadow and stone,” a young voice whispered from the corner of a chamber.
I approached it slowly and reared back at the sight of the child, a torn cloth held over his face.
“What is?” I asked, my voice riddled in pity.
“The thing valuable enough to break into this miserable place. But there’s something inside… someone. Keeps us up all night. Sometimes it shows me my mother.”
My heart shattered for the boy who couldn’t have been older than twelve. His hair, once perhaps bright, now hung in dull, tangled strands past his shoulders, and bruises mapped his arms like cruel tattoos, each one a story he shouldn’t have had to carry. He held himself too still, as if even the smallest movement might make things worse.
I’m going to save him.
“I’ll come back for you. I promise,” I assured, my voice cracking. He reminded me ofme.Too young for the cruelty of the realm. Too innocent. Toogood.
“I know. Mother told me you would save us all.” His conviction felt like the truth, and I hoped it would be.
I hesitated. So many questions, but no time to ask them. I was so close to the guards who held the key rings to set free the child, but I knew we couldn’t deter finding the trident piece and escaping the prison alive any longer. I also couldn’t bear scarringthe kid further by freeing him to witness the possibly gruesome nature of the locked-up beast… or risk his life at what I needed to release.
My eyes stayed on the boy as my thoughts turned sharp and merciless—free him now and everything falls apart, or proceed, unleash the beast, take the trident fragment, and hope I could still reach him before the prison swallowed him for good.
“Go before they wake,” he assured gently through the cloth.
Mind made up.I took off toward the back wall, my hands skimming the stone frantically.
“More to the left!” the boy yelled down the corridor, and I followed his direction.
Cold metal kissed my palm. The handle shifted under my grip. No resistance.
The door was unlocked.
A resonant hum flitted through the empty darkness. Soft streaks of light glowed dimly from a corner, revealing the silhouette of a being drawing near.
I shook ferociously.Gods, stop it, Caelyn.
“Do not approach,” I cast out, feigning confidence, but the words still wavered.
“Mmmm….” a deep, venomous voice pierced my ears. It shifted a meter closer, the room not bright enough for me to make out its appearance.
“I have a bargain for you,” I blurted in hopes it would stop approaching.
