She didn’t leave, waiting for me to go inside first, but I lingered at the entrance, wondering what lay beyond all those gardens and bridges. How far did the stone paths lead? What didsirens do in their day-to-day lives when they weren’t confined to a glass palace?
The guards at the entrance opened the doors for me, and I had no choice but to drag my feet back into my glasshouse prison.
From here, only one wall separated me from the great hall, and I could see both Prince Arnon and King Kye well. I could hear them too.
“Her name is Maren!” Kye boomed.
At the sound of my name, I froze in my dark corner. In the heat of their argument, neither of them noticed me, and I wasn’t sure if it’d be wise to reveal my presence now while they were talking about me.
“I order you to refer to her by her name from now on,” Kye raged.
“Yes, Your Majesty, but—”
Kye wouldn’t let his uncle voice his objection. “Her safety is paramount. I won’t let some ancient monstrosity from the Abyss drag her away from me one fine night. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the prince spoke louder this time, not letting the king shut him up again. “However, no matter what you do, she isn’t safe here, and you know it. If you want to protect her, you should send her elsewhere. I can find a room for her in my palace—”
“No,” Kye cut him off again. “I said I’m not giving her up. I only just got her, and I’m not letting her go for as long as I can help it.”
“Very well, but you have to understand, my king, most guards won’t spend a night in here for any riches in the world.”
Kye spread his fingers, curled them in a gesture of irritation before raking them through his hair.
“And it’s not the monsters they’re afraid of,” the prince added, a little softer this time.
“But me,” Kye finished for him, dropping his shoulders. “They’re afraid of me. I know.” He covered his eyes with his hand, drawing in a long, heavy breath. “It took you forever to show up here too,” he muttered, not looking at his uncle. “I sent for you three days ago.”
“Please don’t take that as a sign of fear or disrespect,” Prince Argon’s voice gentled even further. “I came as soon as I could. Tending to the kingdom’s affairs occupies all my time. I’m doing everything physically possible to do what’s required to maintain Olathana’s prosperity.”
Kye dropped his hand away from his face and nodded. “Thank you for stepping up and doing everything I no longer can.”
“It is not a burden, Your Majesty. To serve Olathana is the highest honor. We all do what’s best for the ocean.”
“Do we all?” Kye gave the prince his signature smirk. “You’re out there, ensuring the greatness of our nation. And I’m in here, trying not to touch anything that isn’t already made of glass. It’s not exactly the same, is it?”
With a shake of his head, the prince took a step closer to Kye, then thought better of it and retreated to a safe distance again.
“It was a mistake, Kye,” he said somberly. “An innocent mistake made by a woman who loved you with all her heart. All she hoped for was for you to become the king that Olathana deserved.”
“Not like this.” Kye stared at his hands with disgust, as if they were splashed with poison or covered in blood. “Anything but this. She should’ve just ordered my execution instead. She could’ve talked to me first.”
“But she did. Many times. She tried to talk sense into you. She begged you to act responsibly. And what did you do?” Arnon poked an accusatory finger in Kye’s direction as his voice grewsharper, colder. “You sent them to Sarnala and got them all killed, Delmar too.”
Suddenly pivoting to Arnon, Kye roared like a wounded beast.
“Kye...N-nephew,” Arnon’s voice shrank. Terror made him stutter.
Kye advanced on him, like a predator prowling toward a prey.
Arnon flinched, holding out his hands as if trying to defend himself from Kye’s deadly presence. Backing away, the prince took one step too many and fell into one of the pools with a splash.
Did the fall save him from being turned into a glass figurine?
Deep inside, I didn’t believe that Kye would do that to his own uncle. I hoped he wouldn’t. But I didn’t know Kye well enough. I certainly had never seen him this...devastatingly broken.
With his fingers hooked in his hair, he sank down onto the floor as if all strength had left him.
Prince Arnon moved to the other end of the pool. He didn’t swim in strokes like people normally would. Instead, he just raked a hand through the water, and a low swell carried him across. He climbed out, careful to keep his distance from a kneeling Kye.
