Page 85 of Stolen Magic of the Deep

“Well, no. Not exactly.”

“Wait—what do you mean?”

“Time here is a funny thing. Within the barrier, it moves faster than one would think. One surface day still measures out to three sea days. But one sea day actually equals about one hour on the surface.”

The concept wraps around my brain more times than I can grasp. This completely blows me out of the water. My hope of being home before the holidays . . . before my—

“Nyxalene, how long have I been here?” I ask. My next question hangs by a thread, waiting on her answer.

“I'm unaccustomed to how you land-dwellers track time,” she says, “but I would assume somewhere around nine or ten sea months.”

My mouth falls open. “I missed it . . .” I whisper, my heart sinking as my body follows, lowering to the floor.

“Missed what?” Nyxalene asks.

“My birthday . . .”

This year, I was supposed to celebrate at Lucky Gold’s Irish Bar with Leo and my parents. To kick off another great year of school—my final one—and turning twenty-eight. I’ve been so overtaken with everything thrown my way here in Virellan, my thoughts have drifted far from everything I worked so hard for on the surface.

“Your birthday?” she asks, as if the idea itself is foreign.

“Yes. A day to celebrate the day you were born, typically. Though I do not celebrate the same as others.”

“What are some things you do on these days?”

“Well . . . for me, I mainly get drunk.”

“Drunk?”

“Yes, drunk.” A small laugh slips through my words. “A drink that makes you inebriated. I usually only do it when I want to forget things for a while.”

“Oh. I have the perfect place for you, then.”

Nyxalene drags me halfway across the kingdom, refusing to tell me where we are going. I stopped asking questions the moment a grin spread across her face when I mentioned wanting to get shit-faced.

I never imagined getting drunk under the sea would be something I’d experience, but when we arrive, I watch Nyxalene inhale a large bubble of gas, and within seconds, she becomes completely different. Almost relaxed.

“With Orion gone, and not being confident in whether he will return, I'm supposed to inform you that you have his permission to return to the surface if you would like.”

I turn to face her, shocked by her words. Orion knew he would be gone for a few days, but to assume it could be longer than that . . .

“I mean, I always knew I'd be going home eventually, but the threat is still out there, and with Orion gone . . .” I hesitate. “I feel like I would be abandoning him—and Virellan—if I didn’t stay to help.”

“Without him here, I'm not sure you can help. You'd be more of a liability. And I say that in the nicest way possible.”

Why does this feel like she's trying to get rid of me? I pause, processing the meanings behind her words and Orion's orders to Nyxalene.

“Give me a few more days to decide what to do before I make a rash decision on something so major. Unlike when I came here to Virellan, I would like to think I can actually choose what I want to do this time.”

She simply nods, taking in another gas bubble. She holds it for a few seconds before releasing it into the water before us. We sit in silence now, perched on the edge of two jagged stone rocks.

My mind drifts through the many possible endings—what could happen if I stay, and what could happen if I don’t. If I stay, I could help fight, but without Orion’s guidance, I’m not sure I could reach my full magical potential. And if I go, I would get my life back, but I would always wonder what happened here, and whether Orion ever returned.

Surely he would come to find me, wouldn’t he?

My thoughts are interrupted.

“Are you going to try, land-dweller, or have my assumptions about you been correct this whole time?”