Page 88 of Stolen Magic of the Deep

I have spent so long being skeptical of this connection. Now, for the first time, I don’t want to let it go.

My hand remains against her neck, feeling the frantic pulse against my fingertips, while the bond thrums between us—no longer an enigma, no longer something I need to unravel.

It is simply here. And for one breathless moment, so am I.

Then, she pulls away.

The sudden absence of her nearly tears my soul in two.

She wipes the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands, her gaze falling anywhere but mine. She takes a step backward, putting distance between us—more distance than I ever intended to create.

My hand falls uselessly to my side. The warmth of her lips still lingers against mine, but the bond that had felt so perfectly aligned only moments ago now feels painfully exposed.

Rejection is not something I have often known, but it stings all the same, like the jolt of an eel. The pain holds onto me longer than it should, burrowing deep into both mind and marrow.

She looks hurt. And I, equally so.

“Why do you hesitate so greatly on the bond?” I ask, unable to keep the strain from my voice. “Can you not feel it pulling us together?”

She slowly backs away, turning in a full circle before walking toward the open archways that overlook my kingdom below.

“Orion, whatever this is between us . . . It’s an impossible dream. We come from two separate worlds. I come from the surface, a world of technology and science. You come from magic, royalty, and the endless sea. The bond doesn’t change that.”

“Have you never questioned your draw to the ocean?” I press gently. “The way she calls to you?”

Her eyes flicker toward the waves beyond the archway. “No—I mean, of course I do. That’s why I became a marine biologist.”

“I think that Mother Ocean had a different plan for you,” I proclaim, “and this was her way of bringing you here. To me.” The words linger on my tongue longer than they should. “Don't deny the bond, Sarah. Take your time. I'll always be here.”

Without another word, I turn and leave her chambers, choosing silence over a refusal I cannot bear to hear.

thirty-five

Sarah

His words fasten themselves within my brain. I was fully prepared to deny the bond, but something inside wouldn’t let me. Almost as if my soul could feel a small tear forming and stopped me before there could be any lasting damage.

Or maybe it's because his lips were just pressed against mine a minute ago and my brain has short-circuited. Either way, I'm not ready to admit what that kiss did to me. A ghost of his warmth clings to my mouth, an unwelcome reminder of how much that kiss affected me. Along with the strange sensation of something inside me shifting, settling into a place I didn't know was empty.

I knew he left because he didn’t want to give me the chance to disavow what had just passed between us. I've slowly become aware of his behaviors even in his absence I've learned small tendencies of his, like I’m studying a creature of the sea. But Orion isn’t a creature. He's a king, and though my mind hesitates on the title sea mates, my heart and soul have slowly begun to accept it.

I won’t tell him that. I have too much to focus on, and I didn’t even tell him the next step in my training.

I move on to Current Two’s challenge in a few days now that I’ve passed all my duels. Honestly, they were a great distraction, a way to release anger and anxiety when I needed it most.

From what I’ve acquired from other finlings in passing, I will go up against a sea creature in an arena in the deepest parts of Drekaris. Since I'm ranked as the number one finling, I get to choose my three team members for this battle tomorrow. I’m still shocked it happened the way it did. My magic definitely carried me through the ranks.

Aniah and Defymin have surpassed every one of their duels. And Keil, though he did sustain many injuries after his first duel, quickly became as determined as Defymin and now sits neck to neck with him on the rankings. After Keil's first duel, Aniah went to check on him while he was recovering and gave us updates as best as she could. He was gone long enough to miss his second duel, but he and his opponent made it up when he returned, and it actually became a good learning moment for our peers. Lord Zevrin used it as a way to teach us different angles that could've landed a better blow.

My mind races with everything I still have to do before this battle, and my anxiety rises at not knowing what creature I will be going up against. I came here with Nyxalene at the end of the sea day, like I've been for the past couple of weeks, but with Orion’s return, I feel comfortable returning to Drekaris. I'm already seen as an outsider and favored by the king’s people, and in his absence, many of his subjects began to worry. Zevrin did an amazing job reeling in the finlings and keeping us on task during drills and sessions. The eating quarters were always filled with low murmurs about what the king was up to and fears about why he had been gone for so long. Eventually, the noise would die down before meal time ended, allowing me just a few moments of mental appeasement before having to practice against all of them.

Retrieving my daggers and the necklace I created, I shift to serpent form and work my way down the palace corridor. It isn’t super late at night, the Pearlguards haven’t done their tide changes yet, but it’s late enough that evening meals have ended.

I reach the end of the hall near the entryway and inform a Pearlguard that I need Nyxalene’s presence to escort me back to Drekaris. They disappear down the hall, rounding a corner to what I assume are her private quarters.

As moments pass, I swim in tight circles, taking note of small details decorating the ceiling and walls of the corridor. I’ve never had the time to stop and admire the structure. Not much is here, just a few ribbons of seaweed intertwined along the walls, slightly moving with the push of the underwater currents. But it doesn’t stop my mind from remembering a time when I, too, could just enjoy the push and silence of the ocean without the constant fear of what was to come next.

Nyxalene comes into view, her posture still that of a general. Her tail whips behind her as she swims my way. “You spoke with him?” she asks.