Page 94 of Claimed By the Depths

“You,” I replied without pause. “Your essence is not only a distraction in our day-to-day engagements but in dire circumstances.”

“Then we are the same,” she said. “When I am cast aside and ordered to command a crew we both damn well know could sail without us, while you thrust yourself into battle, those fears are exemplified. Believe me, I understand your side well, Ace, as I, too, find my mind wandering when we are both standing in opposition to those who wish to see us fall. But I would much rather know your state of being than drown in the unknown, in the what-ifs and could-bes, as you mentioned.”

“I know you’re right, which is why I’ve permitted you to join me in the palace. That horror of the unknown you spoke of is far more potent, and I cannot deny that any further.” Gathering her hand in my own, I settled her palm over my chest. “I harbor my own hesitancies, and will continue to, but having you within my line of sight will serve far more benefit than damage. There is no instance in which I want you to feel as if I doubt you, and I apologize for my inability to acknowledge that in the past. You are… You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Leilani, and when I claim I would not survive losing you, I mean that with every fiber of my being. If I were not slain in tandem, then the terrors of our realm would meet their match, for I would become a villain.

“There is no existence in which others survive if you are not there. You are my life, my hope, and the very reason I have lived until this point. Maybe that renders me far too reliant on you, but there is not an ounce of me that will apologize for that fact.” Stroking her knuckles with my thumb, I allowed some of the tension coiling in my body to unfurl. “I am well aware I am a pitiful man, one entranced by your essence and the light you emanate. If you so much as demanded it, I would stake myself with my blade and offer my life for your own, because you are worth it. You are worth a million moons, a trillion stars, and each of the realms beyond, my little fang, and there is nothing I won’t do to⁠—”

The light drumming of knuckles came from the other side of the door, indicative of someone waiting for our reply. Once-snuffed agitation ignited again, my words clipped as I glared at the slab of wood. “Who is it?”

“Just me, Captain.”

Parran.

Quick to slip from my lap, Leilani rushed across the room. Opening the door, she offered a gentle smile and waved them in. “Apologies for his brashness. We were unaware that we had a visitor.”

Gliding into the room with quiet elegance, they wore layers of deep teal fabric that clung to their lithe frame. Stitched with fine gold accents, their crisp ivory shirt seemed to glow against their periwinkle skin. White polished bracers and high boots completed their look with understated elegance, something they rarely wore because of their role on the ship. Luminous freckles and white hair gleaming, their cornflower irises danced between Leilani and me as their presence settled in the room.

“I’m sorry for interrupting. I hadn’t realized the two of you were… deep in conversation. If it is best, I can come⁠—”

Adjusting myself, I stood. “What is it you need, Parran?”

“Not a need, just a desire to discuss things.” Arms tucked behind their back, their gaze swept between the woman who harbored my mind, body, and soul and me once more, brow quirking with suggestiveness. “As I stated, I can always come back if you are busy.”

The tips of my ears burned, Leilani’s chuckle failing to provide aid as I prompted, “By the gods, Parran, speak.”

“Caspian Vayne.”

His name was enough to earn my attention. “What of him?”

“I just… I have concerns.”

“Why?” Leilani and I asked in tandem. “What of?” I added.

“During the morning gathering, I did a lot of observing. Or, well, perhaps that is a poor way of putting it because it took little to realize, but Sorva’s curse has spread.” Rocking between the balls of their feet and their heels, they took my silence as a means to continue, “No matter my healing, her control over him is not diminishing. I am fearful for his safety, as well as Rohen’s, and the closer we get to Serevalen, the more potent those worries become. Not because I see them as incapable, but because, with proximity, Sorva could leverage her bind more efficiently.”

“Is this something you are sure of?” I questioned, shoving my chair to its place behind my desk. “I could very well be misspeaking, but I feel the darkness Sorva cast over Caspian has begun cracking the longer Rohen blesses him with her presence.”

“You are not misspeaking,” an ethereal voice chimed from the doorway, footfalls quick to follow.

Slipping in with no need for entry, Lorelie strode to join Parran. Her crisp ivory blouse hung loosely beneath fitted suspenders. High-waisted, tailored trousers gathered neatly at her waist before tapering into worn leather boots laced to her knees. Her hair color, uncannily similar to my own, strawberry blonde curls bounced with each step, not an ounce of hesitation altering the way she carried herself.

“I wasn’t aware you came with guests,” I stated between clenched teeth as I met those honeydew eyes. “Lorelie. Pleasant finding you on my ship.”

She offered me a smile. “No need to lie, Captain.”

Lips parting to speak, Leilani beat me to it. “If he is not wrong, then are you accusing Parran of speaking out of turn?”

“Not at all,” she answered. “If anything, I have come to attest alongside them, as the chains Sorva has wrapped around Caspian's essence have only tightened. Her bind has weakened as he has gotten closer to Rohen, but in the same breath, her venomous influence has started eating away at all he is. She is known as the Devourer of Realms for a reason, as she and those who hold thrones alongside her consume to fortify themselves.

“So, yes, as you’ve stated, Alastair, the strengthening of the bond Rohen and Caspian share as Mizani, or soul ties, is offering him an upper hand in autonomy, but Sorva is feeding off that replenished liveliness. There is a high possibility that, once we reach Serevalen, her bind with your best friend will intensify and render him even more susceptible to her charms.”

“Okay, and say Caspian is no longer her focus, and she waits with something else entirely?” I posed.

Lorelie’s irises flared with unease, the entirety of her involvement still unknown amongst us. “If her interest has diverted entirely and transitioned from a fixation on Caspian, then we have a far graver threat on our hands.”

Settling next to me, Leilani placed a steady hand against my back. “Why’s that?”

“Because she will have deemed him weak enough to sidestep,” Parran practically whispered, their ability to speak far more natural than before. “Just as she has with those of us tied to the Damned. It seems her grasp on our silence has slipped, not out of negligence, but confidence.”