Page 60 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
“How?”
“The Aetherkin magic is powerful. Finnegan's magic in particular is one my kind would kill for,” Noctis answered slowly, shuffling to my side. “The struggle was real, and so was the hurt, but where you were, and most of what you fought, wasn’t.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me. I didn’t realize how much stability I needed.
“And you?” I gestured toward the woman, the words leaving on a breath.
“Lucine,” she quipped with a smirk. “The third member of the Aetherkin Bound’s Council.”
“Well, Lucine,” I snarled. “I should have let you fall.”
“You could have tried.”
She laughed, childlike, and my blood boiled, festering in me and ready to erupt. Then, the councilwoman leaped into the air, but her feet did not return back to land. She hovered above ground and looked down at me, beaming ear to ear.
“All a ploy. Honestly, the stabbing wasn’t a part of the plan, but I do feel a little bit better now.”
Definitely should have used the imbued blade on her.
My face heated, fists ready to pummel into Lucine.
Finnegan cut through the raging tension.
“Lucine, that’s enough.”
The woman lowered back to the ground, inspecting her nails as if unbothered. My fists clenched, teeth baring against each other until they hurt nearly as bad as the blade wound slashed through my arm.
She was about to beverybothered, though, when I—
“You lost,” Finnegan declared, then paused. “Yet somehow, you did everything we hoped you would in the trials.”
“The Maerjko trials are complete. And we cannot relinquish the trident piece from our company,” Bru said, his eyes averting away from the god that stood before him, his words lighter than prior the trials.
The realms will fall, and it’s all my fault.
I dipped my head, thinking of everyone I’d failed, every life that’d be lost to the Oricaans, the Royal Vanguard, or the scheming Ocean Mother.
“Give me another chance…” I beseeched. If they wanted me to beg, then I would get on my knees and bow. I’d live the rest of my grueling life behind bars if it would secure the trident piece.
The council formed a line, eyes flickering between the hazy white luminosity and back to their original color.
Lucine was serious when she recited, “The trials were never meant to test your strength of body, but your strength of heart and mind.”
Finnegan cut in. “Because battles may be won with might, but wars are survived with trust and sacrifice.”
I froze. Were they saying I won and represented myself well? The entire encounter seemed odd—rehearsed even.
“Then why can the trident piece not be given?” I asked, confused by the logic.
“Because one of our prisoners, the Writherbought, has escaped the Aeyronox Seal, and he is drawn to power. The trident fragment is dormant now, but if it is extracted from its tomb and used in battle, the Writherbought will hunt it down. Its fury will destroy the Aetherkin Bound—its people,” Finnegan said as if he had recited the words over and over. As if nightmares plagued his sleep of the creature depleting the life from his realm.
“We care more about our people—and the people in other realms—than you give us credit for, merfolk. This creature will not stop when it’s destroyed our home,” Lucine shot at me.
I realized it, then. I knew what the council was about to ask Noctis and I to do in order to guarantee the trident piece and the safety of his people.
“Noctis is aware of the danger imposed by the creature. It’s why we imprisoned it centuries ago,” Finnegan added. “Put it back behind bars, and the trident piece is yours. Then when it's in use, we will not have to fear its return.”
My head spun violently, and Noctis’s grip tightened around my waist, steadying my stumbling feet as we stood in place.
