Page 67 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
Finnegan lowered himself into the armchair beside me and sipped from his tea.
“You will leave tonight with another piece of the trident,” he said, staring at the champagne carpeted floor. “And I wanted to apologize for our mistrust when you first came to our home.”
I contemplated an answer, and although I was upset they tested my character in trials I was destined to lose, I understood why.
“There is power in trust. And when it’s tied to something this big… it shouldn’t be taken lightly. I don’t blame you for holding back.”
Finnegan hummed low in agreement.
“Did you know about his father’s involvement?” I asked.
“We did.”
“Hasheknown?”
Finnegan nodded. “There are many other prisoners released by his father’s hand over the centuries.” He paused. “Something stirs in the shadows. Whatever they’re planning, it nears. You must make haste.”
Gods… I could stay here. In the Aetherkin Bound. Just stay.
“Lucine mentioned the Writherbought preparing us for finding the Oceanwrought trident piece. Do you know where it is?”
Finnegan nodded. “In the Abyssal Hold. Locked deep within its chambers and surrounded by prisoners like the Writherbought. Each one is brutal enough to end your life with a simple look.”
I stood and faced the councilman who extended a fabric-wrapped object—the trident piece. Finnegan gestured to the door at Noctis who watched from a distance. His eyebrowsfurrowed, and then his face distorted into something I couldn’t read.
“When this is over, we hope you will call our home yours as well,” Finnegan said, but my eyes were fixed solely on Noctis.
It was time to get back to the chaos of the other Bounds. Parts of me were ready to finish it all, but the majority of my being wanted to just pause.
I made my way to Noctis, and he gently grasped my face in his hands.
“Your face,” he murmured, voice thick with emotion.
“Why did that sound painful to say?”
I ran my fingers across my cheeks, still expecting to feel open wounds from the Writherbought’s burning binds. However, nothing marked the skin. The creature's power attacked and harmed only the mind, making me merely believe the pain existed.
Noctis ran his thumb across my lower jaw, and I felt it then. A scatter of needle-sharp prickles raced over my skin, snapping me backwards.
“The curse is bleeding throughour bond.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“The world could live to lose someone likeme,” Noctis breathed. “But losingyou… what have I done?” The words cracked.
“I’m fine,” I countered.
I wouldn’t tell him that minutes after finding the growing shatters in my flesh that the lethargic feeling soon overwhelmed me. That each step to the bathing chambers before we left the council’s cabin became a feat, weighed down like lead tied at the ankles dragging a being to their death in the ocean’s depth. My stomach gurgled, not out of hunger, but waiting for me to hurl up its contents.
Noctis’s gentle touch caressed my lower back, and I momentarily forgot the curse coursing through our blood. Weeks ago, I would have pulled away. Now, I let his hand rest there, warm and unremarked.
“I’ve worn my voice raw begging them. I spent every prayer I could, even knowing they would never answer me again. I’ve knelt, I’ve cried, I’ve offered up godhood itself and still been unheard… just begging that you’ll remember me,” he whispered in a plea, but my mind held tight to the memories of him, regardless of how much I searched.
“I remember what the early stages felt like,” he added. “You aren’t fine, but I’ll make sure you will be.”
His thumb rubbed against the curves of my back, sending shivers across my spine. Then, he waved his palm out toward my body, and a comfortable surge of pressure overcame me, hugging and pulling upward. My weight lessened dramatically, the effort it took to move easing, and I sighed in relief.
I walked out the door, leaving behind his people. Noctis followed, leaving them at his back for the second time.
