Chapter 256
I’m halfway to my room when I hear footsteps ahead, and then see her—Cora—heading in the opposite direction, back toward the infirmary. She looks focused, but not hurried, and definitely tired.
“Hey,” I call out, my voice a little smug as I fall into step beside her. “If you’re looking for Delphi… she’s not home at the moment.”
Cora glances sideways at me, raising an eyebrow. “You look very pleased with yourself.”
I grin. “All I did was help out a friend.”
Cora hums, but her eyes gleam. “Peter?”
“They’re watching The Princess Bride,” I say with a little shrug, pretending it’s no big deal.
Cora stops in her tracks and turns toward me. “You were gone for, what, a few hours? That happened in a few hours?”
I laugh and nudge her shoulder. “Life comes at you fast when you’re reintroducing someone to the world after a hundred years of captivity.”
She shakes her head, smiling now. “You’re a menace. And I mean that in the best way.”
“I try.” I pause, tone softening. “How’d your call go?”
Cora sighs, the light leaving her face for something a bit more serious. “It was harder to make contact from down here. The interference from all the tech is… aggressive. But I managed to get through to both Khale and Tai.”
My heart lifts. “And?”
“Khale was this close to making a move,” she says, pinching her fingers together. “He was already rallying forces when I got through.”
I suck in a breath. “Gods.”
“I talked him down,” she continues. “Convinced him it would only escalate things. For now, he’s standing down. But he’s not happy about it.”
“Is Khale ever happy?” I murmur, and Cora snorts softly in agreement.
“Other than that, the transition of power in Ao is going smoothly. It’s mostly ceremonial now. Khale’s chosen successor is stepping into place.”
“And Tai?”
She nods. “Back on Big Island with Andreas. Monitoring things like I asked. He says it’s quiet. Stable enough.”
That small kernel of tension in my chest starts to loosen. We’re not out of the woods, not by a long shot, but we’re not losing ground either. It’s something. A foothold.
“Ancient doomsday prophecies don’t happen overnight,” I murmur, half to myself.
“Thankfully,” Cora replies, her tone dry.
We round the final bend that leads to our rooms, and my thoughts are already shifting to warm water and clean sheets when I stop short.
Two figures are standing outside my door.
Miore and Elanora, Nu and Amphitrite’s Heirs. This should be fun.
“Phoebe,” Miore says with a nod. “Lady Cora. We hoped to find you.”
I immediately bristle, my spine locking into that perfect posture of caution and polite distrust. “Can we help you?”
“We’d like to talk,” Elanora says. Her voice is soft, like ocean foam curling at the edge of something much darker.
I glance at Cora. Her expression is unreadable.
“We understand that much of what goes on here may be… difficult to digest, but the other Heirs and I believe that small politics shouldn’t hold us back from learning from one another.” Elanora says.
I cross my arms and try to fix my face in the most neutral expression that I can. “I don’t think I consider anything that’s happening here ‘small,’ but I can’t deny that I’m curious to understand what precisely is drawing you to this mission.”
Nu’s Heir smiles brightly. “Precisely! We, too, want to understand. It is our histories that have led us to this singular point, and I for one am grateful for this unique opportunity we have as Heirs to share those experiences.”
The hairs at the nape of my neck prickle. “That’s... fair, I suppose.”
Elanora doesn’t flinch. “We’ve dedicated our lives to this role. To what it means. You were chosen so unexpectedly, and yet you’ve already accomplished so much. We believe we could all benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of each other’s skillset.”
“Interesting,” Cora says dryly. “And I presume that sharing one anothers’ strengths and weaknesses would go a long way to helping Shoal further shape this mission of his, of course.”
Miore frowns, sensing the direction we’re leaning. “We are happy to be of service in whatever capacity we can offer. We believe in what Shoal is building, not just for us and our people, but for the land dwellers, as well.”
“So what are we doing here?” I ask. “Trying to get us on board with the Enigma merger?”
“Trying to get you to understand,” Elanora says. “This isn’t about politics. This is about our future.”
Cora steps forward, voice steely. “You mean the future where we hand over our own people to a corporation who locks them in tanks and calls it progress?”
Elanora’s jaw tightens. “The people in custody now—those were criminals. Revolutionaries who nearly brought the Great Expanse to collapse. Shoal offered them an alternative to public execution.”
“Imprisonment and experimentation,” Cora says, eyes sharp. “So merciful.”
“They volunteered,” Miore says quickly. “They were given a choice. And their families have been well compensated for their absence.”
I laugh without humor. “Because nothing says justice like a paycheck.”
Miore hesitates, visibly uncomfortable for the first time. “Look… it’s not perfect. But at least it’s a start.”
The moment stretches, tight and hot with the sting of too much truth. I feel like a spark is about to jump.
Then, Elanora softens. “We didn’t come to argue.”
“No, kidding,” I murmur.
“We came to invite you,” she says, and her tone is different now—almost hopeful. “To train with us.”
“We’ve been working on our powers together,” Miore explains. “Testing limits, learning how our abilities might overlap, might strengthen one another. You should be part of that. We assure you, your weaknesses will remain your own.”
I glance at Cora, who’s frowning hard.
Elanora notices the interaction and lifts her chin ever so slightly. “The Abyssanian prince has already been a great help, teaching us the ways of combat.”
“Wake agreed to teach you to fight?” I ask. That would have been nice to know in advance.
Miore nods eagerly. “I expect,” he says carefully. “That the prince has weighed his options and sees the advantages of getting to know the people who share your burden. Perhaps… this is your chance to see if we’re really the enemies you think we are.”
I look back and forth between them, my instincts screaming and my mind racing. They could be baiting us. Or they could be telling the truth. Just like everything else here, things are frustratingly gray.
“When do you want to get started,” I finally ask.
“If we hurry, we may still catch the end of the prince’s latest lesson,” Elanora says.
I blink hard. “What, you mean like right now?”
Elanora is already strutting down the hallway, her diaphonous robes swirling around her ankles. “This way, please.”
Miore gives us one last look—assessing, curious—and then disappears down the hall behind Elanora.
Cora stands beside me, quiet for a beat.
“I don’t trust them,” she mutters.
“Me neither.”
“But we should probably go.”
“I know.”
We both sigh at the same time and take off after them.
Because, at the end of the day, war is easier than diplomacy.
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