Page 60 of The Kraken's Queen

At that, Delmare snaps to attention, turninginto the perfect soldier. “I won’t leave you. Iris will be fine,” he says, but his voice wavers, so I reach out for his hand.

“Go. I’ll be right here playing. I won’t move,” I promise him.

For a moment, I don’t think he’ll listen to me. Stubborn kraken. He wars with himself until finally he lets out a sigh. “Gavin!” he barks at a nearby guard.

Gavin, a red-haired merman, stands at attention. He scurries over and salutes Delmare. “Yes, sir?”

“Watch your queen. If anything happens to her, what I do to you will be child’s play compared to what the king will do,” Delmare threatens.

Gavin pales, nodding like an obedient bobblehead. “Yes, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“See that you don’t,” Delmare huffs. Before he takes off, he spares me one last glance. “Play. Don’t stop unless your life is in danger.”

Sound advice.

I watch Delmare swim off. Gavin swims close to me, taking his job seriously. I try to ignore him as I close my eyes, centering myself. It’s hard to block out the screaming and cries. The palpable fear is harder to block out, but I do my best.

My tired fingers pluck the first string, and the note reverberates around me. Just like every time, the music transports me to another place, where all I see and feel is the melody come to life. It’s a soft, upbeat song with intricate finger work. These are my favorite pieces to play because of how challenging they are, with the constant movement of my hands to find the right note.

I play two songs in a row without openingmy eyes. I could say it’s because the music swept me away, but the truth is I’m scared to see. I’m scared to look around and see failure. Or worse. Like, while I was playing, my people were slain. Logically, I know that’s not the case, but my brain instantly goes to the worst-case scenario.

Despite my fears, I force my eyes open, fingers still dancing along the strings. Soft notes keep me calm as I look around the room. There is still plenty of fear. I have not taken that away. But the room has changed.

The group of irate and scared merpeople who were demanding to be let out no longer crowd the guards. Merpeople aren’t swimming around, adding to the discord. People huddle in groups, gathering all around the room with their loved ones. Panicked and tear-stained eyes all stare at me.

In that time, Delmare returned, standing with Iris at his side. My maid offers a weak smile, clearly spooked as she holds on to her husband. “Keep playing,” she whispers.

“Is it helping?” Despite the tense calm of the room, I don’t know if my playing is actually effective. Even as I ask, I don’t notice anyone nearby with glazed eyes trying to chase after the call. That has to mean something.

“Very. You're blocking out the song of the Leviathan,” Delmare answers. “Please, my queen. Keep playing. It’s the only thing keeping this room together.”

I sweep the room once more, looking at all the faces depending on me. Men. Women. Children. It’s intimidating, to say the least, but I don’t want these people to hurt any more than they already do.

So, I play. And don’t stop once.

Chapter 35

Allarick

I’m ripped away from Erin, pulled in the opposite direction. Delmare comes into view. He grabs Erin and pulls her out of the room, doing exactly what is expected of him. Protecting the queen.

The fear and confusion on Erin’s face cut deep. I want nothing more than to go after her and promise her she’s safe. Except my words won't be true. Only my actions can guarantee her safety, which is what spurs me on.

“We need to move, Allarick!” the voice from next to me booms. There’s only one person here who wouldn’t bother with royal titles.

My suspicions are confirmed when I turn to see Nori, Atina’s crewmember, leading me out of the dining room. His usual calm demeanor is replaced with stoic urgency. I don’t give a shit that he didn’t use my title when speaking to me. But I care deeply that he clearly knows more than he’s letting on.

“Tell me what is happening, Nori,” I growl, rippingout of his grasp. Chaos ensues all around us as merpeople attempt to gather their family and flee.

“The Leviathan’s song has grown stronger, affecting sea life. We’ve seen changes in the animals and heard whisperings about attacks from various sea creatures. We didn’t realize this until the problem was nearly at your front door. Atina asked me to swim ahead and let you know what is happening.”

Just as Nori speaks the last word, a loud boom crashes around the hallway. I spot the reason for the sound immediately. Above us is a sixteen-foot predator, a shark with white, milky eyes and scars along his underbelly that look fresh. The shark swims around before zeroing in on our invisible sound barrier.

He rams it.

He rams it again and again until murky bits of the magic begin to crumble. Our only barrier between us and the Leviathan is on the verge of collapsing completely. Singing filters in through the cracks.

It’s there and gone in the next second as the barrier struggles to knit itself back together, but not before the song gets under my skin. It was a pull. Astrongpull. One that, if it went on longer, I don’t think I would have been able to ignore it.

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