Page 15 of Taken By the Storm King

“There are places here you’ve never seen. Things that would amaze you.”

Lucy turned toward me, and my pulse quickened at her nearness. “Like what?”

I held out my hand. “Let me show you.”

She placed her hand in mine, her skin warm against my scales. We walked through the winding halls, past groups of my people who bowed and whispered. But their whispers held no malice - only curiosity, and perhaps a hint of approval.

The path to the grottos wound down through stands of glowing coral. Lucy’s fingers tightened on mine as we descended.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, reaching out to touch a delicate purple frond.

“Wait until you see what’s below.”

We emerged into a vast cavern, its walls studded with crystals that caught and refracted the light from the glowing algae plants. The effect filled the space with dancing rainbows.

Lucy inhaled sharply. “How is this possible?”

“The crystals grow here naturally.” I led her deeper into the cavern. “When the light hits them just right...”

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

As Lucy moved deeper into the cavern, admiring the crystals, my hand unconsciously went to a second pendant hidden beneath my robes---another pearl, but unlike the breathing pearl I’d shown her. This one swirled with colors that shifted like living ink in water. I hadn’t shown it to anyone in years.

“What’s that?” Lucy asked, catching my movement. Her observant eyes missed little.

I let the pendant drop back against my chest, concealed again. “Just another pearl. A different kind.”

“May I see it?” Her curiosity---that trait I’d first noticed about her in the shallows---shone in her eyes.

“Not yet,” I said softly. “Some gifts require the right time.” I changed the subject before she could press further. “Come, the meal Maris prepared awaits.”

A group of ribbon-like creatures drifted past, their translucent bodies trailing streams of light. Lucy reached out, and one wrapped briefly around her wrist before darting away.

“Thalyshka,” I said. “They’re drawn to movement and warmth.”

“Do they live here in the grottos?”

I shook my head. “They travel with the currents. Sometimes they find their way in through the underwater passages.”

We settled on a ledge overlooking a pool where more thalyshka played. I unpacked the meal Maris had arranged - fruits, delicate pastries filled with spiced meat, and bottles of sweet wine that glowed faintly blue.

Lucy picked up one of the pastries. “Your advisor thinks of everything.”

“Maris has always been...” I searched for the right word. “Determined.”

“About what?”

I looked away, studying the play of light on the crystal walls. “My happiness.”

Lucy’s hand touched my arm, and heat bloomed under my scales. “Are you? Happy?”

The question echoed in my chest. Happiness. The word felt foreign, yet... looking at Lucy, bathed in the crystal light, it felt... possible. I turned back to her, caught by the warmth in her eyes. “I don’t know. But I think I could be.”

She leaned closer, and I held my breath. “Thalassar...”

A splash from the pool interrupted the moment. We turned to see a massive creature rising from the depths, the size of a small boat, its shell gleaming with iridescent patterns.

Lucy gasped. “What is that?”

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