Page 26 of Seas and Scepters

"Yes," she said, her voice echoing oddly in the confined space."King Nereon, my father, rules the northern waters, from the Ice Shelf to the Amber Straits.His palace lies beneath the waves of the Obsidian Deep, where light never penetrates and strange creatures glow with their own luminescence.He has reigned for seven centuries, carrying the Trident of Power and wearing a crown of black pearls."

"And you are his heir?"

"Not always," she said, a shadow crossing her face."My brother, Caelum, was heir to the throne.He was strong and brave, with our father's silver-blue tail but our mother's kind eyes.When I was sixteen, he died defending our kingdom from invading sea demons.After his death, the succession fell to me."

She paused, her fingers tightening around mine."I am the youngest of my father's daughters, but the only one to inherit his gift of storm-calling," she explained."The others can sing, can lure sailors to their doom, but only I can raise the tempests that sink entire fleets.It is this power that marks me as the true heir to his throne, now that Caelum is gone."

I tried to reconcile this image—Selene as a powerful princess capable of destroying armadas, thrust into a role she never expected to fill—with the woman whose hand I held."And the trials you spoke of?The thirteen deaths?"

"A tradition as old as our kind," she said, her voice growing distant, as if recalling ancient memories."Each heir must prove their worthiness by claiming thirteen human lives—one for each of the original siren sisters who founded our kingdom.My brother was five victims into his trials when he died.I never thought I would face them myself until then."Her eyes met mine, vulnerable in the dim light."It is...not a tradition I ever questioned until I met you."

We reached the end of the passage, where a small wooden door was set into the stone wall.I pressed my ear against it, listening for sounds of movement on the other side.Hearing nothing, I carefully turned the iron handle and pushed it open a crack, revealing a section of the palace rarely visited by anyone other than scholars and scribes.

The library annex housed the oldest and most valuable texts in the kingdom—histories, magical treatises, and records dating back to the founding of Vaelthorne.It was also, conveniently, located in the most remote wing of the palace, far from the ceremonial halls where the wedding chaos would be centered.

"Wait here," I whispered, slipping through the door and into the dusty chamber beyond.After confirming the room was empty, I motioned for Selene to join me, then carefully closed the passage door behind us.It blended seamlessly into the wood-paneled wall, invisible unless one knew exactly where to look.

"What are we searching for?"Selene asked, gazing around at the towering shelves filled with ancient tomes.

"Anything about sea witches, particularly Morgana," I said, moving toward a section I knew contained texts on magical beings."Historical accounts, magical contracts, personal journals of those who encountered her—anything that might tell us where to find her and how to approach her."

We worked quickly, hastily pulling volume after volume from the shelves, scanning their contents for any mention of the Sea Witch.Most contained only passing references—cautionary tales warning sailors to avoid certain waters, or fantastical accounts of her powers that seemed more legend than fact.

After an hour of fruitless searching, my frustration mounted."There must be something more substantial," I muttered, running a hand through my hair."My ancestors made a pact with her—a pact that marked my bloodline with these scars.There would have been records, agreements, specific terms."

"Perhaps those wouldn't be kept with general texts," Selene suggested, replacing a heavy tome on its shelf."If the pact was as significant as you say, the documents might be stored somewhere more secure.A royal archive, or a private collection?"

She was right.The library annex contained scholarly works available to court historians and learned nobles, but the truly sensitive documents—those pertaining directly to the royal family's most closely guarded secrets—would be kept elsewhere.

"My father's private study," I said, the realization striking me suddenly."He keeps a vault behind his portrait, where the most important royal documents are stored.Including, I'd wager, anything relating to the pact that protects our lineage."

"But how will we get there?Surely his study would be guarded, especially now."

I grimaced, considering our options."The passages connect to it as well, but accessing the vault would require my father's key, which he keeps on his person at all times."I paced the narrow aisle between shelves, thinking aloud."However, there might be another way.My mother's journals."

"Your mother's journals?"

"Queen Isadora was a scholar of ancient magic," I explained, already moving toward another section of the library."She collected folklore and magical histories from across the kingdom, recording them alongside her own observations and theories.After her death, my father had her writings brought here rather than discarding them.He couldn't bear to have them in their chambers, but neither could he bring himself to destroy them."

It took some searching, but eventually I found what I was looking for—a collection of leather-bound journals with my mother's flowing script filling their pages.I pulled them down reverently, remembering how she would sit by the fire each evening, recording the day's events and discoveries in these very books.

"Here," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper as I opened one volume to a page marked with a blue ribbon."She was researching the origins of our family's protection against siren song.Look."

Selene leaned closer, her eyes widening as she took in the detailed illustrations and notes.The page showed a map of the coastline south of the capital, with one section circled in red ink.Beside it, my mother had drawn a series of strange symbols that resembled ocean waves and crescent moons.

"The Widow's Reef," Selene breathed, tracing the circled area with her fingertip."That's what we call it in the siren tongue—the place where the sea meets the underworld.It's said to be one of the few places where the barrier between realms is thin enough for ancient beings to cross."

"And this?"I pointed to a small notation beside the map.

"Summoning glyphs," she said."They're used to call forth beings of power from their domains.These particular ones..."She frowned, studying them more closely."These are specific to Morgana.They're a formal invitation, requesting her presence and offering appropriate tribute."

Hope surged within me."Then we know where to find her and how to call her forth.What tribute would be required?"

Selene's expression grew troubled."Something of value from both petitioners.A sacrifice that represents what each holds most dear."

Before I could ask what that might mean for us, a distant commotion reached our ears—shouting voices, the clatter of armored boots on stone floors.The sounds were still far off, but they were unmistakably moving closer.

"Guards," I said tersely, closing the journal and tucking it into my shirt."They must be searching the palace room by room.We need to leave, now."

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