Page 30 of The Divine Shallows
“Do you experience this every time you pass through the outer gates?” Elowyn winced.
“Of course not. I’m not an outsider,” the Bloodweaver prince answered, his tone condescending.
Choosing to ignore his attitude, Elowyn pressed on. “And what happens if a not-so-faithful member of the royal court passes through without an escort?” she inquired.
“The protective ward can discern one’s essence and character to some extent. If it detects nefarious intentions, the consequences are grave,” Theo explained plainly. “The pressure from the surrounding magic would crush them.”
“Great,” she muttered.
“Isadora Bloodweaver took the welfare of her kingdom seriously,” Theo remarked, referencing the first Iron Queen.
“You don’t say,” Elowyn replied sarcastically, her face a mask of indifference.
Shortly after they began walking, they approached a clearing in the cavern where the ground ebbed into a body of water that was split into two tunneled paths. Theo flicked his wrist and beckoned a beautiful watercraft awaiting in the shallows towards them. It floated gently to them, eager to be put to use. The vessel wasmodest in size, with cushioned seats large enough for two occupants to sit comfortably.
“Ladies first,” Theo drawled, gesturing grandly toward the boat.
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Elowyn shot him a disdainful glance before picking up the skirts of her dress and carefully making her way to the edge of the watercraft. She calculated where she should step on the swaying vessel since she would rather moongate to another realm mistakenly than embarrass herself in front of Theoden Bloodweaver due to a misstep.
A second ticked by and she still hadn’t moved. Theo tutted impatiently and extended his hand, offering support. “It seems you’re in need of my assistance,” he goaded.
Elowyn’s irritation flared as she reluctantly accepted his hand. Settling herself onto one of the cushioned seats, she shot him a glare. “Are you always this unpleasant?”
“I’m perfectly pleasant. Although, you seem to be otherwise,” Theo remarked as he gracefully stepped onto the watercraft, sinking into a cushioned seat across from Elowyn. With a casual wave of his hand, the vessel began to glide forward at a gentle pace, veering toward the rightmost tunnel.
“What is your problem with me?” Elowyn asked straightforwardly.
“I don’t have any problem with you, specifically,” Theo droned. “It’s more that I find your family a disgrace to all of Neramyr. It’s shameful to see the esteemed Fangwright bloodline devolve into something so reprehensible.”
Elowyn’s grip tightened on the sides of the watercraft, marring the wood with her fingertips.
“Careful now, the primordial Iron Queen’s magic is watching you,” Theo cautioned.
“You best watch your tongue,” Elowyn threatened.
“It’s a shame your sister is the way she is. She’s stunning, that one,” he commented casually. “A damn shame that the blood runningthrough her veins is tainted. So tainted, in fact, that she was stripped of her birthright. The Fanged King made sure of that.” Theo frowned pensively. “She’s good for nothing now... Not even as a broodmare. However, I suppose she’d make a fine coin in the Iron Hollow’s Pleasure District… I’d even be her first patron.”
As the last word fell from his mouth, Elowyn snapped. She lunged for Theo so fast that he didn’t see the fist that contacted the side of his angled jaw. Elowyn’s fist collided into his porcelain chin so violently he recoiled back forcefully enough that he needed to grasp the sides of the vessel to support himself.
Elowyn reeled back her fist again to strike him once more, but before she could throw another punch, she doubled over in shock.
She clutched her throat, feeling it narrow. The magic in the cavern surged around her, crushing her with a relentless force. A thunderous headache blinded her as her skull felt like it was splintering from an unyielding grip. Her heart turned frenzied as it pumped against its own walls being compressed, mustering every effort to remain perfusing her body. Her lungs screamed for oxygen to feed her muscles while she clutched her chest. Elowyn began to panic, and her eyes widened as she realized she couldn’t break free of the magical assault.
Muttering something under his breath, Theo wiped his face on his sleeve. Another pulse of magic—Theo’s magic—coursed through the air.
At once, the magical onslaught ceased, and Elowyn collapsed on her knees and forearms. She gasped for air in uneven breaths, greedily filling her lungs. On her exterior, not a single hair was out of place, but on the inside, Elowyn felt a fear so heinous it frightened her to the very core. She turned her glowering gaze to the dark-haired prince again.
“You’re a hateful beast,” she hissed at him.
“Everyone has their vices,” he countered as he ran a hand over his jaw, attempting to soothe the bruises that were rapidly blossoming on the left side of his face in angry crimson blotches.
“If you ever utter another word about Elyria again, you’ll regret it,” Elowyn whispered.
She hardened her eyes and braced herself as she waited for another volley of suffering to strike her, but it never came. With a disgruntled look upon his face, Theo turned his head, leaning over the edge of the watercraft and spat a crimson-colored spittle from his mouth into the clear waters surrounding them. His blood billowed through the deep blue waters, spreading until it faded into the depths.
“We’re nearly there,” was all Theo said in response.
The two royals sat in silence as the watercraft navigated them through the labyrinth of tunnels ahead of them. The vessel took them in winding paths and bending lanes to their destination, the inner walls of the kingdom. The water lapped the sides of the vessel in a rhythmic tempo as the seconds passed.
