Page 65 of The Princess of Nothing
I shook my head but stopped when I saw his hardened expression. “Why would I help you?”
“For one, you will leave today with your life.”
I cocked my head to the side. “That’s fair, yes.”
“For two, there is another motive I believe will be beneficial to you. Your heart belongs to someone who is in danger.”
My gaze flicked up to Cedric, my heart pounding. “Cedric?”
“No.”
My stomach knotted. I lowered my voice to a whisper, then leaned in. “Blaise?”
“Yes, the boy prince. For he bears the same curse as me.”
“Curse?”
“A crown was thrown into the ocean, from a ship, when the night was still, and ice frosted the coast. It was, I believe, to be discarded. Feeling the strength of the object, we found it, and it was naturally brought to me. Can you guess what this crown was?”
I searched my mind, not wanting to come across as stupid. “An Object of Kai? So the, um, Crown of Discieti.”
“Good. Yes. The boy prince was the one who tossed it away. I believe he thought it would rid him of the curse, but you see, one need only wear it once for the curse to enact itself onto you for a lifetime.”
“Now you’re cursed too.” The puzzle pieces slotted together. “How can the other objects help?”
“Together, there is a way to break all the curses. I have found the way. If you bring them to me, I will destroy them, and your Blaise will be set free.”
My thoughts wandered back to when Blaise had told me about the Crown of Discieti. The paper he had scribbled on said the crown was found by the mer. He put found, I realized, because he’d thrown it in the sea. Then when he explained the curse, he looked so lost, in a trance almost. He was searching for all five objects, and it made sense. He planned on doing the same as the mer king, Aqugar.
I recalled the explanation of the crown. “He cannot love.”
“We can love.” He placed his hand over his chest. “But it is dulled. Joy. Love. Happiness. They are distant yet close. We can feel, but we only get flickers of it. It’s maddening, and in the end, it is easier to close one’s heart altogether.”
It all made sense now. Blaise called himself the boy who could not love. It made sense why he wanted me and said he cared yet pulled away, then seemed so distant. “I’ll find them.”
“I already knew you would. Once you have them, come to the ocean. Call for us, we will come. You do not need fear us, Winter Mortis. You shall not be harmed by us.”
Something else fell into place. “You have all become deadlier, more violent in the last years. When did you find it?”
“At the same time.”
“Your people feed from your energy. Isn’t that correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
Breaking the curse wouldn’t only save Blaise’s heart, it would also stop the mercreatures attacking the ships as much and actively hunting us. “In return, I wish for you to not attack any more lunas.”
“No.”
“That’s not how negotiations work.”
“This is not a negotiation. You will do the work regardless of deals made here today. If you need incentive, instead, I will offer this. If you do not find the objects by year’s end and bring them to me, I will make sure any boat, any ship, and any person who is a luna who comes into our waters will not leave them.”
I mentally kicked myself for trying to make an arrangement with him. What could I expect from a heartless predator king?“Then I have no choice.”
“You would have done it anyway. For your prince.”
He submerged below the inky blue waters, as did the others. I assumed that now he’d spoken to me, any ship I was on wouldn’t be attacked.
