Page 33 of Siren Problems
And at the center...
A sealed crate, still glowing faintly. Still locked. Still marked with the royal binding rune—three spirals, curved into the trident’s crown.
Her aura touches it, and the sealresponds.
The light flares gold.
No.
“Don’t—” I bark, but she’s already moving.
Her hand grazes the edge.
The crate hums like it remembers her.
She jerks her hand back, startled. “What was that?”
I float toward her, faster than I should, heart hammering.
“That seal shouldn’trecognizeyou,” I growl. “It’s attuned to blood. Royal lineage. Siren-born command.”
She stares at it, then at me. “So you mean it’s locked to people likeyou?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did it light up whenItouched it?”
That’s the question, isn’t it?
The one I don’t want answered.
I swallow hard. “Because something’s wrong.”
She frowns. “Or something’sright.Maybe I’m supposed to help you.”
“No,” I snap, harsher than I mean. “You’re not.”
“Why? Because Ican?”
“Because if you do, you get pulled intothis.” I gesture to the wreck around us, to the relic pulsing between us like a heartbeat. “You think this is some cool side quest? This wreck holds the last remnants of a war you haven’t evenreadabout.”
She doesn’t flinch.
Just floats there, eyes searching mine like she’s reading footnotes on my soul.
“I’m not afraid of your past, Calder.”
“You should be.”
“No. I should be afraid of losing you to it.”
Thatundoesme.
Because for all the magic and curses and wrecked empires...
That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say they didn’t want me lost.
We surface in silence.
