Page 27 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“I request entry.” The ridiculous formality required by the government building.

“We are to let no one in but governors.”

“I am the proxy of Governor Nole Drakos.”

The blond guard looks at the other one, who nods and yells, “Stand back. We are opening the doors for the proxy of Glyden, Castor Drakos, and him only.” He clicks his heels over to the other side of the room. That’s when I spot Holter hovering near the wall, his arms across his chest. If I thought I could get away with bringing him in with me, I would. I give him a curt nod before I turn back to the administrator in the blue jacket.

The tall doors are wide open. I step into the lobby, and the doors shut behind me. The mosaics of our history panel the walls. There’s a podium in front of three Art Deco elevators. But today, instead of one bored-looking clerk at the desk in front of the elevators, there are four or five chattering away at tablets like they’re not sure if a tidal wave is coming. Even with the bustle from them, my bare feet make noise crossing the room. Tridents are engraved on each of the doors, along with mermen and a mermaid holding a trident in one hand, the scales of justice in the other. The lobby is built for intimidation.

“Can I help you?” asks a male in a tight blue jacket that appears more in style with human fashion from a hundred years ago than our own.

“I’m the proxy for Governor Nole Drakos.”

He taps on his tablet and sees what I’m saying is true. I told Nole when he left on theOmicronI wouldn’t meddle with any of his policies. And I haven’t. I’ve been so busy trying to get the company ready for a new CEO that I’ve lost sight of what I really want.

“Oh, they’re already in session. But you can go in. Follow me.” He walks me across the room, away from the elevators to the Maelstrom Sea Chamber where the governors and king meet. The door is three stories tall, and when he yanks on it, I wonder if he’s going to fall over. But it opens into a smaller lobby. I’ve been in here before, for Nole’s swearing in. There is a second set of doors, just as tall. But Blue Jacket doesn’t open them. He leads me to the side where there’s a small black door. “You can enter through here whenever; the session has already started.”

“Thank you.” I give a quick nod and enter the circular hall. The walls are solid with ten panels, each representing one of the domes. The light comes from a massive chandelier hanging like a pendulum in the middle of the dome.

It’s a very different place from the last time I was here. The room is huge, and there are eight people here. Nole and the governor of Tinom are both on a diplomatic mission to Skyrothasia, and Atlas is leading the front against the Vikings.

Heads turn away from Forrest, the head of the Stele Dome. When they do, that’s when I notice Nico. He’s kneeling behind the Stele governor, holding up the giant trident. It’s not seven feet tall, but it’s not far from it. He’s naked and bleeding.

“What the hell?” I race down the corridor.

“Exactly what are you doing?” Forrest puts his hand up, like he can stop me from getting to Nico.

“And what are you doing? He’s bleeding.”

“He came back to the city with this trident.”

Forrest points to the ancient thing that Nico is clearly not letting go of.

“Yes, that’s the mission. So why in the fuck is he sitting in his own blood?” I drop to my knees too. I’m not going to ask if he’s okay. He’s clearly not. His hands are torn up. There are bite marks on his legs and a deep gash across his torso. “He needs to go to the hospital.”

“He needs to answer questions on how he got here,” the Seolfor governor shouts.

“He fucking swam. With that.” I point at the trident. Milo’s not wrong. The thing must weigh a thousand pounds.

“That isn’t like the trident the last male brought back.”

I pinch my nose. The whole thing about this ritual is that it isn’t for anyone to fully know other than the governors. “What do you mean, he came back with the wrong trident? Didn’t you place a trident?”

“Yes, we placed a trident.” Forrest turns away.

“You didn’t place a trident,” says Michio, the governor of Zaffiro. And it rings true.

The Permula governor’s face is red. “We did.” He turns to the male next to him, who won’t make eye contact with me.

Cracked lips, dilated eyes, and white puffy skin at his ankles and wrists are the least of Nico’s injuries. There are missing chunks from his neck and legs. I turn to him, wanting to get this over as fast as possible and get him to the hospital. “Where did you get the trident?”

His amber eyes are dull, but I’ve known him for long enough. He is trying not to speak, because if he gains any energy, he is going to use his big ass trident to take down the whole tribe of them. “Help me stand.”

I hold out my forearm and pull him to his bloody feet. Nico leans against me on one side, the trident on the other. He unrolls a bandage from around his arm and pulls out two rocks. One is palm-sized and sharp, the other a small fossil. He winces when he holds it with his free hand. “I used a rock to kill two giant eels. I then avoided a viperfish. I dove to the bottom where the bones of a blue whale had fallen.” His voice cracks, but he continues until he gets to retrieving the trident. “The only instruction I had was to get the trident. I left the trident chamber via a chimney. They gave no rules or instructions to come out the way I went in.”

“You should have known that.” Forrest raises his voice.

“He fulfilled the requirements. He’s free to go,” another governor says.

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