Page 181 of Cruel Tides

Ah—

My throat closed as the binding strings of the crown’s old command held tight.

“Do not waste time telling your name to others, puppet. Your identity before becoming my servant holds no significance.”

“Consider me a messenger,” I said smoothly, recovering with practiced ease.

Just as the tension thickened, a second figure appeared, running through the wall of sand with a hand braced over his face. “Leander! Laverne found a crab who…” It was easy to tell the exact moment recognition hit. Upon seeing me, his eyes bulged as though he were facing a demon, fear freezing him in place. “…You.”

Anticipation rose within me, and I felt my smirk stretch wider.

“Kai Corentine,” I mused. Things were unfolding even better than expected. “I didn’t come here to strike a deal with you, I’m afraid.”

Before I’d even finished, the Pacific mer’s face had drained to a sickly pallor.

Ah, yes—it seemed he’d gained some wisdom since our previous dealing.

The prince next to him took a protective step forward, wedging his body between us as if attempting to shield Kai from any harm I might inflict.Intriguing. The brotherly bond they shared was palpable. Unfortunately, his attempt at protection had come far too late.

Oh, I was enjoying this little reunion. Enjoying how their fear and anger mingled in the storm building around us. All the better to set the stage for what was to come.

All at once, the fear in Kai’s eyes ignited. “You!” he wailed, his voice rising above the rumbling thunder. He pushed past his golden shield, heading straight for me with no regard for the water, his entire body trembling with rage. “Tell me, was it you all along?You’rethe one who took her?”

“The fuck are you doing?” The Atlantic prince seized Kai’s shoulder, hauling him backward before the waves could reach his feet.

“Tsk,” I scoffed, eyeing where the salt water swelled up the shore. “How disappointing. I would have loved to witness the curse with my own eyes.”

“You know this dark spawn?” Prince Leander’s voice was heavy with accusation, his eyes shifting between Kai and myself, torn between where to direct his anger.

I couldn’t help but offer him a sly smile, reveling in the chaos I’d wrought. “Claira came willingly, I assure you,” I called out over the golden prince’s growls, reminding Kai of how the stakes between us had changed.

The veins in Kai’s neck bulged as he bellowed back, “Claira… She would never!”

Perhaps things would have turned out quite differently had that been true.

“Naive as always, I see,” I said dryly.

Another figure emerged from the sandstorm, and my pulse surged with delight.

“Barren Arwa.” I snatched my trident up from where one of my tentacles held it under the waves, enjoying how the Indian Ocean prince’s gaze froze on my dark appendages. “I must say, you’re quite famous among my kind. The boy king, brought down by the might of a single tentacle.”

At last, the final piece of this puzzle was in place, and I couldn’t help but relish how seamlessly three mermen who hailed from separate oceans had come together.

The sky erupted, and a streak of lightning shot down at me with the force of a heaven-thrown spear. Sparks flew in every direction as I repelled it, tossing the blast aside with the end of my trident.

I grimaced, the muscles in my arm burning as I heaved in a breath. “For a prince marked with gold, you’re not very bright, are you?” The air was thick with the smell of hot metal, but I didn’t dare waste time inspecting how my weapon had fared.

The Atlantic prince possessed immense power, I’d give him that, but it was clear he had little control over it. “Do you really think,” I started, panting between words, “she’ll survive down there without me?”

“Barren!” Leander’s voice surged, a desperate plea disguised as a command. “Find out where she is.”

A prickling sensation built in my mind, and my attention cut over to the Indian Ocean’s fallen heir.

“Trying to pry into my thoughts, are we?” I forced a laugh, working the tightness out of my muscles by rotating my trident. “I’m afraid you might find my mind difficult to penetrate.”

“I don’t understand,” the Indian Ocean prince grunted out, his head shaking. “His mind… It’s like static.”

“Good to know those long nights of spellwork weren’t in vain,” I remarked, not bothering to mask my satisfaction. Perfecting that spell had drained a considerable amount of my magic. And while it had proven effective on Aracos, the Indian Ocean prince’s abilities were nothing short of extraordinary.

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