Heiress of the Sea

Chapter 38

Soren and I were locked in the conference room alone. There was nothing but the hours until midnight and our own discussion ahead of us.

The orange candles continued to flicker, and we didn't speak for several minutes.

I couldn't look at him.

Our future—and our kingdoms' futures—were completely in my hands.

If I left to claim my rightful place on the throne of the Sea Kingdom, it meant I would be leaving Soren to the wrath of Hades, Poseidon and the underworld. And, if I chose to stay with him, I would be relinquishing my power, my claim to the throne of the Sea Kingdom and my identity, and we would be left to our own devices here, at the very bottom of the universe.

But still together.

Before I could speak, Soren did.

"You have to choose yourself," he told me quietly. "You have to, Ailith."

"There has to be another way for this to end," I whispered. "We have to find some way to get around this. Poseidon isn't as powerful as Zeus...what if we somehow summoned him to help?"

"Trust me. If Zeus hasn't heard about this issue yet, then he's definitely too far away to reach," Soren grumbled. "Especially in the four hours we have before you'll make this decision."

I took a deep breath. "What about...what about another God or Goddess? What about Lazarus's mother, Gaea? Couldn't she help us? Or someone else? I know Triton would help us, but I doubt he even knows what's going on. And Poseidon is his father. He answers to him, no matter how awful the order."

"In general, the Gods and Goddesses prefer to stay out of each other's business," he explained. "I doubt Gaea would be interested in getting involved, nor would anyone else who could actually be of help to us."

"So they don't care if we die? If you die?" I exclaimed. "One minute you're the most important, powerful being to ever grace the universe, and the next you're nothing? Just...just a death sentence?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "People—both mortals and Gods—die; fights occur. When you've been alive for millions of years, you grow accustomed to the idea that everything happens for a reason, and that you can't stop the cycle of life and death."

"You can't be saying"—

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Ailith. This is what you were meant to do," he whispered. "You're more important than I ever was. You've saved your kingdom. Now go and rule it. I know you can, and you will."

He spoke genuinely. He peered up at me with misty eyes. I couldn't bear the sight of it.

I almost let go. I almost let my heart die right then and there, but a single name possessed me to hold myself together for another moment; another heartbeat.

"Laena." I wiped tears from my eyes.

Soren squeezed my hand. "I'll do everything in my power to help her. I have no idea what Hades and Poseidon have planned. I assume...I assume they mean to kill me. But I couldn't guess what they want with your sister. I'm not going to lie, and say that they're going to throw her back into the Sea Kingdom after all she's seen and heard. But I doubt they'll kill her if we make a bargain."

"There will be no bargaining when it comes to my sister. You need to take her back to Land," I told him. "I will stay here, and stall Poseidon and Hades, and you must take her back to Land. She needs to get to safety before we do."