Chapter 136 Last Moment
Look at the sea, I commanded, forcing every ounce of my willpower into the bond. I gave him the memory of the Sapphire Sea at dawn—the way the light turned the water to liquid gold, the way the spray felt against our skin when we stood on the balcony of the suite. Focus on the blue. Only the blue.
I felt him latch onto the memory like a drowning man grasping a rope. His breathing, mirrored in my own chest, slowed. The frantic edge in his mind receded, replaced by a heavy, soul-deep exhaustion.
Hours bled into one another. The jaundiced light in the Throne Room shifted as the sun moved across the unseen sky outside. I lost track of time. My body was a map of pain—my wrists were raw from the shackles, my knees were bruised from the hard floor, and the corset was a persistent, crushing weight.
But the emotional impact was worse. It was the crushing realization that we had been so close. I could still feel the weight of the obsidian dagger in my hand. I could still hear the whisper I had given him—Wait for me. I had intended to save him. I had intended for us to run to the harbor, to steal a ship, to disappear into the vastness of the ocean.
Instead, I had led him straight into a deeper hell. I had traded the execution block for a flooded cell and a slow, agonizing rot.
"The bird is still alive, I see."
The Emperor’s voice didn't come from the doors. He seemed to materialize from the shadows of the dais, his midnight-green robes slithering over the marble like a trail of moss. He walked with a slow, deliberate grace, his blind, milky eyes fixed on the empty space before him.
He stopped in front of the cage.
"You haven't touched the bread I sent," the Emperor observed. He tilted his head, the movement bird-like and unsettling. "Your heartbeat is slow, Nerissa. Your blood is growing thin. You are punishing yourself for the Admiral's sins."
"He didn't commit any sins," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I stood up, using the bars to pull myself to my feet. My legs were shaky, my head spinning with a sudden wave of vertigo. "You are the one who turned a hero into an Anchor."
The Emperor smiled. It was a horrific stretching of pale skin. "I created a solution to a problem your bloodline started. Your ancestor cast the curse; I simply provided the vessel to contain it. Without the Admiral, your precious sea would be a graveyard of black sludge. I am the only thing keeping your world alive."
He stepped closer, his face inches from the gold bars. He smelled of ancient dust and dry mint.
"But the Anchor is failing," the Emperor murmured. "The rot is spreading too fast. Klaus is strong, but even his heart has a limit. Every time he drowns in that cell, the curse takes another inch of his soul. If he goes feral, the Anchor breaks. The rot will flood back into the ocean, and your kingdom will die in a single night."
He raised a skeletal hand, tracing the line of a gold bar.
"I am giving you one final chance, little fish. Sing. Not the song of destruction you used in the arena. Sing the song of submission. Anchor the magic to the crown. If you do, I will move Klaus to a dry cell. I will give him blood. I will let him live."
I stared at him, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm. It was a lie. I knew it was a lie. The Emperor didn't want a submission; he wanted a weapon. He wanted to control the Siren’s voice so he could use the rot as a threat against any kingdom that dared to defy him.
And I knew what singing would do to Klaus. Through the bond, I could feel the curse sitting dormant over his heart. If I sang, that black sludge would wake up. It would burn through his veins. I would be feeding him poison to keep him alive.
"No," I said, the word cold and absolute.
The Emperor’s smile vanished. His face went flat, his blind eyes turning into stones. "Then you will watch him turn into a monster. And when the sea turns to ash, you will know it was your hand that lit the fire."
He turned away, his robes rustling as he glided back toward the shadows. "Commander Thorne’s replacement has a certain… flair for interrogation. I think I’ll send him down to the Abyssal Dungeon tonight. He’s been dying to see if a Vampire Lord’s skin peels as easily as a human’s."
"Wait!" I shouted, grabbing the bars so hard the iron shackles rattled.
The Emperor didn't stop. He vanished into the dark, leaving me alone with my screams.