CHAPTER 24: ANCIENT TRUTHS AND WEDDING BELLS

Deep beneath the ocean’s waves lies Submareth, capital of the long-forgotten Abyss.

How many years had it been? How long since her birth? How many ages since her reign began?

Thalassaria was among the oldest of her kind, perhaps among the oldest living beings in all the world.

Born shortly after the Exodus of the Eidolons, she had sat upon her throne ever since.

This kingdom beneath the waves, the one that preyed upon human ships and dragged their sailors to the depths, had been built and forged by her own hands.

Here, the currents whispered like ancient tongues, weaving through forests of coral older than empires.

Shafts of silver light speared down from the distant surface, bending and shattering against opal walls.

Sediment hung in the water like drifting stars, settling over pillars carved before human history had begun.

The seas had concealed many horrors, and all had been broken and tamed by Thalassaria Virelleth, Sovereign of the Waves.

Few humans even believed her people existed, and fewer still understood the silent war waged against mankind. Nor did they remember their reasons for doing so.

And yet... something had changed in this ancient beauty, this Queen of realms beyond mortal imagining.

Her subjects had noticed it too: at a certain hour each day, sometimes twice, she would lock herself away in her throne room.

There, she would speak to herself in a tongue that only she remembered, sometimes with mirth, sometimes in anger, and, on rare occasions, with a faint and almost petulant pout.

None dared to question it aloud.

Since time immemorial, she had ruled alone, no consort to share her crown, no eggs lain to hatch and one day challenge her.

An ocean’s worth of suitors had tried to earn so much as a glance from her... and all had failed.

At first, spying on Caedrion had been mere curiosity, the idle indulgence of one who had watched centuries pass like slow-moving tides.

But when she learned that the human boy carried the blood of the Architect in his veins, her interest sharpened.

Sharper still when he spoke of an ancient device with power beyond her dreams.

Still, the engine was secondary. She sighed heavily as the orb in her hand dimmed to black, signaling that Caedrion’s bath had ended.

"How many years have those cursed contraptions lain in my domain... unconquerable. I have sent legions into the depths of those ruins, none have returned."

Her voice, weary at first, hardened to steel.

She moved through the throne room with the slow, inevitable grace of a tide, each step setting her dark opal blue scales shimmering in the fractured light that funneled down from the world above.

"The Architect... her legacy is older than even the Abyssal, from whom my people owe their blood. Few realize it, but it is her light that still glows in the ruins, ruins that have resisted all my attempts since the Exodus eons ago. I believed them eternally sealed... But with her heir still breathing in the world above, perhaps I may finally uncover what lies within. And if he proves worthy..."

She caught herself, drawing a slow breath, letting dangerous thoughts ebb away. Her gaze lingered on the empty throne.

"For now... I need only find a way to lure him to the sea. A pity he seems to be in the middle of a siege. No matter... I have all the time in the world."

---

Caedrion had no idea that while he bathed, his privacy had been trespassed upon by an ancient being from a distant realm.

Leisurely, he stepped from the steamy chamber, towel slung around his hips, only to find Aelindria waiting in his bedroom.

She wore no military uniform today. Instead, she had chosen an exquisite strapless dress, knee-length, cut like a modern cocktail gown, sleeveless yet elegant like a Victorian royal ball gown.

It hinted at her curves without the slightest vulgarity.

She lay on her stomach atop his bed, feet swaying lazily in the air, nibbling salted nuts from a small bowl while reading the manuscript he’d left on his nightstand.

Leaning in the doorway, Caedrion smirked.

"Hmm... perhaps it’s because we grew up together, but I never realized how beautiful you are, big sister..."

Aelindria froze mid-reach. Slowly, she turned her head just enough to glare at him, her cheeks already warming.

"Mother told me to remind you, our wedding is two moons away, little brother. And if you keep me waiting at the altar for more than five minutes, I will drag you there by the nape of your neck."

Wedding. Right. When he first underwent a synthesis, he’d been barely a month away from marrying Aelindria Ferrondel, his first cousin, closest friend, and the last woman of the Architect’s bloodline besides himself.

Time, it seemed, had flown.

Caedrion only smiled, crossing the room in a few easy strides before hopping onto the bed beside her.

She flushed deeper and turned away, but he caught her chin, coaxing her gaze back to meet his.

"You don’t need to be so timid, big sister. Who else am I going to marry? You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved."

Her blush deepened to the point of near-collapse, her body squirming with the effort of composure. He could almost feel her pulse quicken beneath his fingers.

Then he ruined it.

"Well... you’re also the only woman I’ve known who’s remotely my age, but that’s—"

"—You little brat!" She smacked his shoulder, scowling. "Didn’t mother ever teach you not to toy with a maiden’s heart?"

Caedrion laughed, wrapping her in a sudden bear hug and pressing her down against the bed. Her heartbeat thundered beneath him, a sound and sensation he did not miss.

"I’m sorry, big sister... That was rude. Forgive me."

She pouted, refusing to answer, until he placed a kiss against her forehead.

He rose then, giving her space, collecting his clothes before stepping back into the bath to dress.

All the while Aelindria sat in his bed, trying her best to calm her nerves.

"Little brat..."