Chapter 26: The Forgotten Bond
"…"
Everything went still…
Nadeira blinked, unsure how to answer. "My… mother?"
Nyxmaris looked away like he suddenly found the window interesting. Orrisian's eyes lowered, arms crossed tighter.
Caspian just kept looking at her, but his silence felt like a cold night.
Nadeira frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that? What do you know?"
Nyxmaris forced a smile that was way too quick. "We're not looking at you in any way. Tell us first. How much do you know about her?"
She stared at them, suspicious. "Nothing much… really. She was always kind and very patient. But she didn't stay long. My father kept me close to him, and she… she was gone before I could even understand why." Her voice hushed. "I didn't get to spend much time with her."
Orrisian's brows furrowed. "Gone? What do you mean?"
"She disappeared at first," Nadeira admitted. "Everyone said she ran away. Some whispered she was taken. My father never spoke her name again. If I asked, he'd get angry." She swallowed. "So I stopped asking."
The three princes exchanged a glance that said more than words, but Nadeira noticed.
Her eyes narrowed. "You know something."
Nyxmaris leaned forward, his grin was gone. "Not enough to tell you yet."
"What does that mean?" she demanded.
Caspian finally spoke, measuring his tone to make sure he didn't hurt Nadeira. "It means some truths come with storms you can't escape. And you're not ready to drown in that storm."
Nadeira clenched her fists. "I hate when you talk in riddles. If you know something about my mother…about why the sea bonded me to you four, you better tell me."
Orrisian shook his head. "Not now, flame. Not while the king watches every move, not while Levius is whispering poison into people's ears. It would only put you in more danger."
"More danger than I'm already in?" Nadeira snapped.
Nyxmaris reached for her hand. "Trust us. We'll tell you when the time comes. For now… just breathe."
She pulled her hand away, frustrated, but the carriage jolted again, slowing as they reached their mansion gates.
The guards outside bowed low when the door opened.
The princes stepped so full of power from the sea, towering every single one of them. Nadeira followed them, and realised how her head was buzzing with too many questions.
Inside, they settled her in the library that was just a room stacked with scrolls and ancient times the sea itself seemed to have dragged ashore.
Caspian placed a thick, leather-bound book in front of her. Its cover was shining like a faded blue under the candlelight.
Nadeira raised a brow. "What's this?"
Orrisian's tone was confident. "Knowledge. The kind no king, no Levius, no noble can use against you."
Nyxmaris smirked. "Consider it homework. Don't complain, we'll test you later."
Nadeira gave him a glare but opened the book anyway. The pages smelled of salt and octopus.
The first line made the nerves vibrate in her blood:
"A bond between the sea and human comes at the price of life. For the sea listens only when a soul dares to be offered."
Her voice started shaking as she read it aloud. "Sacrifices himself in order for the sea to listen to its requests…? What does that mean?"
Nyxmaris leaned against the table. "Exactly what it says. The sea isn't a gentle pet. It doesn't give protection for free. Someone always pays."
Her throat went dry. "Then… who sacrificed for me?"
None of them answered.
Nadeira looked back down, turning the page.
"The bond seals not with words, but with blood. The sea marks the chosen with lines of light, burning until the bond is complete."
She paused, remembering Caspian's golden markings, the way his body had weakened after their union.
Her hand trembled as she touched her own skin.
"The bonded cannot betray each other. Should one fall, the other weakens. Should one die, the other follows. Such is the vow of tide and flame."
Nadeira slammed the book shut. "That's insane."
Caspian's quiet voice cut in. "It's survival. And it's already written on us."
Nadeira felt the pressure build inside her chest. "So you're saying… if something happens to me, it happens to you too?"
Orrisian nodded slowly. "And the other way around. That's why you cannot take this lightly, Nadeira."
Her breath came fast. "I never asked for this bond."
Nyxmaris chuckled, though there was no humor in his voice. "Neither did we. The sea doesn't ask. It just takes."
Nadeira leaned back in her chair, running both hands through her hair. "I don't understand any of this. My mother, the bond, sacrifices… it's like every step I take, more chains get thrown on me."
Caspian stepped closer, crouching so he could look into her eyes. "Listen. You're not alone. Whatever storm comes, we carry it too. All of us."
For a moment, she wanted to believe him. His eyes that looked so tired yet staring, made her belly ache.
But the book's words echoed in her head. 'Sacrifice…Blood…Death….'
She shoved the book away. "Fine. I'll read more tomorrow. Tonight, I need to think."
Nyxmaris raised his hands. "As you wish, little flame. But don't run too far, we'll always find you."
Orrisian gave her a small nod. "Rest. Tomorrow, we'll deal with the council. After that… we'll deal with the truth."
Caspian stood up, still watching her with that strange calmness in his voice. "Don't worry. We'll return soon."
Nadeira blinked. "Return? Where are you going?"
"The sea calls us," Orrisian replies simply, shrugging his shoulders.
Nyxmaris smirked, already stepping toward the window. "Don't miss us too much."
Before she could argue, water shimmered under their feet, and in the blink of an eye, Orrisian and Nyxmaris vanished into it, gone like they had never been there.
Caspian lingered a second longer. "Read the book, Nadeira. Every word. It may save you."
She wanted to stop him, demand answers, but the water swallowed him too.
The room was empty once again…
Nadeira sat with the book in front of her, staring at the golden letters pressed into its cover. Her fingers were flying like a ghost above it, afraid to open it again.
Her whisper filled the silence. "Mother… What did you do to me?"