Platinum Prisons: Book 4 of The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter One: Melnah Valley

"A runaway Slave that is caught will be publicly beaten and then returned to its owner to undergo ­­further punishment."

Nadia's worries washed away as Marchioness Ivanna guided her through a dreamscape of amber coral reefs, their branches flickering beneath the shifting light. Curtains of luscious kelp swayed around them, thick and vibrant, brushing against Nadia's arms like silk as they passed.

At length, they reached the edge of a vast drop-off where a sleek, black coach fashioned from a spined-star shell awaited, glinting with a pearlescent shimmer and gold filigree that curled like sea foam. Four blue sharks were harnessed to it, hovering in the water eerily still, their eyes sharp and empty. Nadia trailed her fingers along the cool, gleaming frame before drifting inside. The whale-skin cushions sank luxuriously beneath her. Then with a subtle jolt, the coach glided forward into the blue.

Nadia gazed over the side of the coach, her eyes wide as the ocean unfurled around her in streaks of turquoise and blue. Years had passed since she'd last seen it, but now she truly understood how the Aquamarine Ocean earned its name.

Then she looked down.

Below the coach was nothing but endless, rippling depth. Her breath caught. A sudden lurch in her stomach confirmed to her there was no ground, no firm soil to ensure her safety. Only water, infinite and swaying. The awe drained from her chest, replaced by a quiet, rising panic.

But they glided onward without plummeting into the gaping abyss, and at length, there was ground beneath them again. Nadia exhaled, slow and shaky, as rock and coral stitched themselves back into the world. While Ivanna focused solely on the pages of her pocket journal, Nadia let her gaze wander past the Lady and their driver to the seascape which surrounded them. There were deep red algae, purple and pink sea fans, bright sea anemone, various forms of ocean flowers, many colorful varieties of coral, and Nadia's personal favorite: the glowing plumose anemone. It was as if the sea had stolen light from the sky itself as the colors danced around her.

Soon the chauffeur guided them to a second drop-off, the coach nearing the brink with no sign of turning away. Nadia leaned forward, eyes straining to pierce the shadows below. Her stomach tightened against the thick, endless void. Beside her, Ivanna sat motionless, calm as ever. That quiet presence anchored Nadia, even as the coach dove off and began its descent into the deep where darkness gathered like a storm. The aquamarine glow faded, swallowed by ink as Nadia's heartbeat pulsed in her ears. Then, there was nothing. No light. No landmarks. At last, the driver pulled the reins gently and directed the sharks to park on a narrow ledge of rock that jutted from the cliffside.

"We shall wait here for our eyes to adjust," Ivanna explained.

It didn't take long for everyone's vision to adapt to the darkness, and it was almost as though daylight shone around them again. Then the chauffeur steered the sharks deeper into the depths of the Aquamarine Ocean.

"Actually, Cod," Ivanna called out in Thallassian, the primary language of the sea. Nadia had almost forgotten it. "Take us straight to the Moss Canyon."

Cod glanced hesitantly over his shoulder. "M-Madam?"

"I'd like to get this visit out of the way," she explained. "Then perhaps Lila and I can enjoy the rest of our time at the manor. Don't fret, you don't have to enter the miracle worker's lair with us. You're welcome to wait in the coach."

"Very well, Madam," Cod replied.

Nadia was relieved she was still able to understand most of what Ivanna had said. Though, she wasn't sure how well she could still speak Thallassian.

"I take it he doesn't care much for the miracle worker?" she asked in Noelle, keeping her voice down.

"No one does, really," Ivanna answered, also reverting to Noelle.

"Why is that?"

"She doesn't have a particularly favorable reputation in the empire after she took you to land. Rumors of a nasty sort spread and transformed into tales of a sinister nature. Even I quiver at the very mention of Moss Canyon, despite the fact I'm completely aware the rumors hold no water."

For a while the three travelers seemed to journey aimlessly through dark, open ocean. Nadia began to wonder if they were lost. Just when she was about to suggest they forget Moss Canyon for now and continue to Ocean Rose, she caught sight of a faint red glow flaring from behind a large rock wall ahead of them. They slowly drew nearer, then coasted to a halt at the mouth of the canyon.

"Come." Ivanna drifted out of the coach. "Hopefully we won't be long."

Deep into the ravine, Nadia spotted an aged ship wedged into the ground. She knew the vessel was ancient, but it appeared as though it had only recently slipped beneath the waves to settle itself here. She followed Ivanna through the trench where underwater volcanoes simmered around them, their molten glow casting flickering ribbons of crimson and amber along the rocky walls. Lava snaked across the seabed and through the opening in the stern of the vessel, illuminating its weathered ribs from within, as if the ship itself held a beating heart of fire. The heat warped the sea like rising smoke, and Nadia tried her best to maneuver around the scorching sections of water as they approached the entrance into the ship.

"Come in," came a cracked voice with a strange accent, even for the ocean vernacular. "You late."

Ivanna hesitated, which in turn gave Nadia pause. But the Lady composed herself and led the princess into the hull. Nadia recognized the hideous hag who loomed in the darkness with an eel's tail. Her one yellow eye seemed to gaze at Ivanna while her fiery orange one burned through Nadia's own soul.

"Late?" Nadia uttered.

"Yes," said the eel-woman. "I toll you, you must return every tree years. It been six. Anyway, it almost finish. I need a hair."

Nadia and Ivanna trailed the miracle worker deeper into the wreck. They came upon a pedestal displaying a giant shell, its ridged surface gleaming faintly, cradling a pool of thick purple liquid. As the eel-woman took her place behind the shell, Nadia studied her surroundings. The chamber's scale and shape suggested it had once been the ship's cargo hold, but that purpose was long lost. Shelves lined the curved walls, sagging under the weight of jars, vials, and small lacquered boxes. Strange shapes floated inside some of the containers—roots, bones, or things she couldn't name as most of the room lay cloaked in shadow with but a dim red glow pulsing from the thin creek of lava.

The miracle worker looked expectantly at Nadia, who only stared blankly back at her.

"I believe she needs a hair from you, my dear," Ivanna spoke softly.

"Oh, of course," said Nadia, striving to remember the Thallassian words. She plucked a hair from her head and placed it in the woman's gray palm. "My apologies."

She and Ivanna watched as the miracle worker dropped it onto the concoction, which suddenly burst into a cloud of purple, and crystallized. Then she gently poured the crystals into a tiny pouch.

"How much does it cost?" Nadia asked after forming the sentence in her head.

"For you, just that hair." The miracle worker handed her the pouch. "Eat these when you surface and come back in another tree years. Be patient and keep faith, Nadia. There's much happiness in your future, you only need to gib it time."

Nadia grasped the pouch with hope. "Um ... I do have a question."

The miracle worker swam to a line of shelves and began selecting jars and vials. "I tink I know what your question is. I been expecting it too. You want to know why you were sent away, never to return."

Nadia nodded timidly. "I know it was for a chance at a better life, but I don't feel I have a better life."

The miracle worker returned to the shell and mixed some of the contents of the jars and vials to create a new concoction. "This does not mean you don't hab a chance."

She dropped the final ingredient into the mixture, and immediately a large plume of gray smoke exploded between them. Nadia gazed into the tiny flashes of lightning and witnessed images of her younger self and adoptive mother.

"The empress was consumed by her emotons; envy, resentment, coveting all which she didn't hab ... and couldn't provide. She blamed you for much of it, but she liked to tink she was a loving mudder, even though she used you as a tool: an end to her means, an excuse for her actions. No matter what she did, what she gained, what she lost, notting satisfied her, and she did not improve. Radder, she was getting worse and her behavior required interbention. When she failed in her task, she suddenly lost everyting which she did not know she had, including her own mind. You were sent away because had no one interbened, you had no chance for a bettah life."

The visions in the cloud showed Nadia around the age she was presently, enjoying a feast at a gala. An orange octopus poured something into her goblet of nectar, likely blowfish venom—a common poison under the ocean.

"You would hab died two years ago at the empress's hands," the miracle worker explained further. "Even locked in the tower where she is, she still has influence, and you're still at risk. You may not see it now, but you hab a chance at a better life on land, because you are alive wit significant protection and many years ahead of you."

Nadia's eyes went wide. She glanced at Ivanna who also wore a look of surprise.

"The emperor must not know this yet," warned the miracle worker. "He will likely act out in rage, which will not go well for the crown."

"What about my curse?" Nadia asked. "Why must I be cursed?"

"The curse has two uses," the miracle worker explained. The gray cloud collapsed into a ball and then turned gold to resemble Nadia's orb. "The first was incentive for the empress to prove herself. She liked to tink she cared for you, and if anyting would be incentive for her, the tret of a curse was it. Then of course, she failed, which brought along the second use. For the first twelve years of your life, you were subjected to the empress's fits, her impatience, her blatant coveting, her abuse, and you started showing signs of the same weaknesses. This curse is now incentive for you to reject what you've learned from your adoptive mudder: to not be overcome by your emotons, your impatience to obtain that which you covet."

"So, how do I break it?" Nadia asked.

"Prove you're bettah than your mudder; that you're strong to overcome trial through patience and awareness."

The golden cloud burst, and the miracle worker and Nadia were once again facing each other.

Nadia nodded. "Understood."

The miracle worker turned her attention to Ivanna, who threw up her hands in response.

"I'm simply her escort today, ma'am. I have no requests for you."

"I am aware." The miracle worker swam away from the shell again. "However, as a token of appreciation for aiding in this child's future, I shall gib you someting anyway."

Nadia recognized the maelstrom churning in Ivanna's head. The miracle worker opened a small chest beside a bookcase and removed a tiny envelope tied closed with string. She swam back to the shell and offered the envelope to Ivanna who stared at it, hesitating.

The miracle worker noticed. "It about your mudder."

Ivanna started, and swallowed hard. "I ... I beg your pardon?"

"The ansa you been searching for all these years. This note will tell you where you can find that ansa." Ivanna finally accepted the envelope as the miracle worker continued. "Do not open the lettah until you are sitting in Bloodrose Villa with company. Repeat that back to me."

"I am not to open the letter until I am sitting at Bloodrose Villa among company," said Ivanna.

"Very good, you undastand. Now, off you go."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Ivanna with a polite nod, and then she gently guided Nadia back out of the ship.

§

The remainder of the journey to civilization was a silent one. Ivanna's thoughts were muddled by the potential contents of the letter, and Nadia appeared sufficiently chastised. Fortunately, Ivanna's mind began to clear once she finally eyed the bright lights of a large city ahead, unfolding like a dream beneath her.

The Coral City encompassed a tapestry of vibrant hues woven from stone and shells. Towers and domes shimmered with quartz and smooth, iridescent coral. The habitat was alight with gleaming crystals and deceased glowfish. These fish were much like fireflies in the sense that they continued to emit light for a couple of years after they died.

Amidst this glow, the city bustled. Seafolk darted between open markets and clustered homes, their forms sleek and sinuous, and their motions as fluid as the water around them. Snatches of laughter, bargaining, and song echoed faintly through the currents.

Then the Obsidian Palace emerged from the haze, rising like a monolith from the heart of the capital. Nadia leaned forward, lips parting in awe. Its spiral walls gleamed black and smooth, as if carved from a massive onyx seashell. It had been over half a decade since Nadia had gazed upon the oyster-shell roofing and amber windows, but Ivanna could only imagine it felt like a lifetime to her.

"Would you like to visit your father?" she asked in Noelle.

Nadia only shook her head and retreated into the coach's plush black seat.

"He misses you very much."

"I don't want him to see me like this," she replied with a fleeting glance to her cuff.

"I understand." Ivanna reached behind the seat and pulled out a seal-pelt coat to wrap around Nadia's shoulders. "Put this on to cover your birthmarks."

Nadia obeyed. "What's wrong with my birthmarks? You have them too."

"Indeed, however mine don't glow when they're wet. Yours do, which is how the members of the Court know you're of imperial blood. So you'll want to keep them hidden if you want your visit to be secret."

Nadia's eyes widened with understanding, but she didn't respond.

Ivanna glanced ahead. "We're nearing Ocean Rose."

The chauffeur continued to guide the coach through Coral City, providing the passengers a clearer view of the shops and homes which clung to the rock faces. Others rose independently, towering up from the ocean floor in glittering domes fashioned from polished shells. Many were adorned with fin-like flourishes that waved gently in the current, with light playing along their surfaces.

Soon, the city gave way to open ocean once more. The water darkened, then brightened again as another city bloomed into view: Ocean Rose. Its structures glistened with the same vitality, but here the palette leaned toward reds, soft golds, and the cool iridescence of sea-glass. Atop a high precipice in the distance, a castle loomed; vast, sinuous, and black as the deep sea. Twisting gates of obsidian coiled like kelp around its perimeter, and vines laced with bioluminescent flowers crept up its towering faces. The edifice gleamed dark greens and blues—labradorite framed with gold, catching the light with every roll of the tide.

"Welcome to Melnah Valley, Your Highness," Ivanna said softly.

Nadia flinched at her old, forgotten title, but she appeared to push it aside, her attention fixed on the castle with its spiraling towers, domed roofs, and the regal silence that clung to it.

The coach settled onto a coral wharf built directly into the cliffside. Ivanna led Nadia through her courtyard lush with dancing vegetation. Kelp swayed between marble statues, strands of seagrass twisted around polished stone benches, and flowers twinkled as if acknowledging their presence. At the grand entrance, two adaro guards stood sentinel. Their dragonscale armor shimmered faintly, dark and edged in gold. In their left hands, each held a long spear crafted from narwhal horns. As Ivanna and Nadia approached, the guards raised their glowing right fists to their hearts and bowed in unison, the gesture slow and solemn.

"Chevess Ivanna," they addressed, and then opened the black pearl doors.

The castle's interior shimmered a quiet, otherworldly opulence. The floors gleamed with the soft, liquid sheen of molten pearl, smooth and luminous, as if moonlight had been frozen into stone. The dark labradorite walls stretched upward, the surfaces catching glimmers of green, blue, and violet with the motion of the current. Pillars rose like monoliths, each one inlaid with spiraled shells and delicate fish bones arranged in intricate patterns, many dipped in gold, their brittle elegance turned regal. The space felt both majestic and ancient, like the ocean itself had carved it from its own imagination.

"Madam Ivanna." A mermaid with a seashell circlet in her lavender hair swam up to meet her and Nadia in the foyer. With her glowing hands together in front of her, she bowed to her chevess, the motion as elegant as the swaying kelp at the base of each pillar. "It's wonderful to have you back. And who might this be?"

Nadia only smiled weakly at the purple-tailed mermaid, seeming to have forgotten how to appropriately greet merfolk. The mermaid maintained her kind demeanor with a violet smile on her face.

"It's good to be back, Prim," Ivanna replied. "This is the long-lost Princess Nadia of the Five Oceans, which does not leave these walls."

"Of course," said the mermaid. "It's an honor to have your presence on the manor, Your Highness."

Prim greeted Nadia the same way she had the chevess. Ivanna could only hope the princess remembered some of the traditional seafolk customs she likely only scarcely witnessed as a child in the palace.

Perhaps she could help the poor girl along. "Nadia, this is my maiden's secretary, Maid Prim, which is the equivalent of a lady's maid on land."

"Oh yes, I recall now," said Nadia. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ivanna was relieved to find that the native ocean tongue seemed to be returning to Nadia so quickly. "Now, would you like your own chamber for the next three nights, or would you rather not sleep alone?"

"If it's possible to have a chamber, I would prefer it," Nadia answered.

"Of course," said Ivanna. "Prim, please prepare a suite in the West Tail for our honored guest. Once she's shown to her room, you and I can discuss everything that's happened since I've been away."

Ivanna thought she sensed some hesitation in Prim for a moment, but she couldn't be certain.

"Right away, Madam."

Prim swam away, and Ivanna addressed Nadia. "Come, I want to show you something."

Ivanna led the princess to a balcony, her purple and green chiffon fins elegantly swaying behind her. Nadia met her at the obsidian balustrade which sparkled faintly in the filtered light. She froze. Below them, an underwater meadow stretched out in gentle undulations, as if the sea had exhaled into hill and cliffs that rolled toward the horizon. Her mouth parted in awe.

Crimson tendrils, sapphire bulbs, and golden fronds blanketed the seafloor in patterns so harmonious they appeared as the work of a meticulous gardener rather than nature's whim. Bioluminescent flora pulsed gently in rows, their glow mirrored by the schools of tiny light-speckled fish weaving through the fields like drifting lanterns. Farther off, among the shadowed slopes, larger fish swam with stately grace, their scales flickering with scattered specks like distant constellations moving slowly across the deep.

"This is Glowfish Meadow." Ivanna maintained Thallassian, figuring it was best for Nadia to have some practice. "This is the reason I chose to build my estate here."

"It's beautiful," Nadia breathed.

"I thought you'd appreciate it. I hear you like the moonrises. Well, this is our version. You'll have a view of it from your suite." Ivanna found relief in the smile on Nadia's face. It was uncommon to see this young lady express genuine pleasure. "Come, I wish to show you something else."

She showed Nadia down her main corridor which displayed large portraits framed in gold seashells along both walls.

"On the left side are some of the members of my family," Ivanna explained. "At least the members for whom I was able to obtain portraits. My grandparents are still alive and live with me here on the manor. They're likely at the theater at the moment, but they'll be back in time for dinner, and you can meet them then. On the right are copies of the portraits of your family. Of course, we only have your father and grandparents, but soon I'm sure we'll have a portrait of you."

Nadia studied them and read the soapstone plaques at the bottom of each frame. "They didn't commission one of my mother?"

"Your mother is really one of the best-kept secrets of the empire," Ivanna explained. "Most still believe you were adopted from a commoner family."

"I meant the empress. Wait—" Nadia shot her a quizzical look. "Wasn't I?"

Ivanna raised an eyebrow, then returned her gaze to the portraits. "I suppose it makes sense no one told you either. But in truth, you are a distant cousin to Emperor Jaskaran. Years after Empress Mira had passed, Emperor Gerardo had taken a mermaid mistress, and you're descended from her. Only those closest to the emperor know of this. It is why he specifically chose to adopt you when Renée failed to provide an heir. Even she is unaware of your background."

"Why the secrecy?"

"Their Majesties felt the public would be more understanding of a situation where an heir was created through ceremony rather than accepting the fact that the heir descended from a mistress. Your true heritage will be scribed in the historical documents once your own descendants ascend the throne, and then the public can rest easy knowing that at least Emperor Gerardo's blood runs through your veins. Once a new emperor or empress is officially crowned, the citizens will be forced to dismiss the fact that your great, great-grandmother was a mistress. That, or they'll be so used to having already accepted you as heir they won't be so bothered by it. At least, this is the hope. Either way, the public will eventually need to know of your true heritage."

She approached a portrait of a merman and gestured. "This is your father, Dolph Coasta, or duke. He's descended from Emperor Gerardo, and was Emperor Jaskaran's cousin. Noble warrior. He died while defending the capital from a megalodon."

Nadia processed this for a moment. "So, then I'm part naiad?"

"Well, you have some naiadic blood in you, but not much as is evidenced by the fact you require those crystals to attain legs."

Nadia continued to look upon the portrait of her father as she let all the information sink in, fiddling with the sleeve of her coat. Here, Ivanna thought for a moment that she observed Nadia's body take on a very faint transparent quality, but the vision quickly ended. She questioned her eyes and forced herself to forget about it. It was most likely a stress-induced hallucination.

"So, that ceremony to make me imperial by blood was all for show?" Nadia asked.

"Not entirely," Ivanna answered. "Your lineage is what some would classify as 'illegitimate,' so it was also required for you to skip everyone in line for the throne."

She witnessed fractions of the princess's body turn transparent again as Nadia continued to process the information; almost as though she were a naiad. Ivanna was more certain she saw it this time, but she couldn't explain why. She couldn't even swear by it, and thus said nothing.

"How is the empress?" Nadia asked. "Why isn't there a portrait of her on the wall?"

The question jolted Ivanna from her thoughts, and she gave Nadia a soft smile. "Unable to get to you, and that's all you need to know on the matter. And I don't harbor much respect for the empress to be displaying her likeness on my wall."

"Madam," came a voice from behind the two mermaids. They turned and Nadia fought her crimson hair from her face so she could see the angler fish hovering in the corridor. "I'm here to show the guest to her suite."

"Perfect timing," said Ivanna. "Please be sure she has something to wear fit for a princess, and that her hair is put up for lunch."

"Yes, Madam," he replied.

Nadia swam away to follow the angler, her green and blue fins swishing in her wake. Here, Prim approached Ivanna, wringing her hands and fighting to maintain eye-contact. Ivanna opted not to mention it; she imagined she would learn the reason for the apparent anxiety soon.

"Lunch is almost ready, Madam. Shall we discuss matters in your suite while we prepare you?"

"Yes, that sounds like a grand idea," Ivanna replied.

They ascended to the fourth tier of one of the towers, spiraling upward through water that shimmered with the reflection of the dimly glinting light sources. They arrived before a set of grand double doors, arched and golden, etched with curling motifs that caught the light like a living flame. Beyond them lay Ivanna's suite, a chamber of opulence and shadows. The sitting area unfolded in tones of gold and black: chairs sculpted from gilded frames, their cushions upholstered in supple whale-skin as dark as midnight. Tables stood like skeletal art with gold-plated fish bones twisted into elegant curves, each topped with smooth slabs of black pearl that gleamed with an inner luster.

At the far end, an obsidian hearth yawned open, its heart aglow with molten lava that pulsed like a living ember, casting flickers of red and orange across the room. Ivanna swept beneath the ice orbs suspended by gem-studded chains, each encasing deceased glowfish. Prim followed her past the floor candelabras which stood like sentinels, fashioned from the plated spines of sea serpents, their gold sparkling coldly in the warmth.

They swam to the bedchamber beyond where a massive sea-dragon skull loomed, its fossilized jaws stretched open to cradle the deep purple mattress resting within. Without a word, Ivanna drifted to the coral wardrobe across from the bed, her fingers still curled tightly around the envelope the miracle worker had given her. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to part with it, even for a moment.

"So, what have I missed, Prim?"

Prim didn't respond right away, and Ivanna peered over her shoulder to see why.

"Well?"

"The swordmen wish to be withdrawn from the search, Madam," Prim finally answered.

Ivanna looked at her maiden's secretary with hopelessness in her eyes, one lavender and one aqua blue, but then understood she shouldn't be surprised that many of her ocean mercenaries wished to leave her employment. So, this was what had been making Prim anxious.

"They realize I have no other work for them if they quit."

"I informed them, Madam." Prim approached Ivanna and removed a kochylia of golden seashells and black pearls from the wardrobe. "I feel that some of them don't believe me. The others feel they could find better work elsewhere."

"Very well." Ivanna allowed her to tie the back of the kochylia, and she fiddled with the large ruby placed between the shells. "Tell them I have come upon some new information that may aid in their search for my mother; the quest may very well be nearing an end. Those who still wish to quit are dismissed. Tomorrow I want to read their reports at breakfast."

"Very well, Madam," said Prim. "I'm pleased to hear there's new information. What is it?"

"To be honest I'm not sure yet." Ivanna sat in a chair made from large mussel shells set atop a collection of elkhorn coral. She finally placed the envelope on the surface of her black elkhorn vanity, still hesitant to let it go. "Nadia and I stopped by Moss Canyon during the journey here to get it out of the way, and the miracle worker handed this to me as a token of gratitude. Apparently, it'll lead me to where I can find the answer to what happened to my mother."

"And you have yet to open it?" Prim ran oils through her madam's crimson hair before she brushed out the tangles.

"I was strictly instructed not to until I return to Bloodrose Villa. I imagine the contents are delicate. Granted the longer I wait, the greater my anxiety over the matter grows. But perhaps you can distract me. What else have I missed?"

Prim paused. "There was an attack of sabotage against your emerald mine, but we can discuss that later."

"That's the second time!"

"Indeed, but that's going to be a lengthy conversation, Madam, let's save it for tonight. Besides that, there's really nothing else as it hasn't been that long since you were here last. When are you bringing the princess to see His Majesty?"

"Not during this trip, unfortunately." Ivanna put on a pair of gold horn snail shell earrings. "She says she doesn't want him to see her as a slave, which is entirely understandable. There will be other opportunities in the future for the emperor to see his daughter again."

"He won't be very happy to learn he missed this one," said Prim.

"He won't know about it," Ivanna replied. "That's why who she is doesn't leave these walls, and His Majesty doesn't even know I'm visiting these three days."

Prim pinned a large conch shell in Ivanna's updo. "I forgot you mentioned you would only be here for three days."

"Yes, Nadia can only survive the ocean for that long." Ivanna clipped a gold seashell necklace around her neck. "Depending on what takes place after I bring her back to land, I'll be gone for a couple more days, and then I'll return to take care of this issue with the search party and pay the emperor a visit." The two mermaids swam to exit the chamber. "When is the New Tide Festival?"

"Next week, Madam."

Ivanna grunted. "Not as convenient as I had hoped, but I will be here for it."

§

Ivanna and Nadia dined in elegance in a far corner of a drawing room, where soft currents stirred the heavy drapes in the tall amber windows. The distant flicker of a lavachamber cast a warm, pulsing glow against the dark walls. They sat at a grand, round table fashioned from black pearl, its surface veined with glints of gold like lightning trapped in stone. Between them, lunch had been arranged with artistic precision: seaweed salad served in seashell bowls, crab legs curled atop sculpted elkhorn coral, sushi rolls nestled among the pale lattices of starfish skeletons, mussels layered in delicate fans, and a roasted swordfish centered like the main attraction.

Nadia took her seat in an elkhorn chair across from Ivanna, the light from the obsidian hearth casting golden ripples over the feast. Her hair had also been put up and wrapped with gold pearls to match the adornments on her new black top. "Why are we eating in a drawing room, Madam?"

"Because it is only the two of us and my dining room seems a bit much for only two people to sit and eat together." Ivanna placed some crab legs on her gold seashell plate. "When only dining with five guests or less, this is customary."

"Do you not have a private family dining room?"

"That's the one I'm talking about," Ivanna clarified. "Seafolk live longer than landfolk, so our family dining rooms tend to be equivalent to the imperial family's grand dining hall in Noelle."

"Goodness." Nadia placed some mussels on her plate. "How large is your grand dining hall here?"

"Twice that size." Ivanna sipped her drink. "I have two very long tables in that room. I don't use it often since I don't throw many gatherings here. When I do throw them, I tend to use the ballroom."

"Why don't you have many gatherings?"

"Well, I'm not as popular down here as I am on land."

"Why not? I thought my father favors you."

"I obtained my station at court because I'm convenient for him. I'm in the best position to keep an eye on you, and hopefully free you from your current predicament eventually."

"I see." Nadia mulled over these words as she chewed her food. "And everyone still doesn't like you after all the work you've done?"

"It's gained me some friends, but for the most part, seafolk don't like landfolk just as landfolk don't like seafolk."

"Why is that?" Nadia asked.

Ivanna shrugged. "Because seafolk don't belong on land and landfolk don't belong in the sea."

"But you're both."

"And so I'm hated by both," Ivanna said simply. "Mostly down here since everyone here knows my heritage. My ethnicity is still a secret on land for the most part."

Nadia noticed Ivanna glance around in a somewhat uneasy manner, and she recalled that Ivanna's ethnicity would soon be revealed by her master, Marquis Rallian. Such a plan seemed to take a while to be executed, but Nadia assumed he was waiting for his giant tank to be complete so to expose the marchioness and the mermaids he owned simultaneously.

Nadia attempted to change the subject and lifted her golden goblet. "Is this nectar?"

Ivanna smiled. "I'm glad you remember."

"Well I only left the ocean when I was twelve, I remember some things. If I recall correctly, my favorite is lotus."

"Mine as well. That's what this is."

"Is it?" Nadia took a sip. "That's the one, I remember now. Spells, I've missed this so much!"

"It isn't easy to get either," Ivanna explained. "Not that any nectar is. I try to save the lotus nectar for special occasions. I have a deep-sea lotus farm, but due to the lack of sunlight one can imagine it's not quite as sweet. So to combat that, I have some growing in my water garden on Bloodrose Villa. I harvest their nectar when the season comes and bring it here with me. When I plan it right, the product will last me until next harvest season."

"Spells, it really is your favorite, isn't it?" Nadia commented.

"Indeed it is," said Ivanna. "It's one of many things I look forward to when I visit the manor."

"How long do you usually stay?" Nadia asked.

"I used to stay for quite some time, mostly to get away from Ariana. A month, sometimes two. But not much anymore since you shored. If Ariana wasn't empress, however, I would prefer to stay on land since I feel more accepted there. But if I were more accepted here, I couldn't say for certain. The land and sea are two completely different worlds, it's impossible to choose a real favorite between them."

"Even when Ariana was only queen consort?" Nadia asked.

"Yes," said Ivanna. "There were a few times when she was acting-sovereign."

"Oh right, like when you were enslaved." Nadia immediately hated herself for bringing that up, and she attempted to fix her mistake. "Why was she ever acting-sovereign?"

"The court doesn't like Noelle's current viceroy," Ivanna explained. "He hardly does a decent job. So, sometimes when the king was away on political business, they would put Ariana in his place, each time with a different passing excuse. While our viceroy would fail to rule, Ariana ruled all too much. Whether she was good or bad differs from person to person. Indeed, that was a very long year in history when I preferred to be here at Melnah Valley."

There was a long pause where Nadia slowly chewed her crab meat, contemplating on whether to ask the question gnawing on her mind. She caught herself staring at Ivanna's extensive lashing scars through her sheer sleeves and averted her eyes, hoping the Lady hadn't noticed. Still, the question ate ravenously at her. It seemed that Ivanna's past was already on her mind, so she finally opted to ask.

"When did you decide to enter the arena?"

It was Ivanna's turn to pause. After a tense silence, she answered in Noelle. "Very early on, to be honest. While I was well aware of the possibility they would put me up against a beast that could exceed my capabilities, I knew I could win against any knight who challenged me."

"I heard both fights were very close," said Nadia, relieved to return to the language she had grown used to speaking.

"You heard correctly," Ivanna confirmed. "I'll be quite up front with you, I fought the xenobeast and did not expect to win against it. I was looking for a way to die quickly, which was a feat almost as difficult as fighting it. I sprained my ankle and twisted my knee in the process, and I was very surprised that I won. It was pure chance I got that kill strike. To this day I don't know how it happened; I couldn't explain it to you if I tried. The reason why my fight against the knight was so close is because while I was provided some time to heal, I wasn't provided enough to do so completely, and I received no miracle care. I had to set my knee and ankle myself, which was as pleasant as you can imagine. Thus, I wasn't as agile as I would've been at my best."

"Polaris trains the knights, correct?" Nadia asked.

"He used to, but he never trained them in true Iah-Ra. He teaches them a watered-down version of the skill."

Nadia paused. "Has he been teaching me true Iah-Ra?"

"He wasn't as first," Ivanna confessed. "Mostly because he had hoped to find another way to free you besides the arena, and he's very particular about to whom he teaches true Iah-Ra. But as of four—coming up on five years ago, he has started. Now that doesn't make you ready for the arena any time soon. It takes a decade to master the true practice. On top of which, I had been active in the practice for two decades after graduating. I still barely won. That beast round truly thwarts you. While many heroes of history have slayed a mighty beast, they rarely did so without injury, and the Association of Slave Owners puts you up against an experienced knight with your fresh wounds. The arenas were designed to kill you."

Nadia slowly set her oyster back on her plate, her eyes downcast. "So, you don't think I'll be ready for the arena for another five years?"

Ivanna chewed, perhaps considering. "Well, Polaris and I both completed our training two years early, so it's possible you may as well. We're also still hoping to find a way to free you without you having to participate in the arena at all, which with any luck, could happen before you complete your training."

"How's that coming along?" Nadia asked.

"We believe we must first end the war, and we already have a plan for that. We'll be able to execute it once I return."

"And then what?"

"That depends on what follows. I'm meeting with Polaris upon our return to speak more about it."

Ivanna and Nadia ate their food in dreary silence, which only opened the floodgates in Nadia's mind. What if they don't end the war? What if Empress Ariana becomes angry about the war's end, and she decides to take her wrath out on Nadia? Either way, it seemed as though she could potentially remain enslaved for years to come. Despite being warned patience from the miracle worker, she wasn't sure she could be patient for so long. Fretting over eternal slavery as a mermaid in her master's tank led her to recall the punishment she would receive for running away once she returned to Aimonbay Estate. Nadia swallowed her food hard before she spoke again.

"Lady Iva?"

"Yes?"

"Might we leave earlier?"

"You wish to return to land before your three days are up?" Ivanna asked.

"Yes..." Nadia answered. "I think I wish to get everything out of the way. I feel that the anxiety of what awaits me at Aimonbay is just as torturous as what awaits me."

Ivanna fiddled with her fork as she studied Nadia. After some thought, she heaved a heavy sigh. "I can understand that feeling. Very well, I suppose this allows me to open the letter sooner anyway. I simply need to handle some matters having to do with my estate here first, and then we can leave after breakfast tomorrow morning."