The moon rode high when Marco reached the coast again, the salt wind tugging at his cloak. He glanced over his shoulder—no one followed. Or so he thought.

  Jax crouched among the dunes, hidden by shadows, his eyes sharp as daggers. He flipped a knife silently between his fingers, waiting, watching.

  The waves shimmered, and once again she rose. Sapphire. Iridescent skin glowing faintly, her hair trailing light across the surface of the sea. Her gaze softened when she saw Marco, as if she had expected him.

  “You came,” she said, her voice carrying the weight of both relief and dread.

  Marco stepped closer, the tide brushing his boots. “You asked me to. I need answers, Sapphire. All of them.”

  Her expression darkened. “Then hear the truth. My father, King Nerios, gathers his armies as we speak. In three months, the seas themselves will rise against your kingdom. Coral fleets, tideblades, beasts from the abyss—all will march beneath Coralyth’s banner.”

  Marco’s chest tightened. “Three months…? That soon?”

  Hidden in the shadows, Jax’s brow furrowed. His hand gripped his knife tighter, but he remained silent, listening.

  Sapphire lifted her hand, water swirling at her fingertips. “But there is more. For years, I have dreamt visions. The sea sends them to me. A savior—one who commands the water not as a weapon of conquest, but as a bridge between worlds. One who can calm the tide of blood and bring peace to both our peoples.”

  Her eyes fixed on Marco, unblinking. “That savior… is you.”

  Marco staggered back a step, his heart pounding. “Me?”

  Sapphire nodded, her tone sure, unwavering. “You are bound to the sea in ways you do not yet understand. Your father took from us. But you… you can return what was stolen. You can end what he began.”

  The words struck him harder than any blade. Behind the dunes, Jax’s smirk vanished entirely, replaced with wide-eyed shock.

  The tide lapped against Marco’s boots as he steadied himself, Sapphire’s words still echoing in his chest. He drew in a deep breath, his scholar’s discipline tempering the rush of panic.

  “If war is coming in three months,” he said carefully, voice low but steady, “then blood will drown both our kingdoms. Your father sees vengeance. My brothers see defense. Neither will yield… and both will destroy what we love.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Sapphire tilted her head, watching him closely, her luminous hair drifting like a halo in the current.

  Marco’s eyes hardened, resolve glinting through his fear. “But history has taught me one truth—wars are not ended by steel alone. They are ended by words, by understanding, by men and women willing to speak before swords are drawn. If I am who your dreams show me to be, then let me prove it. Take me to your father. Let me face King Nerios. Let me try to speak peace before war begins.”

  The princess was silent for a long moment, the sea breeze pulling between them. Then her gaze softened, though a shadow of worry crossed her features.

  “You are bold, prince of the land,” she murmured. “Bold… and perhaps foolish. But the sea has shown me much, and I cannot deny what I have seen.”

  She stepped closer, the water swirling around her legs. “Very well. I will bring you to him. But not here, not under the moon’s eye. In three nights’ time, when the tides are high, you will come to the water’s edge alone. From there, you will be taken to Coralyth.”

  Her eyes flashed, both fierce and sorrowful. “Understand this: once you enter, there is no promise you will return. My father’s anger is vast as the ocean, and he will not spare you for being young.”

  Marco swallowed, his heart hammering—but he nodded. “Then three nights from now.”

  Sapphire inclined her head, her glowing form sinking once more beneath the waves, leaving only the hiss of surf and the pounding of Marco’s heartbeat.

  Marco slipped back through the castle’s silent halls, his cloak still damp, the salt clinging to his skin. His mind raced with Sapphire’s words—three nights, Coralyth, her father’s fury—when he pushed open the door to his chamber.

  He froze.

  Colby, Atlas, and Jax were waiting inside. The lantern on Marco’s desk flickered, casting sharp shadows across their faces. Atlas’s arms were crossed, jaw tight with anger. Colby stood tall, his firelit eyes stern but controlled. And Jax—leaning casually against the wall, twirling a knife—wore a half-smirk that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “You’ve been busy,” Jax said lightly, though the steel beneath his voice was unmistakable.

  Marco’s chest tightened. He shut the door slowly, his gaze flicking between them. “You followed me.”

  Jax shrugged. “Couldn’t help it. You sneak out at night, eyes full of secrets? I know my brother too well.” He tossed the knife, catching it. “And I know when something’s dangerous.”

  Atlas stepped forward, his voice sharp. “So it’s true then? You’ve been meeting some sea witch? Making deals behind our backs while we train and bleed for this kingdom?”

  Marco bristled, fists clenching. “She’s not a witch. She’s a princess. A messenger. She came to warn us—”

  “Warn us?” Atlas snapped, cutting him off. “Or lure you into a trap? Father’s blood isn’t even cold and you’re already sneaking around with the enemy?”

  Marco’s voice rose, his calm cracking. “If you’d listen instead of swinging your swords at shadows, you’d see there’s more to this than just war! She’s trying to prevent it!”

  Atlas took another step forward, fire in his eyes. Jax’s smirk widened as he leaned back, clearly enjoying the storm. “Oh, this is getting good.”

  “Enough.”

  Colby’s voice cut through the room like steel, steady and commanding. He stepped between them, placing a hand on Atlas’s chest to hold him back, his gaze shifting to Marco.

  “You owe us the truth,” Colby said firmly. “No more sneaking. No more riddles. Tell us everything, Marco. Right now.”

  Marco’s breath hitched. For the first time since meeting Sapphire, all three of his brothers’ eyes bore into him—waiting, judging, demanding.