REONE
Reone almost wished he'd kept his mouth shut.
Fury was written across Anika's face, while her father looked cornered, as if her every word was hitting too close to home.
"Well, Dad?" Anika demanded. "Aren't you going to deny it this time? Aren't you going to deny that I'm the reason you've been keeping the Trident a secret—because I'm the only one who can retrieve it? Other than you," she added bitterly, "who's too much of a coward to try."
A sharp gasp rippled through the room.
"Anika, that is the King you're insulting," Primi said, outraged.
"I'm speaking to my father, Primi," Anika snapped without looking at him. "Don't interrupt."
Before Primi could protest further, King Arnab lifted a hand. "It's all okay, Primi," he said calmly. "After all… she's right."
The room stilled.
"I kept the Trident a secret because I knew she would want to go after it."
Anika let out a short, humorless laugh. "The truth, at last."
"Anika, you have to understand," Arnab said, his voice tightening. "The Trident is not something to be trifled with. And it isn't safe for you beyond the Nest."
"Well, it's not very safe here either," she shot back. "Not for me. Not for anyone. But if you had gone to the Temple and claimed the Trident, you could have changed that."
"Or I could have started a war. But It's useless to think about that since by the time I found out about the temple, I'd long since lost the ability to ochestrate either of the two possibilities,thank the stars," the King said in an offhanded manner.
Anika's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand her father's strange comment. "What do you mean by that?"
He froze, like animal caught in headlights.
"Nothing… just forget it," the King muttered, unconvincingly.
Anika's jaw tightened, anger flaring. "No more secrets, Dad," she warned.
Looking at her serious face, the King finally sighed. "I couldn't assemble the Trident even if I wanted to—which I don't, just to be perfectly clear," he said.
"But why?" Anika asked, confused. "You're a direct descendant of our ancestors, right?"
He nodded.
"I am. But what makes a direct descendant able to use the Trident is because the ancestors unaltered blood runs through their veins."
"Then what's the problem? Isn't your blood unaltered?" Anika asked.
The King shook his head. "Not anymore."
He explained further when Anika and everyone else still looked confused. "Remember a few years ago when I was badly injured in a battle with that troublesome Nullborn Extractor?"
"I do," Anika said, her voice distant. She had been ten years old, but she remembered vividly the moment they brought him back from the fight. His condition had been worse than anyone had expected.
"Do you also remember that I lost a lot of blood?"
Anika froze as realization dawned. "You were given a transfusion," she said.
"Yes—from Makhini herself. Which means—"
"You're blood was altered. So you're no longer eligible to assemble the Trident," Lyrian finished, still standing next to Anika, who looked shocked.
"And I've never lamented over that. Until now," Arnab said quietly, looking at his daughter.
Anika stared back, lips pressed tight. "I have to do it, Dad. I have to get that Trident."
"No. You don't. Because I forbid it."
"Dad, what are you not understanding? Villains are trying to get their hands on that Trident. And when they do, they'll unleash it on the world."
"We'll be safe here in the Nest. We've been safe for generations," King Arnab reasoned.
"What about us, Your Majesty? We'll be suffering. And earlier you said that you wanted to help us—or was that just talk?" Mia asked.
"I'm a man of my word," the King started. "But not this time. I will not risk my daughter."
"But Your Majesty, your daughter is already at risk. I mean, wasn't it just yesterday when you all got attacked?" Lyrian said.
"She's right, Dad. People almost died here, in the Nest, as you like to call it. We can't keep living like this!"
Shaking his head stubbornly,the King didn't waver.
"You don't get to decide that, Anika. I do—as King. And It is also my decision wether or not you're going after that dangerous Trident.And I expressly forbid it."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself? You're letting fear dictate everything—yourself, me, the whole Nest."
"It's called caution," Arnab snapped. "Something I don't expect you to understand, because you're still just a seventeen-year-old girl. A reckless one at that. Honestly, I shudder to think that the Nest will one day be in your hands."
The words landed like a blow.
For a moment, Anika looked stunned—small, even.
"Awkward," Diamond whispered under her breath to Seren.
Seren nudged her sharply. Diamond shot her a glare, but Seren ignored it, eyes fixed on the confrontation unfolding before them. Anika's face hardened.
"Wow, Dad," Anika said quietly. "That was a low blow. But I'm glad you did it, because it tells me that even you know you're in the wrong."
Without waiting for him to reply, she continued, tone firm. "I've listened to everything you had to say, Dad. Now you're going to listen to me."
Reone and everyone else tensed as she began speaking again.
"I've tried my best to prove myself to you again and again. I've stayed quiet and followed orders, but I'm done now. I'm going with the outsiders to the Temple of Echoes," Anika said. "I'm getting the Trident. And then I'm coming back to save everyone.You included," she added, looking directly at her father.
"I know you think I'm 'just a little girl.' And maybe you're right. But I am definitely not the kind of person who sits back and watches people—her people—suffer hopelessly."
Silence followed—heavy, loaded.
And this time, no one dared interrupt.
Arnab's eyes narrowed, seeing that she was serious. "I will have the Sentries detain you, Anika. Don't push me," he warned.
"You wouldn't," she whispered, though she didn't really believe her words. Her father looked serious.
"Just try me."
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Anika's response.
But Primi spoke up before any more harsh exchanges could be made.
"If you detain the princess, then… you'll have to detain me as well, Your Majesty," he said with difficulty.
Everyone turned to him in shock.
"You too, Primi?" Arnab asked.
The man nodded. "I agree with Anika, Your Majesty. Our people need that Trident."
The King's expression darkened. "You're going to tell me what the people need, Primi? Me—your ruler!"
Primi looked nervous for the first time, but he stood his ground. "I will, Sire. Because when soldiers go down in battle, I'm the one who sees their dead bodies. I'm also the one who has to inform their families. But you're not thinking about me or them—the people you keep referring to. Just yourself, and what you stand to lose, which is your daughter," he finished before adding, "And it's not fair."
Looking at him, Anika was taken aback. She had never expected the by-the-book captain to go to such lengths to take her side.
She sent him a look, communicating how touched she was, but masked her face as she turned to her father.
"We just need you to give us a chance to show you that this is the right move, Dad."
"We're begging you, King Arnab," Reone said.
The King stared at them all for a moment, feeling the pressure from every side. Then he closed his eyes and sighed in defeat.
"Very well, Anika. If you want to go, then you have my blessing," he said.
Anika started grinning, but King Arnab raised a hand.
"But only if Primi goes with you—for protection purposes."
Anika's smile fell, and she immediately turned to Primi, who froze under her intense stare.
"What do you say, Primi?" Anika asked nervously. "Up for a dangerous mission?"
"Please,Primi. We would really appreciate it,"Lyrian added.
Primi sighed. "I suppose it could be fun."
Anika squealed and moved to hug him, but he held up a hand. "Back up,princess. I know you're happy but there's no need to overeact."
Anika rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to suffocate you, Primi. It's just a little celebratory hug."
"That's entirely inappropriate . Anyway, I'm not the one you should be hugging," Primi said.
Anika flashed him a grateful smile before turning to King Arnab. "Thank you for letting me do this, Dad. I know how difficult this must be for you."
"I still don't agree with it. I just don't want my only daughter to hate me forever," he said.
"I don't want to hate you forever either," Anika said, hugging him. "And I'm sorry about all the hurtful things I said. I didn't mean them."
Still in the hug, King Arnab pursed his lips. "Me too. And I'm also sorry about all the things I've been keeping from you. I just worry about you so much…" His voice broke as tears crept in.
"I know, Dad. Trust me, I know. But you can't protect me all my life. You have to let me try things, remember?" she said, pulling back to look at him.
He nodded slowly. "I do.Still,Be safe out there."
"I will."
"Don't worry about it, Your Majesty. We'll bring her back in one piece," Reone said.
The King nodded.
Lyrian put a hand on Anika's shoulder. "Looks like we'll be able to spend time with each other after all."
"Looks like it," Anika said with a grin.
"This is going to be a serious mission. Not a girls' road trip," Reone said whispered to Lyrian.
"Of course," Lyrian replied, though there was a twinkle in her eye Reone didn't quite trust.
"And speaking of the mission, we really have to go," Nova said.
At that reminder, King Arnab tensed with worry for Anika, unable to help it. He tried to mask it for her benefit.
Seeing right through him, Anika took the King's hand and squeezed it in comfort. "It's going to be all right, Dad."
The King nodded again, but the truth was he wasn't really convinced.
He had a sinking feeling that a horrendous storm was brewing—and that everyone here, including his daughter, was headed straight for its center.
And he was right.