Roxy blinked, her hands still raised in the air near Nerissa's hair. She let them drop to her sides and gave a small, awkward shrug.
"Well," Roxy murmured to herself, watching the three most powerful predators in the ocean vibrate with synchronized rage. "I guess that settles the 'what are we doing today' question."
Nerissa did not sit back down. She stood tall, her shadow stretching across the throne room floor like a spreading ink stain. Her tentacles, which had been relaxed moments ago, were now writhing with a violence that cracked the stone dais.
"Guards!" Nerissa's voice was a thunderclap. "Bring the Gilded Worm to me. Drag him by his fins. If he resists, break them."
"I will go," Caspian snarled, his hand already reaching for the hilt of his blade.
"No," Nerissa commanded, her eyes fixed on the doors. "You are the King. You do not chase refuse. The Royal Guard will fetch him."
The guards scrambled, swimming out of the throne room with terrified speed.
