“Just went for a walk,” I say, tugging a dripping piece of hair out of my eyes.

“In this weather?”

“Got caught in it. Had to run back.”

“So late?”

Gods. How many questions is he going to ask?

“Was killing some time before our meeting. Should we talk to Coral now?”

He nods, a light sparking in his eyes at my deflection. He really wants this, and I am a terrible person for taking advantage of his hope.

“Come with me.”

He turns, and we make our way around until we reach a door. Bain swings it open, revealing a curved glass tunnel that burrows into the center of the tank.

He gestures for me to follow. It feels like I’m walking straight through the ocean, thanks to the surrounding wall of fish and sea life teeming with color.

We walk towards another door, and then Bain stops, pulling a key from his pocket. He inserts the end into an ornate keyhole and then twists. With a soft whoosh, the water around Coral swirls and churns into a cyclone before it drains away.

When the water is gone, Bain opens the second door and I enter the massive chamber formed by a high wall of rippling waves.

“Can I touch it?” I ask, staring at the water, and Bain nods.

“Yes.”

I thrust my hand through the surface, marveling at how it remains upright. At once, a dark shape charges towards me, and I scream, yanking my fingers away, just as it comes to an abrupt halt.

“But I wouldn’t,” Bain adds, and I scowl.

Floating on the other side is the same type of creature Atlas used in the trivia challenge. The same mottled blue skin and nest of black hair and sharp, very sharp teeth. It snarls at me as I stare at it with my wet hand clutched to my chest. I think of how I punched its friend when I rescued Marici and hope these things can’t gossip with one another across the miles.

“Can it get to us?” I ask, eyeing it warily.

“She cannot,” Bain says pointedly. “But don’t worry, she’s mostly harmless.”

I snort out a laugh. It’s very obvious she is not harmless.

I keep the creature in my peripheral vision. She’s staring at me like she desperately wants a bite. Then I head towards Bain, hiding behind him like a shield.

Finally, I take in the sight of Coral. She stretches over my head by several stories, shimmering in the soft light. Thousands upon thousands of tiny crevices make up her height. Her entire structure moves and shifts like she’s alive.

“She’s stunning,” I say. Every Artefact has its own type of beauty, but I can see why Bain thinks his girl is just a little more.

“She is,” he says proudly, laying a gentle hand against her. “How are you?” he asks Coral, pausing as though he expects an answer.