I woke up the next morning feeling drained and weak. For a minute, I couldn't remember where I was or what had happened. Then, in a blinding rush, it all came back to me. Rochelle and I arriving at Rosewood Manor, the eerie silence greeting us as we swam inside; the feeling of being physically pulled toward one of the bedroom doors; seeing the memory of Tiger Shark.

After that, my mind was muddled. I vaguely remembered leaving Rosewood and getting home. I shuddered as I swam out of bed. Kai's side of the bed was still warm, so he hadn't been up long. My stomach growled as I got dressed, reminding me that it'd been a long time since I'd last eaten.

I shuddered again, remembering the image of Tiger Shark that had materalized in front of me. I wondered if Mom knew anything about it, but at the same time, I didn't know if I could bring myself to dredge up the memory again. I swam downstairs in a daze, using every drop of energy to keep my eyes open.

The swim from the front of the dining room to our table seemed to take longer than usual. Or maybe it was me, my tail feeling as if it were weighed down by dozens of concrete blocks. "Izzy! You're awake!" Dad's voice swam in and out of my ears as I sat down.

I propped my eyes open when I felt a hand graze my shoulder. Kai pressed a kiss to the top of my head, placing a plate laden with food in front of me. My hand shook as I picked up a piece of shrimp and put it in my mouth. "How are you?" Kai's voice was soft, very close to my ear.

I gave him a sleepy smile, closing my eyes again. "Better," I mumbled. I felt as if I could sleep for weeks and never feel rested.

I flinched when Dad spoke, my eyes flying open. "I wanted to wait until you were both awake, Izzy, to give you the news."

Something in his tone made me feel uneasy. "What news?" I asked, suddenly awake. I looked at Kai for clues, but his face was solemn.

Dad looked at Mom, searching her face. She smiled at him, squeezing his hand and nodding. "Early this morning, we received a message from Pelathas. The note was carefully worded, but it said that all the citizens from surrounding areas are to meet at Pelathas' entrance at midday. Apparently, Tyler has an announcement that he wants to make."

His tone of voice suggested that he was uneasy about the so-called 'announcement'. Truth be told, so was I. Did it have something to do with Aunt Bella and Uncle David's kidnapping?

Before I could spiral into worry and anxiety, Dad spoke again, his voice quieter. "Do you feel up to telling us about yesterday? We could meet in our suite after breakfast, away from everyone."

When I looked up at him, the calmness in his eyes made me feel reassured. He was worried about me—I'm sure he and Mom both were—but neither of them would press me. They knew almost better than anyone about how difficult it was talking about trauma you'd experienced.

After breakfast, we made our way to their suite. I gripped Kai's hand tightly as we swam, trying to quell the anxiety and worry swirling around inside me. Only when we had stopped at their door did Kai speak, his voice low. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

My heart swelled up as I glimpsed the worry and concern on his face. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm ready." His calming voice and reassuring touch gave me courage.

I knocked once, then opened the door. Dad swam towards me, concern in his eyes. Mom had a similar look in her own, scanning me from head to tail. What's going on, Isadora? Are you okay? Her eyes never left mine as she signed.

I swam into their sitting room and sat on the couch. Kai and Dad sat beside me, Mom across from us in another chair. "I'm ready to explain what happened to Rochelle and I at Rosewood." I looked straight at Mom as the words left my mouth, trying to gauge her reaction.

Shock flittered across her face, followed by relief and confusion. What was Rochelle doing at Rosewood? Was she okay?

I took another deep breath before continuing. "I ran into her a few weeks ago when I went to Rosewood to find out something." I didn't volunteer more information about what that something was, nor if I'd been successful. Luckily, no one pressed me. "When I arrived, I'd immediately noticed something was off. I felt a shift in the current as I'd swum to the front doors that had my hand snaking toward the dagger at my waist."

No one spoke. I felt the tension in the water, thick and almost tangible. "A minute passed, then two. Then everything happened at once. The doors swung open; motion out of the corner of my eye had me drawing the dagger out of its sheath; I glimpsed short hair and a flash of bronze skin as a hand reached out and gripped my arm."

I swallowed hard as I continued, forcing my voice to remain steady. "We stared at each other before I spoke. 'Who are you?' I'd asked. Instead of answering, she'd asked a question of her own. 'Are you Isadora?' She'd asked. I'd nodded, then asked her what her name was. 'My name is Rochelle,' she'd replied."

I had everyone's attention. Out of force of habit, I spoke slowly and clearly, keeping my words precise for Mom to understand. Dad was still signing, but she'd given up on watching him and instead focused on me, her eyes wide. "She'd told me that she was—she stumbled over this part—one of Mom's ladies-in-waiting, almost as if she was afraid the position was no longer hers."

Tears gleamed in Mom's eyes now. Dad gripped her hand. "I asked her what she was doing there, how she'd found the place. She was on her way back to Aegrem when she heard rumors of—her words, not mine—a new and wholly unexpected change in succession in Nepptheas. She said that's when news of the king and queen's murders surfaced. Her family, apparently, lives in Pelathas. She asked about you, Mom, if you were okay."

When a hand settled into mine, I didn't even flinch. Kai's eyes were on my face, never wavering. "I told her that you were fine and that was the reason I was there, that I'd had a hunch that Queen Irvetta and King Marlin's bodies were buried around Rosewood. When I told her that I suspected that Aunt Naia was responsible, she grew angry. She said that she hadn't seen anything, but she'd be glad to help me look."

I rubbed my eyes, surprised to find my hands shaking. "Hours passed with no progress, leaving both of us exhausted and frustrated. I felt our disappointment and frustration inside me, black and dark and angry. I braced myself, waiting for the ghosts to reappear. Instead, however, I heard a very familiar voice inside my head—my own—chastising me for lack of results."

I shook my head, angry tears forming in my eyes. "It got louder and louder until it blocked all outside noise. Hearing myself pick apart all of my mistakes and flaws only made me angrier—to the point where I finally snapped. All of the emotions I'd pushed down over the past few months—anger, anxiety, depression, grief, sadness—came flooding back with the force of a hurricane.

"I didn't see Rochelle out of the corner of my eye, head down, eyes glued to the seafloor. I didn't hear the sound of my heart, beating rapidly in my chest. All I could see was the mermaid from the ghosts' description. Weak, pathetic, shallow. It was like touching an open wound—each word caused a new shock of pain. Somehow, my hand found its way to my dagger."

I was breathing rapidly, my chest heaving as I struggled to get the words out. "That's when I felt another shift in the current. It snapped me out of the haze that had settled over me. I blinked several times, feeling as though I'd just awakened from a dream. I spotted Rochelle first, a dagger resting at her throat. The mermaid that held the dagger smiled maliciously."

I wanted nothing more than to curl up on the seafloor and sleep for a week. The mind-numbing exhaustion was slowly creeping back up on me. But I wasn't done. "'Oh, Isadora. All this time and you still couldn't stop me. I even gave you a head start. Oh well.'" It took every inch of rapidly-depleting energy in my body to match Aunt Naia's biting tone.

Mom's face was deathly pale, her hands trembling. Dad's eyes were wide, his gaze fixed on my face. I bit back an exhausted sob as I continued. "I wanted to go to Rochelle, but a pair of strong arms was suddenly restraining me. 'Not so fast, Princess.' I knew that voice. Uncle Brandon."

I couldn't hold the tears back any longer. They flowed down my cheeks, strengthening with every ragged breath I took. "I desperately tried to break free, but I suddenly went limp, an ear-piercing scream shattering the silence. Uncle Brandon had placed his hand directly on my collarbone. It was agony. I'd only felt pain like that once before—when I'd originally broken the bone. That was a thousand times worse."

"I was aware of nothing but pain. I finally surrendered my grip on consciousness, giving myself to the blissful darkness awaiting me." I took a shuddering breath as I finished, wiping tears from my cheeks. A hand on my shoulder had me flinching. Mom was floating behind me, tears in her eyes.

Dad was on my other side, his hand on my arm. Kai was in front of me, gazing into my eyes. "Are you ready?" He asked, studying my face.

I took another deep, steadying breath, then let it out slowly. "I'm ready." Now, I've never been one to wish I could predict the future. I'd learned long ago that things would happen the way they were meant to in their own time. But, in that moment, I'd have given anything for a glimpse of what we were swimming into. I knew one thing with stark clarity, however: it would change the course of this war, maybe even our lives.

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