I tossed and turned that night, unable to banish Kai's face from my mind. Only this time, he wasn't the focus of my nightmares. A mermaid with blonde hair swam up to me, a cruel smile on her face. Aunt Naia. I crossed my arms, glaring at her.

"What?" I snapped. The fear from hearing the news about Nepptheas was fresh in my mind and thinning my temper. She grinned as if she had some big secret she was just dying to share.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement." The smile on her face was so smug and satisfied. I had a feeling that wasn't all she wanted to tell me. "And let you know what's coming."

Without further preamble, she swam up beside me, placing her hand on my shoulder. I flinched at the contact but didn't jerk away. A black void swallowed me up, dragging me down into its depths until I couldn't tell up from down, left from right.

Images swam past me, so quickly I could hardly make them out: Mom clutching Dad's hand, sobbing as they watched the palace—our home—crumble to the ground. The fear on their faces as they anxiously searched the rubble for signs of life, yelling my name.

The more images that appeared, the harder it was to breathe. One by one, they swam past me, each one more heartbreaking than the last: Dad collapsing to the ground, silent tears rolling down his face as he watched his parents die for a second time. The anguish on Aunt Bella and Uncle David's faces as they floated beside Dad, watching the scene before them in horror.

I couldn't handle it. "Stop!" I screamed. Tears streamed down my cheeks, making it difficult to see. I turned back to Aunt Naia, lips trembling as I opened my mouth. "W-what can I do to stop these events from happening? I'll do anything."

She grinned. She was enjoying my torment. "Bring me the Loyalty Pendant."

I froze, my mind going back to the conversation I'd had with Kai's parents. King Drake's voice filled my head. "Your aunt mentioned the Loyalty Pendant when we last spoke. Your parents wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would they?"

My mouth opened, words pouring out before I had even formed them in my head. "Y-you're trying to align yourself with Beltmare. To have the might of another army when you strike next." Horror was etched on my face, temporarily pushing aside the sadness and anger.

She nodded as if it should have been obvious. "I was hoping you'd have figured it out sooner. Guess you're not as smart as I thought."

My hands clenched into fists as I spoke through gritted teeth. "You won't get away with this. Kai will never allow this to happen. It won't stop the wedding. He'll alert his parents and they'll have guards locking down the palace. You'll never get in." I hoped I sounded braver than I felt because inside I was a trembling mess.

She only smiled as she swam up to me, placing a hand on my cheek. Coming from anyone else, it would have seemed like a loving touch of a doting aunt. "I'll enjoy watching you try."

The sob that broke from me as I jerked awake had me praying that I hadn't awoken the entire castle. I was restless as I got dressed and swam down to breakfast. Every noise had me flinching and clenching my fists to avoid reaching for my daggers.

I had just flinched for what felt like the hundredth time as silverware clattered on a plate when I felt eyes on me. Nadia, who was sitting next to me, lowered her voice as she spoke. "Are you alright, my lady?"

I didn't want her to worry, so I nodded as I picked at my food. My mind was spinning, my thoughts rushing from one subject to another. After I'd eaten as much as I could stomach, I excused myself, heading straight for my room. I'd barely shut the door behind me before I collapsed in tears.

It felt like my heart had cracked in two. Fear like I'd never known settled in the pit of my stomach. I knew the most logical thing to do would be to alert Mom and Dad so that they could keep us safe, but they were no match for the Loyalty Pendant. No one was safe. Even the most experienced guards would succumb after going up against it.

I ran a shaking hand over my face. Before the thought had even finished forming in my mind, I was moving. Not bothering to grab my bag, I slung a cloak over my shoulders and flipped the hood to cover my curls. I still had some money left, but it wasn't much.

I didn't think I'd find myself in a position to use any of it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I desperately hoped I wouldn't see Mom and Dad on my way out because I hated having to lie to them. My expression may have been calm, my hands steady, but on the inside, I was trembling.

Aside from the usual glances and nods of greeting, no one paid me any heed as I swam. I was hypervigilant, twitching at every noise or bend in the current. When the familiar gold-and-crimson flags came into view, I almost collapsed right there. The thought of having to drag myself back through those images again—as fleeting as they were—threatened to send me into full-on hysterics.

As usual, the guards bowed to me before opening the large doors at the front. My stomach lurched with fear as I spotted a flash of dark hair. "Kai," I croaked. He looked up at the sound of my voice, his obsidian eyes widening as he took in my disheveled appearance, my wide eyes.

He sped to my side, gripping my arms to steady me. "You're shaking! What's going on?" Even as he spoke, I could see the fear surfacing in his eyes—like he instinctively knew that whatever was going to come out of my mouth would not be good.

My thoughts were a tangled mess, tripping over one another as they rushed to the front of my mind. "Y-you need to alert the guards. Get word to everyone living in Beltmare—tell them to lock down their homes. Please, Kai. I need you to trust me." I could see confusion and worry in his gaze, but I also saw another emotion tucked beside the first two: trust.

He nodded, quickly calling for a servant. A merman in a tunic of gold and crimson swam up to us, bowing to Kai, and after a moment of hesitation, to me as well. Kai whispered in his ear, occasionally glancing at me. The servant nodded, bowing again as he swam away. Kai took my arm and led me to their suite.

My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, lungs like they were going to explode. As soon as we entered the suite, I felt tears spring to my eyes. Queen Katrina looked up from where she was gazing at a pile of papers on a table, surprise in her voice as she spoke. "Kai." After a moment, her gaze flicked to mine, taking in the fear in my eyes and tears on my cheeks. "Princess Isadora. Is everything alright?"

She swam to me, gently putting an arm around my trembling form. "Oh, honey, you're trembling! Please, sit down." Her grip was gentle but firm as she led me to the sitting room.

Kai took a seat beside me. With him on one side and Queen Katrina on the other, I felt my heartbeat slow fractionally. I was fully aware that what I was about to say was crazy, but fear overrode any sense of logic.

"My aunt—my mother's sister—sent me a message late last night, in the form of a nightmare. At first, I wasn't sure what she was trying to tell me. She said she wanted to congratulate me on our engagement. I knew, however, that that wasn't the real reason she'd come. She's trying to align Nepptheas with Beltmare, to gain the might and power of another army for when she attacks again."

My voice broke on the last word, and I took a shaky breath, swiping at my cheeks. Kai's gaze had never left my eyes as I'd spoken, obsidian eyes fixed on my tear-streaked face. Queen Katrina's jaw was clenched, her mouth a thin line. Once she'd composed herself, she put a hand on my knee. "I promise, Isadora, my husband and I will do everything we can to keep our people safe. Please, take care of yourself."

My chest hitched, but I nodded. Kai took my hand as I rose, murmuring to his mother that he was going to see me safely home. I still felt shaky, so I was grateful for the hand he'd slid into mine as we left the palace, heading out into the open water. We swam in silence for most of the way, neither of us speaking until the familiar purple-and-grey banners appeared in the distance.

As we approached the entrance, the guards at the front nodded at us. He kept a firm grip on my hand as we swam inside. Curly black hair appeared in my vision, along with worried dark-blue eyes. Mom swam to me, her face pale and tear-streaked. Isadora! Thank the gods you're alright. We were worried sick. Where have you been?

At this point, I knew my voice was unreliable, so I just glanced at Kai. Anger—not at me or my parents—flashed in his gaze as he spoke. Dad followed the conversation, his hands moving steadily as he listened and signed the words back to Mom.

"Apparently, your sister"—Kai nodded at Mom—"contacted Izzy in a dream last night. She told Izzy she wanted to congratulate her on her engagement. And to let her know what was coming." He looked at me as the last word left his mouth, squeezing my hand.

I opened my mouth, ready to tell them their fates, but suddenly faltered. We had just gotten to a place where we didn't have to constantly look over our shoulder every second, convinced that traitors were in our midst. How could I take that sense of safety, of security, away from them? This revelation would change everything.

I had just taken a steadying breath and was preparing to open my mouth when a loud shock wave rolled through the water. I managed to keep my balance, but I was dizzy when I righted myself. The various pillars and foundations of the palace shook, silt crumbling to the ground. Kai reached for my hand, but he was suddenly ripped away from me.

I screamed and was going to swim to him when another wave rolled through the water. This one was more violent, causing me to lose my balance. My head smacked against the ground, causing stars to swim in my vision. The last thing I saw before I surrendered to unconsciousness was a wall of the palace crumble to the ground, leaving nothing but rubble in its wake.

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