My thoughts were a jumbled mess, nausea churning in my stomach. I could barely bring water into my lungs. I looked at Mom, the fear in her eyes mirroring the fear in my own. "I went down to the dungeons a while ago. I wanted to try to get answers from Uncle Noah about why he did what he did. I know it was risky," I quickly added, stopping Mom before she could so much as begin to lift her hands, "but I felt like I had no other choice."

Wedged beside the fear was worry. For our family and everyone in all the realms. I kept my eyes on the wall beside her head, doing my best to keep my hands from trembling. "I screamed at him, trying to figure out what could have possibly led him to do what he did. He told me I had no idea what Jacob had said, what he'd done. Apparently, the two of them spent quite a bit of time alone in the dungeons. They got to talking, shared a bit of their histories, and that's when Jacob told Uncle Noah about Mrs. Carla and Ella's deaths."

Kai swam beside me, gently taking my hand. Just having him beside me gave me courage. I gave him a thin smile before turning back to Mom. "Uncle Noah mentioned the pendant, how—if and when he got out—he was going to use it to bring them back. I told him that Jacob would say anything to gain sympathy, that I hoped he knew that."

Despite my best efforts, my hands began to tremble. I took a deep breath, exhaling deeply. I was almost done. I just wasn't sure how Mom would react when I told her the truth. "He finally revealed Jacob's plan. If Uncle Noah didn't help him, he'd kidnap our family and use the Lost Soul Pendant on us until we slowly lost our sanity and killed each other."

Mom faltered, her back bumping against the wall. Her face was deathly pale, eyes impossibly wide. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I... I had no choice. He gave me an ultimatum: him or Uncle Noah." I didn't dare look at Kai, at the shock and hurt I knew were flashing across his face and eyes. Guilt formed in my gut when I realized I'd omitted that part of the story when I'd told him.

I quickly shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. "We need to find Jacob and figure out how he aquired the pendant. I wouldn't know where to even begin to start looking."

The words had barely left my mouth when a knock at the suite door made all of us flinch. "You have a visitor, your Majesties. Should I send him up or tell him to come back later?" Even muffled by the door, the servant's voice was calm, no hint of the fear that was present in this room in his voice.

That one word made all the water disappear from my lungs in a rush. Him. There was only one him that would instill this much fear in me. I glanced around and saw it mirrored in everyone else, too. I locked eyes with Mom, confusion and fear warring in my gut. She took a deep breath and nodded.

I forced my voice to sound calm as I answered. "Yes, please. Send him up." I barely heard the servant's mumbled reply.

When the knock came, it was hesitant. A quiet voice spoke up from outside. "Please, Isadora. Let me explain." Jacob's voice was filled with such remorse that it made my heart skip a beat.

I took another deep breath and opened the door. Jacob floated in front of me, guilt and shame written all over his face. "Come in," I said, moving away from the door.

His eyes swept over the room, taking in everyone. I could have sworn regret flashed across his face as he caught Mom's eye. "You came here to explain. So talk." My voice was void of any emotion, coldness flashing in my eyes.

He took a deep breath, clasping his hands in front of him. "I know I've made mistakes—in both my life and others'—but, please, Isadora. You have to believe me when I say I would do anything to undo the wrongs I've done. When Noah mentioned the Lost Soul Pendant, I knew that if I could find it, I would be able to use it to bring Carla and Ella back." His voice broke as he breathed his wife and daughter's names.

"Why should we believe you?" I countered, voice dagger-sharp. "For all we know, you'll just turn right around and feed whatever we tell you back to Uncle Noah. Then—when and if he gets out—he'd be able to use the pendant for his own gain."

He winced at my words, hurt flashing across his face. Once again, he swept his gaze over all of us, lingering on Mom. "I made a mistake working with Noah. I know I haven't known him as long as you all have, but I genuinely thought he'd be able to help bring them back. "

"We think—think being the operative word—that, years ago, my grandfather created a decoy pendant. Identical to the original in every way, so if it were to disappear, no one would notice the difference. Someone slipped the pendant under our door this morning. There wasn't a note, just the pendant itself. The only question is, who would have been brazen enough to do so?" I leveled an accusing stare at Jacob.

The guilty expression reappeared on his face. "I went to Rosewood Manor a few weeks ago, hoping to find something—anything—that would hint as to how the pendant worked. Aside from a few books detailing the origin of the pendant, there was nothing. I was about to leave when a glowing light caught my eye. It was coming from a room on the second floor—some sort of study, I presumed. When I swam closer, I was suddenly drawn to the desk—where a dark-blue pendant on a string lay."

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath at this revelation. He'd found it. Jacob took a breath, exhaling slowly, then continued. "It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. When I touched it, faces suddenly appeared, sobbing and screaming. Terror and pain and anguish—I felt it all. When I finally pulled myself from the vision—or whatever it was—I was pale and shaking. It was awful."

His face was suddenly pale, eyes shadowed and haunted. I could see how this was affecting him. "I grabbed the pendant by the string, shoving it into my jacket pocket and speeding towards the entrance. I'd never met Tiger Shark, but just from that vision, I saw how cruel he'd been, how he'd tormented himself."

A cry slipped from Mom's lips as she clutched Dad's arm. Without even looking at her, I knew what she was thinking. She—and everyone else in my family—knew the reason for his torment. The guilt and shame and sadness that had eaten at him day after day until he'd finally decided to do something about it.

With a shaking hand, Mom pulled the pendant out of her pocket, holding it by the string, just as Jacob had done. Before I even knew what I was doing, my mouth was open, words pouring out. "Two years ago, I saw him in a vision—or something. I was the only one who could hear him, though. Everyone else couldn't. He swam up to Mom, stopping directly in front of her."

My hands shook at my sides, the words I'd yet to say tangling in my throat. "'My daughter. Do you even know how heartbroken I was by what happened to you? I blamed myself; I felt helpless. I stayed away and focused on becoming so powerful that I would never again have to watch any of the people I loved suffer. But, I admit, I became selfish and greedy. I craved more power. However, my creating the Lost Soul Pendant caused more harm than good.'"

I broke off, my voice catching on a sob. When I finally spoke again, my words were quiet. "All he ever wanted was to have a relationship with his oldest daughter, to make amends with her. When he spoke to me, it was as if he was looking into my soul. 'I see you, Isadora. You can try to fight those horrible emotions, push them down until they can't touch you—or you can let them speak. If you let them, they will guide you.'"

Dad spoke next, his eyes filled with grief and sadness. "My relationship with my twin brother had always been rocky. Even during our childhood—I think he'd resented me for being groomed for the title of king. He'd known all our lives that I would always eventually end up being king, and even though we'd grown apart during our teenage years, he eventually came back. When our parents were brought back to life, I think that was it for him. He realized that life was too short for holding grudges." Emotion gleamed in his eyes as he swallowed hard.

"Tiger Shark had hoped that his creating the pendant would make him powerful beyond measure—make him able to save those he loved from suffering. But it ended up doing the opposite. By creating that pendant, he unleashed a new, incredibly dangerous threat—the ability to see someone's flaws, the things that no one wants you to see. It has the ability to bring people back to life, yes—but also the ability to display the true face of someone. Every sin they've committed, every bad thing they've done. "

I turned to Jacob as the words left my mouth, a blank expression on my face. "After hearing this, do you still want to go through with this?"

He blew out a breath, eyes wide. "Yes. I'm ready."

I turned to Mom, read the hesitation and fear in her eyes, no doubt mirroring the same in my own. "We know where their bodies are buried. Come with us." My hands shook as I swam, my heart in my throat.

What felt like hours later, we finally came upon two gravestones, side-by-side. Both had writing on them, faded by time and the currents. Ella's was first, the words drawing a sob from my throat. Here lies Arabella Grace Mercer, a light in the darkness and a soul whose life was taken from these waters too soon. May she feel no pain as her soul rests for eternity.

Mrs. Carla's was next, the tears falling down my cheeks now. Here lies Carla Sydney Mercer, a wonderful, loving mother and a great friend. May she feel no pain as her soul rests for eternity.

Even though I'd never known the two mermaids, hearing their story made me feel closer to them. I turned to Jacob, momentarily taken aback by the tears in his eyes. The look in his eyes could only be described as longing.

Before I could even open my mouth, he was moving. Faster than I could blink, he swiped the pendant from Mom's hands. He dug up Ella's grave first, gently placing the pendant around her neck. We waited, the seconds turning into minutes, with nervous anticipation.

With every minute that passed, a knot formed in my stomach. Would it work?

I was seconds away from ripping the pendant off her neck when it suddenly started glowing. A blinding light made all of us shield our eyes. When my vision cleared, two hazy figures floated in front of me.

I hadn't met either of them in person, yet I recognized them instantly. Carla and Ella. The little mermaid clutched her mother's hand, gazing at me. Carla's voice was quiet as she spoke. "I was ecstatic when Nerissa became pregnant. I just knew that her daughter would be as smart and kind and loving as her. We watch over all of you, every day. It warms my heart to see Drew and Faye with such a loving family."

My eyes filled with tears. "You can see them in person if you come back. They—we all—want you to come back." My voice broke on the last word.

Carla gazed down at her daughter. "I've made peace with my death. I may not have all my family with me physically, but I have Ella here and Drew and Faye are with me every day in my heart. I don't know where Jacob is now, but I hope he lives every day with regret and shame in his heart for his actions. He deserves to rot for what he did—to me and our children. He did horrible, unspeakable things, and for what? The cost of who knows how many lives?"

I opened my mouth—to say what, I wasn't sure—but their images had already begun to fade. "Please," I choked out.

I was left sobbing on the ground, the two graves still occupied. My heart broken completely in half. Through tear-filled eyes, I glanced up at Jacob. I didn't—couldn't—speak, but I had a feeling that my gaze conveyed everything I couldn't say.

He crumpled on the ground, face twisted in grief. The sob that escaped his mouth made my heart skip a beat.

It hadn't worked. I learned something else about the Lost Soul Pendant that day—some souls don't choose to come back, either from shame or by choice.

Read and review!