Battlefield

Chapter 1

My shoulder felt like a shark had sunk its teeth into it as I swam through Aegrem, barely able to muster a weak smile to the villagers I passed. Though it'd been weeks since the fateful letter and David and Bella's departure, a permanent sense of exhaustion had settled into my bones, impossible to relieve. I should probably introduce myself before I go any further. My name's Nerissa Singh. But everyone calls me Rissa.

Between overseeing the grand opening of Aegrem's infirmary and finally beginning construction of the new school, I'd barely had a moment's rest. A sudden throbbing began in my shoulder, causing me to stop right in the middle of a busy intersection.

I took slow, deep breaths as I waited for the throbbing to pass. The random bursts of pain had become more frequent and more intense since the letter had arrived. Keeping them hidden from Jay and Meri was difficult, but I managed. As if my thoughts had summoned her, familiar red-gold hair swam in my vision. I had just dragged a paper-thin smile onto my face as she approached, a bright smile on her own.

Meri bowed low, the skirts of her emerald-green gown rustling, and signed. What's on your agenda for today?

I threw my arms around her, my shoulder protesting at the movement. After a moment, she hugged me back, but I could feel her confusion. Going to get some breakfast, then heading to check on the progress of Aegrem's new school. Wanna come?

I'd barely slept last night, partly because of the throbbing in my shoulder and partly because of the letter, tucked into a drawer in my closet. The pendant rested at my throat, despite Meri and Jay's protests that I not wear it. She nodded, linking her arm in mine as we swam.

I'd gotten used to the grateful and admiring glances that the villagers threw our way soon after we'd moved here. Meri had shied from their gazes at first, much more content to be under the radar. After much encouraging from Jay and me, she'd finally branched out and restarted the sign language class that she'd been teaching before... everything happened.

We gobbled down some oysters and fresh shrimp that had been scavenged on the outskirts of Aegrem before heading to the construction site. Though they'd mostly rebuilt the whole town, here and there you could still see the slash marks from the weapons used in the battle between Tiger Shark and Aegrem's citizens. A shudder ran through me as I glanced around, tightening my grip on Meri's hand.

To my surprise, the foundation had already been laid at the site. Mermen were hard at work, but most stopped when they noticed me, bowing. I grabbed my notepad. I see you've made a lot of progress.

The merman closest to me gave me a small smile when I handed the notepad to him. Yes, my lady. You and your husband will be alerted when it is finished.

Though Jay and I had been married for about a year, the titles still caught me off guard sometimes—husband and wife. Especially when I think about how close I came to never seeing him or any of them again.

A few months ago, Naia had cornered me and dealt me a crushing blow. She had met a merman named Brandon—who was apparently in league with Tiger Shark. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had also been present when I'd lost my hearing and had been the one who'd dealt the blow.

Of course, I hadn't known this, so hearing about it was a punch to the gut. The worst part of it all, though, was the decree I'd had to make afterwards: Naia Singh and Brandon Monroe had been banished from Nepptheas and Aegrem. If they were caught within either of their borders, they'd be executed on sight.

I'd also learned one other heartbreaking piece of information, one that had changed our family forever: Naia had completely cut herself off from our family, disowning me and Meri. As far as she was concerned, we weren't related. Even now, thinking about Naia's betrayal turned my stomach.

Meri suddenly put a hand on my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts. We had neared Aegrem's border when a sudden, almost unbearable burst of pain passed through my shoulder. A cry escaped my lips as I panted through clenched teeth. All the color drained from my face as ghostly figures appeared at the edges of my vision.

Meri's worried face swam in my vision as she opened her mouth, calling for someone. A crowd had surrounded us by then, mermaids and mermen alike wearing concerned expressions. My vision blurred, then faded to black as a face appeared in my vision, filling me with fear.

"Nerissa," Brandon said, a sadistic grin on his face. "Long time no see. We need to talk."

I stared at him in shock, questions racing through my mind, tripping over one another. How was he able to talk to me? Was this some sort of omen? I couldn't tell if it was a hallucination or something else, but I knew one thing with absolute certainty: whatever he was about to tell me wasn't good.

I was frozen in place as he swam towards me. Suddenly, my senses sharpened: I smelled seaweed and salt, felt the pull of the water as the waves crashed above us.

His next words took my tail out from under me. "I need your help to kill Aegrem's royal family." The fact that he deliberately refrained from mentioning me as queen told me enough about his opinion of me.

By that point, my head had started to spin as spots appeared in my vision. I was pulled out of the vision and back into reality, worried eyes scanning me. That sweet darkness returned, lulling me to sleep. I let it drag me under, if only to escape that horrible demand, which was now frozen in my mind: I need your help to kill Aegrem's royal family.

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