Waveborn | The Oceane Series

Twenty-Two

It had been two days since I'd been discharged from the medical wing, and a little over a week since the funeral. Delmare had stayed by my side, occasionally being replaced by his mother so he could finish his work.

Currently, I was in the library, indulging in the history of the kingdoms of the sea. A guard stood near the door, his eyes searching the entire room, awaiting any danger that might dare to enter the area. I flashed my pearly whites at him, hoping I could ease the stern look on his face, but he didn't smile back. He reminded me of those guards from Britain with their big black hats that never seemed to move no matter what you did. At least, from what I had seen in movies.

Flipping through the book, the silence filled the room as I read. I rested my cheek on my hand. Suddenly, I heard the familiar sound of something scraping against the wall. I turned toward the sound, realizing it was coming from the hidden passageway at the back of the library. Looking back at the guard, I watched as he walked cautiously toward the sound, motioning for me to stay where I was. My heart pounded against my chest. Had the Syren creatures broken into the castle again? Were they trying to come back to finish what they had started? Why were they so intent on harming the royal members of this kingdom?

"Who's there?" the guard called, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "State your business."

The intruder stepped out of the shadows, shaking as if they feared for their life. "M-my name's Clara, sir. I do not wish to harm you."

I felt my body relax. The guard let go of his sword and he waved the woman over before she sped out of the library, apologizing profusely. My heart ached for her, knowing that the guard was probably intimidating, especially if he thought you weren't who you said you were. Turning back to my book, I tried to concentrate on the chapter I had been reading, but I found my mind wandering to the night Delmare's father had been killed. I remembered seeing the Syren that looked almost exactly like Delmare, but was a monster in disguise. I shuddered then, realizing that the same creature that had tried to go after me, or another member of its race, had successfully poisoned me just a few days after.

With a sigh, I shut the book, rubbing my temple, trying to ease the headache that spread across my forehead, before standing and grabbing the books off the table to put them back where they belonged. With my head pounding, I made my way to the door, the guard following me out of the room and escorting me into the hallway. Quietly, we walked together toward Delmare's room, our room. I had moved in a few days ago, much to Ondina and Consuela's protest. They wouldn't be able to help me get dressed anymore. A part of me was sad they wouldn't be able to do their original jobs, but being able to dress myself made me feel normal. I didn't want to rely on other people for things I could do on my own.

Dismissing the guard, he quickly bowed before leaving me alone. I sat at the edge of the bed. The room still smelled like him, although I wasn't surprised—he had spent most of his childhood and adulthood in this room. Laying down, I rested my hand on my stomach, still amazed that my stomach had grown so much after such a short amount of time. I had been taking etiquette classes with Theodosia, just enough that I would pass in front of our citizens. After a few months, she was fairly certain I would be ready. Delmare's coronation was in two weeks and the palace had been busy with preparations, including Delmare himself. I knew he had a responsibility to his kingdom and its people, but a part of me wanted him to be selfish and spend days with me, picking out furniture for the nursery and painting the walls. The paint was made of shells and was insanely vibrant, probably better than paint on land. I loved the thought of us working on it together, but I also knew that with some things we had to do on our own.

With a sigh, I got up, kicking my shoes off as I entered my old room, now the nursery. I stared at the two cribs resting side by side and smiled, thinking about our children resting soundly in their beds, but I knew that that thought wouldn't be true at all. They would probably cry all night and need to be fed every two hours like clockwork. At least, my robot baby had done that. And if our children were anything like it, I hoped we would be okay.