The Broken Queen

Chapter 15

Darkness. A flare of light from a torch. The feeling of stone under my hand. As I swam closer to the light, my surroundings became clearer. The room I was floating in was scarcely furnished: an old coffee table and a few rickety chairs were the sole occupants of the otherwise bare space.

It had once been a living room, but judging by the condition of the furniture, it had been abandoned for years. The walls were stone, the floor under which the tables and chairs were situated made of a similar material. My heart lurched as I realised where I was, a scream lodging itself in my throat. Rosewood Manor. But... how? It had been in shambles when I'd last visited.

My heart was beating wildly as I swam, keeping a hand on the dagger at my waist. I kept glancing over my shoulder, convinced that someone was following me, but no one was there.

When the hand landed on my shoulder, I had the dagger out before I had even turned around. Brandon floated before me, the dagger in his hand glinting in the dim torchlight. The malicious glint in his dark green eyes chilled me to the bone.

Brandon? I wanted to sign, but I was frozen. Before I could so much as lift my hands, I felt the cold hilt of a dagger slam into the back of my head. I crumpled to the ground, my vision blurring as I struggled to remain conscious. The last thing I felt was Brandon tugging on my hand before darkness swallowed me up.

My eyes flew open, my fingers drifting to the ring on my right hand. I took slow, even breaths, trying to calm my pounding heartbeat. As I quietly got dressed and swam out of our bedroom, I scribbled a note for the others. Going out for a bit. Be back before nightfall.

My daggers were in easy reach as I swam, my fingers twitching as I imagined facing Brandon. It was the same as it had been with Naia, though: I had no idea where to start looking.

The current was choppy as I swam outside, which was unusual. Given the early hour, everyone should have been asleep. That's when I felt the vibrations in the water. Spinning around, dagger in hand, I came face-to-face with familiar dark-green eyes. They widened—first in recognition, then in disgust—as they noticed me.

"Nerissa? The infamous Queen of Aegrem? I've heard so much about you." I didn't let the bite in Brandon's words, the mockery hit its mark. My fingers drifted over to the ring on my right hand.

Brandon. What are you doing here? My hands were steady as I signed, despite the panic swirling around inside me.

He grinned. "I am here to escort you to Rosewood Manor. I believe you are familiar with the name?" His face betrayed no emotion, though dark humor sparkled in his eyes.

My heart lurched, my grip instinctively tightening on the dagger as realisation hit me. This was his plan all along. He'd wanted me to come looking for him. With a mocking bow, he gestured for me to follow.

We swam for about a quarter of an hour, various sea creatures crossing our path. Just when I thought we couldn't swim any farther, we came upon a familiar manor house.

A red-haired mermaid swam out to greet us, her dark-blue eyes—twin to my own—glittering with excitement as she noticed me. Her movements were precise as she signed. Nerissa. We've been waiting for you.

Though my face remained blank, a shiver ran down my spine at her words. Alyssa gestured for me to follow as she swam inside. Everything—the furniture, the walls, the floors—was black as night. If not for the windows, the light streaming through them, I would have given myself over to the panic attack that was slowly creeping up on me.

My hands trembled at my sides as I swam through the spacious entryway into the living room. Another mermaid appeared beside Alyssa, her emerald-green eyes sparkling with delight. I felt as if all the water had been knocked from my body. My mouth opened, but no sound came out—well, none that I could hear, anyway.