Blood On The Altar

Chapter 12

All of my senses came to life in one fell swoop as I regained consciousness. My eyes swept around the room I was in, my chest heaving. I felt the harsh burn of rope on my torso and arms, quickly realizing I was tied to a chair.

I detected a tangy, but familiar scent as I glimpsed a curl of my hair which was soaked in blood. The room was silent, which terrified me. I tasted the bitterness of blood as I accidentally bit my tongue.

Where was Kai? In my quick scan of the room (which, again, was no larger than a storage closet), I was alone. The only door was at the front of the room, far away from where I was.

I knew that if I'd been able to move my hands and had touched the back of my head, I would discover a large bump. I also knew that my throat, which felt raw, had red marks encircling it, courtesy of Ronan.

The last thing I remembered was Ronan grabbing my hair, a pointed conversation between him and Kai, and then... nothing. What had Ronan said? Something about Mom?

As hard as I tried, I couldn't recall his words. I swallowed hard and saw a glint of metal out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough, my daggers were on a table just out of reach of the chair.

I knew without a doubt that I had a concussion. I must have hit my head before I passed out. I couldn't see any other injuries, but I felt various bruises on my face. Nausea rolled through me, causing me to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. When it subsided, I opened my eyes just in time to see the door handle rattle.

I froze, caught between relief and terror. Was it Kai, coming to rescue me? Or was it Ronan, coming to see if I'd hopefully succumbed to my injuries?

I prayed with all I had for the former. I kept perfectly still as it opened, a merman swimming inside. The second the door closed, he turned toward me and I had to bite back my cry of relief. Kai's eyes were filled with a mixture of concern, love, and anger.

He swam to me, pressing a hand to my cheek. Only when I felt the coolness of his palm against my skin did words come. "Ronan," I rasped. A confused expression appeared on his face.

"He..." I trailed off, taking a moment to catch my breath. "He's going to kill your father and blame it on me." A pang of guilt shot through me, though I knew Kai would never think I was responsible.

Kai just shook his head, looping my arm around his shoulder and helping me rise. "Where are we?" I asked softly as we left the room. Unfamiliar surroundings stared back at me, the concussion leaving me twice as disoriented.

After making sure we were alone, he responded, his voice barely more than a whisper. "A warehouse near the entrance to Beltmare. Don't talk. Save your strength."

Indeed, those three words had sapped what was left of the energy from my body. I was silent the rest of the way to the palace, struggling to fight off the exhaustion that was slowly creeping up on me. Every time I started to lag behind, a gentle tug on my hand from Kai convinced me to keep going.

When we finally reached the palace, I almost cried out in relief. Guards in gold-and-crimson uniforms straightened as we approached, bowing to Kai and me. "Your Highnesses," one of them said. I vaguely recognized him, but couldn't recall his name.

"The princess has been injured. Alert the king and queen." Kai's voice floated in and out of my head as I struggled to stay awake.

One of the guards nodded, disappearing inside. I moaned, the sound small and feeble. Kai glanced at me, his expression worried and concerned. "Just hang on, Izzy. You'll be okay."

When the doors opened again, I heard multiple voices, all talking over each other. I winced, squeezing my eyes shut. The soft voice of Queen Katrina filled my ears, causing me to crack open my eyelids. "Isadora, can you hear me? You're going to be okay."

I wanted to warn all of them about Ronan's message, but at the moment, I could barely muster up the energy to keep my eyes open. I didn't remember falling asleep, but when I opened my eyes, I was in a bedroom in the palace. Adorned in Beltmare's colors, it reminded me of my own room at home.

A mermaid with strawberry-blonde hair was sitting in a chair by my bed, her usually golden skin pale. "Nadia," I rasped. At the sound of my voice, she turned toward me. Relief replaced the concern in her eyes as she scanned my face.

"My lady!" I could sense fear under the concern as she spoke. "Are you alright? When Queen Katrina told your parents about what had happened, they were so worried."

I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but my arms shook so badly it was impossible. Her amber eyes were locked on me, a hand clasping mine. "Your parents are in the sitting room. They wanted to see you right away, but Queen Katrina convinced them to let you rest. Shall I send for them?"

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be a little girl again, burying my face into Mom's hair and letting the world fall away. But as hard as it would be, I knew I was eventually going to have to face reality.

For now, though, I needed my parents. I nodded, swallowing my tears. She gently squeezed my hand before swimming to the door and opening it. After she she slipped outside, I heard hushed conversation between her and someone else—a guard or another servant, I supposed. A few minutes passed before a new, familiar voice joined the fray, tight with worry.

"Isadora! Is she okay? What happened?" Dad's voice soothed me in a way Kai's touch never could. I heard Nadia respond in a hushed tone, but couldn't make out the words.

The door opened a heartbeat later, causing me to flinch. For a few, foolish seconds, I actually believed it was Ronan, coming back to make my injuries permanent. It wasn't until I glimpsed familiar brown hair and eyes filled with worry that I relaxed marginally. Dad swam inside, shutting the door behind him.

He swam to me, scanning my body for injuries. When his eyes fell on my throat, on the marks that had started to fade but were still visible, a muscle in his jaw pulsed, revealing barely-contained anger. "Oh, Izzy," he whispered, placing a gentle hand on my cheek. "What happened, baby?"

I opened my mouth to explain—or try to—when the door opened again. I tensed, my hands inching toward my daggers before I realized what I was doing. Dad followed the movement, the worry etched on his face deepening. Mom swam in, face pale and eyes wide.

Queen Katrina contacted me and told us that you'd been injured. She didn't say how, though. What happened, Izzy? Her hands were steady as she signed, her gaze on my face.

"Have you spoken to Kai?" My voice was croaky, an aftereffect of Ronan's torture. Mom's face was pale with worry, tear streaks on her cheeks. Dad's was pale and tight, eyes filled with tears.

He nodded, reaching out to brush a stray curl off my face. Once again, I couldn't help but flinch. I could see the apology in his eyes, could practically hear it in his mind, but I shook my head.

His voice was quiet as he spoke. "He'd been by your side ever since he brought you in. Only a few hours ago, Queen Katrina finally convinced him to get some much-needed rest. But I'll let her know that you'd like to see him when he wakes up, if you want."

I nodded. My eyelids fluttered, but I didn't close them. I knew what I would see if I closed my eyes, let myself succumb to the darkness of sleep. Dad squeezed my hand. "Get some sleep, Izzy. We're right here."

Against my will, my eyelids slowly closed, the emotions from the previous day crashing into me. I was exhausted, scared, angry. But all that was pushed to the side by the thought that when I woke up, Kai would be by my side. I drifted off to sleep with his face in my mind.

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