Blood On The Altar

Chapter 20

I was awake long before the sun rose over the water the next morning. The few times I'd glanced at Kai during the night, he had been asleep. Grief and pain had lined his face, my heart hurting for him. He'd slept soundly as I'd gotten dressed and swum downstairs, haunted by the empty look in his gaze.

As soon as I reached the dining room, all chatter stopped. Multiple pairs of eyes fell on me as I swam to our table, sitting across from Mom. Her gaze instantly met mine, filled with grief.

I glanced from her to Dad, worry etched on my face. The latter wouldn't meet my eyes. "What happened? Are Kai's parents okay?" Worst-case scenarios ran through my head, none of them pleasant. Even as I thought them, I knew they had something to do with his rare display of emotion last night.

Dad finally looked up at me, and my heart stopped. He looked defeated, like the world had shoved him down one too many times. "Late last night, we received a message from Queen Katrina. Apparently, the king died in some freak accident. Inquires are still being made, but his body was found outside their suite..." Here Dad trailed off, rubbing his face with a hand.

I collapsed against my chair, dread coiling in the pit of my stomach. Dad's unspoken words floated through my head. Completely drained of blood. I recalled the empty look in Kai's eyes, the sobs that had wracked his body. He must've gotten the news moments before arriving at our suite last night.

I was up and moving before I'd even registered it in my mind. Ignoring Dad's pleas for me to stay put, I sped through the palace, grief and sorrow propelling me forward. All I could think about was Kai and his mother. How she was handling the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband.

Flurries of movement met me at the entrance to Beltmare's palace. I sought out the nearest guard, clothed in gold and crimson. "Where is Queen Katrina? I need to see her," I said, wishing I could make my voice sound more authoritative. Instead, it came out small and meek.

Barely glancing at me, he pointed to a set of doors in the very back of the entrance hall. I quickly thanked him, then sped inside. My hands were trembling, but I forced my breathing to steady. I had to be strong for her and Kai's sake. I'd barely lifted my hand to knock before the doors swung open. Queen Katrina was perched on the edge of a couch in her sitting room, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve.

I carefully swam up to her, sitting down beside her. "It's Isadora," I said, my voice calm. "I just wanted to offer my condolences. I'm so very sorry."

She'd been staring off into space, her expression blank, but it was as if my words were a lifeline. Her topaz eyes snapped to mine, widening in recognition. "Isadora. I didn't know if you would come. It's awful. They found his body late yesterday evening. Gone..." she snapped her fingers, the sound making me jump. "Just like that."

I put my hand on her arm, knowing there was nothing I could possibly do or say. I wasn't sure how long I stayed there, but I flinched when I heard someone enter her suite. Kai wordlessly swam towards us, eyes blank. I gently kissed the top of his head as he sat down beside his mother. That was my cue to leave.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I had bigger problems to deal with. My heart broke anew as Queen Katrina's sobs echoed throughout the small space. I was already clutching my daggers as I left the palace behind, blistering anger replacing the grief inside me.

I swam to Nepptheas without stopping, barely even registering the strain on my body. Uncle Noah swam out to greet me as I neared the palace, eyes filled with mock sympathy. "I just wanted to extend my condolences on the loss of King Drake." As the words left his mouth, I was at his throat, dagger piercing the skin.

"You don't get to extend condolences," I hissed, the anger writhing around inside me like fire. "You don't get to pretend like you're sorry about the loss, because we both know you're not. This was just part of Ronan's plan. Where is he?"