Blood On The Altar

Chapter 23

My heart is slamming against my chest as I swim, desperately trying to put distance between me and whatever is chasing me. Every time I start to lag behind, I can feel something behind me. I'm not sure what it is, but it's big and persistent.

When I can swim no longer, when my heart feels like it's going to explode, I duck behind a rock and try to catch my breath. I can safely say that when I finally turn around, nothing in the world could have prepared me for what was before me.

A merman with warm brown eyes and black hair so similar to that of his son's stares at me, eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and longing. Remembering our last conversation, I almost flinch, expecting him to lash out at me. "I'm sorry," I whisper, a lump appearing in my throat. King Drake reaches to tuck a stray curl behind my ear, his fingers barely brushing against my cheek.

"Oh, Isadora. You have nothing to be sorry about. None of us could have seen this coming. Least of all you. But that's not the reason I called you here." He glances around us as the words leave his mouth, checking to make sure we're alone. "Do you know a merman named Ronan Finch?"

A chill runs through me at the mention of his name. "Yes. He's an old friend of Kai's. Why?"

The next words that come out of his mouth knock my tail out from under me. "He was working with Naia. I'm not sure how, but they worked together to have me killed. Once or twice, I saw Ronan finishing up a letter in his room. He'd whisper one word before the letter left his hand: Naia. I don't know how they even knew each other, much less conspired to kill me." His gaze is steady, mouth a thin line.

"W-what do you think he's planning next?" I ask, my voice trembling.

He shakes his head, glancing around once more. "I wish I knew. Be careful, Isadora. You and Kai especially. Keep each other safe."

I want to know more, but before I so much as open my mouth, my vision starts to blur. When I opened my eyes again (not that I had any recollection of closing them), I was back in our bedroom. Kai was still asleep, no doubt exhausted from the previous day. Gods knew I should be sleeping as well, but I couldn't.

I knew one thing for sure. I needed to move. I wrote a hasty note for Kai, my hands shaking so badly I could barely grip the pen. Gone to see Mom and Dad. Back before nightfall. I got dressed in record time, grabbing my bag and quietly leaving our suite.

My heart was pounding, restless energy pulsing through me. Snippets of our conversation flowed through my head, sending shivers down my spine. "'Do you know a merman named Ronan Finch?'" "'He was working with Naia to kill me.'"

I heard movement behind me and knew Troy and Jesper were shadowing me. When a hand landed on my shoulder, I was ready. Dagger out, I spun around, catching my would-be attacker under the chin. Eyes widening, I quickly dropped the dagger, putting my hands out in front of me. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I'm just a little... tense."

That was one word for it, but the truth was too bizarre and complicated to explain. Aunt Bella smiled at me, her eyes kind. "I would imagine. How are you doing? Your parents?"

As the words left her mouth, I realized she hadn't heard about the drama that had ensued over the past few weeks. The trial. Neither of them had. "Mom and Dad are doing fine. In fact, Dad was just recently reunited with his parents and brother."

Uncle David's eyes widened. "Alicia and Oliver? They're alive? But... how?" He looked as confused as I'd felt when I'd first found out.

"It's a long and complicated story," I responded. "I was just heading back to Aegrem to check on them. You're more than welcome to come along. I'm sure they'll be delighted to see you." In truth, I hadn't had any concrete plans today. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that seeing my parents was just what I needed.

I tried not to hide my relief at having more people around me. After the events of the past week, I realized it would be a long time before I was comfortable going out alone again. We swam the rest of the way to the palace, purple-and-grey turrets popping up in the distance. Every mermaid and merman we passed bowed at us, smiling.

It wasn't until we reached their suite that I realized I was trembling. Mom answered the door, her dark-blue eyes filled with exhaustion. Hey, honey. Come on in. Your father will be so excited to see you. After ushering us inside, she hugged Aunt Bella and Uncle David, lingering for a few moments before finally letting go.

I took a breath, then dove in, explaining everything that had happened in the past few days, starting with Aunt Naia's summons and ending with the trial. I was calm on the outside, but on the inside I was a jumbled mess of nerves.

"Wow. I can't believe it. How's Noah doing?" Uncle David directed the last question at Dad. A quick nod from Mom said that she was following the conversation.

Dad blew out a breath, his eyes wide. "It'll take him a while to get back into the swing of things. For now, though, he's been promoted to my personal guard. That way, I can keep an eye on him and have someone with me at all times."

"And your parents?" Aunt Bella asked. From the tone of her voice, I could tell she, too, was still trying to process everything.

"They're taking it day by day. From what I can tell, Mom seems to be having the most trouble adjusting back to court life. She's as regal as ever, but she just seems... off. I can't help but wonder if she may have developed PTSD from what happened with the Loyalty Pendant." A pained look appeared on his face as the last words left his mouth. I could only imagine the worry he was feeling.

Mom swam beside him, gently taking his hand. He met her eyes, taking a deep breath as a silent conversation passed between them. I hated to interrupt the tender moment between them, but there was one other issue that I needed to voice. The issue that had been nagging at me all day, creating knots in my stomach. My voice was small as I spoke, barely audible. "There's one other thing."

Four pairs of eyes turned toward me, all filled with concern. I swallowed hard, trying not to focus on King Drake's ominous message. I opened my mouth, then closed it, unable to force words past the lump in my throat. When the hand slid into mine, I immediately felt my heartbeat calm. Kai had a determined look in his eyes as he gazed at me, encouraging me to go on. I hadn't even heard him come in.

Filled with newfound courage, I turned back and opened my mouth. "King Drake came to me in a dream last night. After reassuring me multiple times that what happened wasn't my fault, he proceeded to give me this message." I paused, taking a shaky breath. Kai squeezed my hand.

"Ronan Finch had been working with Aunt Naia in the days leading up to the king's death. He wasn't sure exactly how, but he told me once or twice he'd seen Ronan finishing up a letter in his room. Before sending the letter, he'd whisper one word: Naia."

Shock settled over the room. I stared at my hands so I wouldn't buckle under the weight of their gazes. A gentle squeeze on my hand drew me back to the present. "So what's our next move?" Kai asked, his voice steady.

I shrugged, suddenly exhausted. "I have no idea. The most logical thing would be to find Ronan, but I doubt he would be willing to speak to any of us, given the events of the past few days."

A flash of movement caught my eye and I turned, surprised to see the water darkening. I hadn't realized how much time had passed. "We're all exhausted. Why don't we get some sleep and reconvene tomorrow?" Dad's voice was calm as he spoke. I knew I wasn't the only one on board with that suggestion.

Everyone agreed, quickly dispersing to their rooms. Kai held tightly to my hand as we swam back to our suite, his gaze never leaving my face. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, the guilt and depression resurfacing from where I'd pushed them deep down inside me. "I should have told you sooner."

Kai put a hand on my cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Because of you, we now have a suspect and a potential lead. That's great."

Despite his words, I couldn't help but think that Ronan had some big plan up his sleeve, one he wouldn't reveal until we least expected it. I just hoped we could handle whatever it was he decided to throw at us. I wrapped my arms around Kai, my eyes slowly closing as sleep overtook me.

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