A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 16

Early the next morning, I was awake before the sun had even risen over the water. I'd slept fitfully the night before, partly because of Kai not being there and partly because of the nightmares that had haunted me. Each one had left me shaking and gasping for water as I'd opened my eyes. I couldn't stop replaying the moment I was shoved to the side, causing the concrete to miss me by inches.

I'd seen the crimson-and-gold blur, but it wasn't until later that I'd realized who it had been. Kai. He could have been killed, but he risked his life to save me. Transparent faces appeared in the edges of my vision, eyes filled with malice. '"This is your fault, you know.'" "'A shame, too. You could have avoided it so easily.'"

I didn't need them to remind me of that. I got dressed in a daze, pulling on a purple-and-grey dress before leaving my parents' suite. It was barely dawn, so luckily, the waters were deserted. When I arrived at the hospital, I realized my hands were shaking. I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like an anchor was sitting on my chest.

Tears blurring my vision, hopelessness almost overwhelming me, I swam blindly to Kai's hospital room. I was already crying when I swam inside. When I felt hands on me, I almost flinched, but the voice that spoke was soothing, motherly. "Come sit down, Isadora. It's okay."

Queen Katrina's grip was soft as she led me to a chair beside Kai's hospital bed. In my haze of shame and anger, I vaguely recalled her words from yesterday, that Kai would be able to go home today. He quickly got dressed then sat on the edge of the bed. His arm was still in a sling, but his eyes looked clearer than they had the first time I'd been here.

I saw the worry and concern in them, but that only made me cry harder. I tried to speak, but any words were drowned in a torrent of tears. They never pressed me, just waited for the tears to finally cease.

"It's all my fault," I choked out, sniffling. My breath hitched as I tried to calm down; every time I thought the tears were slowing, another wave would crash over me. "You should never have saved me."

He sat up in a rush, barely wincing at what the sudden movement must have done to his arm. With his free hand, he grabbed mine, squeezing gently. I looked into his eyes, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. "Don't ever say anything like that again," he said softly.

Queen Katrina put a hand on my back, her touch calming my pounding heart. "Is everything okay?"

"Is this still about the attack?" Kai asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but froze as I saw translucent figures appear in the edges of my vision. "'Yeah, Izzy. What's this really about?'" "'Could it be that you blame yourself for not being able to save Nadia?'" "'Or is it something else?'"

I clenched my hands into fists, letting the anger, shame, and grief wash over me instead of filling me. This wasn't about Nadia. Or the attack itself. It was about the fact that even though I'd done everything I could to get everyone out, it still hadn't been enough. I'd let my anger at Stella blind me. I'd assumed the shock on Uncle Noah's face had been aimed at Stella, but what if it'd been aimed at me?

As much as I dreaded it, I knew what I had to do. I had to find Uncle Noah. I had no idea where to start looking, but I'd check everywhere in Aegrem and go from there.

I felt something brush against my face and glanced at Kai, the darkness in his eyes calming. "I'm coming with you," he said.

I hated that he'd gotten caught up in this, but I knew he wouldn't let me go alone. Halfheartedly shaking my head, I tried to dissuade him. "No. You're still recovering." If I was being honest, though, the thought of facing my uncle alone almost made me chicken out.