Beyond The Depths

Chapter 9

Silt. I plastered a weak smile on my face as I turned around and met Queen Katrina's eyes. Her face was creased in worry as she scanned my own. "How are you feeling? Kai told me what happened. I was just coming to check on you."

I could feel the seconds slipping away with every breath I took. What if Kai had already gotten to Aegrem and something had happened? I hated lying, especially to my family, but I had to leave.

"I'm feeling much better. I was just heading over to the school. My aunt needs my help with something." Before I could think of anything else, the lie rolled off my tongue.

She smiled. "Well, that's perfect. I was telling Kai the other day that I had never been to the school. I'd love to see it." Her offer was so genuine, I couldn't refuse.

My heart was almost in my throat by the time we arrived at the school. The front door opened before we even swam in front of it. A mermaid with a large smile and kind eyes fixed her gaze on me. "This is a surprise! To what do we owe this unexpected visit?" Aunt Bella grinned as she glanced at me, then flicked her eyes to Queen Katrina.

Hoping my hands weren't shaking, I turned to Queen Katrina, gesturing to Aunt Bella. "This is Queen Katrina, Kai's mother. Queen Katrina, this is my aunt, Queen Isabella of Pelathas."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella. Isadora speaks very highly of you." Queen Katrina's voice was warm, her tone genial. She inclined her head toward Aunt Bella, smiling.

Aunt Bella returned the gesture, the smile never leaving her face. "I could say the same about you." When she looked at me, I could all but see the question flashing above her head: What's going on?

I just shook my head, unable to find the right words. Hoping she could read my expression, I exhaled heavily. "Queen Katrina has never seen the school, so I thought I'd give her a tour. Unless now is a bad time?"

She gave me one last curious glance before turning back to Queen Katrina. "No. Of course not. Come in."

I let Aunt Bella fall into the role of tour guide. She smiled as she explained what she taught, why she got into teaching, and about the curriculum. Queen Katrina's eyes were filled with joy as she took in the little mermaids and merboys in each classroom. Ms. Jessica caught my eye and grinned.

I dragged a weak smile onto my face. The rest of the tour was uneventful. When we finally left the school, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Every stroke sent bolts of pain into my collarbone; the swim from here back to the palace had never seemed longer.

Queen Katrina's voice jerked me out of my thoughts. "Are you okay, Isadora? I noticed you didn't speak much during the tour."

I was breathing heavily as we swam, exhaustion tugging at me. When I turned to glance at her, a bolt of pain shot through my head and I had to bite my tongue to keep from wincing. "Yeah. I'm fine."

All I had to do was get back to the palace. Then I could sneak away and swim like mad to Aegrem. Hopefully, Kai was still there and not on his way home.

When the palace appeared in the distance, I almost cried out in relief. I was so focused on getting to my room and grabbing my bag that I didn't notice the mermaid just outside the entrance, a smirk on her face. "Well, lucky me. Two queens and a princess." Her voice was dripping with disdain.

"Your fight is not with them, Aunt Naia. I'm the one you came to see." I tried not to breathe too heavily; I didn't want her to see how exhausted I was.

She scanned me from head to tail, grinning. "Yes, indeed. Why, exactly, do you think I'm here, Isadora?" Her voice was filled with scorn.

"I know you killed the former king and queen of Nepptheas." My voice finally broke on the last word.

The grin vanished from her face before the last word had even left my mouth. She froze, eyes darting between the three of us, as if trying to figure out how to make a quick escape. Aunt Bella and Queen Katrina swam on either side of me, creating a circle around Aunt Naia. "Y-you're crazy. As if I'd be stupid enough to actually attempt something like that."

I'd be willing to bet no one else had noticed it, but she'd stuttered a bit on the first word. She was panicking. "Really? It's no secret how jealous you were when Mom became queen. You always thought you were better than her, that you deserved what she had." My voice was sharp, my eyes filled with bitterness as I stared her down. Judging from the wide eyes of Queen Katrina, I'd bet this was the first time she was hearing the story.

I didn't flinch as I felt hands slide into my own, squeezing gently. Aunt Bella's eyes flashed with anger as she stared down Aunt Naia. "Do you know how much she respected and admired you, Naia? She loved you." Her voice didn't waver, though I saw tears begin to well in her eyes.

I knew that years ago, Mom had explained to Aunt Bella and Uncle David explicitly about her relationship with her youngest sister. Thanks to the jealousy Aunt Naia had harbored for Mom, she'd always been closer with Aunt Meri. When the latter had died, I'd heard that Mom didn't get out of bed for days.

I didn't so much as flinch as I felt the hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Dad, his eyes blazing with anger. Mom was on my other side, breathing unevenly as she stared at the two mermaids.

"You're right. I was—and still am—jealous of you, Rissa. Everywhere I go, all I hear is praise for 'Queen Nerissa and King Jay of Aegrem.' The perfect rulers. A smart, capable queen and her strong, brave husband ruling side-by-side. But you know what I see when I look at the two of you?"

It was clear Aunt Naia wasn't speaking to all of us anymore. Her attention was fixed solely on Mom and Dad. The latter's arm was wrapped protectively around the former, who was trembling. Her tear-stained face was pale, eyes glassy as she stared at her sister. I had no doubt she had caught every word her sister had spat at her.

"I see a weak, broken queen and an orphaned king ruling a kingdom. Not the best image to present to the people, don't you think?" She grinned as she watched them each hit their mark.

A weak moan slipped out of my throat as I suddenly faltered. Two pairs of hands helped steady me, the now-throbbing pain impossible to ignore. "Let's get you back to your room," Aunt Bella murmured, her gaze fixed on my face.

I was too exhausted to respond. I could barely lift my head, much less speak. Even breathing took an enormous amount of effort. I fell asleep before we even got back to our suite.

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