Beyond The Depths

Chapter 19

Low voices drew me from sleep early the next morning, muffled by the wall. "Were they hurt? Did he hurt you? Or Isadora?" Dad's voice was hushed, filled with quiet anger.

I imagined Kai shaking his head before he spoke. "No. Bella was traumatized. David was fine, but angry." He exhaled heavily, the sound filled with weariness. A glance outside told me that it was barely dawn. I'd wager that none of them got very much sleep last night.

When Dad spoke, his voice was barely audible. "He should never have come back." A shiver ran down my spine at the anger in his voice. I got dressed quickly, pulling on a gold shirt and pairing it with a purple-and-grey skirt.

My hands shook, but I shoved them in my pockets as I entered our sitting room. Dad's face immediately changed when he saw me. He adopted a concerned expression, a barely-there cover for the fury rippling off him.

"How are Aunt Bella and Uncle David?" I asked as I swam into Mom's arms, hugging her tightly. She, too, looked exhausted.

Kai moved to my side, gently taking my hand. "Your dad spoke with David early this morning. He said that Bella's still recovering, but should be fine in a day or two." I sensed the upcoming question before he even glanced at me.

"I'm fine," I said. "Did he tell you what they went through?" I couldn't bring myself to voice the images that were swirling around in my mind—the fear, hopelessness, and pain on Aunt Bella's face as they sat in that room day after day.

Dad nodded. "David told me a little; I can piece together the rest. As if their mental health wasn't already fragile enough..." He trailed off, anger clouding his eyes. I knew that anger; I'd felt it myself after seeing Aunt Bella.

"Has Tyler been spotted anywhere since the attack?" I asked, desperate to get rid of the darkness rippling off Dad.

Mom shook her head as she signed. No. We have guards patrolling all of Aegrem and Pelathas, but so far no luck.

I sighed heavily. I couldn't get the terrified look on Aunt Bella's face out of my head; the clear exhaustion etched onto her features. "We have to find him. Who knows what he has planned next? He could come after any one of us." I hated voicing those words, but knew they had to be said. A thought occurred to me as the words left my mouth, one I couldn't believe had evaded me for so long. "Why would he keep them locked up in that room, day after day, but not hurt them?"

Silence fell over the room. It was clear from the shocked expressions on everyone's faces that they, too, had not considered this. Dad rubbed his chin, squinting as he thought through my words. When he finally spoke up, I flinched at the sound. "That's a good point, Izzy. I'll go visit David after lunch, see if he has any insight."

I nodded, but I still felt unsettled. A servant came in, then, hurriedly bowing to us before thrusting a sheet of paper into Dad's hands. The merman's face was white, his motions halting and spooked. Dad's eyes flicked across the page, the paper's edges crumpling in his grasp.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" I asked, my heart speeding up at the expression on his face. If Barracuda had done something...

He cleared his throat, meeting my gaze. "Tyler has requested a meeting with Nerissa, me, Queen Irvetta, and King Marlin. He wants to discuss the possibility of 'extending' the peace treaty to include Pelathas."

Kai spoke up then, his voice soothing my pounding heart. "When is this meeting supposed to take place?" His voice was calm and unruffled. He was obviously sorting through everything that had been said, every detail that had been laid out.

Mom swam to Dad's side, reaching for the paper. Her face went white as her eyes flicked across the page. She locked eyes with Dad, shaking her head vehemently. He didn't answer Kai, just met Mom's gaze, an unspoken conversation passing between them.

When he finally spoke, his voice was hard. "An hour from now."

That soon? I opened my mouth to try to dissuade them, almost positive that it was a trap, but something in Dad's eyes stopped any words from emerging.

We dismissed for lunch soon thereafter, my mind swirling with all the information that had emerged, details that had been uncovered. I nibbled on shrimp, my stomach too twisted to eat anything more than that. "Surely they can't be serious about the meeting. It's obviously a trap." My voice was emotionless, but my hands trembled.

Kai placed a hand on my own, meeting my gaze. "They know what they're doing. They'll prepare for everything, every eventuality." He tried to sound confident as he spoke, but his voice was flat.

I hoped he was right. I really did. After lunch, I swam to Aegrem's border, to the familiar grave there. Here lies Meribella 'Meri' Singh, beloved daughter, sister, friend, and sister-in-law, loved by everyone she met. A beautiful soul taken from these waters too soon. May she feel no pain as her soul rests for eternity.

I placed a shaking hand on the gravestone, closing my eyes. I floated in place for several seconds, not saying anything. When I opened my eyes, my voice was tight as I spoke. "We miss you so much, Aunt Meri."

I quickly composed myself before swimming away. A merman waited outside the entrance to the palace, his face drained of color. "Dad?" I said as I swam towards him. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head, mouth moving but no sound coming out. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides; he was motionless in the water. I put a hand on his shoulder, worry creasing my eyes. "Dad?" I repeated. To my horror, I realized he was shaking.

"I tried, Izzy," he said hoarsely. "We all did. But he..." When he trailed off, my heart slammed to a stop in my chest.

A few minutes passed, then he spoke again. "It was a trap. Tyler wanted all of us there, leaving our kingdoms defenseless. He sent troops to both Aegrem and Nepptheas' borders, with orders to shoot on sight. Another merman was there... Black-haired with platinum eyes..."

That description made my body go cold with dread. Uncontrollable fear bubbled up inside me, pushing rational thought aside until I knew nothing but terror. My palms sweated; my heart began racing in my chest so fast I thought it was going to explode.

"Ronan," I replied, my voice barely a whisper. I resisted the urge to put my head in my hands, to sink back into that state of despair and hopelessness. Tyler had just dealt us a crushing blow. It was up to us to respond accordingly.

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