Beyond The Depths

Chapter 20

It was the whispers that I heard first. Like early-morning fog, or the gentle waves, they rolled into the fabric of sleep, so seamlessly that I almost dismissed them. But as they became louder and more insistent, I couldn't help but notice them. "Find it, Isadora." "You must find it and use it before it's too late." "He will help you. Go to him and do what you need to do."

When I opened my eyes, I felt more confused and disoriented than ever. Find what? He who? The more I thought about it, the more the anxiety threatened to smother me.

My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to burst from my chest. A glance outside revealed that it was barely dawn. I looked longingly at our bed, the merman sleeping in it. As much as I wanted to get back into bed with him, I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Not now.

I was halfway through breakfast when the answer finally hit me. It was so obvious, I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it before. He will help you. Tyler. But why would he help me?

A sudden headache flared between my eyes, throbbing in time with my heartbeat. I let out a barely-audible groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. A combination of stress and too many near-sleepless nights, I'd imagine. Swallowing back another groan, I hurriedly swam out of our suite. The hallway was deserted, everyone else still sleeping.

I sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the solitude. As terrified as I was about facing Tyler again, I knew I had to. If I wanted answers, he was going to give them to me.

With my cloak bundled tightly around me, I took a deep breath and swam out into the open water. The current was calm, the sky above the surface clear and blue.

The closer I got to Pelathas, the more I wanted to turn back. What was I thinking? Besides the daggers at my waist, I had no weapons. And who knew if Tyler had somehow acquired the Lost Soul Pendant? What he would do with that sort of power at his fingertips?

There was one piece of vital information about the Lost Soul Pendant that I hoped would remain a mystery to Tyler. One I'd only just recently learned about. It had the power to bring people back from the brink of death, yes, but it could also drive you insane. Depending on how many souls were still inside the pendant, using it for long periods of time could drain the sanity from you.

When I finally arrived at the palace, I just floated in place for a moment, shocked. I couldn't believe how long I'd swam, lost in my thoughts. It looked just as it had when I'd seen it before. The windows were still broken, but other than that, everything seemed normal.

I steeled myself as I pushed the heavy front doors open. Creaking loudly, they swung open, revealing a dim entryway. Sun streamed through the broken windows, giving me enough light to see by. The interior, on the other hand, was back to its immaculate self. The broken pillars had been repaired; the ceilings and walls had been hastily patched up; the broken glass and shattered paintings had been cleared away and replaced.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice shockingly loud in the silence. "Is anyone there?"

I swam deeper into the entryway, shoving my hands into the pockets of my cloak to keep from shaking. Just as I swam out of the entryway, I saw a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. My dagger was in my hand before I had even registered the movement. Cunning eyes met mine, tinged with insanity. "Hello, Isadora," Tyler said, his voice dripping with malice.

Every bone in my body was screaming at me to move, to swim, but I couldn't move. I held his gaze for several seconds, a chill running down my spine. "I assume you've heard about my little trinket and are here to steal it from me. Just be warned, I will be forced to use extreme measures if you try to harm me." As the last word left his mouth, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a dark-blue pendant on a string.

My breath caught in my throat, choking me. My eyes grew impossibly wide, so much so that I was afraid they would pop out of my head. Coherent thought was impossible; I could do nothing but stare at the pendant, all but feeling the power it exuded. "Can you feel it, Izzy? The power? Your grandfather had the might of thousands at his fingertips. He was known as a god. Would you like that? Power beyond imagination?"

His voice, soft and seductive like a lover's croon, sucked me in. I forgot why I was here, what I was after. All I knew was his words, the power coming in waves off the pendant. As if in a trance, I swam toward him, toward the pendant dangling from his outstretched fingers.

I could almost touch the edges of the pendant with my fingers, so close was I to him. "Yes," I murmured, answering his question from a few seconds ago. My voice was soft, breathy.

He held out a hand, urging me to take it. I had no control over my body as I placed my hand in his. The minute our hands touched, the trance-like state I had fallen into moments ago shattered. I blinked, as if coming out of a heavy sleep.

When I saw Tyler's manic grin, the clear insanity in his eyes, I realized the mistake I'd made. "What are you doing?" I cried. "Let me go!"

His grip only tightened. Feebly, I attempted to reach one of the daggers at my waist, but Tyler saw it coming. Faster than I could blink, he had both my hands disabled. "Not so fast, Princess," he hissed. "You're mine now."

Instead of struggling more, I closed my eyes and went limp in his arms, pretending to surrender. He relaxed his grip, sighing as he did so. Probably relieved that I'd given up so easily. A heartbeat later, I moved. I pushed off the ground, up and through the water, bringing my tail fins down hard onto his head. He let out a surprised shout of pain, momentarily distracted.

I used that distraction to swipe the pendant from his hand. Power again flowed into me, but instead of letting it overtake me, I used the sudden energy to swim like mad out of the palace.

The rapidly-depleting burst of power from the pendant was the only thing keeping me upright. A feeble moan slipped out of my mouth as I swam, my strokes getting slower and clumsier. I knew Kai would be furious with me, but I'd done what I thought was right.

I got as far as the entrance before I collapsed, sight and sound blurring together until my eyes closed and darkness overtook me.

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