Beyond The Depths

Chapter 21

I dream of my confrontation with Tyler in my exhausted sleep. But this time, I let the pendant completely overtake me. I can't find words to describe the sheer panic flowing through me. The minute I feel the coolness of the stone around my neck, all coherent thoughts vanish.

Visions fill my head, each one more heartbreaking than the former: Mom tearfully clutching Dad's bloodied hand as he lay dying in her arms; Kai watching his mother die in front of him and being helpless to stop it; Drew and Faye lost in a crowd of thousands, crying out for Aunt Bella and Uncle David.

My expression remains cool and calm, but on the inside, I feel unimaginable agony. Tyler's smug grin fills my vision, eyes triumphant. This is what he wants me to see, I keep reminding myself. This is what will eventually happen if I accept his offer.

Horror roils through me, my stomach lurching. I want to break free of his control, but don't know how. In a moment of desperation, I do the only thing I know how—I wake myself up.

I ran shaking hands through my curls as I sat up in bed. Kai's side of the bed was cold, but there was a note on his bedside table. Come join us for lunch when you get up. Love you.

Lunch? Had I slept that long? The last thing I remembered was finally reaching the palace entrance, then... nothing. How long ago was that? Last night? Yesterday?

A glance outside revealed the sun high in the sky, meaning it was midday. I got dressed in a rush, eager to join everyone. My stomach grumbled, the sound making me flinch. I laughed out loud at my jumpiness, then abruptly stopped. I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had truly laughed.

With that somber realization, I headed to the dining room, hands clenched in my pockets. The minute I pushed the door open, all the tension and uneasiness from my nightmare vanished. Multiple smiling faces greeted me.

Kai rose from his chair and swam to me, kissing me on the cheek. "You're awake. How are you feeling?" Hidden beneath the relief in his voice, however, I detected an undercurrent of worry.

I thought about confessing everything to him right then and there—the nightmare, the visions, Tyler. Every time I tried to find the words to explain, however, his agonized face would appear in my mind. I opened and closed my mouth several times, giving him a shaky smile as he led me to my seat beside him.

I picked at my food, unable to eat anything. My stomach was in knots after seeing those images. What could I possibly do to prevent them? Was there even a way to? When Dad pulled me aside after lunch, I braced myself.

"Is everything okay? You were unusually quiet at lunch." His voice, like Kai's had been, was tinged with worry.

Tears sprang to my eyes. I shook my head, grief etched on my face. "I—I tried, Daddy. I really did. B-but I can't beat him. He's too strong." I didn't even have to mention a name. He knew exactly who I was talking about.

He wiped the tears off my cheeks, cupping my chin in a hand. "You don't—and won't—have to go through this alone, baby. We're a family. We stick together no matter what. Whatever he decides to throw at us, we'll deal with it as best we can." He tried to sound positive, for my sake, but failed.

I could see in his face that he, like me, was exhausted. Worry lines creased his forehead; I saw dark circles under his eyes that were identical to my own. I hated that I had just added to that worry. When he spoke again, his voice was hushed. "What exactly did you see?"

My hands shook as I took a steadying breath, letting it out slowly. "T-Tyler showed me what would happen if I agreed to join him. He kept mentioning T-Tiger Shark, how he had the might of thousands at his fingertips. And how I could h-have that same power." The last word ended in a broken sob. I covered my face with my hands as I cried.

It was several moments before I could speak again. "You and Mom and Kai.... Oh, Dad, it was awful. Y-you were dying," I explained tearfully. "Mom was clutching your bloody hand, tears streaking down her cheeks. Kai..." I trailed off, glancing over my shoulder to the merman in question.

As if he sensed my gaze, he looked over at me, concern coating his features. I was the one who looked away first, unable to stomach the sympathy and worry in his gaze. "Kai was watching his mother die in front of him. Faye and Drew..." I trailed off again, dissolving into tears.

Dad drew me into a hug, rubbing my back as I sobbed. The images played on a constant loop in my head, over and over until they all blurred together. When the tears finally slowed, I lifted my head from his shoulder, light-headed and dizzy. He gently kissed my forehead, wiping a tear from my cheek.

Kai put a hand on my shoulder, his grip warm. I looked over at him, focusing on the soothing blackness of his eyes. "Let's go for a swim," he said softly.

As the words left his mouth, I realized how small the dining room had become, how confining. I turned to him, gripping his hand as we rose from the table. Breathing became difficult; my vision blurred, whether from sweat or tears I didn't know.

He led me to the door, the distance from our table seemingly endless. Before he so much as put a hand on the knob, an agonizing scream could be heard from outside. I froze as the room erupted in quiet chatter. Kai had gone limp, his face drained of color. Tears welled in his eyes, spilling down his cheeks before he could swipe them away.

"What's happening? Who was that?" Dad asked, swimming towards us. Mom was beside him, a confused expression on her face.

I looked at Kai, my mouth already opening. But he was already moving, a hand reaching for the dagger at his side. The look in his eyes—sadness wedged beside fury—made my breath catch in my throat.

It was happening. I had already suspected that at least one, if not all, of the scenarios from my nightmare were going to come to pass—I just hadn't known when. It felt like a lifetime before we finally emerged from the palace into the open water, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

I heard two sharp intakes of breath behind me, but I didn't—couldn't—look back. I could only focus on the scene in front of me. Queen Katrina, frozen on the ground, pale and shaking. Tyler, dagger hilt clutched in his hands as he angled it towards her chest. When he heard movement, he looked up at us and met my eyes.

The insanity in his eyes chilled me all the way down to my tail. "Don't look so shocked, Isadora," he said, never letting go of the dagger. Queen Katrina whimpered, a tear sliding down her pale cheek. "You knew this was going to happen. I offered you power beyond your imagination. And you threw it back in my face."

I wanted to rip the dagger from his grip and plunge it into his chest. I wanted to scream until my lungs begged for water. I wanted to cry until my throat was raw. But I didn't.

When he pulled the string from under his shirt, revealing a dark-blue pendant, time slowed down to a crawl. Just as I'd done yesterday, I swam towards him, entranced by the power rippling from the stone.

Faster than I could blink, he plunged the dagger into Queen Katrina's chest, the scream that erupted from her deafening. "No!" I screamed, rushing toward them.

But someone had already beat me to it. The dagger had already pierced her skin, but it hadn't gone deep. A strong hand gripped the hilt, carefully removing it from her chest. Pure fury laced Uncle David's face, his body taut with it. He threw the dagger aside, turning his fury on his father.

For the first time ever, naked fear shone in Tyler's eyes as he stared at his son. Aunt Bella was at his side, calm determination in her eyes. "David, let him go," she said softly, but not weakly. "It's over. He's going to prison. It's over," she repeated when it looked as if Uncle David wasn't going to budge.

A few seconds passed before Uncle David finally heard her words. Breathing heavily, he drew back his fist and punched his father hard in the face. Tyler's head snapped backwards, the sound audible in the tense silence that had fallen over us. He spat out blood when he lifted his head.

Kai was at his mom's side in an instant, clutching her hand. Her eyes were glassy as she looked up at her son. "Kai..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.

I looked at the scene before me, heartbroken and hurting. Aunt Bella had been right; Tyler was indeed going to prison—possibly forever. But I looked at my husband, the absolute agony in his eyes, and knew that the war wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

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