Shattered Souls

Chapter 17

Again, my return to consciousness was anything but gradual. I tasted blood in my mouth, which meant I must have bitten my tongue when I passed out. My ears rang, the noise getting louder and louder with every breath. I opened my eyes, wincing at the bright light, then closed them again.

I swallowed hard, gritting my teeth. A soft voice drifted in and out of my ears, and I had to fight past the ringing to understand the words. "Faye... Can... hear me? Faye?"

A blurry face swam in my vision as I opened my eyes again. I felt someone take hold of my limp, clammy hand and squeeze gently. A cold hand brushed sweaty hair off my forehead, and I moaned. The ringing faded slowly, and Uncle Jay's words became clear. "Faye? Honey, can you hear me?"

I had a vague sense of lying down; the world was sideways in my vision, and my left arm was numb. I sucked in a breath and quickly sat up, ignoring the rush of dizziness. "Take it slow. You were out for a long time." His voice was low, filled with concern and worry. "You may still be feeling the effects of that concussion."

His hand moved to the small of my back, steadying me. It was only when I turned my head to look at him that I saw the bruising around his left eye. Tears filled my own as I lifted a trembling hand to my mouth. "Y-your eye..." My voice broke as I trailed off.

He shook his head, dismissing my concern. "It looks worse than it is. I'm more worried about you. What happened? Your parents came to Aegrem in a panic when they woke up and couldn't find you. They immediately contacted Kai and Izzy, but they had no idea where you were. When they talked to Jonah, he only said that you had something you had to do."

He ran a hand over his hair, a tense yet comforting gesture. "Faye, a mermaid was lurking outside the palace in the chaos following the explosion. We didn't get a good look at her—all the guards saw was a blur of black hair and a flash of ebony skin."

My heart lurched at the same time recognition struck me. Raina. She came back. But why now? Why risk everything?

I bit my tongue as a headache slammed into me with the force of a rogue wave. Along with the blinding agony came the piece of information that I'd risked my life to deliver. "Can you get the rest of our family and tell them to meet back here? There's something that all of you need to hear." My palms began sweating as the words left my mouth.

The conflicting emotions flashed across his face while he searched my own. Worry; fear; confusion; anger. Finally, he nodded. It was only then that I noticed where I was—in my room in Aegrem's palace. He gently kissed my cheek as he left the room. A heartbeat after the door closed, I broke down.

Great heaving sobs wracked my body, everything from the past twenty-four hours hitting me in the gut. The news I had yet to deliver sat like a stone in my stomach. It seemed like hours passed while I waited—though I knew it was only a few minutes if that. When the door opened again, my eyes were red but clear.

I heard Dad's voice first, followed by Mom's tearful cry. "Faye? Honey, are you okay?" "Oh, Faye! Sweetie, we were so worried!"

The former swam in first, followed by the latter, whose tear-filled eyes were wide. I didn't speak, even when the door opened again and Drew swam inside, followed by Jonah, Waverly, and... Raina. My heart stopped as I froze.

Her expression was identical to Mom's, but underneath the sadness, I sensed an undercurrent of worry. She swam to me, her eyes filling with tears as they scanned my face. "Oh, Faye," she whispered, taking my hand. "I was so worried."

Too stunned to speak, I could only squeeze her hand, readying myself for what I'd yet to say. "I asked you all here because recently, I learned some information that could potentially change the lives of everyone in this room." I could sense Raina's confusion and gratitude for being included in such an intimate discussion.