At precisely sunrise the next day, I found myself floating in front of the entrance to Rosewood Manor. Stella's words rang in my ears on a loop. "'I want you to bring my parents back to life.'" I almost faltered as I stared at the doors leading inside. My hand drifted inside my pocket, to the pendant resting there. It hadn't been easy keeping this from my parents and Kai, but I knew I'd had to.

Kai hadn't stirred as I'd quietly gotten dressed and left the palace. Luckily, no one else had been awake yet (that I knew of, anyway) so it was completely silent as I slipped outside. I stifled a yawn behind my hand, bracing the other on the door. I hadn't yet completely recovered from the fever yet, so I was still weak. With a deep, bracing breath, I pushed the doors open, the cavernous entryway looming before me.

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. I kept a hand on the dagger at my side as I  turned in a slow circle, my breathing extra-loud in the silence. Weak sunlight streamed through the windows, thankfully enough to see by. That's when I glimpsed the pair of dark grey eyes, filled with their usual smugness. "Isadora," Stella said, sketching a mocking bow.

"I'm here. Now what?" I said, breathing heavily. How she'd gotten out of the dungeons, I had no idea.

She inclined her head toward a pair of doors leading into one of the many hallways that bisected the manor. We passed multiple rooms, all with their doors shut tight, before coming upon a room with its door slightly cracked. "They're just through there," she said, a hopeful look appearing in her eyes.

My heart pounded so loud it was a miracle she couldn't hear it. It beat in time with my head, each beat repeating the exact same thing: this isn't right... it's a trap... knew we couldn't trust her...

I did my best to shake off the words, concentrating on the task in front of me. My hand shook as I pushed the door open, revealing a mermaid and merman laying on the floor. Faces grey, eyes closed tight, they were motionless as I swam in front of them. I reached into my pocket, hand closing around the object inside.

As soon as my hand brushed against it, I heard the voices. Screaming, pleading, sobbing. I blocked them out as I stared at the bodies on the floor. One hand firmly grasping the pendant, I placed my other on the mermaid's chest. With every bit of strength inside me, I imagined her heart beginning to beat again, the blood flow returning to her veins.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. I heard Stella sobbing quietly behind me, but I blocked that out, too. Just when I felt my strength begin to falter, the mermaid gasped, her eyes flying open. I almost fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The floor looked so inviting, it was all I could do not to curl up and close my eyes. Exhaustion and fatigue tugged at me, but I pushed them back. I still had one more.

I faced the merman, placing my hand on his chest. Just as I had done with the mermaid, I imagined his heart beginning to beat again, the blood flow returning to his veins. The instant his eyes flew open, I collapsed.

My fingers splayed open, unable to keep their grip on the pendant. It fell from my hand, halting inches from my fingers. I barely noticed my body hitting the floor, unable to focus on anything but the exhaustion tugging at me, beckoning to me. I managed to meet Stella's gaze, her tear-filled eyes fixed on mine. One hand grasped her mother's, the other hovering over her heart. "Thank you, Isadora," she whispered.

How I summoned the strength to swim home, I have no idea. It took an enormous amount of effort to keep my eyes open, never mind focus enough to move. I had just reached the palace doors, the familiar gold-and-crimson uniforms of the guards coming into view when I felt my barely-there strength begin to flag. The exhaustion settled into my veins, heavy and thick. "Princess?" One of the guards said, his voice far-away.

I couldn't answer. The last thing I saw was the concerned eyes of the guard that had spoken before my eyes closed, the exhaustion taking over. I must have slept, because the next thing I knew, I was in our bedroom, nestled under the covers. My limbs still felt heavy, my head impossibly so, but I managed to open my eyes.

In the short time that we'd been married, I'd seen Kai go through plenty of emotions: grief, anger, sadness. But this time... A shiver ran down my spine when I looked at him. His normally copper skin was ashen, dark circles smudged under his eyes. The fear in his eyes stole the water from my lungs.

I squeezed his hand as he inhaled a shuddering breath. "I'm okay," I whispered weakly.

He ran a shaking hand over his face. "Isadora, what were you thinking? You could have been..." His voice trailed off, but the unspoken words were clear. You could have been killed.

I opened my mouth to try to speak, but he didn't let me. "When I woke up and you weren't there..." He trailed off again, his voice tight with anger when he spoke again. "I immediately swam to Aegrem, thinking you'd been to visit your parents. When they said they hadn't seen you, I feared the worst."

While he'd talked, I had used that time to organize my thoughts, which were swirling around my mind like a whirlpool. I would start by telling him about Stella, what she had told me in the dream. My hands shook as I opened my mouth. "I was talking to you and my parents when nausea swelled inside me, stronger than I'd ever felt. That's when the faces appeared."

I had to stop and get my breath, heart aching for what I was about to reveal. "Mermaids and mermen alike, they all had disappointed expressions on their faces as they stared at me, hatred gleaming in their eyes. They voiced every negative thought I'd ever had. I couldn't breathe under their scrutiny."

I rubbed a shaking hand over my face, avoiding Kai's gaze. When I opened my mouth again, the door opened. Mom and Dad swam inside, worry on their faces. Are you okay? We were so worried. The former's hands shook as she signed, tears in her eyes.

My gaze remained fixed on my hands in my lap, clenched tight to avoid shaking. When I finally dragged my eyes up to meet Mom's gaze, I almost cried out at the worry in her gaze. "Stella appeared a heartbeat later, straight-backed and sure of herself. Horror was on her face as she watched her parents and brother die. I wanted to go to her, but I was frozen. Everything was exactly as she'd said. They'd been trying to escape when Pelathas was attacked, but got separated from each other. By the time she'd found them, it'd been too late."

Kai reached for my hand, squeezing gently. I felt hands on my shoulders and looked up to find Mom and Dad on either side of me. Their touches gave me the strength I needed to continue. "She'd screamed and screamed for help, but none had come. So, she buried them herself in unmarked graves near Pelathas' border. That's why she betrayed you, Mom," I breathed, voice shaking as tears spilled down my cheeks. "She wanted you to feel even a shred of pain that she'd felt."

I was so tired. Tired of all the pain, grief, and sadness I'd had to experience. But I wasn't done. There was still more to the story. "Stella didn't do it alone. She had help." My voice broke on the last word as I inhaled a shuddering breath. "Aunt Naia was there, also." I didn't dare look at Mom as I spoke.

A barely-audible gasp was the only sign of the pain she was surely experiencing. "I asked Stella why she would show me this, knowing full well that Mom had had a difficult relationship with her sister. She said that she was giving me a choice. Bring her parents back to life..." I trailed off, my unspoken words hanging in the water. Or watch the rest of the people that you love die at your hand.

"So, I went to Rosewood Manor early this morning. After I met Stella, she led me down one of the many hallways that bisected the manor. We stopped at a room with its door slightly cracked. Before I'd even opened the door, I knew what I was doing was wrong. I wanted to turn back, but something made me continue on. I resurrected her mom first, then her dad. How I made it back home, I have no idea. A guard found me at the entrance. That's the last thing I remember."

A broken sob escaped me, my face crumpling as the tears began anew, spilling down my cheeks. "I'm sorry," I sobbed, voice muffled by my hands. "I'm so, so sorry."

I felt warm, strong arms come around me to hold me tightly. Kai's grip was warm, but firm. "It's not your fault," he murmured. I just held him, sobbing quietly.

Mom was next, tears gleaming in her eyes as we embraced each other. When we pulled back, I stared into her eyes, seeing nothing but understanding. I'm so, so, sorry.

She shook her head, eyes never leaving mine as she signed. You did nothing wrong. I'm just sorry you had to experience that. I never imagined Stella would stoop that low.

Dad was last, his eyes locked on my own. I flew into his arms, burying my head in his chest as I sobbed.

Later that night, Kai and I got ready for bed, the silence heavy between us. My hands shook as I swam into bed, turning on my side to face him. "It's not your fault," he repeated before I could so much as open my mouth. "You have to stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have seen this coming. No one could have. Get some sleep," he finished, kissing me gently on the forehead. "We'll deal with it tomorrow."

My eyes were so heavy, my body crying out for sleep. For the first time in a long time, I didn't fight the exhaustion that beckoned to me. I let it carry me into oblivion, the sweet darkness embracing me until I fell asleep.

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