"'Weak, broken princess.'" "'You don't deserve to bear the title.'" "'You're not a princess. You're a murderer. A killer.'"

The ghosts are smothering me, surrounding me until they block out all the light. My hands are clapped over my ears, eyes squeezed shut. Tears are leaking down my cheeks as I try my hardest to block them out. But I can't. No matter how hard I try, they're relentless, pushing through my weak shields until they shatter.

A cry burst from my lips as I opened my eyes. Tears streamed down my face, making my vision blurry. I barely flinched when I felt warm, strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close. Ronan may have been banished from Aegrem, but his words were permanently etched in my mind. "He was right," I mumbled into his chest, my tears having subsided enough to speak.

A squeeze on my shoulder was all it took for me to lift my gaze to those worried obsidian eyes. "If I hadn't been so focused on him that morning, maybe I could have saved her. Done something." My voice broke on the last word, shame heating me up until I felt like I was on fire.

"Look at me." Kai's voice was soft, but firm. My eyes had fallen to the blanket and I slowly dragged them back up to his own. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this. This was no one's fault but his. There was nothing you could do."

A shadow appeared in the corner of my eye, causing me to flinch. The voice was cold and filled with bitterness. "He doesn't know how it really feels. He doesn't know that feeling of helplessness, of knowing you could have helped but didn't."

"He knows exactly how it feels," I snapped, wincing as a headache began to pound at my temples. I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until I saw the worry and concern deepen in Kai's gaze. Apology shone in my gaze as I stared at him, trying to find the words to convey what I was feeling.

"I can't escape them," I whispered, my voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "I thought once I destroyed the Lost Soul Pendant they'd have disappeared for good, but they've only gotten worse. But when I realized where they were coming from..." I shuddered as I trailed off. But Kai put a hand on my arm, urging me to continue.

"It's me," I choked out, my voice brittle. "The anxiety and hopelessness are manifesting in the forms of physical beings, if only when I'm at my lowest."

Multiple emotions flashed across Kai's face, almost too quick to identify: understanding, anger, worry, and compassion. He just wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "You need to tell someone about this," he said softly. "Have you spoken to your parents? Surely your mom would understand."

I shook my head, ashamed of my shyness. "She and Dad have got their hands full with the kingdom, and she's still recovering. I don't want to burden them with it."

He looked like he was going to say something else, and probably would have had the door to our rooms not opened just then. Dad swam in, his posture rigid and hands clenched into fists. Tears gleamed in his eyes and streaked on his cheeks, which made my heart skip a beat. Kai's hand found mine, squeezing tightly, but I barely felt it.

I reached for him, but he didn't react when I touched his arm. "What happened, Dad? Is Mom okay?" My voice was barely a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

When he glanced up at me, the emptiness in his gaze was like a punch in the gut. It was a mirror image of how I myself had looked just weeks ago. "We just got the news. Nerissa was just telling me how well Drew was doing in school. And Faye, too." The hollowness in his voice made my heart stop dead in my chest.

"What happened, Dad?" I repeated, trying to keep my voice steady.

When he spoke again, the world stopped. If Kai hadn't been gripping my hand, I wasn't sure if I'd have been able to hold myself up. "A group of mermaids and mermen reported the damage early this morning. The school... He destroyed it."

My mouth opened, but I couldn't tell if I was making any sound. There was only one he who Dad could possibly be referring to that would be capable of doing something like this. The letter floated through my head, his voice taunting as Ronan narrated. "'Provided your mother survives, she'll get to see her city reduced to rubble a second time.'"

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. When I opened them again, they were clear and void of any emotion. "Any reports of injuries?" I asked, my voice steady.

He shook his head. "No. No students or teachers were present." He dragged a shaking hand over his face. "Obviously, Nerissa and I are going to be making an announcement later today regarding the... incident." His voice broke on the last word, and my heart hurt for him, the pain and grief he must have been feeling.

"We'll find him, Dad," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "I promise."

After he left, I was frozen, staring at nothing. The whirling emotions came back with a vengeance—anger smashed into sadness, grief punched worry. "What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice small.

Kai, who'd never left my side during the news, swam in front of me, his eyes clear as he looked into my own. "We aren't going to panic," he responded, voice calm. "And we are going to help in whatever way we can."

I clung to his words as I got dressed and ready to leave our suite. My cloak was hugged tightly around my body, but even it couldn't protect me from the stares, whispers, and the sobs. The latter was the first thing I heard when we swam into the dining room. They were muted, but I heard them. To my ears, they were loud and overwhelming.

Kai held tightly to my hand as we swam, the distance from the entrance to our table seemingly endless with all the eyes on us. When we finally got to our seats, it took everything in me not to just retreat inside myself. Through sheer will, I managed to get something down and carry on a half-hearted conversation. Like always, however, it was ash in my mouth. I'd lost my appetite a long time ago and only ate now at the behest of my parents and husband.

We'd just put our forks down and were readying ourselves to leave the dining room when a merman spoke up from across the room, his voice echoing in the hall. "Begging your pardon, your Majesty, but what are you planning to do about the attack on the school? Are you planning to retaliate? Do you have a plan to help the families of children who'd been enrolled there?"

I'd always seen Dad as this strong, confident merman. I'd only seen him lose his cool a handful of times, one such time being when he'd broken the news earlier today. This, too, was one of those times apparently. His hands shook at his sides, gaze uncertain and halting, as he took a breath and opened his mouth. Mom swam beside him, slipping her hand into his. He visibly relaxed as he glanced at her.

"We are doing everything in our power to make sure each family gets appropriate materials to continue their child's education. As for the nature of the attack..." He trailed off, his eyes filled with pain and grief. Not for himself, I knew. But for the parents and children as they navigated this difficult time.

He took a steadying breath, glancing at Mom again. Her gaze was calm as she stared into his eyes. An unspoken conversation passed between them in the moments that followed.

When he finally broke her gaze, his voice was stronger. "We can say with almost absolute certainty that Ronan Finch was responsible. Now, we have not succeeded in locating him yet, but rest assured, when he slips up and shows his face, we'll know. We are also incredibly fortunate that there were no injuries reported."

He rubbed a shaking hand over his face, looking like he'd aged a decade over the course of the announcement. Mom put a steadying arm around him. A flash of movement out of the corner of my eye had me flinching, hands inching toward my daggers. "'I told you, Izzy. You'll never be anything more than a murderer. Just like Nerissa.'"

I whirled around, mouth opening to retort... and froze. The mermaid in front of me wasn't a ghost. I knew because she'd appeared before and I could touch her. Hand shaking, I reached for her. Aunt Meri didn't move as I touched her. "H-how are you real? How can I touch you?" My voice was barely a whisper.

"Cedros granted me a reprieve so I could deliver a message." Her voice was soft, eyes filled with longing. "Stop trying to save everyone, Izzy. You can't just push your struggles to the side and hope they disappear." She shook her head. "The school was just the beginning. Ronan won't stop until he has succeeded in his mission."

"Which is?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"Breaking you. Bit by bit until there's nothing left. Don't let him win, Isadora. You're stronger than he is. You can fight him." Aunt Meri put a gentle hand on my cheek.

Tears slipped from my eyes as I reached out to her again. A firm grip on my hand pulled me out of the vision—and back to the present. "Are you okay?" Kai asked, eyes scanning my face.

I nodded, but truthfully, I didn't know. What did she mean?

The rest of the day passed in a blur. When we were getting ready for bed that night, Kai swam to me, his gaze worried. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Concern filled his voice, slightly outweighing the worry in his gaze.

I nodded, kissing him before swimming into bed. Kai fell asleep instantly, but I laid awake, unable to quiet my racing thoughts. I finally dozed off a few hours before the sun streamed through the windows the next morning.

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