Regaining consciousness brought confusion and fear. Like the previous morning, my head felt impossibly heavy, but I managed to open my eyes and lift it. It was only then that I remembered what had happened. The ghosts. The battle raging around me.

How long had I been asleep? Where was Kai? Was Aunt Bella okay?

As if summoned by my thoughts, the door opened. I was in our bedroom, the windows open to let in fresh water and sunlight. Kai swam in, his eyes clouded with sorrow, exhaustion, and pain. In my quick scan of his body, I saw no injuries, but I sensed a lingering heaviness in him.

He swam towards me, eyes locked on mine. "Thank the gods you're alright. We were so worried. Your parents are helping clear up the debris from the attack. They'll probably be right behind me." He inhaled sharply, wincing.

Tugging back the neck of his shirt, he revealed the edges of a bandage poking out from his collarbone. My eyes widened, hands shaking as I reached for him. Seeing my reaction, he immediately began to reassure me. "It's not as bad as it looks," he said. "It was a careless mistake. But I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. What happened out there?"

When I'd satisfied myself that it wasn't serious, I focused on his question. "I don't know. I had just deflected the blow of one of Nepptheas' soldiers when the ghosts reappeared. They swarmed me. The last thing I remember was hearing a scream and..." I trailed off, jolting upright. "Aunt Bella. She's hurt. Where is she? I need to see her." I was rambling, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.

Kai gently squeezed my hand. "She'll be fine. Resting at home. Your uncle's with her."

I let out a shaky breath. Putting a hand to my forehead, I closed my eyes, wishing I could block out the images. "Why would you say goodbye like that? It was almost as if you were anticipating neither you nor me coming back." Replaying his words in my head made my heart stop.

It was his turn to let out a shaky breath. When he finally met my gaze, his eyes were lined with grief. "I never got to say goodbye to my dad. It's something I regret every day. I just needed you to know." His voice broke on the last word.

I hugged him tightly, neither of us letting go for a few seconds. "I was already planning to pay Mom and Dad a visit today. Now I'll have two reasons."

I rose from the bed, clutching Kai's hand tightly, and quickly got dressed. The swim to Aegrem was leisurely and peaceful, the water silent and calm. When we arrived at the palace, the guards bowed to us before opening the doors and ushering us inside.

I hadn't realized I was shaking until I felt Kai's eyes on me. We'd barely swum in front of the door to their suite before it opened. Worried eyes appeared, locking onto my own. "Oh, good. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Dad's eyes were on mine, but the question was for both of us.

I had to bite back a sob at the weariness in Dad's gaze, the stoop of his shoulders. He was clearly exhausted from the attack, but there was a heaviness in him that worried me. How many more times would he be forced to risk his life, his family's lives, for his kingdom? The gods knew how many losses he'd already suffered before I was even born.

"Where's Mom?" I asked, voice thick with tears. The scene from my nightmare a couple nights ago—had it really only been that long?—flashed through my head, bringing with it a fresh wave of fear and agony, as if I'd been in Mom's place.

Kai scanned my face, squeezing my hand. "Whenever you're ready to talk, just let me know," he said softly, kissing me on the forehead.

Dad inhaled deeply, taking my hand as he exhaled. "She's still sleeping. She was up even later than I was yesterday, making sure everyone had adequate shelter and supplies."

I could barely even finish the thought, but somehow, the words slipped out. "Any casualties on our side?"

A glimmer of relief flashed across Dad's face, gone as quickly as it had come. "No, thank the gods. Everyone escaped with minor injuries." He paused, studying me. "Kai told me about what happened during the attack. The ghosts. Do you know what caused it?"

Before the words even left his lips, I knew the answer. I couldn't believe I hadn't figured it out earlier. As much as I dreaded reliving the nightmare, I made myself dredge up bits and pieces. Seeing mermaids and mermen alike fighting around me; hearing a strangled scream off to my left. Following the sound and seeing Aunt Naia gripping Mom's hair painfully. I took a shaky breath, calming my racing heart.

"I dreamed of the battle two nights ago," I began, hands shaking slightly at my sides. When I felt a warm hand slip into mine, I didn't so much as flinch. "It was just like today. Our soldiers and Nepptheas' own, battling one another. I wanted to look for any of you, but before I could, I heard a strangled scream off to my left. I followed the sound to a ravine just a few yards from where the battle raged. I saw..." I trailed off, overcome as a fresh wave of tears slipped down my cheeks.

The images flashed through my head on repeat, one after another, over and over: Aunt Naia gripping Mom's hair; the latter's terrified expression as she met my gaze; the crazed gleam in the former's eyes as she spoke.

"Aunt Naia... H-her eyes..." My voice broke off, chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. "I'd never seen that look in anyone's eyes before and I already hope that was the first and last time I'd have to witness it. She's insane." I paused as I heard the sound of the door opening. Mom swam in, silt covering her dress, eyes filled with exhaustion. Dad turned to face Mom, giving her a quick recap of what I'd already explained.

When he'd finished filling her in, he nodded at me to continue. I let myself meet Mom's gaze once, my heart breaking at the sorrow, regret, and grief in her eyes. Tears glistened, but she blinked furiously, refusing to let them fall. My hands shook as I fisted them at my sides before opening my mouth.

"Apparently, she'd always been jealous of you, Mom. According to her, she was the mermaid who'd always been pushed to the side, forgotten about. She got tired of living in your shadow, of always being ignored. So, she decided to do something about it."

I rubbed shaking hands over my face, breathing unevenly. Seeing the look in Mom's eyes made me want to break down all over again. "She said that she'd finally made something of herself, that she finally had an entire kingdom to rule. That's when Uncle Brandon appeared. I was terrified as he met my gaze. Not for me. For Aegrem, Pelathas, Aquireth. I had no idea what his plans were—no way of anticipating his next move."

A sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over me, so violent it stole the water from my lungs. Kai gripped my hand tighter, his free one coming to rest on my back. I was so tired. So, so tired. But I wasn't done. "Aunt Naia was going to kill you, Mom. That's when I heard a guttural scream come from the battle down below. I knew who it was before it'd even finished echoing. Aunt Bella. Then the ghosts came. They taunted me, telling me I had to choose, that I couldn't save everyone. But I couldn't choose. I didn't want to make that impossible choice."

I steeled myself, wiping the tears from my cheeks. This last bit was the most important part of the dream, the part where everything would either tie together or completely fall apart. "She seemed to realize that I hadn't been talking to her, but answered nonetheless, saying that she would just make the choice for me. I was too slow. I couldn't move fast enough." My voice broke on the last word as I swiped tears from my eyes.

"S-she killed you, M-mom," I sobbed, my chest hitching. "I couldn't save you." I had my head in my hands, so I didn't catch the glances Dad and Kai swapped, the silent conversation passing between them. When I felt hands on me, however, I collapsed.

Kai gathered me in his arms, as he'd done so many times before, holding me tightly as we swam to our rooms. "I'm sorry," I wept, tears soaking into his shirt. "I'm so sorry." My head throbbed, a single image frozen inside: the insane look in Aunt Naia's eyes. Now that I really thought about it, I couldn't believe that I hadn't realized it sooner.

Despite being the youngest of the three sisters, she'd always been pushed off to the side. Never given the chance to develop any hobbies, start to live her life. Mom had had her job at the Ocean Blue Café, Aunt Meri her sign language classes. Where they'd had joy and meaning in their lives, Aunt Naia had withered up inside, the loneliness and resentment building up over the years before it had finally reached a breaking point.

He only swam to the bed, transferring me from his arms to the cool sheets. I tried to catch my breath, concentrating on the feel of his hand in mine. "I'm right here," he said, eyes never leaving mine. "I'm not going anywhere."

Tears soaked my pillow, dripping off my nose. Every time I thought I had no tears left, a fresh wave would crash into me. I was exhausted, furious, sad, and a dozen other emotions that I couldn't name. But most of all, I felt... numb. I closed my eyes, sleep carrying me away on a gentle wave.

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