I'm zooming through the water, my heart a war drum in my chest. Something—or someone—is chasing me, gaining on me with every stroke. I don't dare turn around for fear of losing speed, but I can feel them behind me. Finally, when my lungs are near bursting, I slow, panting heavily as I catch my breath.

A heartbeat later, I spin around, coming face-to-face with a beautiful mermaid with long blonde hair and alluring smoky-grey eyes. Before I can so much as raise my hands, a dagger appears in her hand, the tip glinting in the moonlight. My scream is abruptly cut off when the dagger meets my chest, piercing flesh.

She must've nicked an artery because I can feel my heartbeat slowing with each ragged breath I take. How I manage to grab my notepad and write, I have no idea. I can barely keep my eyes open as it is. Who are you? My words are barely legible.

I flinch as she smooths a curl off my forehead, smiling down at me. She writes her response then hands it to me. My name is Isla Flannery. Tell Prince David I say hello.

My chest rises and falls one last time before ceasing. Darkness claims me soon after. A scream broke from my throat when I opened my eyes, chest heaving as I looked around the room. I'd been so certain that the woman was here with me. But I was alone.

The door opened a minute later, Jay sticking his head in. I've got a surprise for you. He had a grin on his face—which for him was very unusual, given how stoic he normally was—as he looked at me. I swam out of bed and dressed, my hands trembling.

He then disappeared from the door, reappearing moments later with three mermaids, all my age. Jay gestured with a sweeping hand before signing. May I present Ladies Stella Lockwood, Rochelle Holloway, and Claudia Mercer. The first—Stella—was about my height, with long auburn hair and dark grey eyes. She bowed, her hair falling over her face like a curtain.

The second was about an inch taller, with shoulder-length cinnamon hair and sky-blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled. That was Rochelle. She also bowed, her gaze coming to land on me as she straightened.

That left only one—Claudia. She was the shortest of the three, her short ebony hair pulled back from her face into a bun. Her onyx eyes glittered when she smiled. A few strands came undone as she bowed, framing her face as she straightened.

I glanced at Jay, questions in my eyes. What's going on?

He gave me an apologetic wince. You're the Queen of Aegrem. These are your ladies-in-waiting. Plus, it's not safe for you to be out and about alone. Jay's expression hardened as he finished signing, and I knew he was thinking about the attack. I could also see the unspoken words in his gaze: We should've done this a long time ago. As if in response, my back gave a sudden throb of pain.

I nodded, my wince covered with a tight smile. Truthfully, I was only half paying attention. Isla's face was stuck in my mind, her grey eyes filled with mischief as she drove the dagger into my chest, over and over again.

Jay put a hand on my arm, startling me out of my thoughts. Why don't you take them to their bedrooms so they can get settled?

That was a good idea. Something to keep me busy. I gestured to our bedroom before leading them to their own. This is my and King Jay's bedroom. Only family and trusted servants are allowed inside. Your rooms are down the hall.

Part of me felt bad for rushing through introductions, but I couldn't be in the castle any longer. After the girls were settled—each thanking me graciously—I wrapped my cloak tighter around myself and swam out into the open water. Although I didn't look, I could sense Claudia a few paces behind me. As soon as I left the castle, I could breathe easier.

I swam to Aegrem's border, looking out at all the sea creatures drifting past. My heart pounded as Isla floated through my head, her mocking smile trained on me. I shook it off and continued swimming, veering toward Pelathas. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get the nightmare out of my head.

When I arrived in Pelathas, I turned around, smiling gently. Claudia bowed as she saw me. I grabbed my notepad. Do you know sign language?

I handed her the notepad, my hands trembling slightly. She scanned the words, then wrote her response. Yes. I have a cousin who's deaf. I visit her once a month or so. She lives in Aquireth.

I nodded. Aquireth was a city not too far—half a league or so—from Aegrem. A fake smile was pasted on my face as we swam, mermaids and mermen alike stopping to offer a kind word or gesture. I accepted them gracefully but kept an eye out for David or Bella. After swimming for several minutes, I finally caved and asked a passing mermaid if she knew where King David or Queen Bella might be.

She smiled and gestured for us to follow. Claudia followed silently, casually glancing around. My façade dropped the moment a flash of black hair appeared in my vision. David sped towards us, scanning my body. How are you? You shouldn't be out and about. It was only as he signed the last word that he noticed Claudia.

I gestured to Claudia. Claudia, this is King David Solomon of Pelathas. David, this is Claudia Mercer. She is one of my new ladies-in-waiting.

David's confusion radiated off him as Claudia bowed. Nonetheless, he bowed back. A concerned expression appeared on his face as he looked at me.

Do you know anyone named Isla Flannery? My hands shook as I signed, a harbinger of the exhaustion coming to the surface.

David's dark skin paled, his mouth opening and closing several times before he collected himself. Before he could so much as raise his hands, Bella appeared, a smile on her face as she saw me. Relief and sadness warred for control in her expression as she hugged me.

We ended up staying for dinner, which was great. Claudia told us about her family—she had one younger sibling and her parents worked tirelessly at their respective part-time jobs, leaving her to take care of her sister. Bella, David, and I shared bits and pieces of our own stories. As much as I liked Claudia, I wasn't sure revealing my parentage yet was the best idea.

It was dusk as Claudia and I swam back to Aegrem, stomachs full and bodies weary. It was all I could do to swim home and collapse in bed. David's reaction to Isla kept replaying in my head. I'd never seen him so scared. Jay held me the whole night as if afraid I might disappear. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but I was glad he did. My eyes closed the minute my head hit the pillow.

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