I'm on the outskirts of Aegrem, watching the city slowly wake. Stores open, wares are laid out, and the usual traffic begins flowing. A small smile appears on my face as I see a little mermaid, no more than seven, admiring a ruby necklace. The shopkeeper grins at the mermaid, handing her the necklace. The mermaid's mother gives her daughter a look, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple Perles.

The shopkeeper shakes her head, saying something to the mother before grinning at the little mermaid. Her face lights up as she places the necklace around her neck. I rise from the rock I'm sitting on, readying myself to swim back home. Jay and Meri will be wondering where I am.

Motion out of the corner of my eye makes me flinch as I grab my dagger. Familiar green eyes meet mine, mouth stretched in a smirk. Horror and despair sluice through me as I realise what's happening. I open my mouth to scream, but am silenced by a hand clamping painfully down on my shoulder. He then drags me over to a deep ravine that overlooks the rock we are floating on.

Faster than I can blink, he produces a dagger from his pocket and slices a thin line down my arm. It falls limply to my side, useless. He does the same with the other before binding them behind my back with seaweed. Noah grins, scooping me in his arms and bringing me to the edge of the rock.

The ravine yawns open before me as I struggle. My arms are useless at my sides, but I manage to hit him in the head with my tail fin. Suddenly, I'm falling, the drop seeming to last an eternity. My head smacks against the hard rock as I hit the seafloor.

That was the last thing I remembered before opening my eyes and recognising our room. Jay was beside the bed, gently holding my hand. His eyes widened as he noticed me. Are you okay? He signed.

I took deep, even breaths as I focused on his face, trying to get my heartbeat under control. After a few minutes, it slowed enough for me to nod and respond. Where is everyone?

He reluctantly let go of my hand and swam to the door, opening it and beckoning to someone. David and Bella swam in, concern in their eyes. I rubbed my eyes, trying to calm down. All it took was one word to change the atmosphere of the room. Noah.

Jay's nostrils flared as his hands clenched into fists. David's eyes hardened; Bella's dark skin blanched, her mouth opening and closing. I focused on Jay, squeezing his hand. Please don't go after him. Not now. It's too dangerous.

He shook his head as he rose, grabbing a dagger from the dresser in the corner before swimming out of the room. My entire body shook as I rose, gripping the nightstand to steady myself. Both David and Bella rose to stop me. I shook my head. You don't understand. Noah... he's going to kill Jay.

David's eyes widened as he, too, rose and left the room. Bella took my hand, her grey eyes wide. What's going on?  She signed.

I couldn't seem to think beyond the roaring in my head. Tiger Shark and Naia, Brandon and Noah... too many had come too close to ending everything. My hands shook as I grabbed my dagger, securing it at my waist. Bella tightened her grip on my hand, halting me. You don't even know where they are. They could be anywhere.

She was right. It would take too long to search every inch of the surrounding towns. I shook my head. I have to try. I can't just leave him.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for the long swim. David swam to me, gently taking my hand. He looked into my eyes, his own blazing with anger. If you're not back by nightfall, I'm coming to find you.

I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He gripped me back just as tight. I looked at the wedding ring on my right hand, drawing strength from it.

My hands were trembling as I grabbed my bag, gripping it so hard my knuckles were white. I threw a hood over my black hair, hiding it from sight. It wasn't much of a disguise, but hopefully it would somehow keep Brandon or Noah from recognising me.

The swim to Pelathas was mostly uneventful. The few people I passed bowed and, upon my insistence, accepted my need for discretion. Unfortunately, none of them had seen mermen matching Jay and Noah's description. I was just about to turn back when a hand landed on my shoulder.

My dagger was in my hand before I even turned around. The merman in front of me was weary, a bandage on his arm leaking blood. Exhaustion was written on every inch of his face. His breathing was ragged as he threw his arms around me, hugging me tightly. I held him just as tight, breathing in his scent. All too soon, however, he released me to give me a once-over. Are you okay?

I wiped tears off my cheeks. I should be asking you that question. Where's Brandon?

He shrugged after I finished signing. I don't know. I managed to lose him when we arrived in Pelathas. But he won't stop looking until he finds me.

His face was blank as he signed, but I could sense the fear in him. I carefully slung his arm around my shoulder, biting back tears at his wince. We managed to swim home without encountering any problems.

That's when I felt it—the shift in the current, as if someone had sent a shockwave through the water. A shiver ran down my spine as I turned to Jay, pasting a fake smile on my face. Go on inside. I'm right behind you.

Concern clouded his eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. I waited until he'd gone inside before zooming away. A horrible, yet familiar smell filled my nostrils, filling me with fear. Brandon appeared in front of me, a sadistic smile on his face as he sketched a mocking bow. How's Jay doing, Nerissa?

Anger like I'd never felt before flowed through me as I stared at him, my hands clenching into fists. Before I could so much as raise my hand, however, he was fastening something around my neck. I realised what it was a heartbeat too late—too late to stop him. The Lost Soul Pendant thrummed at my throat, brimming with power.

Images slammed into me, one after another: Meri, Naia, Oliver, Alicia. Every one of the souls that were trapped inside the pendant. Countless others surfaced, names and faces I didn't know. It didn't matter, though. I may as well have killed them, too. Grief slammed into me with the force of a hurricane. I managed to lift my head, albeit weakly, and meet Brandon's eyes.

What do you want? I could hardly make my fingers form the signs, they were so clumsy. Exhaustion quickly shoved grief out of the way and took the wheel.

He grinned, obviously enjoying my struggle. My head was bowed, my hair falling in front of my face; I could no longer hold it up. I want you to find Naia's body and bring her back to life.

I stared at him, shock written on every inch of my face. That's... it's not possible. Once someone's soul is in the pendant, it stays there forever.

He shook his head. Not necessarily. If you can find the body of the soul's owner, you can rejoin the two and bring them back to life.

I kept waiting for the punch line, for him to finish what was surely a joke. But the grin remained on his face. How? It was the only question I could think of.

Brandon shrugged. That's for you to figure out. In the meantime, I'll let you have a reprieve from your usual schedule. Consider it my condolences.

Before I could so much as raise my hands, he was gone, leaving me feeling like the world had just ended. I swam home in a daze, my hands shaking as I opened the door and swam inside. Jay swam to me, gripping my arms to keep me upright. What happened?

I shook my head, unable to find the strength to lift my hands. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me to our bedroom. I laid down and folded an arm underneath my head, struggling to sort through the maelstrom of thoughts inside my head. He didn't press me, only held me as I closed my eyes. I concentrated on the feeling of his arms around mine as I drifted off.

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