The ghost's words haunted my nightmares, leaving me breathless and shaking when I awoke the next morning. "'Look at that which is broken, then you will find the tools with which to fix it.'" And I did. I tried my hardest to look inside myself, all my flaws and mistakes on full display. But all I saw was the mermaid from the ghosts' description.

A weak, pathetic princess who didn't deserve what she had. Who didn't deserve to be happy when so many out there were suffering and in pain. Lyn's face flashed through my mind, the pain and loss in her eyes as she screamed at me. How many other families were missing a loved one? How many had to wake up in the morning without a husband or wife next to them?

Mom had never explicitly spoken about that part of her life, but I never expected that to be the reason why. Kai's side of the bed was cold, but judging from the sun streaming into the room, I was guessing I'd missed breakfast.

Tears suddenly welled in my eyes, slipping down my cheeks. I tried to hold the sobs back, but my throat tightened, a gasp escaping me as the sobs were unleashed in full force. Multiple emotions swirled around inside me, each one black and ugly. Sadness clashed with anger; regret barreled into guilt.

Hurriedly, I washed my face and put on some waterproof concealer. I got dressed in a rush, slipping into a three-quarter length gray shirt with a dark purple skirt. My signature locket hanging around my neck completed my outfit. Grabbing a cloak, I slung it around my shoulders, clasping it at the neck. With all the excitement and chaos of yesterday, I'd all but forgotten about my plan.

I was almost positive that Aunt Naia had disposed of the bodies of Queen Irvetta and King Marlin near Rosewood, but I didn't know exactly where. Keeping it a secret from my family—especially Kai—had been difficult, but I knew that if I'd told anyone what I was doing, they'd immediately try to stop me.

I had to do this. If not for Mom, then for me. The hard part was going to be getting to Rosewood Manor. It would take me roughly half a day to swim there, and that was if I swam nonstop. If someone asked me what I was doing, I'd say I was going to visit Aunt Bella in Pelathas. That was the excuse I'd come up with.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest it was a miracle no one could hear it. The usual muted chatter reached my ears as I grabbed my bag and left our suite, but no one stopped me. I got as far as the entryway before I was stopped.

"Hey. You missed breakfast. I saved you some food." Kai's eyes searched my face as he extended the wrapped bundle towards me. "Where are you going?"

I kept my face neutral as I took the food from him. Part of me wanted to immediately confess then and there, but I held my tongue. "Going to visit Aunt Bella. I want to see how Faye and Drew are doing."

He nodded, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. "Tell them hello from me, okay? I'll see you later tonight." Even as I smiled and swam away, I couldn't help breathing a silent sigh of relief.

I nibbled on the shrimp as I began the journey, barely tasting it. My daggers rested at my waist, but I prayed I wouldn't have to use them. I stuck to back currents the whole time, not wanting to run into anyone.

Chills ran up and down my spine as I swam, and I hugged my cloak around myself. I told myself I was just cold, but as I felt my stomach drop and my heart begin to race, I knew that was a lie. The closer I got, the more terrified I became. Dread twisted in my gut, making the few shrimp I had eaten want to rebel in my stomach.

When the manor loomed in the distance, I froze, my heart lurching. I heard Lyn's voice in my head, her biting tone. "How could anyone let a murderer onto the throne?"

With shaking hands, I opened the locket around my neck. My entire family—Mom, Dad, Kai, Aunt Bella, and Uncle David—stared back at me. The picture had been a surprise for my last birthday. I took a deep breath in, held it for a few seconds, then exhaled. All the stress, fear, and anger vanished into the water, along with the tension in my shoulders.

As I closed the locket and swam to the large front doors, I felt a shift in the current that had my hand snaking towards the dagger at my waist. Nothing seemed out of place, but something felt... off. "Hello?" I called out, voice loud in the silence.

A minute passed, then two. Then everything happened at once. The front doors flew open; motion out of the corner of my eye had me drawing the dagger out of its sheath; I glimpsed short hair and a flash of bronze skin as a hand reached out and gripped my arm.

I didn't even have a chance to cry out. My would-be captor—a mermaid around Aunt Bella's age—stared at me with wide eyes, bronze skin drained of color. "W-who are you?" I asked, hating the way my voice trembled.

The mermaid didn't release her grip, but she ran her eyes over my body, from the top of my head down to the tip of my tail. Wary recognition flared in her eyes, as if she wasn't sure if I was real or not. "Are you Isadora?" Her voice was halting, unsure.

I nodded. "What's your name?"

She glanced around, once, twice, before pulling me inside. When the door shut, I flinched. "My name is Rochelle Holloway. I am—was—one of your mother's ladies-in-waiting." That last sentence had a hint of longing in it, one I wondered at, but didn't push.

"How do you know my name? How did you find this place?" As far as I knew, Rosewood Manor wasn't easy-to-find.

"I was on my way back to Aegrem when I heard rumors of a new and wholly unexpected change in succession in Nepptheas. That's when the news of the king and queen's murders surfaced. My family lives in Pelathas. Is Nerissa okay?" Her voice was halting and uncertain.

"She's fine. That's why I'm here, actually. I had a hunch that Nepptheas' current queen—my aunt—actually disposed of the bodies near the manor. But I have no idea exactly where." I marked the way her features changed as the words left my mouth—her eyes widened; her nostrils flared and her jaw clenched.

"I haven't seen anything, but I'll be glad to help you look." Her eyes were locked on mine, filled with such anger that it stole the water from my lungs.

We swam outside, both of us fanning out and searching the seafloor. Hours passed with no progress, leaving us exhausted and frustrated when we finally gave up. I felt our disappointment and frustration inside me, black and dark and angry. I braced myself for the ghosts to appear, their sneering remarks.

Nothing happened. Instead, I heard a very familiar voice inside my head—my own—chastising me for our lack of results. "Just leave me alone," I snapped, voice tight.

It only got louder, increasing until it blocked all outside noise. Hearing myself pick apart all of my mistakes and flaws just made me angrier. That's when I finally snapped.

All the emotions I'd pushed down over the past few months—anger, anxiety, depression, grief, sadness—came flooding back with the force of a hurricane. I didn't see Rochelle out of the corner of my eye, head down, eyes glued to the seafloor. I didn't hear the sound of my heart, beating rapidly in my chest.

Once again, all I could see was the mermaid from the ghost's description. Weak, pathetic, shallow. It was like touching an open wound—each word caused a new shock of pain. Somehow, unconsciously, my hand found its way to my dagger.

That's when I felt another shift in the current. It snapped me out of the haze that had settled over me. I blinked several times, as if awakening from a dream. I spotted Rochelle first, a dagger resting at her throat. The mermaid that held the dagger smiled maliciously.

"Oh, Isadora. All this time and you still couldn't stop me. I even gave you a head start. Oh well." Her eyes glittered with cruelty as she stared at me.

I wanted to go to Rochelle, but a pair of strong arms was suddenly restraining me. "Not so fast, princess," a voice hissed in my ear. Uncle Brandon.

I desperately tried to break free, eyes locked on Rochelle, but I suddenly went limp, an ear-piercing scream shattering the silence. Uncle Brandon had placed his hand directly on my collarbone, the wound reopening as he did so. I'd only felt pain like this once before—when I'd originally broken the bone.

This was a thousand times worse. Forget pouring salt on a wound—this was something different entirely. Burning, tearing pain—like a thousand dagger wounds all merged together. I wasn't sure if I was still screaming or even if I was still conscious. I was aware of nothing but the pain.

That blissful darkness—sweet, sweet oblivion—was tugging at me, begging me to surrender. So I did. I closed my eyes, hoping that when I woke up again, everything would be okay. You'd think I'd know better than to hope for that.

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