I hadn't thought about that day in nearly two years, but tonight, nightmares of Faye's death tormented me. My own words right before the crossbow hit floated through my mind, piercing me like a dagger through flesh. "'Please, Faye. I can't lose you."

I couldn't sleep; the image of the crossbow piercing her back haunted me. Over and over, I heard her scream, the sound stretching into an endless, agonizing loop until I jerked awake in a cold sweat. I barely had time to take a breath before nausea sent me rushing to the bathing room. I'd barely made it over the threshold before the sounds of retching filled the suite.

When the nausea finally subsided, leaving me weak and shaky, I collapsed on the floor, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't even have the energy to open my mouth, much less lift my head, as I felt a warm, soft hand between my shoulder blades. "Can you sit up?" Ani's voice was a lifeline in a choppy sea, and I used it to gather enough strength to open my eyes.

She gripped my free hand, supporting me with an arm around my shoulder as I eased into a sitting position. I took slow, even breaths, forcing the memories to subside along with the nausea. "If you feel up to it, I can help you get back into bed."

I was too exhausted to do anything other than nod. Agonizing stroke by agonizing stroke, we swam back to the bed. Ani placed a cool hand on my clammy forehead, her voice laced with concern. "Does this happen often?"

I managed a barely perceptible dip of my chin. It took every ounce of my already depleted energy to speak. "Some nights." I wasn't sure if she was referring to the nightmares or the nausea. Nevertheless, it seemed both had become a semi-regular occurrence.

When I glanced out the open window, the fresh water caressing my sticky face, I saw the moon high up in the sky. I turned to Ani, my eyes already fluttering shut. Her voice was soft when she spoke, the words heavy in the water between us. "Do you feel up to telling me what had you so on edge yesterday as we left the Bronze Mermaid?"

I sat up at her question, suddenly wide awake. "I'll tell you everything, but I need to find someone first." I'd nearly forgotten my decision to track Sara down regarding the untouched note on our dresser. Rallying my strength, I rose from the bed, ignoring Ani's protests. I still felt shaky, but the nausea had thankfully abated enough for some semblance of energy to seep back into my body.

I reached for my cloak, slinging it over my shoulders as I looked at her. She spoke before I could, concern lacing her voice. "You're not thinking of going out, are you? It's the middle of the night. Anything could happen. You could..." When she trailed off, I had to fight to keep my face impassive.

Her unspoken words were like anchors, weighing us down. Even though she'd never known Faye, I'd told her enough about how she'd died and the circumstances surrounding it for her to understand. She knew I would do anything to keep Sara from suffering the same tragic fate as my sister, yet she was terrified of it happening to me.

"Something is going on. I have to find out what it is. If Sara is in trouble, I have to help her. I'll be back as soon as I can." No sooner had I started to turn toward the door than I felt a hand on my arm.

"I'm coming with you. I'm not letting you go out alone at night. I won't take no for an answer." Her voice and expression were so persistent that I couldn't help but nod. As much as I wanted her to stay behind where she'd be safe, I still wasn't feeling a hundred percent and knew I wouldn't have the energy to swim all night.

I would have to make multiple stops to rest and eat, which would take time. Ani would most likely be the voice of reason if I began flagging or showed any sign of exhaustion. She grabbed her cloak, suddenly tugging on my arm to stop me. "What about your parents? They'll be pretty worried when they wake up tomorrow morning, and we're not here."

I hadn't thought about that. Thinking fast, I scribbled a hasty note, whispering Mom and Dadʼs names on the paper before I let it go. Before I could lose my nerve, I grabbed her hand, ignoring the beads of sweat that had popped up on my hairline.

We left our suite and swam silently through the empty palace, the moon's glow the only source of light to be found. When we reached the open water, I turned to her and held her hands in mine. "I'm prepared to search all night and into the morning if I have to. If at any time you need to rest, let me know." No matter the exhaustion that tugged at me with every breath.

Ani nodded. "The same goes for you." Her eyes searched my face, but she didn't say anything else. I could tell by the tightening of her mouth that she was holding back her words, which made guilt shoot through me. I knew she disagreed with my decision to go out and search for Sara, but I also knew she wouldn't let me go alone.

She had the messenger bag that she'd gotten from her aunt as a birthday present a few years ago, but other than that, we were traveling light. I hoped we could find Sara before it was too late. She was the only other mermaid I could think of that would hopefully be able to provide some insight on the mysterious note.

Even though she hadn't had much of a relationship with Wyatt before his death, I knew she would do anything to help me. It wasn't until we'd reached the outskirts of Pelathas that I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. I raised my head and looked around, but we were alone, aside from the occasional sea creature drifting by. Or so I thought. When I looked back on this moment later, I would chastise myself for not being more alert.

We couldn't hear the bolt as it whizzed through the water, making a whistling sound that was utterly silent to us. With the persistent exhaustion nagging at me with every breath, all my concentration went into staying upright, never mind watching my surroundings. Ani kept her eyes on me the entire time, never glancing around us.

That meant neither of us could see the assassin half-hidden behind a rock several yards away, cocking a crossbow and training it on my unprotected back. I didn't know it then, but the assailant was someone Faye had known before her death. Her niece had become a close friend of Faye's years ago.

When the bolt pierced my left shoulder and shattered my collarbone, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from my throat. I slammed face-first into the seafloor, gasping for water as I spat out silt. With a quick assessment of my body, I realized I could still move both arms with difficulty. I heard Ani's voice but couldn't see her. "Drew? Can you hear me? I'm going to try to help you onto your back."

It was slow going—I was all but limp on the seafloor, and my left shoulder and arm had gone numb—but eventually, she managed to get me on my back. I grunted in pain as the movement jostled the bolt still wedged in my shoulder. Lights flashed behind my eyes, and I was having trouble breathing.

For a heartbeat that seemed to go on forever, I didn't know what was happening. Every time I tried to recall what had happened, a dagger-sharp pain would slice through my head. We would later discover that the bolt had caused my lung to collapse, and I had suffered a concussion from my head hitting the seafloor. Each breath was a wet rasp.

We hadn't even made it out of Pelathas yet, but I knew Ani wouldn't risk leaving me just to get Mom and Dad. I sucked in a breath and half-dragged, half-pushed myself up against a nearby rock. Her face was white when she looked at me, and I knew my expression was a mirror image of hers. My words were rough and barely audible, so much so that I felt Ani's breath on my lips as she leaned in to listen. "We can make it to the hospital. Put my right arm around your shoulder."

I could feel her body shaking as I did what she said, a tiny whimper escaping her as I hissed in pain. "Okay," I grunted out, sweat pouring off me. "Take it one stroke at a time." Slowly, inch by painful inch, we swam to the hospital. When we finally arrived, I was half-conscious, my head lolling on Ani's shoulder.

By some miracle, I managed to hang on long enough to hear Ani shout for help, her voice cracking with fear. "Help! Somebody, please help!"

At her words, I heard low voices, getting louder with every heartbeat that passed. Unconsciousness tugged at me with every breath, threatening to sweep me away with every heartbeat, but I clung to her voice with everything I had. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry. After a few blinks, it cleared enough for me to see Dr. Murphy's face hovering above me, her eyes wide with concern and worry. "Drew? What happened?"

Adrenaline suddenly roared through me, giving me the boost I needed to stay awake. In a low voice, I heard Dr. Murphy speaking to Ani, her words sharp and urgent. "You're his wife? Can you contact his parents?"

The minute I heard Ani's tearful reply, my heart clenched. "Yes. B-but I'm n-not leaving h-him." Her voice hitched on every other word, and her breaths were sharp and trembling.

When she met my gaze, tears flowed down her cheeks as she sobbed. I gently squeezed her hand, feeling my chest tighten as I struggled to take a deep breath. I coughed, nearly choking as blood dribbled from the corner of my mouth. My eyes fluttered closed as I heard Ani scribble a note and whisper my parents' names.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, low, frantic voices drifted in and out of my ears. "The spear's tip is wedged deep in Drew's collarbone." "One of his lungs collapsed. The tip missed his spine by a scale's breadth."

I heard Mom's anguished wail and Dad swear under his breath. The latter's voice was brittle when he spoke. "Hang on, son. Just hang on, Drew."

I opened my eyes, meeting Ani's teary gaze. She gasped, putting a trembling hand on my cheek. Every part of my body ached, but I managed to murmur, my voice barely audible, "I'm okay."

The last thing I heard before the pain swept me into unconsciousness was Ani's broken whisper, imprinting itself onto my heart. "Please, my love, come back to me." Genuine, raw fear coated her words, and immediately, I wanted to reassure her. To tell her I would be okay.

But I couldn't. Because I didn't know if that was true. An assassin had just tried to kill me, and we were still attempting to locate and identify them. On top of that, we still hadn't found Sara. I could only hope that we found her before the attacks escalated.

Our family had been through so much tragedy and heartbreak in the past two years. I would do everything in my power to make sure that no one else in our family had to die. The only question was, how far was I willing to go to uncover the assassin's identity?

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