Painful Memories

Chapter 8

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I fell into bed, exhausted, and instantly fell asleep. When I open my eyes, I blink against the sunlight streaming down from the surface. A merman floats in front of me, a solemn expression on his face. "Ronan?"

He puts a finger to his lips, looking around carefully. My heart pounds as I stare at him and wait for him to speak. "I'm on your side, Isadora. I will do whatever I can to help you bring them to justice. I was promoted to the guard a few days ago."

I shake my head in amazement. "Have you managed to glean anything that might help us connect Aunt Naia or Aurora to the attack? Or..." I swallow hard, hating my next words. "Who in my family she may be planning to kill next?"

He nods, moving closer and lowering his voice. "They hardly come to the dungeons anymore, save for very rare occasions. But yesterday evening, just before dusk, they came down, speaking quietly to one another and pointing to each cell. There was a new group of prisoners brought in about two days ago. Mostly mermen, with only a couple mermaids sprinkled in. The mermen were silent and gruff, staring straight ahead and not acknowledging anyone."

He takes a breath before continuing. "The two mermaids had fearful expressions on their faces, but they, too, stayed quiet. I couldn't find any signs of harm on any of them, but I could practically feel the fear radiating off of the mermaids."

My eyes widen. "Do you think any of them had something to do with the attack?" If I can just get a few of them to speak up, maybe I can prove that Aurora and Aunt Naia had truly acted alone, something I can't believe we've never considered. Of course, we've also never considered the fact that they might have had accomplices.

Ronan shrugs. "I'm not sure. The mermaids talk, but never about the attack. Mostly, they just talk about their families, how much they miss them. The mermen speak up every once in a while, but their remarks are cold and clipped, never inciting conversation. I've been watching, waiting, for anyone to come down to the dungeons. Mostly, though, it's just me and the prisoners."

I swallow down my disappointment. His image blurs, then steadies. "If I hear anything else, I'll be sure to let you know." His voice is soft, his eyes shining with what looks like regret.

I nod, my heart sinking. "Be careful, Ronan." Surprise runs through me when the words leave my mouth. When I first met this aloof, cold merman, his instant disdain for me and his hatred for Mom had made me feel bitter towards him. Knowing what I know now, I feel regretful.

He nods as his image fades, leaving a chill in his wake. I shivered, his words echoing in my head as I opened my eyes. I was in our suite, laying in bed. My headache had lessened, but every now and then, sharp stabs of pain would shoot through my temples. Tears welled in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks and onto the blankets. I hurriedly blinked them away as a knock sounded.

"Come in," I called out, stretching as I swam out of bed. The door opened as Kai poked his head in.

Relief filled his dark eyes as they scanned my own. "You're awake. How are you feeling? We've been worried." He swam to me, taking my hands as he kissed me.

More than anything, I wanted to tell him about the dream, Ronan's message. After everything we'd been through, that couldn't have been a coincidence. But I held my tongue. I needed to see for myself what was going on in Nepptheas before I worried anyone else.

I smiled at him as we broke apart, wiping my eyes. "Better." I swam to the closet, quickly getting dressed.

"Everyone's getting ready for breakfast, if you're feeling up to it. Mom'll want to know how you're feeling as well." He never took his eyes off mine as he spoke, as if he was afraid I'd vanish if he looked away.

I nodded, kissing him again deeply. My stomach growled as we left our suite, causing both of us to laugh. When we got to the dining room, I took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of fresh shrimp in the water. We swam to our table, getting many nods and smiles on our way.

"Isadora!" Queen Katrina's face broke out into a smile as she saw us. She got up and swam to us, pulling me in for a hug. The sudden gesture of affection was surprising, but welcomed. "I'm so glad you're feeling better."

I nodded when we sat back down. "I am." As much as I wanted to tell her about Ronan's message, I didn't want to worry her.

"So, after breakfast, I was thinking about taking a trip to Nepptheas," I said casually, as if I'd just thought of it.

Kai looked up from his food, glancing at me. "What for?"

I hated keeping things from him (or any of my family), but I didn't want to cause any unneeded stress or panic. That was the last thing any of us needed. I glanced around, then leaned in, lowering my voice. "Ronan was in my dream last night. He's trapped in Nepptheas, and has been promoted to the guard. A new group of prisoners was brought in a few days ago."

I placed a couple pieces of shrimp in my mouth, chewing slowly. We didn't need to look like we were discussing anything important, in order to avoid suspicion. Kai did the same, keeping his eyes on me. "He said they there were mostly mermen, with a few mermaids sprinkled in. The mermen were gruff and silent, not speaking to anyone unless spoken to." I spoke out of the corner of my mouth, my voice barely a whisper.

His expression was shocked, to say the least. My own was neutral, all my energy focused on keeping my hands from shaking. "He's been watching and waiting for anyone to come down to the dungeons, but mostly it's just been him and the prisoners." I swallowed hard, trying not to dwell on his ominous message.

Kai put a hand on my own, his eyes filled with concern. I rushed on before he could so much as open his mouth. "I need to see if Ronan's okay. I know it's risky, but I just can't shake this feeling that something happened."

He nodded, quickly finishing up his food. I glanced up and noticed everyone else doing the same. I hadn't realized how much time had gone by.

My heart was pounding, my throat dry as I got ready to leave for Nepptheas. I had my two daggers at my sides, but other than that, I was unarmed. Just as I had reached the entrance to Beltmare, I heard a voice behind me. "Izzy!"

I spun around, catching a glimpse of his eyes before Kai wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tightly, neither of us letting go for a few minutes. "Please be careful. Come back to me." His voice wavered on the last word, but he took a breath to steady it.

My eyes filled with tears at the familiar words. I hugged him once more before turning away and taking a steadying breath. This was it. Our lives and those of our family depended on the information I would hopefully discover.

When I got to Nepptheas' gates, I immediately noticed something was off. I spun around in a slow circle, daggers out. "Whoever you are, why don't you come out and face me instead of hiding in the shadows like a coward?" I shouted, forcing my voice to stay steady.

Then everything happened at once. A hand clapped down on my collarbone, somehow hitting the still-healing wound. I let out a strangled scream, biting my tongue so hard I tasted blood. Another set of hands twisted my own behind my back, binding them with rope. I wanted to call for help, but it was an effort to breathe through the pain, never mind speak.

Blackness creeped into the edges of my vision, despite my attempts to stay awake. The pain coupled with the exhaustion from multiple near-sleepless nights was impossible to resist. Ronan's voice filled my ears, begging me to stay awake. "I... I can't," I whispered. As my eyes fell closed, I hoped with everything I had that he would be right by my side when I woke up. Then everything would be okay. I should have known better.

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