Nicholas’s growl returned tenfold. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold him back. Yet before I could become even more seriously worried, a different merfolk swam up from the space down below us into the quickly narrowing space between Nicholas and Ronan. At once, both men kicked backwards to
With the drama mostly settled for the moment, I thanked Nicholas for his help. He smiled once more at me. Then we split ways, and I made my way down to where the children were playing to check on Elva. As I drew closer, I could see how tired she was. It made sense, while the other children were
I glanced all around, but there was no sign of the mystic. Confused and slightly alarmed, I swam over to Veronica and Julian to join their conversation. They both stopped speaking and looked at me as I approached them. Likely my face was giving away my tumult of emotion. “What happened?” Veronica
Her eyes are closed and her body swaying with the rhythm. The merfolk man, her partner, curled his long tail around her and brought her close. I looked at them for a while, then remembered Julian beside me, and how much such a sight must hurt him. I turned to him, though I wasn’t sure what to say.
I didn’t know what else to say to Julian, and he likely felt the same. So we both continued to watch the dancers. On the other side of the banquet room, Nicholas and the Queen were swimming upwards as they talked. I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Bridget’s attentions seemed fixed on Nicholas now
I ignored Bridget as best as I could. This wasn’t my fault, after all, and I wasn’t about to take responsibility for it, just because Bridget seemed set on blaming me. But I didn’t say anything, so she didn’t either. The conversation between Nicholas and Queen Sonal continued on without notice of
I froze, unsure what to do. “Goodbye Mister Zale,” Elva said. Zale gently patted Elva’s back. “Goodbye, little Elva.” As she began to pull away, he smiled at her. “Such innocence,” Queen Sonal said, her smile soft as well. “The purity and kindness of a child knows no bounds. We could learn muc
With Nathan gone, some of the guilt set upon me. Nathan had been gaslighting me, I knew that. Bridget’s actions were not my responsibility, but his words had given me a measure of discomfort inside of my chest. Even though Bridget’s actions hadn’t been directly caused by me, she was likely acting