A World No One Knows (bxb) [editing and rewriting]

Chapter 14

We creep around some rocks behind the palace. I follow closely behind Zander and Lir, and Rayne follows after us. After Rayne apologized for kidnapping me, we became friends. He volunteered to help me in my mission to get the medicine back.

Zander stops and pears around a big rock. I look over his shoulder and see mers covered in red holding spears and guarding the palace. There aren't many mers back here, but I can hear the fighting from the front clear as day. If I concentrate, I can even taste the blood in the water.

Zander and I move back behind the rock and look at the others. "This is where we split up. Blaise and Rayne go find Zale. He's probably in the throne room— the coward— hiding from the fighting. Get the medicine and then get back to the Shell. Lir comes with me. Then he'll be right behind you as I stay and fight. Any questions?"

"Where are you going?" Rayne asks.

"I have to check on the team we set up here before all this happened. No one has been in touch with them."

Rayne nods, and I pull Zander away from the other two. "I thought you were checking to see if your parents are okay?" I ask in a whisper.

"I am." He glances back at Rayne. "But Rayne doesn't know that I'm a Royal."

"Does the Resistance know?"

"No one besides Lir does, and that's only because he's known me since we were children. To the rest of them, I'm just Zander, an ordinary mer trying to do the right thing. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

He kisses me on the forehead and whispers, "Thank you."

My heart warms as Rayne calls over to us. "There's an opening. Blaise, let's go."

I nod at Rayne. "See you at the Shell, okay?" I say to Zander, the worry I'm feeling slipping into the words.

He smiles. "I promise."

I stare at his eyes before blinking and swimming after Rayne.

We swim through a window and into the hallway from so long ago. It feels like another lifetime when I was swimming these halls looking for Casmir. I haven't seen him since I left last time. I wonder where he is, what he's doing— if he's still his father's lapdog.

"This way," Rayne says and heads to the left.

I follow and watch out for the red mers. Strangely, the hallways are quiet. Looking out at the ground below us, I find out why. Red and blue mers clash in an epic battle. Screams and clashing weapons fill the water. Blood attracts sharks and I watch as two mers get eaten. My eyes widen at the horror. Never in my life would I have thought that I would see this. I think I'm going to be sick.

Rayne floats behind my shoulder. "Zander specifically told me not to let you see any of the fighting," he says. There's a sadness to his voice but also something else. "But no one can guard someone from the evils in this world. Let's go." He holds onto my wrist and pulls me away from the window.

I follow him, but my mind is somewhere else. What if there was a way to end this war without anymore bloodshed? Like something that is massive enough to wipe out the aggressors with one swoop. Maybe...

"We're here."

I look up and see the throne room doors in front of us. I can't help but think of Casmir when I see them. "Zale should be in there. You distract him, and I'll get the medicine. Then we'll get out of here."

Surprisingly, there aren't any mers guarding the doors, so Rayne and I swim over and on three, he throws them open. He swims in with a war yell, and I hear shouting from the other side. I recognize two voices and then the voice that sends shivers down my spine. Zale. I pear around and see Rayne locked in combat with two guards. Zale watches him with a sneer on his face, so I slip into the room. I stay out of sight, hiding behind rocks and plants. I get behind the throne when Rayne defeats both guards and points his spear at Zale.