I push up off my knees and cautiously look around the clearing. The twin guards are gone as well. Destroyed bodies litter the ground, and water pools everywhere. The clouds have already thinned out, leaving space for shards of sunlight to glitter on the soaked grass.
My connection to the Divine is gone.
Severed.
I study the guards around me. Did I kill these people? Was it the final blast of heat that brought them to the end of their lives, or was it Zula? Can he really be held responsible? I mean, he was just acting out of intense grief and... misplaced blame.
But was it really misplaced?
Did King Soren have my mother killed? Was Mama really a gift for Queen Else?
Does any of it even matter?
Mama is dead; Queen Else is too. King Soren may be.
But Eero is alive. I have to keep it that way.
There's no time to dwell on who's responsible for the myriad of death around me. The more the storm clears, the higher the temperature will climb, and vultures and flies will settle in. Someone has to know they're down here so that they can bury them.
Most importantly, though, someone needs to warn Eero. Zula's not dead; there's no way I killed him. His magic's too strong. Knowing him, he's at the palace right now, biding his time until the prince comes back.
It's obvious now that Zula planned everything. I have been a pawn in his game of revenge since the day I showed up at his hollow. He knew I would fail, and he used my own idiocy to take the throne from me.
He's also responsible for the growing resentment the king feels for the merfolk. King Soren has been used like a puppet for well over a decade in Zula's elaborate plan.
How fan so these roots go?
Eero has to know. We have to do something before both of our species suffer.
It's bigger than we thought, bigger than anyone thought.
I push all the way up onto my feet and wince in pain. Blood spreads across the front of my dress from two different spots. I just had to go and let myself get stabbed. I can't heal myself, and I'm pretty sure there's no coming back from a wound this thorough.
You just need to get to the palace. Quick.
Warn Eero and then let Fate do its job.
Gritting my teeth and huffing, I take a few steps away from the puddle of blood I was standing in. Every movement sends a jolt of pain up my spine, and within a minute, I'm full-on sobbing.
Just make it to the palace. That's all.
Shimmying through the mud, I make my way over to William's body. His neck twists unnaturally to one side; his eyes are still open, widened in fear. Gently, I push his eyelids closed and run a shaking hand across his cheek.
"May the Divine rest your soul," I whisper, trying not to fall over him as another pain shoots through me. After all he did, I still liked William. I saw us becoming friends, if given the opportunity. But now... Some mother will be mourning his death.
I grab a low-hanging branch and hoist myself back upright. The tree whines in protest.
Wait. That wasn't the tree.
My head whips around so fast that I nearly topple over.
"Finn?!"
If it wasn't for the unmistakable mop of sun-bleached blond hair and the jagged scar across his back where a shark once nipped him, I might not have recognized my best friend. He's filthy, coated in what looks like algae and mud combined. He's also completely naked.
Which wouldn't be odd if he didn't have a pair of legs where his tail used to be.
Ignoring the searing pain in my side, I scramble across the sludge towards him.
"Finn—Oh my gods, Finn!"
It takes more effort than I thought I had to shift him over onto his back. He moans in pain, but all that does is make me exuberant.
He's alive.
"It's going to be okay, Finny. I promise. I'll—I'll get you to the palace. I will." The words fly out of my mouth as I wipe mud and filth off him. It's like he's been wallowing in stagnant water for days. Is this what it was like in the vial? Has he been suffering the entire time?
Well, it can't have been pleasant, idiot.
When most of the grime has been wiped off, I search his emaciated frame for injuries. Other than some light bruising along his ribs and arms, he seems to be in one place. But he's still naked. I can't carry him up to the castle like this.
If I'm being honest with myself, I'm not sure I can carry him at all. I'm completely drained.
But I'll drag him if I have to. Finn is going to make it. He has to.
Gritting my teeth once again, I push myself up and limp over to William's body. My breath comes in ragged gasps as I strip off his uniform shirt. On Finn, it'll be like a dress, but it will have to suffice. I drape the shirt over my friend's back and force his arms into the sleeves. He never even opens his eyes.
Once Finn's clothed sufficiently, I drag myself to another guard and strip his shirt off for me. I'd like to think I'm covering up because I'm cold, but really, it's because I don't want Amaia to panic when she sees the filth covering my dress. William's was covered in blood, but this one is only mildly stained by mud. It's so clean that I start to wonder what killed him, but a quick glance around his body reveals a gash across his throat.
Vomit rises up in my throat, and I hurriedly turn so that I don't spew it all over his poor guard. The muscles in my stomach jerk and tighten, causing me to retch even harder. Nothing comes up, though. I've nothing left to give.
As I straighten again and resume trying to unbutton his shirt with unsteady hands, I notice fresh blood seeping through my dress. Carefully, I lift the fabric up and inspect the gaping stab wound in my stomach. It sits slightly to the right, so hopefully Zula missed any major organs, but the skin around the entry hole is red hot and puckered. As I watch, blood runs down my hip and onto my thigh. If I leave it open, I'll bleed to death before the sun reaches its highest point.
I'm going to have to stanch the flow somehow.
Trembling like a sail caught in a violent wind, I lower my dress again and finish removing the guard's shirt. Then, I tie it around my waist like a belt, tugging it as hard as I possibly can. The pressure makes me cry out, but I keep tightening. Blackness pools at the corners of my vision. Dizziness creeps in.
Focus. You have to get Finn to safety.
It's my fault he's here, so I have to get him home.
He's my responsibility.
Panting from the energy I've used, I knot the shirt on my unwounded hip and shuffle to the next fallen guard. Luckily, he's laying on his side, so it's easy to strip off his shirt and put it on me instead.
I make my way back over to Finn and kneel down beside him.
"Come on, Finny. You're gonna have to help me, okay?" My voice is a flickering candle, a final star as the sun begins to peek over the horizon. Every breath causes me pain; every movement makes me ache.
He has to make it, though.
Finn groans but wraps his arm around my shoulder and pushes himself up. Together, we limp towards the shelter of the trellises. The sunlight can't penetrate the thick foliage, so the temperature drops even further. My body starts trembling again. Is this a new normal for me? Am I going to shake permanently? My jerks cause Finn to slide slowly out of my grip, but we cling to each other like both of our lives depend on it.
And they may.
What seems like an eternity later, we break into the sunnier area of the garden, and I look up at the looming palace ahead. Funny how dark and ominous it looked three weeks ago. Now it's a refuge, a single torch in a dark cave.
Against the gray backdrop of the palace walls, a single figure is making its way down towards us. Thin hair flops against the slick top of their head; their clothes cling to their towering frame. I pull the both of us to a stop and squint to see if I need to find a weapon or scream for the stranger to help.
But the closer they get, the more elation swells in my chest.
Gray uniform, soft, wrinkled face, knobby joints.
Josef.
"Forbandet!" He hisses, using Amaia's favorite Anjordian word as he skids to a stop in front of us. My step falters, and I nearly topple into him. He slides onto the other side of Finn and takes the majority of my friend's weight off me.
"Josef." It's more of a sigh than an exclamation.
"Are you okay?" he asks, scanning me with his wide, frightened eyes. I nod. "Thank the gods. I thought I was too late. I sent the guards down to the garden, of course, but they never came back and that storm!"
His voice is tight and panicked, but the words spew out of him in rapid succession.
"How did you know I needed you?" While I'm over the moon happy to see him, that doesn't make me any less curious. I tried to tell Sam, but...
"You'll never believe it," he says with a short laugh. "I was cleaning up from breakfast, which Ursus didn't even show up for, I might add, when I heard someone screaming in the servant's yard. Amaia was helping me wash some dishes, and she ran out with a rolling pin clutched in her hand, ready to beat whoever it was.
"But then, I heard him screaming your name. This poor man was half-dead, Ari. Said he'd dragged himself up from the gate to find me, to tell me you needed me."
Josef shakes his head, like it's an outrageous tale. I can't breathe, though; my heart's slamming against my ribs.
"And he told me that you'd said to go where the prince visits our pride, and well, that could only be Queen Else's grave. I sent the guards right away, but Amaia wouldn't let me go with." He huffs. "I had to sneak away when she was distracted."
I can't form words. My brain feels like an anchor, sinking quickly to the bottom of the ocean. There's no hope of getting it back, no reason to really try.
The longer I stare at Josef, the more worried he looks. "Are you sure you're okay? You're awfully pale."
I shake my head, trying to brush away the fog. "The man—" I choke out. "Who was the man?"
"I don't know his name," Josef says, scowling. "He fainted as soon as your message left his lips."
"But he's—is he alive?"
Blessed Divine, he has to be. Could I be so lucky, though, to have Sam and Finn both alive?
"When I left him in the infirmary, he was," Josef says. "Why? Who is he, Ari?"
A broken cry bubbles out of my mouth, followed by quick tears.
"A very close friend." I swallow the knot in my throat and wipe my cheeks with a shaking hand. "I thought I'd gotten him killed. I was sure he was gone."
Josef is quiet for a long minute as we walk. Then, suddenly, he asks, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now, but I think we need to. What happened to the guards, Ari?"
I purse my lips together. Talking about what happened in the clearing would require admitting what I've done, what I came to do, and all the things between. It would be unraveling the web of lies that Zula has spent decades spinning, turning Josef's world upside down, and opening up a new nest of questions I can't answer.
But he deserves answers.
"I'll tell you everything at the palace," I say softly, meeting his gaze. "I promise."
He nods. "They're gone, aren't they?"
My silence tells him everything. He sighs and falls into a solemn, trusting silence.
While we walk, I inspect the wreckage in the garden. Flower petals litter the ground; branches crane their snapped necks down towards us. The hail shattered the cobblestone path, and now rocks lie in disjointed chunks under our feet. They cause us both to trip and stumble.
As the stone path twists through the trees, Finn digs his fingers into my skin. I can't be sure if he's trying to reassure me or hold on. Josef grunts as I'm forced to stop, shift Finn's weight, and then resume walking. He doesn't say anything, but I feel the pressure lessen minutely as he takes a little more upon himself.
I distract myself from the impending tsunami that is telling Josef about Zula by worrying about Finn instead. How did he get like this, anyway? My uncle said I had the ability to move between water and land on my own, but he didn't mention anything about being able to make other people transform. Plus, I didn't try to transform Finn. Did I? Was his metamorphosis some weird run-off from the abundance of magic energy in the clearing? An unfortunate side effect?
If I'm being honest, though, it's not that unfortunate. Finn could be dead. Instead, he's here. Alive and with me.
It doesn't really matter who or what caused the shift. Something did, and I should just be thankful.
We reach the crest of the hill, and Josef pushes open the front door. The chaos that erupts in the foyer jerks me out of my own thoughts. Maids swam the entryway, hands clasped to their mouths and chirping like frightened little birds.
"Ari! My gods!"
A sharp, worried voice pulls my attention to the top of the staircase. Amaia stands there with her hands in front of her, fingers splayed like she's trying to reach out and touch me. Her mouth sits frozen in a long O, and her eyes remind me of saucers. Fear is written in the folds of her forehead.
"Amaia," I breathe. Between her and Josef, I don't know who I'm happier to see.
Amaia is the steady rocks that we've built Hygge on, the warm currents of water that cut through the ocean during the summer months, and the constant rays of sun raining through the waves, kissing our skin and fueling our magic. Josef is the armor-clad guards who patrol the borders at all hours of the night, the thick walls of Papa's palace, and the fortress that is my grotto.
Amaia is warmth and reassurance. Steadiness.
Josef is protection and gentleness. Sanctuary.
"Help me," I whisper, gazing up at the human woman I've come to love.
She takes the steps two at a time and skids to a stop in front of me. Orders fly out of her mouth, directed at the maids around us.
"Get the guards! Fetch them some water and clean blankets!" She looks firmly at me, and I realize I've not felt this safe since I was in Hygge. "Hand him over, skatter." As she starts to take Finn from me, I pull him back. A soft scoff leaves her mouth, but she doesn't force me. "Okay, okay. Just move, you two. Now."
As I shuffle forward, she directs her attention to Josef. Her scowl deepens. To me, it was parental frustration, an expression I've seen countless times from Papa. Towards Josef, it's a downright disappointment. She leaves nothing to guessing.
"You're going to hear about this later," she growls. "But you did bring our girl back, so I guess you're in the clear for now."
Josef sighs happily. "Thank the gods," he whispers to me.
"I said for now," Amaia snaps. "Now, move! Before I drag you! This poor child needs medical attention."
Without another word, she ushers us through the servant's hallway, and together, the three of us push towards the infirmary.