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“What are you talking about?” Soulara asked, affecting a bored tone that belied the racing pulse at her wrist.

“It’s okay to care about her.”

“She’s a friend. Of course, I care about her.” Soulara sounded defensive, too defensive. Even to her own ears.

“And does she know that you care about her?” Kaelin asked Zendalia’s question for a second time.

“Of course she does.” Soulara answered, a little bit rushed and a little bit harder than she had meant. But her mind didn’t linger on her snappy words. Instead her body heated, her cheeks warm as she brushed her fingers against them.

In her mind she relived the moments with Autumn. The moments she wished they could experience again and again.

No. Autumn was charming and kind. Her body, though intriguing with differences, was beautiful. And that did things to Soulara’s body. But that was all this could ever be. Would ever be.

“Then perhaps it’s time we start helping you find a way to end this as peacefully as possible.” Zendalia looked directly at Kaelin. “Because we know the lengths we’ll go to for those we care about, don’t we?”

“What are you talking about?” Soulara asked.

“We need to make sure Autumn, and the rest of us, swim away unscathed. And the best way to do that is to find the numbers we need to show our true power. The strength of those who share this beautiful water with us.”

Kaelin jumped in. “We’re going to the deep soundings, Soulara.”

13

“There was an attack.” Honour said the words in a rush as she swam into Soulara’s lab.

“What?” Soulara’s heart stuttered, her chest so tight, she wasn’t sure she could breathe.

Autumn.

She was supposed to be in one of those vessels. Which meant she had lied. It hadn’t even been more than a day. Soulara had just returned from Zendalia’s. She hadn’t had a moment to catch herself after falling so hard into her best friend’s arms.

“I just received word. It wasn’t on our people, but on the Talon tribe. My contacts there were slim on information, but they wanted us to know.” Honour’s face was hard, no compassion, as she moved closer to Soulara and leaned against the table.

“It’s shocking that we even know about it, being in the upper-most soundings. I imagine those in the deeper soundings found the enemy sooner.” Soulara wasn’t even sure she heard herself speaking clearly. The words were there, but her entire brain was stuck on the fact that Autumn had lied.

She’d said days. Not today.

She’d said there was time, and she would get back to her with more information.

Instinctively, Soulara reached up to the necklace and brushed her fingers across it lightly. Nylah appeared next to her, a glowing blue form of a ray, but they were so still, and there were no emotions wafting off them. Nothing but cold and icy.

That could only mean one thing, right?

Autumn had been in one of those machines. Soulara closed her eyes, centering herself. She had a war to fight, and she couldn’t be distracted by Autumn and what-ifs right now.

“Princess…” Honour trailed off. “I don’t have any more information.”

“I understand.” Soulara clenched her fingers around a sharp piece of metal, using the cold and bite of it into her skin to center herself. “How many krakens were there?”

Honour shook her head, and she hesitated to speak. Soulara saw it instantly. “The initial word was three.”

If Honour was too worried about her mental state to share information, how was she going to lead her people in a war? She had to get a grip on herself. She was the future Queen of Reine and that meant she had to get her shit together.

“How many were taken down?” There, her voice was stronger this time.

“One.”

Soulara raised her eyebrows. “Fully? It never resurfaced?”