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The king lifted a hand over his brow to block some of the glare from the sun as he scanned the lake again. At one time, an enormous ancient amphitheater had sat at the center of the lake surrounded by hundreds of little warm springs. If the stories were to be believed, it would have been a place of celebration. One day, hundreds of years ago, the earth began to tremble so hard that the ground cracked open and swallowed up the amphitheater along with all the springs, leaving only a gaping crater. It quickly filled with water, becoming the Lake of Springs, erasing all evidence of the holy place.

That’s what water did; it took.

He sighed and dropped his right hand, the sun warming his face, his anxiety rising.

What if the queen wasn’t playing games? What if she’d fallen from thefiileeand had been knocked unconscious on impact with the lake? What if she’d sunk beneath the water and...

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled heavily at his flawed thinking.

Sirenidae couldn’t drown.

Raz pursed his lips.

Well, he didn’t know that for a fact. What if they couldn’t tolerate fresh water? He didn’t know how her gills worked. Hell, Raziel didn’t know much about his wife as a person or her culture.

He found himself touching the healing cut along the side of his neck. What he did know was that she hated him, she was cunning and reckless, and that his grandmother liked her. Unfortunately.

Raziel pulled a face and took two steps into the water, the lake lapping at his boots. Familiar fear rose up his throat, but Raz shoved it down deep. His square jaw flexed as the sensation of water in his lungs rose to the forefront of his mind. The memory of clawing at the water and then sinking helplessly to the bottom of the ocean while staring at the light above.

The sense of impending doom settled over his shoulders like a cloak, and he physically shook it off. His fingers curled into fists at his sides as he trembled. With the sound of waves in his ears and the taste of bile in his mouth, Raz vowed to conquer his fear of water.

He turned his back to the lake and stomped back into the trees. Raziel wouldn’t explore the lake until they had finished securing all the surrounding area.

If she was dead, there was truly nothing he could do for her.

If his queen was wounded, then she would have found a secure refuge or sought help.

And if she were hiding in the lake, then he’d let her cower a bit longer before dragging her home.

Where she belonged.

Another two days passed.

Still no Sirenidae.

Raziel sat on a rock eating a piece of cheese while staring down at the rolling waves that crashed on the black sand beach before greedily sucking backward as if longing to inhale the land. His attention turned to the giant pyre at the far edge of the village.

This was the center of the newest strain of the Mirror Plague.

He’d sent his men away, but Raziel stayed to watch the healers bustle between tiny stone homes. He swallowed the salty cheese and brushed his hand off on his leather pants.

The sun was sinking, the hint of night-time approaching from the east. The Hollow Mountains towered in the distance, calling him home. Skye chuffed behind him and plopped down, whipping up the dirt around them. Raz scowled at the unapologetic beast over his shoulder and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his black shirt.

“That was unnecessary, and you know it.”

Skye huffed before laying his massive head on his crisscrossed paws. The beast closed his light blue eyes, completely ignoring him.

Raziel crooked his left leg and leaned his elbow on his knee, propping his chin on his palm. The council and his mother were riled because of the missing queen. No one had anticipated her stealing thefiileeand then disappearing completely.

Several of his council believed her to be dead.

If Skye’s mate hadn’t tossed the Sirenidae to her death but she’d been injured and unable to seek help, Mer would also be dead. The forests of Methi weren’t safe places. All sorts of predators stalked the trees looking for an easy meal.

He leaned back into Skye’s warmth, hisfiileelifting his wing so that Raziel could get comfortable. Staring at the sunset, Raziel debated what to do next. He couldn’t call off the search yet, but it wasn’t possible for him to be searching for the queen every day. He had to run a bloody kingdom, and yet... his conscience wouldn’t allow him to stay in Skigara. Each night, he’d gone to bed saying to himself that today would be his last day of searching, and yet each morning, he rose with Skye and joined the search.

Skye chuffed, and Raz glanced to his right as hisfiileelifted his head, his ears perked high.

The beast was curious.