Page 127 of A Warrior's Heart

Lorcan stuck out a hand, and the trident flew into his grip. The runes glimmered as the weapon returned to its true master.

King Triton cradled Zander to his chest, caressing his cheek.

“My… king.” Zander weakly smiled up at him.

“I told you to stay in the palace,” Triton said, his voice frail.

“Had… to… protect you.” Zander coughed up blood.

Triton tenderly wiped away the blood before kissing the servant softly on the mouth. “Rest, my sweet boy.”

Zander stopped moving, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

“Father…” Lorcan stepped toward him.

Triton’s shoulders trembled before he released a gut-wrenching roar, bringing Zander closer to his chest. “It was supposed to be me! Not him.”

“An act of selflessness broke your curse,” Lorcan said. “He saved you in more ways than one.”

“I did not ask to be saved.” Triton pressed his lips to Zander’s forehead, his eyes closing.

“King James’ army has laid down their arms!” a soldier shouted from nearby.

Reif appeared, covered in blood—not his. Nereus stood at his side, a gaping wound in his right shoulder and cuts on his face, but his injuries didn’t look severe. And then King James stumbled forward, his armor scuffed and blood pouring from the side of his head.

“I’ve ordered my men to stand down,” James said, out of breath.

“You expect to be forgiven?” Triton asked, lifting his head. Zander’s blood stained the front of his golden armor. The ground rumbled. “You come tomyhome, attackmypeople, and think you will leave this place alive? You thinkanyof your men will leave?”

Malik tugged me against his side, his gaze on Triton. “The battle is over, Your Majesty. I’m sure we can come to an accord and end the fighting once and for all.”

“An accord?” Triton’s voice was deeper than usual, and his blue eyes became brighter, his godly powers shining through them. “No. I think not.”

The earth shifted beneath my feet before a loud crack sounded overhead. I looked up at the dome. Was it shaking?

“Father!” Lorcan stepped toward him. “Don’t d—”

His next words were drowned out by what sounded like booming thunder. Triton rose from the ground, still cradling Zander against his chest. The conch shell around his neck glowed bright.

And then the barrier around the kingdom broke, sending the water crashing down upon us.

I transformed, as did the other merfolk, and watched in horror as my home was destroyed. The market I loved to wander through, the field where I practiced archery, the palace where I lived… they were all claimed by the sea.

“It’s just like my vision,” Lorcan said, staring up at the dead bodies from the battle drifting above us in the water.

The human soldiers gasped for air, their bodies floating upward as they thrashed around. Some had been knocked unconscious by the force of the water. That would’ve been a kinder death. At least unconscious, they wouldn’t know they were dying. The spell that had allowed them to travel to Avalontis had worn off. They were all drowning now.

King James included.

“Troy.” Malik grabbed my arm as I started to swim forward.

“I have to save him,” I said. “He… he helped me, Mal. I don’t think I’d be alive if not for him.”

Malik released my arm and swam with me. I reached James, slid my arms around him, and began to ascend. His eyes were wide with fear and his body was weak. His blond hair whipped around his face, the wound on his head causing blood to cloud in the water.

“He needs air,” Malik said from beside me.

The first time Alek had ever come to Avalontis, he had been human. The trip from the surface was too long for someone to hold their breath, so Malik had breathed air into him. There was nothing sexual or romantic about it, though the idea made me nervous.