by Starla Night
Black poison streaked into the stalk.
King Kadir snarled at Balim. “When we stop this, you will answer for your crimes.”
Balim’s heart cracked. He strove to endure his king’s disapproval with honor.
King Kadir chased the dark poison, slicing his trident at it as though he could force it to yield first.
Queen Aya joined Queen Elyssa and put her hands at the upper stalk. A sharp crack made the stalk jerk away from her as if she’d shoved it back with a white bulldozer.
The warriors rallied around King Kadir and sawed on the reverse side. Would they beat the seeping poison?
First Lieutenant Soren snarled at Balim. “How unfortunate we never prepared to lay siege to our enemies. We never thought to construct a stalk-cutting saw.”
He bowed his head to endure the warrior’s judgment. Soren was the first warrior he had pledged his allegiance to after drifting from Undine. His fury cut a long wound in Balim’s heart.
The first lieutenant slammed his shoulder into Balim. “Do not leave.”
It pained him.
Of course he would not leave. “I will heal the wounded.”
“They would never let you touch them.” First Lieutenant Soren flew to aid. With a mighty roar, he attacked the stalk. It broke into pieces. The warriors concentrated their daggers on the last filaments.
New realizations filtered into Balim.
Of course First Lieutenant Soren was right. He was a traitor. Bringing poison into Atlantis, regardless of the reason, was dangerous, as he had proved. Such a total lack of wisdom would make many question his motives. He was too smart to be so stupid. Too clever to lack so much judgment.
Finally, he would face consequences for the act he had committed years ago.
Regicide.
“Balim. This wasn’t what I wanted.” Bella’s fingers curled around his, seeking comfort in this disaster. “Your castle… How can we ever explain this so your friends will understand?”
“We cannot.” Balim disconnected their fingers and pulled free. “You can.”
“Me?”
“I must bear the judgment.”
From a distance. He would not wait per Soren’s request to be judged, sterilized, executed, and thrown into a vent. He still had to atone.
He had unleashed the deadly Blue Ring on the old king of Undine. Now, Blue Ring had returned to haunt him.
He could not die now. He was the only one who could understand Healer Dalus’s answers.
And his absence could absolve Bella of the crime of blackmail. She was still pure. He alone had the blackened soul.
“Find the Sons of Hercules,” he ordered, keeping his mind on the immediate task and not allowing the grief of his losses to pile up on top and smother him. “Free your son and live happily.”
She wiggled after him. “Balim. Wait!”
Her cry dissipated in the frantic battle of the warriors as they destroyed his most prestigious and permanent tie to the city of Atlantis.
But her second, more furious cry reached him through the noise. “You said we’re the same sides of a coin.”
He turned on her, fury snapping in his chest. It was welcome after the pain. “But we are not, are we?”
“You’re a healer. You fix things. You don’t destroy them.”
“To atone. I heal to atone because this is who I am, Bella. The one thing you could never be. I am a murderer.”
She jerked as if he’d slapped her in the face. “Don’t brag about it. You had reasons, so don’t lord it over me like it’s something to celebrate.”
Crack. The stalk of his castle broke just as the first tendrils of poison rotted it away. The whole castle collapsed, sizzling, like a broken flower.
“Don’t let it touch the sea floor!” Queen Elyssa shouted. “We can’t let the poison contaminate the ground! We have to drag it to the barren rock.”
“A vent.” King Kadir overrode her orders, and the warriors together kept it from crashing.
The withered husk turned in on itself, the poison continuing to darken its former vibrancy, black streaking across gray and turning it darker and darker. The warriors moved it en masse while the queens used their powers to buffer it, pushing it between the stalks and out of the city.
“You didn’t kill it,” Bella insisted. “This was an accident. And poisoning the king didn’t happen because you’re a murderer. You escaped from an all-powerful ruler who murdered your father and threatened to do the same to you.”
“That is no excuse.” Balim’s vibrations sharpened as his emotions broke. “Remain here. Find your son. Stay pure. And be happy.”
He turned away from her and kicked hard, leaving her in the city far behind.
Chapter Thirty
Be happy? Be happy!
Balim’s last insult played in Bella’s head over and over long after he had left her behind.
Of course the selfish, damaged healer had left her to deal with the inquiry. Was she supposed to be happy about that too? Just because he’d claimed responsibility before he’d run off didn’t mean the kind, trusting, generous families who’d welcomed her to Atlantis would consider her an innocent victim and move on.
The stump where the hopes of one of their most important members had once rested now reminded them of what they’d lost, like a missing leg. And Bella didn’t think this limb would grow back.
It was gone.
Just like Balim.
“Betrayal.” King Kadir swished back and forth in front of her in his castle while his closest elite warriors and advisers listened. “You have betrayed the ideals of trust, openness, and exchange that founded Atlantis.”
Bella prepared her rebuttal speech while King Kadir ranted.
“You accepted a mystery substance from deadly terrorists to steal a Life Tree blossom and destroy the city, and you told no one. What do you say for yourself?”
“I’m sorry. I saw no other way to save my son.”
“We would have moved the oceans and the earth to help you.”
“I didn’t know who I could trust.”
“You could trust me.” King Kadir’s eyes flashed with silver threads. “Do you know how close you came to destroying our city? To sickening our warriors and queens? Our young fry?”
Torun juggled their sleeping twins. Elyssa pressed Kael to her cheek.
Bella felt like throwing up. “I never intended to release the poison.”
“But you did not know how the poison could be released. And instead of consulting with one of our warriors to assist you, you hid it away. You betrayed us.”
She endured his anger, his fear, his hurt. He wasn’t wrong, and she didn’t take his words lightly. But her mind kept returning to Balim’s parting words.
“Find your son and be happy.”
Something was wrong. Very wrong. Just like when she’d run through the hospital seeking Jonah after the Sons of Hercules had kidnapped him, she felt the same sense that someone was about to commit an unforgivable act that could never be reversed.
Maybe it was because Balim had left with such a look so stony that it sent fear streaking into her heart.
Since the first moment, she’d known in her soul they matched. Balim was hers. They were the same. And yet when he’d left, she’d felt uncertainty. He’d met her assertion that his soul was not so dark with ridicule.
She felt they were still the same. He did not. That fundamental difference made her twitchy, impatient, and needing to do something.
Bella did not handle helplessness well.
“Queen Bella.” King Kadir jolted her back by using a title that was the least fitting after everything that had happened. “You have been with us a short time. We were happy to unite bride and husband for a long future. But that possibility is gone now.”
She averted her gaze.
“Balim is an exile. His name must never be spoken. If he is found within our city…” King Kadir’s jaw flexed, and he forced himself to continue while Elyssa floated
close, stroking his shoulder and hugging their sleeping son. “…he will be judged, exiled, and executed.”
Exiled and then executed seemed like overkill, but she didn’t see the point in objecting.
The sharp burning pain in Balim’s eyes and vibrations as he’d snarled at her to stay and have a happy life made her chest ache.
He’d tried to take sole responsibility and also thrown her distress back in her face by saying he couldn’t stand to see her ever again.
She’d always thought this day would come. He’d insisted they were the same. She’d believed him.
And while leaving, he’d used her most painful mistake against her.
She hadn’t loved Jonah enough, and that was why he got sick. She didn’t love Jonah enough, and that was why he couldn’t get well.
It was possible, right? The mystical Sea Opals and Life Tree activated on emotions. The problem was her. Always her.
If she’d noticed Jonah was sick earlier… If she’d insisted they do more during the first treatment… If she’d loved him more, he wouldn’t have gotten leukemia. He would have responded to the treatments. He would have gotten better after drinking the Sea Opal elixir instead of stopping at the same low count for weeks after they’d used up the liquid and returned to traditional treatments.
If only she’d loved him more, none of this would have happened.
And Balim knew how she felt. He was her soul mate. That was why he’d emphasized it so many times. “Be happy. Find your son.” As if she’d given up. She would never give up. How dare he?
“Queen Bella.” King Kadir jolted her out of her memories again. “Answer.”
She had no idea what he had asked her. “Will you repeat the question?”
“I asked if you are prepared to surface and never return?”
“Because I…okay. I can understand why you can’t trust me. But you have to let me stay. Assign extra guards.”
“We do not guard females in Atlantis as if they are prisoners.”
“I don’t mind.”
He shook his head. “You have committed an unforgivable crime, Queen Bella. The warriors will struggle to remain friendly. It is safer for you to surface.”
No! “The Sons of Hercules are expecting me to stay in Atlantis.”
“You will explain that their poison ended this privilege.”
“Jonah—”
“We will find your young fry.” He rested his arm around Elyssa’s shoulder and held his son close. “But we cannot trust you in this city. You are exiled to the surface for all eternity. Go with Queen Aya to the cable and prepare to rise.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Balim flew out of Atlantis with the same edge of darkness and anger that had followed him out of Undine.
Queen Elyssa and the warriors had saved the Life Tree. That was all that mattered. No one had died during the attack.
He’d felt the final snap of the stalk in his spine.
His head and his chest and, for some reason, his tailbone ached. A dull, throbbing pain. Was this how Pelan had felt when he was getting sick with Blue Ring? Now, as an exile without a connection to a Life Tree, Balim’s blood would sicken. He was vulnerable to the contagion.
Bella would not be punished. She’d won over her enemies. King Kadir would see the goodness in her, her innocence, and he would protect her. Atlantis was filled with worthy warriors. Many better than Balim.
The shock of her expression when they’d parted for the final time had cut Balim. He still felt her betrayal in his bones.
Balim pushed through the dull, throbbing pain. He swam alone to the edge of the city. avoiding patrols and staying far from anyone who might intend to stop him or chat.
He had a short time to escape.
First Lieutenant Soren’s horror echoed in his skull. Balim had shocked even the darkest, most disreputable warrior in Atlantis. His exile was assured. Whether or not he wanted it.
Balim must brave the wilderness. Alone.
“Hey. Wait up.” Nora’s voice vibrated behind him.
He was so startled, he obeyed. “Why are you here? Go back to the city.”
“It’s not my scene.” She kicked abreast of him. Long fins trailed behind her, and her bright, shining soul propelled her through the water. “Can I come with you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“The open ocean is dangerous. You are vulnerable. And I am bound for the seat of the All-Council, where a single female alone is the antithesis of their existence.”
“There’s more safety in numbers.” She straightened and crossed her arms. “Besides, Elyssa said most of you guys can’t tell male or female under water.”
She was not wrong. Queens possessed a certain brightness in their souls. But unless they were swimming entwined with their husbands, no one else might notice.
“I am an exile. Any warrior with honor will kill me, traditional or rebel.”
“So I can help you.” She held up her hands and spread her fingers. Little streams of light traced between them and then dissipated. “I’ll use this power to keep you safe.”
“Then the All-Council will know you are a queen.”
“If I have to use it in front of the All-Council, you’re already screwed.”
He acknowledged that and swam again; she fell in beside him. “Why do you wish to flee with me? You can surface to leave Atlantis.”
“I’m not ready to go.” She twirled, keeping up with him, which was convenient for his escape. “Everything happens for a reason. I can’t believe I dropped my promising career in busking and food service just so I could go underwater and cause drama.”
“You did not cause drama. I misidentified you as Pelan’s bride. Direct your anger at me.”
“You’re also immune to whatever my ‘dangerous resonance’ is.” She twirled again. “I’ve never been unpopular with guys, but down here, everyone looks at me twice and sticks out their chests. It’s weird. You’re different.”
“I am a murderer.”
“Warriors kill people.”
“Honorably.”
“Murder’s kind of in the job description.” She shrugged. “Bella’s smart enough to stay away from losers.”
“She is smart enough to stay in Atlantis,” he vibrated, muttering.
“You shouldn’t be so mad at her,” Nora continued. “Just because you disagreed about the blackmail is no reason to cut her off. She’s your soul mate.”
His heart warmed, and he crushed the hope. “We had no disagreement. You are mistaken.”
“Balim. I was there.”
“You were where?”
“At your castle. Late castle. Floating about five feet behind you guys. I heard your whole argument.”
He had thought they were being quiet. “I do not remember.”
“And that’s why I’m here.” She grinned and stretched in all directions. “You and Bella were so wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world disappeared. Including me. Every time. I don’t usually enjoy being forgotten, but considering how much unwanted attention I’m currently getting, your downright ignorance is nice.”
“Perhaps that will end. My soul does not resonate with Bella’s.”
Nora snorted. “Oh, you think?”
“She never sensed my presence as I sensed hers. Our brief union only came about because I pursued her. Promised if she became my queen she would gain the power to heal her son.” He pressed his eyes on the memory of that failure. “But now when she finds the warrior she deserves, she will sever our unwelcome connection.”
“Mmm. No.”
“I am a healer, Nora, and a merman. I can sense souls.”
“Well, you’re pretty crap at understanding women.” She tilted her eyes at him. “You were pretty upset after leaving the Life Tree sanctuary, so maybe you already forgot that Bella’s had a lot of chances to hook up before you. People like her and me, who attract lots of people, have a hard time not settling on the wrong ones while we�
�re waiting to find our soul mates. But when we find our soul mates, we know.”
“You will know,” he agreed, confused about why this was a conversation topic.
“And Bella knows.”
“Bella knows,” he repeated and shook his head. “No, she cannot accept our connection. It is as King Kadir and Queen Elyssa demonstrated. Resonance grows in the soul.”
“She knows, Balim. In her soul, she knows.”
Warmth seeped out around his clenched heart because he couldn’t contain this feeling that Nora was right. He knew. Just like King Kadir knew. And Bella knew too.
Yes, his soul was black. He had given in to revenge when he should have obeyed the law of the mer. Bella forgave him when he could not forgive himself. And now he’d received the punishment he’d always deserved. Exile and revulsion.
Yet he still craved Bella.
Her smile, the one where she covered her teeth with her lips and the ones where she showed that small gap. Her soft skin with its intricate pattern of freckles as natural as a mer’s tattoos. Her bright, fiery spirit as she took risks over and over again to chase justice, defend others, and tried to improve life.
He wished she were here now. More than anything.
No.
Bella was safe in Atlantis. Those worthy warriors would protect her. King Kadir would not blame her for Balim’s irresponsible actions. And once Starr found her son, she could rise and save him.
He must push on to the All-Council. Even if he wanted to go back and find Bella, he could not turn aside from his mission to cure Blue Ring. The fate of the mer depended on him.
Nora broke into his thoughts as though she thought he was still thinking about her.
“Besides, I overheard what you said. You’re still trying to save Pelan’s life. Not only is it my fault he got shot to begin with, but it’s also my fault he’s not healing. So I want to help him, and you will help me do that.”
“Keep up. I will not slow for you.”
“Sure.” She kicked harder. “I’m ready for this.”
Nora was not Bella, but Balim was grateful not to be alone as they escaped into the wild ocean.