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Seraphina smirked, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “Oh, you didn’t think I acted alone, did you? Cordelia and I have been working together for a decade now, gathering power and manipulating events to our advantage. She was the one trapped in the cave, not I.”
My world crumbled around me, my heart crushed with betrayal and deception. Squiggles left me, picking the dead pearl up before climbing back on my head. As Cordelia and the sea witch continued to laugh, I looked at Kaga, his expression mirroring my shock and disbelief.
“Where are our parents?” I asked, my voice trembling. Slowly, I backed away, heading toward the exit.
Kaga mirrored my movements. The sisters continued to congratulate themselves, and I met Kaga’s eyes. Let’s get out of here. Fast.
We backed away from the crazy duo. I grasped Kaga’s hand and in one fluid movement, we kicked away from them.
Cordelia reached a hand up toward us, but Seraphina stopped her. “Let them go,” she said with a nasty laugh. “They’ve lost everything. There’s nothing they can do to us, especially without the pearl.”
Their wicked laughter followed us as we raced out of the cave. As soon as we passed through the archway, we stopped to breathe.
I grabbed my mother’s useless scepter, and we moved farther away from the cave. Before the nasty duo changed their minds.
The sea stretched out before us, vast and endless. Kaga and I stared at each other, and I scanned him for injuries. In seconds, our bodies collided as we wrapped our arms around each other. “Are you okay? Did she break anything?”
Kaga’s fingers snaked up into my hair and grasped my head. No, he murmured. I’m just fine. You?
I nodded, though it was far from the truth. I had lost everything. When times were tough, I stuck it out, never seeking comfort. Once in a while, my father had time to sit down and talk to me about it. What Kaga provided right now was exactly what I needed.
We need a plan, he said, his voice sure. We need to find a way to stop Seraphina and Cordelia before they can carry out their plans.
“But how?” I asked, forlorn. “We don’t even know what their plans are. We don’t have anyone to help. They took everyone.”
Not quite everyone, Kaga said. I drew back and looked up at him.
“Who, then?”
The water mages.
I dropped my arms and floated away from him. My hands flew to my face as I laughed and laughed and laughed. “Oh please,” I said. “They would never help us.”
Kaga crossed his arms and stared down at me. Stubborn woman. I am a human water mage and I’m helping you.
“Only because your parents are caught up in whatever crap they’re pulling,” I said, gesturing to the volcano.
No, I’m helping you because you clearly need help.
I pushed him in the chest, frustrated. “I do not need your help!”
Okay, maybe I did. But I didn’t want to. I should have been able to do this on my own. I was next in line to be queen, after all.
Kaga snorted, making me even more mad. My fists balled up, and I raised my arm to punch him, but he swiftly floated to the side, avoiding it.
Be reasonable, Allura, please.
“I AM being reasonable!”
Squiggles swung around and grasped my face in his tentacles. “Princess, stop!”
Shocked, my jaw slackened. “Squiggles?”
“Princess,” he squeaked out. “Stop acting like this. You’re only thinking of yourself, not of your people or your parents. Or Kaga’s parents.”
My eyes wide, I nodded, instantly chagrined. “You’re right, Squiggles. It’s just… ” I sucked in a breath. “I should have been able to do something.”
Kaga’s arms came around me and Squiggles moved back to his spot. I looked up into Kaga’s eyes, tears coming out of my own. “I should have been here.”
