Chapter Forty-Seven
Forty-Seven
Kaden
This tidesmonth’s council meeting was in full swing. Saeryn and the councilors’ speech drifted in one of Kaden’s ears and left out the other, never stopping in his mind to process what he was hearing.
How could he? His uncle had tried to get him killed, and all along, Saeryn had gone along with his tidesdays, treating his subjects as he always did.
When Kaden came face to face with Saeryn for the first time after the assassination attempt, Saeryn made no mention of the fact that Kaden was alive, nor did his expression give away any sort of surprise.
Now Kaden was anchored here, his fists and jaws and abdominal and tail muscles clenched. His muscles throbbed in protest, but Kaden didn’t care.
The things he wanted to do to Saeryn in retaliation. Punch the merman square in his stomach. Announce from the palace top about his assassination scheme. Take the throne and exile him.
“Kaden, do you have any final thoughts on what we’ve discussed today?” Alasdair’s smooth voice broke Kaden’s reverie.
What had they even talked about? Kaden shook his head. His mind was full of how to track down the merman who tried to murder him under Saeryn’s orders.
“Meeting adjourned.” Darya put her slate down and she huddled with the rest of the council.
Saeryn unwound his tail, and without a word to Kaden, began to swim off.
The doors flew open.
“Excuse me, I must speak with His Majesty.” A merman with hair like snow and a teal tail, that Kaden didn’t recognize, propelled into the room with two sentinels at his tailfins.
“I’m sorry, we tried to stop him, but he insisted it was of paramount importance he see you,” a sentinel protested.
Kaden kept his distance, watching the scene unfold.
“Unauthorized civilians are not allowed in here.” Hylin reached out to grab the merman’s arm as he passed, stopping him. “Who are you?”
“A civilian who must speak with the king immediately.” The merman motioned Saeryn with one arm. “Please, Your Majesty.”
Saeryn approached the merman, whose shoulders were shaking.
The merman met Saeryn’s gaze. Looked over his shoulder, at Kaden.
His face turned as white as his hair, and Kaden knew. This must have been the merman who was in the diving suit.
“Do you want us to take him away?” a sentinel asked, directing her question to Saeryn.
“No, this one is obviously upset about something. I’ll grant him some of my private time.” Saeryn spoke even and calm, though Kaden caught the slightest of hitches in his speech.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The merman bowed and yelped as Saeryn grabbed his arm and led him out the door.
“That is odd,” Hylin remarked. “This hasn’t happened before. A civilian bursting in here demanding to speak directly to the monarch.”
A whisper in the back of Kaden’s mind told him to follow Saeryn. “Can one of you come with me?”
“What for? To where?” Oryma asked.
Kaden raked his mind for something to tell them. I’m trying to expose him for attempting to have me murdered and I need you as a witness. “I–I want to make sure the king is okay. W-what if the merman hurts him?”
“The king didn’t appear to be worried, but I should go. I’ll take a sentinel with us.” Hylin looked at the rest of the council, who nodded.
Hylin called a sentinel from outside, and the three of them followed Saeryn’s path down the singular hallway from the council chambers. The halls transitioned to the back of the palace, leading into a spacious cavern with a three-way split.
“Do you hear anything?” Hylin piped up from beside him.
Kaden listened for the softest whisper carried on the currents, or the sound of movement.
“This way.” He led them down the tunnel on the right, the one that led to the monarchs’ private atrium, away from their own bedchambers, away from the palace staff, where they could have their reprieve without disturbance.
A whisper floated to him, and Kaden held out his arm, stopping Hylin and the sentinel from going further.
“I thought I told you never to show your face here again,” a disembodied voice hissed.
Saeryn.
“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I went back to get the diving suit after I healed, but it was gone.”
“You worthless seascum. Did I or did I not ask you to destroy it? Now the prince lives, and it’s only a matter of time before he exposes us. I should kill you for your stupidity, have you joined your equally useless accomplice!”
“Your Majesty, he made me black out. And wh-when I woke up, I felt t-terrible, I had to go to the infirmary and, Goddess, that diving suit was so uncomfortable. I hid it in a cave!” The merman was rambling, his voice pitch rising.
Kaden glanced behind his shoulder, where Hylin had a hand over his mouth, and the sentinel’s jaw inched closer to the cavern floor.
“I. Don’t. Care. Get out. You are never to return to this queendom again, you understand? If I see you or hear of any trace of you lurking around here, you will be killed on sight. I will deem you a threat to the people,” Saeryn growled.
“Doesn’t seem like he needs our help,” Hylin said dryly.
Kaden swept his tail forward and arms in a semicircle, pumping himself backward. Behind him, Hylin spoke to the sentinel.
“Get the rest of the sentinels. We’ll wait here for him to ensure he doesn’t escape.” Kaden turned and motioned to their sentinel, who gave a nod and swam off.
Saeryn and the other merman left their space, and Kaden and Hylin floated side by side, blocking their exit.
“What is this?” Saeryn burst out as the four mermen faced one another.
“You plotted to kill Prince Kaden?” Hylin asked, tail flicking in impatience.
“No, it wasn’t my doing.” Saeryn held up his hands, and the desire to gut punch him rose in Kaden again. “He worked on his own. He’s a rogue mercenary. I only heard of his deeds when he came to me.” He pointed to the merman beside him, who gasped. “He will be exiled.”
“I did not! You hired me to murder him.” The unknown merman was yelling now.
“Uncle, we heard everything,” Kaden said softly.
Voices emerged behind them, and Kaden glanced over his shoulder. Four more sentinels and Shangjiang Marron, with Darya, had arrived.
“Arrest them.” Hylin moved aside to let Marron and Darya through. “For attempting and plotting to murder the prince.”
Saeryn’s face fell, drained of blood and cheeks pale and eyes round, but he didn’t resist as the sentinels and Marron closed in on him. They seized his and the strange merman’s arms, but Saeryn didn’t fight.
The other merman squirmed and needed three sentinels to subdue him.
“If it is the order of the council.” Though Saeryn’s words sounded of defeat, Kaden couldn’t imagine he would make it easy for him, king or not. He had given in much too easily, and Kaden’s hackles raised.
He passed by Kaden on his way out of the tunnel. “You’re too late.” A menacing grin formed across his lips. “The mer will never accept you. And good luck.”
“I don’t need luck,” Kaden whispered as the sentinels and Marron led Saeryn and the strange merman out of his sight.
Some luck wouldn’t hurt to get the citizens on his side, on top of being a monarch. But he wasn’t going to let Saeryn know that.
“I am truly sorry you went through this,” Hylin said, as soon as they were gone. “But we have matters of the empty throne to discuss.”
“If you’ll follow us back to our chambers.” Darya led the way. She took the shortcut to their chambers, leaving the caverns and heading inside from the back entrance.
Outside the palace, large groups of mer gathered in the courtyard, and outside the walls. He still heard their words as he passed.
“Traitor prince” in hushed whispers.
“Long live King Saeryn!” Louder.
“Justice for Queen Serapha and King Aqilus! Kill the landwalkers!” Those words rang the loudest.
Kaden’s resolve hardened.
Could he turn their beliefs in his favor? He had to try.
They re-entered the palace through the grand foyer, swimming left through the stonemasons’ quarters. Darya and Hylin were still speaking to one another, but their words buzzed through Kaden’s ears, his thoughts focused on the mer’s clear dislike of him.
The three remaining councilors floated side by side, raising their collective gazes to meet Kaden’s, Darya’s, and Hylin’s.
Darya stopped in front of Allie, Oryma, and Alasdair, and quickly explained what had passed.
“Prince Kaden, do you wish the throne turned to you?” Alasdair asked, tucking the rock slate into the shelves behind them.
“Yes.” Kaden spoke quickly before he changed his mind again.
“Do you have a queen to rule at your side, or a daughter to be your heir?” Allie asked, her gaze piercing his.
“The only potential queen I could have is a human woman.” Kaden couldn’t meet their eyes. He shouldn’t have said that during a war with the humans. “I don’t know if she’ll accept the position even if I asked.”
“We cannot accept a human queen, even if she agrees,” the first merman said.
“But because we granted the current king this liberty, we will grant you sole ruler for now because of wartime. If you keep the throne when the war is over, you will be expected to have a queen. Or female heirs, else you forfeit your position as king. Understood?”
A pull at his heartstrings urged him to say no and back down, but he fought the urge. “Yes.” He understood mer customs, but he felt no need to say it aloud to the council.
If only Cyrus would heal faster.
“Then you will take the throne, and we will send out a notice for your coronation immediately.” The expression on Alasdair’s face was impassive. Like all the councilors, they did not wear their emotions on their faces, or body language. “That is all. Your Majesty.”
It took Kaden a moment before he realized Alasdair was talking to him.
“The throne is yours.” With a small bow of their heads, the councilors left.
Kaden swam to the throne room and hung with the currents before them. He looked to each throne once belonging to his parents.
The room was empty, meaningless without them. Thoughts that he didn’t belong here consumed him as he made his way toward his father’s throne. He did not ascend upon it—that wasn’t to happen until the coronation ceremony had adjourned.
He moved a hand over the throne’s carvings, dropping his fingers along the smooth surface. Made of coral but smoothed so it felt of glossy stone upon his skin and scales.
Kaden should want this, shouldn’t he? This was his chance to regain the mer’s trust in him. His chance to pull their forces back and convince Cassia and Varin to do the same. Broker peace with the humans and find his mother’s killers. Be with Angie in peace again.
She had once told him to be the change he wanted to see in the world.
And yet with those thoughts in mind, hollowness expanded in his heart.