Page 21 of Battle Fluke

Honour scoffed. “They’re lost to the sea by now.”

“I refuse to believe that.” Kyree backed away slowly. “We need to find them.”

“Weneedto find Soulara. She’s the heir to the throne and the entire reason we know anything about the humans. Of all captives, we need to find and rescue her.”

“Will you leave Autumn to the hands of the humans in favor of Soulara?”

“Absolutely.” Honour put her hands on her hips and glared at Kyree. How could she be questioning this? Loyalty over love any day. Soulara could survive losing Autumn, but Reine couldn’t survive with Makryn leading them. He didn’t have the capacity to be their next king. It would make all the politics, all the alliances, everything go haywire in a way that Honour wasn’t sure could be resolved. He would ruin them. Doubling down on her answer, Honour slid in closer to Kyree to make her point known. “I won’t leave Soulara in the hands of those monsters.”

“I’m not suggesting that you do,” Kyree answered. “What I’m saying is that Nylah will be key to finding Soulara.”

Honour shook her head. “I don’t have time to find a rogue ray.”

Kyree sighed heavily. “I see we’re at an impasse. Find a healer, Honour. You need to make sure the herbs Hudson gave you aren’t having any damaging effects.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Honour tensed sharply.

“Just go rest and finish healing. Then you can find Soulara. I promise.” Kyree pushed Honour backward toward the entrance to the cove.

Honour let her. She didn’t fight back, she didn’t push to make her point, she didn’t even resist. Instead, she swam backward until she was outside the entrance, until Kyree’s dark eyes met hers. Sadness swept over her, exhaustion sure, but this was different than that. This was something between them breaking, whatever connection they’d found on their travel back to Reine, during their time in Hudson’s claws.

“I will find her,” Honour repeated.

“Good.” Kyree moved backward. “I’d expect nothing less from you, General Honour.”

The coldness of Kyree’s demeanor hit her hard and fast. Honour wanted to object, wanted to take back whatever it was that had happened between them, but Kyree was gone. She’d disappeared behind the reeds and a wall had come up between them. Honour closed her eyes and hung her head.

Kyree was right.

She was first General Honour and second a mer. Swimming to the healer with a heavy heart, Honour let them examine her.

8

Kyree held her breath tightly in the top of her chest. She had avoided this since the moment she’d left her home with Honour. But she couldn’t anymore. The questions, the concerns, the wondering—they were all too much, and she needed someone who would understand. Someone who would know exactly what she said when she said it.

“Kaelin?” Kyree called through the open coral entryway. She didn’t want to enter without permission. Back home, there weren’t these boundary lines between one person’s home and another. They simply existed together as a tribe, together for the betterment of everyone.

Until someone was cast out.

Her voice wavered when she tried again. “Kaelin?”

The temperature of the water changed. It thickened as the tension of what was about to happen came closer. Kaelin slipped into the entryway, her eyes wide as she stared at Kyree.

But Kyree saw the edge of Kaelin’s jaw, the clenched teeth she hid behind her closed lips.

They stayed there in silence, an impasse that tasted like fear and pain and anger all swirled together in an uncontrolled whirlpool.

Kyree wasn’t sure what to say first. There were too many things she should say but how? And knowing time pressed at the back of her mind didn’t help.

Who was she to even ask Kaelin for such a favor, for any favor, when she’d treated her so distantly from the moment she’d arrived. No, not just distantly, but worse, as though she were a stranger.

“Am I mermaid enough to be spoken to now?” Kaelin’s words had a bite to them.

Kyree sighed and closed her eyes at the pain she sensed there. Trying to push her own away, knowing Kaelin’s needed to be more important. Was more important. “I deserved that.”

“Doesn’t answer my question.” Kaelin crossed her arms and glared.

“You were mermaid enough then. I, however, was not.” Kyree bowed her head and bent her body, hoping her genuflecting would be enough. At least enough for some sort of pardoning so they could speak freely. Kyree didn’t move until she heard Kaelin’s voice.