Page 122 of Midnightsong
But Varin was gone, his limp body held horizontal by the sea. The sea, the giver and taker of life. His uncle’s home, and now, his coffin.
Kaden choked back a sob, his tears mingling and taken by seawater.
Shangjiangs and sentinels hovered at the palace entrance when Kaden returned with Varin still in his arms, far from the marine animals, cheering at their victory, and praise for their leaders.
As the sentinels moved Kaden past them, they also cheered for Varin, and for him.
His people cheered for him. They didn’t hate him, didn’t call him a traitor. They weren’t asking for Saeryn to be put back on the throne. They were no longer under attack; the humans beaten back.
He should feel triumphant, but an all-consuming wave of sadness and emptiness overcame him at the mer they’d lost, his uncle’s death.
Inside the palace, other sentinels were restraining human hostages, with Marron and Narea ordering them to the prisons.
“Your Majesty, would you like to return to your quarters to recover?” one sentinel asked him. “We will take the late king to the morgue, until we can contact Queen Cassia and ask if she’d like him to be buried here, or at Haiping.”
Kaden assumed his aunt would want him to return home, but they still needed to ask. “I will return to my quarters and get my seaflute.” Sorrow filled his heart like it was a spiny, puffy hetun.
“We’ll wait here,” the sentinel said, cradling Varin like he was a precious jewel. “And Your Majesty, your family is safe. We saw to it.”
“Thank you.” Kaden grabbed his seaflute from his quarters and returned to the sentinel, listlessly swiping Cassia’s Renyuhua name into it. Was she okay? Was she safe? “Aunt Cassia? Are you there? It’s Kaden.” A prayer to Sanyue for her reply.
He waited and tried again. And again.
Nothing but deafening silence.
Fifty-Two
Angie
Angie stepped onto the entrance ofthe docks the day after meeting Celia, a shiver coursing down her spine. The winds whistled as they twirled and danced around her. When they slowed, they left deathly silence in their wake.
The docks had never been so empty, a ghost town sprawled before her. Quiet and foreboding, it was not the bustling place she knew and loved.
A heaviness weighed on her shoulders when she peeked at the flurry of texts from the past twenty-four hours, since she broke the news Celia was responsible for Serapha’s death.
She informed Kaden earlier today after unsuccessfully trying to contact him yesterday, her heart sinking to her shoes when he told her of the carnage in the palace, but he and his family were safe.Mostly.
Varin was dead, speared through the heart after helping Kaden defend his queendom. The sorrow in his voice was palpable, and it struck Angie’s nerves, spreading through her limbs.
He asked her to call him back when everyone gathered at the docks.
Now she waited and scrolled.
Bàba: Governor Taylor and Admiral Zhang are on their way to meet you. Governor Vester is on his way with his team.
Admiral Ruxin Zhang, Chief Officer for the MDRT.
Mia was staying home with Bàba today. Despite taking his medication, he was in too much pain to move. Angie clutched at the inside of her pockets and released the fabric, over and over.
Mia: I can’t believe Celia was involved and pretty much incited another war. I didn’t know her well, but still.
Angie echoed the sentiment, thinking back to when she saw Celia at the docks, months ago. She seemed so normal, so peaceful, and Angie would never have guessed she had committed such a heinous crime.
She peered at her phone. Still no word from Celia, despite Angie texting and calling her earlier. She stiffened at the thought of Celia changing her mind and not showing.
Angie scuffled the tip of one boot on the concrete. The two governors arrived, along with a team of bodyguards and MDRT soldiers, and Angie stepped up to greet them with a handshake. “Governor Vester, Governor Taylor, Admiral Zhang. Angie Song.”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Admiral Zhang said, adjusting her uniform, and the governors echoed her sentiment.
