Page 71 of Midnightsong
“And they would go through all that trouble to assassinate their queen?” Leo looked up from his tablet. “Why not just, you know, stay away from the mer in the first place? Why go kill any of them? Seems weird to me, to be honest.”
“That would be the logical thing, wouldn’t it?” Angie sighed.
“What are we going to do about these?” Dr. Williams waved the paper at them.
“Well, we can start by making a list of the people you know were affected in the war,” Reesa suggested.
“If I get the list, can we divide up who’s calling who?” Angie asked. “Leo, could you help pull up some obituaries from Creston from two years ago?”
Leo’s demeanor darkened and his lower lip quivered. “Look, I tried. But I don’t think I can help with this. I’m sorry.” With that, he gathered up his belongings and sprinted out of the lecture hall.
Angie, Reesa, and Dr. Williams stared at his retreating back in bewilderment.
“He, okay?” Dr. Williams asked.
“I don’t know,” Angie replied with a helpless shrug.
“I’ll do the obituaries,” Reesa said.
“Okay, thank you. Dr. Williams, I can give you the names of the people I know, and once my dad gets me the rest, I’ll compile them into a spreadsheet. Can we go through them together?”
“Sounds good.” Dr. Williams looked at his watch. “Alright, ladies. I have to get going. It’s late and my wife and daughter are waiting on me for dinner.”
“Okay, I think we’re good to go.” Angie motioned for Reesa to follow her, and the three of them left the lecture hall.
Leo’s odd behavior stuck with Angie as she walked across campus. The skies were dark overhead, indicating a coming rainstorm, and she quickened her pace. She called him, but he didn’t answer, so she left a voicemail.
“Hey, it’s me. I wanted to check in on you after you rushed out of class. I also wanted to ask; do you want off this project?” She left out that he had put in minimal effort since they started. “Give me a text or call back. No big deal if you want out. I und–”
The message tone beeped, cutting her off.
She had reached her car when Leo replied with a text.
Leo: Hey, sorry I was driving through a tunnel and didn’t see your msg.
A pause as three text bubbles came up on his end.
Leo: Can we talk tomorrow?
Thirty-One
Kaden
Black trenches, Saeryn valued his input.Kaden sat in their council meeting a tidesweek later. They were nearing the end of the meeting and he had gotten one chance to speak half a concern, only to be talked over by his uncle.
His tail tensed around his pillar, muscles throbbing and pulsing with the pressure.
“Any other concerns before we adjourn?” Alasdair asked.
There was his chance.
“I wanted to discuss our strategies for retaliating against the humans.” He raised his voice, his words vibrating with the currents.
“Please, go on.” Darya beckoned to him.
The weight of Saeryn’s gaze was a boulder crushing his spine, but he went on. “I think we should seek answers—”
“I don’t believe that’s wise,” Saeryn spoke up. Before Kaden could continue to speak his thoughts aloud, his uncle cut him off again. “The landwalkers will not seek to negotiate with us. They are hunting us down, on top of the grievous crime they committed against our late, regal queen.”
