Page 9 of Surface Pressure

“Just someone to talk to.”

“And you can’t talk to me?” The hurt was evident in Zendalia’s big eyes. “I know I’ve been busy with Kaelin, but I’m still here for you.”

“It’s not that.” Soulara placed gentle fingers on Zendalia’s arm, trying not to injure her more in the process. “Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to someone who doesn’t know everything about me.”

“All right.” Zendalia didn’t look convinced.

“We have bigger issues at hand, though.” Soulara grabbed both of Zendalia’s hands, looking directly into her eyes. “The water is disappearing. Your dad was right.”

They’d been there time and time again, trying to convince the king. Zendalia and Kaelin with Soulara by their sides, and he’d only been convinced of the threat of the krakens. Yet, no one knew what they were doing or where they had come from. No one was looking into the cause, only the effect.

“I don’t know what to do.” Soulara rolled her eyes. She let go of Zendalia’s hands.

“We need proof. Something that he can’t deny.”

“But what?” Fear cascaded across Soulara’s face. She couldn’t drag Autumn under the water with her.

“I don’t know,” Zendalia whispered. “That’s a problem for another day.”

Soulara shook her head, hair swirling around her, rising and falling right along with her frustration. She loved Zendalia, but even though her shoulders no longer bunched as tightly, Soulara wanted to breathe that freezing air and find out exactly what threatened her home and her people.

And to see Autumn Walton again. Maybe this time they’d have an actual conversation. Maybe Autumn Walton had the answers to Soulara’s questions. Maybe Autumn Walton wasn’t an enemy but an answer.

Soulara frowned at that thought. Her mind wasn’t helping the situation.

“You’ll figure it out,” Zendalia murmured, her eyelids drooping. “You always do.”

“You’re the one who’s a mess, and here I am telling you all about my problems.” Soulara bent down and kissed Zendalia’s cheek. “You should rest. I’ll wait until Kaelin gets here and make sure that she has everything she needs.”

“Just trust yourself.” Zendalia’s eyes widened and her hands found Soulara’s, squeezing tightly. “Please, Soulara.”

“It’s not like I’m going down into the deep soundings alone and with ill-fitting equipment on a quest for vengeance.” Soulara smirked with a small chuckle.

“Low blow.” Zendalia coughed again, and it sounded so painful. “Just know, if you get hurt, I’ll help fix you up so I can kill you properly.”

“Deal.” Soulara brushed her lips along Zendalia’s cheek. “Get some rest, Z.”

Soulara held vigil until Kaelin arrived, and then stayed even longer. Eventually the pull of the surface called to her, and she had to leave. Zendalia had given her permission. She’d told her to find the answers they were looking for. With a final prayer said with Kaelin, Soulara swam away and tried her damnedest not to look back. She had a mission to complete.

She had to go back to the surface.

She had to find Autumn Walton.

4

“So you do touch the water.”

Autumn jerked with a start, spinning around to find Soulara, the beautiful creature of her hauntings, staring right at her. “Who the hell are you?”

Fuck. Autumn didn’t need to go down that train wreck of a conversation again. Soulara was her name, and she never seemed to actually answer a question. Because she was a hallucination. She wasn’t real. Autumn’s stomach flipped and then flopped.

“Scratch that.” Autumn put her hands on her hips, her weapon nowhere on her person. She should have known better, but the call of the water on her feet was too strong. She really wanted to dive in, feel the cold against her skin as she sluiced through it. Except she couldn’t swim, and that was just a dream. “Just…go away.”

“Go away?” Soulara stepped closer, her feet touching the water’s edge. Her damp skin glittered in the fading sunlight.

Autumn frowned at it. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” Soulara stepped farther into the water, the waves licking at her strong calf muscles.

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