Page 20 of Crowned

In the human realm, I couldn’t remember much about our homeland, but as soon as I return, a feeling of familiarity settles over me like déjà vu.

I can tell that Aerwyna had been a jewel once, a place where light danced on every surface, refracting through the crystal waters and casting rainbows on the streets below. We once lived in paradise, blessed with a charmed life. We didn’t know how lucky we were.

Now, as I stare out of the palace windows onto the deserted streets beyond the keep, I can barely recognize it. Broken spires of coral, once vibrant and alive, lie in shattered ruins on the ocean floor. The homes, where laughter and music once echoed, are dark and lifeless. Flowers that once bloomed joyfully between homes droop sluggishly, as though burdened by the same weight that inexplicably presses on my heart.

In some ways, not having my memories back makes it worse. Not remembering what the city was like before, but witnessing this place like a ghost town, makes it all the more painful to observe. What happened here?

Bhodi sits beside me, his usual brash confidence tempered by the sight before us. I can see the tension in the set of his jaw, the way his fingers flex as though he needs to hold on to something – anything – just to keep himself anchored to the moment, to keep his temper at bay. Cove is across the room, his shoulders stiff, eyes moving with purpose yet hesitation, as though he fears what else we might find out there.

“We knew it was bad,” Bhodi says, breaking the silence that has stretched between us for far too long. His voice is low, almost as if he doesn’t want the city to hear him. “But I never imagined…”

“None of us did,” I reply, my voice sounding hollow in my own ears. “But we should have.”

Cove, who has been pacing, slows until he’s beside us, the three of us forming a triangle as we look out over the remnants of what had once been our home. “We all wanted to believe everything would be fine, that she would return and make it all right.”

The Queen. Yemaya. Her name is a wound that never heals, a constant ache in the background of our thoughts. She was more than just our ruler; she was the heart of this place, of all of us. And when she vanished, it was as though someone had ripped that heart out, leaving the city to bleed out slowly, painfully. And as with any time there’s blood in the water, the sharks began to circle.

We never thought the city would fall to ruin in our absence. But we can’t be in all places at once. We can’t fix and save everything.

What were the council doing during all of this?

Cove’s words echo in my mind, but something about them doesn’t sit right. The certainty in his voice, the bitterness – it’s as though he remembers more than I do, but I can’t grasp it, like trying to catch water in my hands. “We were supposed to protect her,” Cove says, his voice heavy with regret. “And we failed.”

I shake my head, stopping in my tracks.

Is he talking about Aerwyna? The queen? Or Malia?

Maybe all three.

They both turn to look at me, confusion and sorrow etched on their faces. “We didn’t fail her. She didn’t disappear because of us. We fought, we searched, we did everything we could. But some things are beyond our control.”

Now I don’t know if I’m talking about Yemaya’s disappearance, or Malia’s death. Could we have chosen a different path?

The silence stretches out again, but this time it’s less oppressive, more contemplative. We’re all thinking the same thing, wondering about the what-ifs, the could-have-beens.

Yemaya.

Vance.

Malia.

One too many losses.

Finally, my eyes reach what had once been the Grand Hall, now little more than a collapsed ruin. The sight of it steals the breath from my lungs.It was where we swore our oaths, where we stood beside our queen, proud and unbreakable.I jolt at the sudden memory returning to me.

Now, it’s just another casualty in a war we never even knew was happening.

Why didn’t Vance mention this when he came back? Did he think we’d abandon our mission to return home and fight? I have to admit, that’s likely. Or has this devastation occurred since he visited?

“Do you think she’s still out there?” Bhodi asks, his voice trembling slightly, betraying the fear and hope that we all carry.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “But I hope so. I have to believe that she’s somewhere, fighting to come back to us.”

Cove turns to face us fully, his eyes dark and intense. “We have to be ready, whether she comes back or not. We have to rebuild, to protect what’s left. The mission was always to find the star to protect Aerwyna. Our homeland still needs protecting, so our work here isn’t done. We have to continue. We can’t let Malia’s sacrifice be in vain.”

“And we will,” I say, though the words feel heavy in my mouth. “For her. For everyone who still remains or who returns. And for our queen.”

“To the queen,” Cove says, bowing his head respectfully, the raw emotion in his voice cutting through the silence.

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