Page 61 of A Sea of Secrets
“No idea, but I’m sure it’s not good.”
“Alright,we’reallhere,”Kayden declared, shutting the door and leaning his back against it, closing us into the room we now shared. “What’s up, Noah?”
“Well—” I began.
“Before we get into it,” Ace interrupted, with his eyes fixed on Zane. He was sitting backwards on a wooden chair, an arm slung along the top of the backrest. “What the fuck is going on, Merman? You’re as shifty as a rat in a prison.”
“Nothing,” Zane replied, shuffling onto the bed. He smiled broadly, like a clown at a circus, his hands fidgeting in his lap. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Going on, ha!” He pointed his thumb in Ace’s direction and laughed. “Check this guy out. Worrying like a worm on a fishing line.”
“Are you sure?” Fallon asked, sitting down beside him and placing a hand on his thigh, steadying his jostling knee. “You are a bit jumpy.”
“As sure as a sea snail,” he replied with a firm nod. “All’s above board, Starfish.”
I raised a brow at him. “Zane.”
“Noah,” he mimicked, tugging Fallon to his side.
A warmth settled in my stomach, my unease dissipating. Fallon breathed out a sigh and Ace’s shoulders dropped. Had he just used his magic on us? Surely, he wouldn’t have… I shook my head. Now was not the time to question those I could trust. There were enough enemies out there that I shouldn't turn on those closest to me.
Zane clapped his hands. “Can we get on with this pod meeting? It’s the first of many. Should we mark the occasion somehow? A little scuba diving in Starfish’s reef?”
“Now’s not the time,” Kayden said, though his eyes were heated as they focused on Fallon. “Zane’s clearly still deranged, so let's just get on with it. Noah, tell us why you brought us all here before the merman decides to take his clothes off.”
I pulled the earth coin from my pocket, holding it between two fingers. “Remember when I told you about this coin?”
“Yeah.” Fallon nodded. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for the emblem but haven’t seen it around. I was really hoping it would be here somewhere.”
“It is.” I flicked the coin in the air, catching it in my other hand. “It’s hanging in Master Jeremiah’s office.”
“Jeremiah?”
“Yeah, it's part of a print on display,” I told them, grabbing a chair and sitting down. “I spotted it when I was walking past this morning with Ace. Not only that, but there was also a motto,‘veni, vidi, vici.’”
“What does it mean?” Fallon asked, scrunching her nose.
“It’s Latin,” I said. “I came, I saw, I conquered. It’s a pretty famous phrase from back on Earth. Been around a few thousand years.”
“Well, that’s a nice, peaceful motto. So, the hooded attacker, Jeremiah, and the guy Zane spoke to in the helicopter after the first trial are all connected and planning to take over the world,” Kayden surmised matter-of-factly, holding up a finger for each listed person. “Do we think Jeremiah killed Victoria, too?”
“I’m on the fence.” I shrugged before leaning forward and resting my hands on my knees. “There’s no proof that he did, but there’s enough evidence to know he's guilty of something. I'm sure of that much.”
“Motherfucker,” Ace growled, rising to his feet and almost knocking his chair over in the process. “That conniving little twat.”
“Let’s go, Twiggy,” Kayden ordered as he opened the door. Ace made to follow him, and I was in the right mind to do the same. The evidence was stacked against Jeremiah. Either he killed Victoria, or he knew who did. Either way, we were about to find out.
“Wait!” Fallon shouted, halting everyone’s steps. “Shut the door and everybody sit the hell down.”
“He’s either the guy who murdered your sister or he knows exactly who they are,” Kayden said, voicing my thoughts as he shut the door. “We can’t let him slip between our fingers again. We need to act.”
“I know,” she replied, frowning. “And it’s taking all my control not to race out of here and hunt him down, but now isn’t the right time. The Overseer is so close to announcing the ruler of Terrulia. We can’t mess that up. Not to mention Jeremiah is working with my father, so we have to play this smart. I want revenge for what happened to Victoria more than anything, yet there is more hanging in the balance here. If one of us iscrowned, imagine how much more we could do. All the power we would have. We’re too close to fuck it up.”
Ace sat back down with his hands clasped on the chair’s back. “The vault, then.”
Fallon nodded. “It’s our main priority. We need to get the weapon Cormac was so desperate for. If none of us become ruler then it will be invaluable against the Drakes and House Jupiter.”
“We’ll do it the night of the ball,” I told them, the plan turning over in my mind. “We should be able to slip out unnoticed. The Overseer and Masters won't be anywhere near the main building.”
“Back in time for one of us to get a shiny crown,” Ace added. “I like it.”
