The storm raged above me, lightning cracking the dark sky as thunder boomed loud enough to shake the coral. I swam in furious circles, my tail lashing out in rage. My daughter - my Kalena - was gone.
How could she do this? Abandon her kingdom, her birthright? And for what - some foolish fascination with the surface-dweller world? She knew the dangers. Knew the rules. But still, she defied me.
My heart ached, even as fury coursed through my veins. I had already lost my queen to the avarice of men. I would not lose Kalena, too. Summoning all my power, I intensified the storm, whipping the waves into a frenzy to match the tempest in my soul.
"Your Majesty!"
I turned to see Keanu approaching, his delegation fanning out behind him. Even in my rage, I admit, he cut an impressive figure. His tail rippled with lean muscle, the color a deep ocean blue. Intricate tattoos marked his arms and torso, speaking of his high status among the Kai'uli. His long golden hair floated around a handsome, angular face. Yes, a strong match for Kalena, though she was too foolish to see it.
"Keanu," I greeted with a curt nod. "I apologize you had to travel all this way only to learn of my daughter's defiance."
Keanu's mouth twisted in a scowl, his piercing aquamarine eyes flashing. "Then the rumors are true? The princess has run off to the surface-dweller world?"
"So it seems," I said bitterly. "Kalena refuses her duty, her destiny." I turned my gaze upward toward the distant surface. "But I will find her. And there will be consequences."