Book Seven: Chapter 164

The royal guard met her by the pilings at the end of the dock. They were a school of ten warriors, each one carrying a spear. They formed a semi-circle in front of her, and a woman in the middle wearing a coral necklace that denoted her as the captain held out a hand to stop her.

“Princess Leilani, you’re alive!” The woman looked surprised, but there was something about the way she floated that warned Leilani that something was off. “We had heard that you were killed.”

“A deception!” Leilani declared. “Captain Francois attempted to assassinate me so as to lay the blame at the Caretaker’s feet. I must speak with my mother immediately on this matter.”

The royal guard looked at each other uneasily, and a few cast their gaze toward the surface and Paradise. Leilani let out a groan as she turned around.

“Seriously? I just came from up there.” With a powerful kick, she headed back toward the shore, but a strong current pulled her back out to sea, causing her to ess