With much coaxing on Taura’s part, she sent an overworked Kyungsoo to bed. He showed signs of fatigue as his fingers could barely hold up the pen while tracing different routes across the map. She watched his head bobbed up and down, reaching out subtly to catch it just in case.

            Once Taura heard the door to his room close, she sighed in relief and pulled the map he was just looking at closer to her. Truthfully, she was just as clueless as everyone else as to where Kai would be taken that wasn’t underwater.

            She took the pen in hand as her other palm supported her chin. What Taura did know was that there were hundreds if not thousands of unchartered islands all throughout Siren and Mermaid waters combined. Most were too small to start an actual city and didn’t have the resources for people to live. Taura knew of some of them, keyword being some.

            He could be anywhere. Taura blew her hair from her face and slowly started to gently mark where different islands were. How it was going to help Taura had no idea, but it was a start. Her stress from earlier continued to creep its way to the front of her attention but she’d quickly suppressed it with the thought of the prince. He was the one in danger now and she felt the need to save him.

            “All we found out was a bunch of drunken fairy tales.” The front door slammed open, with an angry Sehun marching through it followed by a calm Luhan and indifferent Kris. Taura, startled by the noise, jumped in her seat when Luhan caught sight of her.

            “Oh, Taura! You’re still awake?” Luhan entered the kitchen with a smile while the other two did the same. Kris took a seat adjacent to Taura, eyeing the map in front of her while Sehun took a seat across the table. Luhan hovered over the girl and pointed out her small markings, “What are those?”

            Kris rubbed his chin in thought, looking at Taura with suspicion. She caught his eyes but cowered under his glares.

            “They’re islands.”

            Sehun pulled the map to him and placed a finger to each new marking. They were just as familiar to Sehun as they were to Taura. The two other men in the room looked to the younger with raised brows, “Islands? Why would a map exclude so many of them?”

            Taura kneaded her hands under the table, palms sweaty. Those islands were kept secret for the sake of both Sirens and Mermaids to have safe land for themselves without human interference. It was a part of the deal made when the water’s were split and the neutral zones established between Siren’s and Mermaid’s. She took quick glances at each man, hoping they didn’t see the guilt that she felt all over her face.

            “Who knows? Incompetence?” Sehun scoffed as he pushed the chair from the table, “I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough of this.”

            He marched up the stairs rather loudly. Luhan took Sehun’s seat and eyed the map before shooting his head up to look to Taura, “How did you know these were there?”

            She opened to say something, bu