Always Remembered (7 page)

Leaning forward, I rested my hand on his arm,
waiting until he met my eyes. “I can’t promise you that, just as
you can’t make that promise to me,” I said softly. “We’re preparing
for war, Kieran. If we want to win, we have to take risks.”

“Calculated risks, planned risks,” Kieran
countered. “You were showing off today.”

Heat burned my cheeks. He was right. I wanted
to prove that I could do it. There was no need to get the weapons
from that last fortress. I sighed and sat back. “Maybe,” I mumbled.
“I’m sorry.”

He squeezed my foot. “I care too much about
you. I don’t like seeing you hurt.”

“I’m okay.”

Nodding, he said, “You are. It could have
gone the other way. Be careful, Meara. That’s all I ask.”

I promised him I would, although deep down, I
wondered if it was a promise I could keep.

Heavy knocking
at the door woke Evan.
Amazing how sound could travel under
water
, Evan thought, scrubbing his hands over his face to wake
up. He crawled out of bed, thinking coffee would be nice. Somehow,
he didn’t think he’d find it here.

“I’m coming!” Evan called as the knocking
grew more insistent.

Ken’s angry face greeted him. “I told you to
be ready, Evan. I don’t like to be kept waiting.” He swept past
Evan into the room and eyed the unmade bed. “You just rolled out of
bed, didn’t you? You’re not dressed, and you haven’t eaten.”

“Not yet,” Evan replied cheerfully.
Irritating Ken might be a fun new pastime. “Please, make yourself
at home.”

Ken fumed while Evan got ready. As fun as it
was to get under Ken’s skin, Evan knew he didn’t want to push his
luck. He’d seen the result of Ken’s temper. There was no point
ending up horribly beaten. He could still see Professor
Nolan
’
s bloody, bruised, and swollen face.
Unfortunately, Evan suspected his professor was dead. Who could
survive such a brutal attack?

“Are we taking the boat?” Evan asked as they
left his room.

“Don’t be stupid,” Ken snapped. “Why do we
need a boat? We’re underwater, and we can travel much faster by
swimming.” He appraised Evan with barely contained contempt. “Have
you even tested your new abilities yet? Are you aware of your speed
and strength?”

When he gawked at him, Ken sneered.
“Ignorance is a good way to end up dead, my boy.”

“I don’t know anything about us,” Evan
admitted. “Will you show me, Father?”

He hated to use that term, but he knew it
would soften Ken up. Sure enough, he felt Ken’s emotional response
at the same time his face softened.

“I’ll show you,” he said in a calmer voice.
“First, let’s get some food.”

They didn’t have coffee in the cave, but they
had a bittersweet brew called kaku. Ken explained that it was a
cross between coffee and hot chocolate, assuring Evan that kaku was
powerful enough to wake the sleepiest of merfolk.

Merfolk. Evan wondered at the term. Was that
what he was now? A merman? As a Siren, Deanna had a tail. None of
the Blue Men did. They could swim as fast as the Sirens without
one.

“Is that what we are?” Evan asked.
“Merfolk?”

Ken shrugged and finished the rest of his
drink before responding. “It’s the easiest way to classify us.
Unlike your Selkie girlfriend, the sea is our home. We rarely go on
land, and when we do, we take human form. Selkies prefer the land;
the sea is their play space. Do you understand?”

“It makes sense to me.”

“Good. Then let’s get going. We’ve already
lost more time than I like. Tomorrow, I will not be as
patient.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ken seemed pleased by Evan’s obedience. They
swam out of the cafeteria and through the village. When they
reached the open waters, Ken took off. Surprisingly, Evan didn’t
have any trouble keeping up. They sped through the water, passing
sharks and fast-swimming fish as if they were standing still. In no
time at all, they reached the mantle plume.

Evan drew short in shock. Death and decay
hung in the currents. The rot coated his throat. Trying to clear it
did no good. A terrible sense of foreboding coursed through him,
causing his body to shudder.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Ken breathed, coming
close beside him. “I’m quite pleased with the progress. At this
rate, the Selkies will be dead within weeks.”

“What do you mean?” Evan felt sick. Ken was
trying to kill the Selkies. Meara was in danger, and Evan didn’t
know how to reach her. He tried several times, but he got nothing.
Whatever psychic connection they formed on land was lost to him now
beneath the waves. He might be able to contact her if he kept the
necklace, but at the time, he was more worried about Ken getting
it. He had been awfully interested in the gold chain.

“Why do you want to kill them?” Evan
asked.

“I told you why.” Ken spoke to him slowly as
if he were addressing a child. “They killed Azuria. It’s time for
revenge.”

Evan didn’t understand. He remembered the
story, but it didn’t make sense why all Selkies must pay. “Why not
find the Selkie who killed her and take your vengeance on him? Why
attack them all?”

It was the wrong thing to say. Ken’s eyes
blazed in anger. His hand wrapped around Evan’s throat. He shoved
back until Evan was pressed against solid rock, his windpipe
crushing under the weight of his hand.

“Do you think I haven’t tried for centuries
to find him? He is gone, but his descendants are readily accessible
and will suffice. Yes, their suffering shall avenge her death.
After all, Azuria was not just our queen,” Ken grit out. “She was
our mother, the heart of all Blue Men. When she died, part of us
died, too.” Ken glared at Evan, but loosened the grip around his
neck. While Evan could breathe again, he chose not to speak. “He
killed her. The Selkie seduced her and killed her, so yes. All
Selkies descending from that Selkie must die.”

Ken released Evan and whirled around, leaving
him to rub his sore neck. “Enough of that, we have work to do.”

Evan wondered what they could possibly do,
but it didn’t take him long to find out. Ken traveled along the
plume until he found the source, a deeper, wider fissure. Once
there, he placed his hands over the opening, emitting a bright blue
beam. The fissure steamed, and the ground rumbled beneath them. A
loud crack sounded in the distance.

“What are you waiting for?” Ken snapped. “Get
down here and cover my hands. Our combined power should extend the
damage sufficiently.”

Evan didn’t want to, but he saw no way out of
his current situation. If he swam away, Ken would chase him. He
didn’t want Meara to get hurt, but he didn’t want to die,
either.

The moment his hands covered Ken’s, a jolt
shot up both of Evan’s arms and into his core. Power was pulled
from his body like his soul was being sucked out by a straw. Too
much—it was too much. The scenery blurred and his head swam.

“Damn it!” Ken shoved Evan back, breaking
contact. “Pace yourself, son. You’re no good to me if you die.”

Ken’s words echoed in Evan’s head. At first,
they made no sense, just noise, but he slowly came back to himself
as the pain subsided. What the hell was that? Was he at risk of
dying? Ken didn’t explain anything before he started. If Evan died,
it would be his fault—not that Ken would feel any guilt.

“How do I control it?” Evan asked.

Ken made a fist and pressed it into Evan’s
chest near the bottom of his ribcage on the right side. “Here. Do
you feel it? Your power stems from this point.”

Evan nodded. Now that he was aware of it, he
sensed his power coiled tight in his chest. Ken flattened his hand,
and Evan felt a quick tug from behind his ribcage.

“Feel that?” Ken’s eyes searched Evan’s
face.

“Yes. What are you doing?”

With a smile, Ken said, “Drawing on your
power. You’re like an open vault, giving me full access. I could
kill you in a second.” Evan swallowed nervously. He knew Ken could
do it, too. He patted Evan’s chest in a reassuring way like one
would with a puppy or small child. “I won’t, of course. You’re too
valuable to me. I’m trying to show you that you can stop me. You
can block me and control how much I take.”

“How?” If Evan could limit how much power Ken
took, it might be possible to delay the mantle plume’s growth.

Tilting his head, Ken studied Evan for a
minute. “It’s funny. I never thought about it before. After all, I
have never known life without my power, and I’ve lived for a very
long time. We have never taught anyone how to be one of us, and you
know so little. In many ways, you are like an infant.” He circled
around Evan, rubbing his chin. “Try this. Picture the stream of
power in your mind, then imagine yourself blocking the flow.”

Evan closed his eyes. In his mind, he saw a
faucet, not unlike the stainless-steel gooseneck model in his
parents’ kitchen. The valve was open, the water streaming out. He
imagined turning the valve, shutting off the supply. It worked. He
no longer felt Ken’s presence.

“Good.” Ken grimaced, and his hand shook
slightly. Did Evan hurt him when he blocked him?

“When we put our power into the fissure, what
does it do?” Evan asked.

Ken surprised him by answering, “It adds our
energy to the chaos and speeds up the destruction. Every time we
feed the plume, we get that much closer to destroying the Selkies
and their precious home.”

“Is that all we do? Destroy?” Evan’s heart
sank. He wanted to save animals, find ways to clean the water, and
improve the environment. Instead, he was participating in a plot to
wipe out thousands of living things for miles. How many lives had
already been lost? Fish could swim away, but plants, coral, and
mollusks were all either dead or about to die. They had no ability
to escape.

Ken snorted, his expression scornful. “You
really like that marine biology nonsense, don’t you? Were you
planning to save the world?”

“I was hoping to make a difference,” Evan
countered.

“You are making a difference.” Ken’s grin
sent a shiver down Evan’s spine. “Lesson’s over. Back to work. This
time, pace yourself.”

They resumed their positions by the mantle
plume. Evan let enough power out to appease Ken, but he vowed to
find a way to stop him.

“We were once,” Ken said suddenly, startling
Evan since he’d been silent so long.

“You were what?” Evan asked, confused. What
was Ken talking about?

“Good.” Ken’s voice held regret. “We were
once very good. We protected all who entered our realm.”

Evan didn’t need to ask what happened. He
already knew.
Azuria
. It all pointed back to her.

My dad and aunt
had been gone for three weeks. It allowed us ample time to train
the clan. Their progress was impressive. Each session started with
sparring. They switched opponents through steady rotations. Young,
old, male, female—it didn’t matter. They grew stronger, they grew
faster, and they had confidence, too. It was in their posture,
their focus, and their respect for each other and us as their
teachers.

The teenagers were thriving and loved the
weapons work. Arren was a natural swordsman. Uncle Angus was so
impressed that he chose to train him personally.

We watched the group warm up. They were
starting to look formidable. I was sure my dad would be impressed
at our progress. My focus didn’t stop me from noticing when Kieran
came up behind me. He stopped just shy of touching me, although it
was only a matter of time until he did. He tried to be casual about
it, but there was nothing casual about the way he looked at me. It
took all of my willpower to resist leaning back and making contact
with him first.

His lips brushed my ear. “Are you sure
they’re ready for magic?”