Children of Poseidon: Rann (3 page)

Chapter 4

“Jewel!” Maya burst through the doors onto the terrace just before dinner, while Jewel bustled round helping the seasprites set food on the table. “I’ve got to talk to you.”

“Hi, Maya.” Jewel set a platter of colourful salads on the table and braced herself as Maya hugged her. “Lovely to see you. Did you send a message?”

“No, no. There wasn’t time.” Maya radiated vitality, despite the fact that she’d been travelling for a couple of days. “I thought by the time a message arrived I could be here myself.”

“Good timing. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Maya glanced at the table and down at her crumpled sundress. “I’d better shower.”

She disappeared back through the door and into the house.

Jewel shrugged.
Whatever she wants to talk about can’t be that important.

Maya’s head peered round the door. “I’ve got important news.” She disappeared again.

“We’ll talk later.” Jewel shouted after her. “I want some advice.”

“So do I.” Maya appeared again, smiled widely as though she didn’t have a care in the world, and retreated into the house.

She returned as the seasprites served the evening meal. Dressed in a short gold dress and gold sandals that lifted her height to over six feet, she dominated the gathering. Her flaming hair fell in curls to the small of her back, and she glittered in the light of the candles that were set round the courtyard. Heros and Terrin, the male sirens, stared at her in awe. She smirked at Jewel as she took the seat next to her.

Rann came out a moment later, apologising for his lateness and explaining that he had a guest who needed care.

Jewel’s eyes flew to him. He had to be talking about the silent seawitch. He wore loose cream trousers and a floaty white shirt that exposed the golden brown column of his throat. Glancing round the table, he took the empty seat next to Maya. The two male sirens sat together on the other side of the table. Tethani, Tamsin, and two of the seasprites were the only others present. This was a small gathering. Jewel had shared the table with more than twenty people on occasion, as Rann liked to be hospitable. All his people were welcome in his home.

Food was piled in bowls for people to help themselves—Jewel’s idea—as otherwise someone had to go in and out of the kitchen to fetch things.

Rann bent towards Maya and kissed her cheek. “Know anything about seawitches?” he asked. He stretched across the table and ladled some of the soup into his bowl.

Maya sat back, narrowing her kohl-lined eyes at him. “No. Why do you ask?”

“Because I’ve got one upstairs.”

“I thought they’d died out.” Maya stirred her soup, then raised the spoon to her lips. “Why don’t you ask her?”

“Can’t.” Rann shook his head. “She’s catatonic.”

Maya carried on eating. If she wondered why Rann kept a catatonic seawitch in his attic, she kept quiet about it.

“Can you see if she’ll eat?” Rann asked Moni. “When you’ve finished. Try her with some wine.” The seasprite nodded.

“Who is she?” Maya looked up at last.

“I haven’t a clue.” Rann raised his shoulders in a gesture of incomprehension. “She wandered into my mother’s territory, shedding death magic as she went.”

Maya’s amber eyes widened.

“My mother wrapped her in nullsilver and sent for me.”

“What are you going to do with her?” Maya’s voice dropped; she knew perfectly well where Rann’s duty lay.

Jewel listened carefully. The fact that Cyclops hadn’t killed the seawitch was strange in itself. Rann’s mother was a deep-ocean cyclops, different from the classical type in many ways, but just as dangerous; she was the most primitive creature Jewel had ever met. She appeared to operate purely on instinct.

“I don’t know.” Rann picked up his glass and stared at the contents. “Sleep on it? See if there’s any change in her tomorrow. Talk to a few people. She’s wearing nullsilver bracelets, so she shouldn’t be dangerous.”

“She looked sick,” Jewel said.

Rann propped his elbows on the table. “I told you my mother thought someone had forced the death magic into her. Probably not a healthy situation for her.”

“I don’t know much about death magic either.” Maya pursed her lips. “It’s not something we learn about. It’s forbidden to the covens.” Her voice faded for a second. “It’s a death sentence if you’re caught using it.”

Moni pushed her plate away and stood up. She picked up one of the bowls of soup and a bottle of wine. “I’ll see if I can persuade her to eat, Sealord.”

Silence settled over the table as everyone contemplated Maya’s words. Jewel wondered if Rann would take the same view as the covens. There were huge taboos round some types of magic. Dark magic, blood magic, and especially death magic usually meant an automatic death sentence for the practitioner. It did seem that this seawitch hadn’t been using death magic, rather it had been using her, but Jewel didn’t know for sure. Tamsin had never mentioned the forbidden rites to her; she probably thought she’d been taught all she needed to know in her London years. She glanced at her teacher, who had kept silent throughout the meal. She’d not said much since her involuntary vision a couple of days ago. Tamsin stared down at her plate. She barely touched her food.

Everyone finished eating. Tethani and Lini cleared the table.

Maya sighed. “It’s so nice here. It’s completely dark, but it’s still warm.” She leaned across Rann to speak to Jewel. “You’re so lucky.”

Jewel glanced at Rann, who stared at her challengingly. She looked away again. She needed to tell Maya about her plans.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something important.” Maya pushed herself to her feet. “I’m sorry, Rann. I know it’s rude, but this can’t wait. I have to talk to Jewel. Coven business.” She stepped round him and grabbed Jewel’s arm. “Come on. Let’s walk down to the beach.”

Jewel pushed her chair back, shrugging herself free from Maya’s grip.
What on earth could be so urgent?
She hadn’t seen Maya for over a year and there were things to catch up on, but her friend’s tone made her nervous
.
She’d never known Maya to give a fig about coven business.

As she passed him, Rann touched her arm. “Tomorrow we talk.”

Jewel shivered and followed Maya through the house and down to the beach. She would rather avoid that conversation.

The night would have been dark, but the full moon cast a pale light, and the sky sparkled with a silver foam of constellations. The dark mass of the sea merged into the darkness of the sky, where it met the horizon and surged forward restlessly at the pale sand of the moonlit beach. Maya tugged her high heels off and left them by the path to the house.

The two women made their way along the water’s edge to the low cliffs. Maya sank down onto the sand, pulling her knees into her chest. Jewel sat beside her, resting back against the rocky outcrop. The stillness of the night pressed down, until a rustling in the lush vegetation at the top of the cliff stirred her into speech.

“Maya . . .”

“Jewel . . .”

They both stopped.

“You go first, Maya. You’ve come all this way to bring your news. What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Jewel’s own problems would wait. She’d been on the island for nine years; another few weeks weren’t going to make any difference.

Maya huffed out a deep sigh. “It’s Kara.”

“My mother?”

“The coven asked me to come and talk to you. I don’t know why. They all know you and Kara haven’t spoken since you were seventeen.”

A familiar ache formed in Jewel’s stomach. She didn’t like to remember her London years. Her mother didn’t love her; she’d always known that, but at seventeen, she finally realised that Kara hated her. “She suggested executing me. For nothing. They all know that as well. Why would they think I’d care about anything to do with her?” She wondered if it was the right time to tell Maya she’d already decided to return.

Maya picked up a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers. “You know the coven. They’re all about duty to the bloodline, and you
are
Kara’s only child. I think they expect you to come back and take over the coven. Or at least sort out the problems with your mother.”

“What? They must be insane.”

“I know.” Maya shifted to face Jewel. “But your grandfather and your mother have headed it as long as anyone can remember. It’s a subconscious thing.”

“It’s not hereditary.” Jewel pulled her knees up and placed her head on them. “Anyway, I’d rather spend the rest of my life cleaning barnacles off a kraken.”

Maya laughed, a short, sharp gasp. Jewel lifted her head and smiled reluctantly.

“Well, no one’s going to make you,” Maya said. “And actually, I think Kara would put up a bit of a fight. That’s one of the problems.”

“Okay.” Jewel wrapped her arms round her knees. “Tell me what’s got them stirred up.”

“Well, the first thing is, Kara’s taken a lover.”

“She has?” Jewel couldn’t understand why that was an issue. Kara gave the impression of being a cold fish, but she must have had sex before. At least once.

“It wouldn’t be a problem, but he seems to have a lot of influence over her. And none of it good.” Maya paused. “We think he’s a renegade. I’m pretty sure he’s used some dubious magic. I can feel it round him.”

“Dubious?”

“Blood, death, final sacrifices. You know I can sort of see people’s auras? His is oily and the colour of tar.” Maya shuddered in an exaggerated manner. “The whole house is covered in it.”

“Has anyone tried to talk to Kara?”

“Loads of people. She won’t listen. She’s always done things her own way, and now the coven doesn’t know how to talk to her. And to add to the problem, she refuses to talk to them. There hasn’t been a proper meeting for nearly a year. They’re desperate.” Maya touched Jewel’s arm. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to come. It wasn’t my idea to ask you in the first place.”

“I can’t see that I’d be any use.” Jewel bit her lip. “You know she never had any time for me. I was going to tell you, though, I’d decided to come back anyway.”

“To London? To the coven?”

“Not permanently. But I need to see her. I need to cut the cord properly. Put it on a formal basis. I’m not staying long.”

“Then you’re coming back here?”

“No. I’m going to find a coven I like and apply to join it.”

“But why?” Maya’s voice held total incomprehension. “You love it here. It’s paradise. And where will I go for holidays?”

“It’s time I moved on,” Jewel explained. “Found a purpose. A new coven. A place where I can make a contribution. Be part of something. Somewhere with decent weather, though. You can come and visit.”

“This place suits you.”

“I know.” Jewel sighed heavily. “I don’t want to go, but I must do something. I’ve developed a crush on Rann.”

Maya snorted. “You’ve always had a crush on Rann. Why don’t you do something about it?”

“Not always. I used to be terrified of him.”

“For about two days.”

“Oh come on, Maya.” Jewel rested her head back on her knees. “He’s out of my league. His father was Poseidon. And he’s a demigod.”

“He’s approachable, though. You should make a move. It’s obvious he’s fond of you. Has he got a lover at the moment?”

Jewel thought. She wasn’t aware of anyone in particular, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “You know Rann. He’s generous with his favours.”

“Yeah.” Maya sighed. “The first time I came here, he had a harem.”

“Not a harem,” Jewel protested. “Just—”

“A harem. Three sirens. That’s a harem. And what about you?” Maya persisted. “I haven’t seen you with a man since you came here. And you were never without one in London.”

A surge of rage swept through Jewel. She took a moment to crush it. Control mattered. She’d fought hard to conquer her temper. “You know why.”

Maya raised a taunting eyebrow.

“You know what I’m like. I know myself. That’s why there were so many men in London. They were just boys. I needed to feel someone cared about me.” Jewel waited, but Maya didn’t say anything. “I couldn’t share him. And it’s not in his nature to be exclusive.” She had thought hard about it. She knew she had a need to be loved, a thirst for affection. She even knew it originated in her childhood, in her mother’s distance from her. “I can’t afford to make a mistake. Not with Rann.”

“You’re thinking about Micael again, aren’t you?”

Micael, a rogue mage, was the mistake that had resulted in her banishment from the coven. He hadn’t had to work very hard to convince Jewel to fall in love with him. At least, she’d thought she loved him at seventeen, but now she realised that she would have loved practically anyone who showed an interest in her. He’d been a criminal, but her own insecurities had allowed him to use her. He’d arranged for Maya to be kidnapped, and the fallout had resulted in Jewel’s banishment, as well as his own expulsion from the covens. Ever since then, she’d been careful with her trust, and the few relationships she’d had had never been important enough to affect her deeply. She’d never allowed them to.

“I think you should tell him.” Maya’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “He might surprise you. And you need to get over it. Micael happened nine years ago.”

Maya had much more courage than she did, but they were as different in character as they were in appearance. And it wasn’t just the debacle with Micael.

“I don’t know.” Jewel closed her eyes. “I love him. I couldn’t bear it if I never saw him again.”

“Have you told him you’re leaving?”

“Yes.”

“But not why?”

Jewel shook her head. “No. Just that I need to make a life for myself.”

“What did he say?”

Jewel groaned. “He wants to talk to me tomorrow.” She cheered up. “But if I have to go back to deal with my mother, that’s a pretty good reason.”

“Jewel?” Maya’s voice was stern. “I hope you aren’t a coward.”

“You know I am.”

“I know you’re not.”

“I’ll think about it. How did we get on to the subject of my love life anyway?” Jewel changed the subject. “Did you really come all this way to tell me about Kara?”