Forever Young (16 page)

I didn't know. I had never had a relationship outside of Caiden. I was with Caiden because he was kind, strong, funny, dangerous, sexy and lots of other reasons. But would I be with him if he tore people down the way Payton did? If he was cold and heartless? Absolutely not. I figured that Dane must see something in Payton that nobody else did. It wasn't up to me to judge him for that. He was a good guy and that's all I needed to know.

We ended up having a blast that night which helped to keep my mind off of Caiden. While he was probably the most capable man I knew, it didn't stop me from worrying about him when he was off battling evil. Coupled with the guilt I still carried over my parents' murders, it made me more determined than ever to be the best fighter I could be.

To be the best fighter I could possibly be for the Alliance, I needed to excel in my classes. And I was...for the most part. I had always been a good student so the theoretical studies were not a problem. What was surprising, given the two left feet I inherited from my dad, was how adept I was becoming in the use of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. I know much of it had to do with the magic that coursed through Semper Terra. It gave me strength, stamina, coordination and almost an innate gut instinct on how to fight. Still, I was more than a little proud that I was at the top of my class when it came to those studies.

The one class that I had problems with was Magical Skills. I understood the theory, no problem. I aced all of my tests. But when it came to the practical application of creating and hurling spells at an opponent, I wasn't as spot on as I could be. In other words, I was pretty horrible.

One day in class, we were working on how to battle two daimons at once. The exercise involved close melee battle with our weapons, while another daimon stalked us on the perimeter. Disclaimer: actual daimons were not involved. Instead, instructors and mentors joined us in class to play the role of daimons.

When it was my turn, Bashir gave me some general advice before sending me against my opponents. I was using a wooden battle axe so as not to inadvertently decapitate one of the teachers. My goal was to defeat my closest opponent with my battle axe while hurling a spell toward the other daimon to disable it. The spells we used in class were only of the incapacitating variety and I basically concentrated on using a lethargy spell that would slow the other daimon/instructor down.

My problem was that I would get so wrapped up in my melee battle, that I was haphazard when slinging my lethargy spell. As the class all stood around the perimeter of the room to watch my exercise, I was sweating from nervousness. The one instructor came at me time and again, and I was able to parry with various defensive moves to hold him at bay.

After making a swipe at the instructor's stomach with my wooden axe, I launched the lethargy spell at the other. It went wide—by about three feet—and I watched in horror as it caught Payton in the chest. I watched her sway back and forth then crumble to the floor.

It's not that I minded dropping Payton to the floor. There was a tiny bit of glee.
Okay, there was a lot of glee.
But I was horrified to have done so poorly and it was a blow to my ego.

"Halt!" Bashir called out. I watched as the two instructors walked over to Payton and helped her to her feet. My spell was strong and she could barely keep her eyes opened. She wobbled over to a chair and was eased down into it. I heard someone snicker and I knew without looking that it was Justas. I actually had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.

Bashir came to stand in the middle of the room. Using me as an example, he spoke to the class. "What went wrong here with Charlie's battle?"

No one said anything for a second then I saw Emerson tentatively raise her hand. "Miss Potts?"

"Well, Charlie is phenomenal with her weapon. It's almost like it's a part of her." Emerson's voice was filled with pride as she made that observation about me. "But she's refusing to give equal attention to her magic. I mean...she's relying too much on her physical battle skills."

Bashir smiled at Emerson. "Very astute."

He then turned to me. "I think Miss Potts is on to something here. I want to try a new exercise."

Bashir motioned the instructors to take up their positions again. Then Bashir looked at me.

"Now, I'm going to ask one of the instructors to attack you with their sword. I'm going to ask them to make a killing blow to your neck...to decapitate you. And I don't want you to defend it. That means you are not to raise your battle axe." The entire class gasped and my stomach dropped. "I want you to only concentrate on throwing your lethargy spell at the other instructor. If you can hit the other instructor before the blade reaches your neck, he will stop his killing blow. Is that clear?"

I glanced at the instructor who was taking down a steel broadsword from the wall. He looked at me with a determined look in his eye. A quick wave of nausea hit me and my legs felt like Jello. Mutely, I just nodded at Bashir.

"Very well. Take your places."

He placed the instructors on opposite sides of the room and pointed at me to stand in the middle.

"Now, concentrate only on the spell, Charlie. Allow no attention or focus on the sword. It's unimportant."

Easy for him to say. He wasn't about to get his head chopped off.
However, I turned and faced the instructor that I was to hit with my magic, giving my back to the instructor that had the sword. I relaxed my grip on the battle axe, so much so that it was in danger of slipping from my hand.

While my hold on the axe was relaxed, the rest of my body was so tense, that when Bashir yelled, "Go", I involuntarily jumped backward. For a split second, I thought I would turn to face my attacker but then an inner voice screamed at me—MAGIC—and I brought forth the spell in my mind.

Raising my right hand, I pulled forth the magic needed for my attack and at the same time I heard a whistling sound by my ear, catching the glint of steel as it arced toward my neck. Ignoring the sword, I launched my power at the instructor in front of me, feeling it fly straight and true toward my target. I watched as it caught the instructor in his chest with enough force to knock him backward by about five feet.

I then heard a thwack, followed by a collective gasp from the students around the room. I realized that the sword was stopped from reaching my neck, not by the instructor's volition, but by my battle axe that had been raised to defend the blow. My breath came out in a rush and I trembled just a bit. I had no recollection of raising my weapon. In fact, I purposely remembered ignoring the axe and concentrating fully on my spell.

"Very good, Charlie," I heard Bashir say. "That is what you have to do in any given situation. Trust your instincts with your weapon, since that is your forte. Put your concentration into your magic."

I looked at Bashir dumbfounded. "I don't understand. What just happened?"

"Exactly what I just said. You have an intrinsic and natural ability when it comes to your physical combat skills. Trust your body to know what to do. I don't think it will let you down."

I looked over at Emerson and she gave me a double thumbs-up. I chuckled. What an exercise and what a lesson learned. Bashir called an end to class and everyone started filing out.

I went over to gather my stuff and turned to find Bashir watching me. "I hope you're okay with that exercise I put you through, Charlie."

"Well, it's not every day you have to avoid getting decapitated."

Bashir chuckled. "You were in no danger, my dear. All of the swords in here are very dull. It wouldn't have taken your head off...completely that is."

Well, that was some comfort, I guess
. Still, I was a little bummed that my magical skills weren't coming as naturally as my weapons and hand-to-hand skills. Particularly because I had been harboring the thought that I had some inner magic in me. I mean, why else could I see daimons in the First Dimension before I ever even came to Semper Terra?

"I almost forgot, Charlie." He pulled a small book out of his trouser pockets. "I found something you might find of interest. One of my fellow Elders gave this to me."

I reached out and took the book. It looked pretty old. Opening it up, I could see it was written in English and appeared to be a diary. I looked at him with questioning eyes.

"This is a diary that was in our Relics Hall here on the island. I haven't read it but the Elder who gave it to me says there is an account in there of a young boy who lived in the First Dimension and could see daimons. He apparently was thought to be insane."

I started flipping through the pages. An early entry caught my eye.

"It happened again. I was working the fields when mama called me in for lunch. A stranger had been passing by and was often our custom, we offered food and lodging. The man was old and hunched with a dirty coat over his shoulders for protection from the elements. This time of year, rain would soon be falling almost every day. He sat at our kitchen table, bent over a bowl of soup. When I sat down beside him, he looked up and it happened again. His face fell away and I was staring into the eyes of evil. I didn't say anything this time as I knew I would get a beating from papa if I mentioned it. I tried to eat my soup but the menace pouring off of the stranger made me ill and I had to feign tiredness so I could retire..."

I flipped to the front of the book and saw written on the first yellowed page—Harold Penshire, 1909. This accounting was over a hundred years old and I wondered where the boy lived in the First Dimension.

I looked up at Bashir. He looked excited. "Take it, Charlie. Go ahead and read it and then let's talk soon. I am interested to hear more about this boy that seemed to be able to see daimons outside of Semper Terra."

"Thank you, Bashir. I will start reading it right away. Have you been able to find out anything else?"

"Nothing much. Except, Sebastian came to see me the other day about you.”

“What did he want?”

“He apparently had gone to Sarah about your ability that first day he brought you to Semper Terra. In fact, he was so excited about it he went to Sarah immediately after he handed you off to Caiden for your tour. She had told him she would ask me about it. When he had not heard anything more, he came to me for follow up." Bashir paused, his brow furrowed. "I wonder why, though, Sarah never mentioned it to me?"

Indeed.
I was wondering the same thing. So, she clearly knew about my ability when I met her on the field that first day, as Sebastian had already been to see her. Is that why she didn't like me? Because I had a unique skill? I just didn't get why that would bother her. You would think she'd be thrilled to have a student with some natural talent.

I thanked Bashir again for the book and promised to get back with him as soon as I finished it.

Classes were officially over. All of the theory had been pounded into our heads. All of the offensive and defensive battle skills had been taught to us. There were only two weeks left until our field trials and that time was to be used for practice.

Although our field trials would pit each recruit one-on-one with a daimon, we would spend the next two weeks testing our skills against real evil. This would be done in what was called "controlled circumstances". The recruits would go out in teams of three along with instructors where we would battle a captured and tagged daimon. We would go in groups so we could learn how to work with others and also to give us confidence for our one-on-one battles at the field trials.

It was Sunday afternoon and I was on edge. The next day I would be in my first real fight. Caiden and I had just finished a training session and were walking back to my apartment.

"I'm not sure I'm ready," I blurted out.

"Nonsense. You train and work harder than anyone else in your class. You're more than ready." He sounded confident in my abilities but it wasn't reaching that small knot of fear in my chest. What if I couldn't protect myself? What was even worse...what if I couldn't help to protect my teammates that would be battling with me? I didn't know if I could survive someone getting killed on my watch. Not after what happened to my parents.

I didn't say anything and Caiden halted me with his hand on my arm. "Hey. You are going to do fine. Trust me."

I looked into his eyes and I could see that he felt the veracity of that statement. I just wish I did. As confident as I had performed throughout our classes over the last few months, I felt like I didn't know a damn thing as I prepared to enter the fight for real.

"I guess," I muttered.

Caiden leaned in and gave me a kiss that started off as soft as a whisper then deepened to something that bordered on thermogenic. And just like that, my fears fled, along with every other coherent thought in my head. Such was the power this man held over me.

Pulling back, I smiled at him and took a shaky breath. "Thanks."

Caiden returned my smile and tapped my nose with his finger. "Come on. I have a surprise for you that is guaranteed to get your mind off of your worries."

If that involved more kissing, I was all for that. That was guaranteed to push my fears away. The times that were the best in my life were when his lips were on mine. At those times, he consumed me and brought me to places I had never imagined. We did nothing more than ever kiss—well, maybe our hands roamed a bit—but I think Caiden respected my innocence more than I did and wanted to preserve it.

It was getting harder and harder though for me to pull away from him at the end of the night. He never pushed me for anything more that my lips upon his, saying he just loved being in my presence, in whatever capacity I could give. In fact, more times than not, Caiden was the one that would stop our kissing before things could get too heavy. In those moments, he would gently pull back from me and lightly kiss my forehead. He would whisper goodnight to me, and leave me to my dreams...which were always filled with him.

"I'm all yours. What are we doing?"

"Uh, hello. It's a surprise! But go put on your bathing suit and grab a towel."

After I was dressed, we walked out of my dorm and crossed the courtyard. Once we were away from any other students, Caiden pulled me up against him and shot into the air. We soared up and over the mountain behind the Academy and shot out across the lagoon. When we hit the ocean, Caiden banked right and flew along the coastline. The freedom of flight has no words that would do it justice. My heart had never felt so free and light as I flew in Caiden's arms. I hate to admit it but it was so much better than flying on my own.
Can you say co-dependent?

Before long, Caiden banked inland again to a small cove that was sheltered among large rocks where the waves crashed against them. He came to a gentle landing on a short stretch of sand.

"What do you think?"

I looked around and gave a low whistle. The water in this protected cove was crystal clear and I could see a small coral reef covered in marine life. The sand was pristine and swaying palm trees threw a smattering of shade across the sunny beach.

"You sure know how to impress a girl, Mr. Gallagher."

I walked up to him and put my arms around his neck. I placed a light kiss on his neck. He arms tightened around me and pulled me close. The feel of his body pressed against me caused chills to zing up my spine. However, it was short lived as Caiden released me and walked over to the base of a palm tree, retrieving a back pack.

"I put this here earlier for us." Reaching inside, he pulled out snorkeling gear. "Wanna see some fish up close?"

We spent a remarkable afternoon swimming among the coral. I didn't know any of the species of fish except Nemo and Dory. There seemed to be a gazillion in all different shapes, colors and sizes. They swam in huge schools, and as the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the water, it felt as if I was swimming in the middle of a rainbow.

After a few hours of snorkeling, we laid out on the beach. Caiden was holding my hand and my eyes were closed, just reveling in how peaceful I felt. I apparently had needed something like this to take my mind off my upcoming battles. It meant a lot to me that Caiden knew that and helped me to achieve it.

Before long, I heard Caiden's breathing slow and realized he'd fallen asleep. I tried myself to take a nap, but it wasn't happening so I gently removed my hand from his and walked to the water's edge. Gazing at the clear shallows, I thought I saw a flash of silver from the corner of my eye. I looked more closely and saw it again. It was a mermaid, about thirty feet away.

After seeing that mermaid on my first day here, I had completely forgotten about her. Now as I saw the long tail shimmering in the water, I couldn't help myself but wade a few feet in to get a better look. I knew nothing about mermaids. They were the stuff of fiction, but then again, everything about Semper Terra bore no resemblance to the reality I knew.

When the water reached my waist I stopped. I could see her more clearly now. It was the same mermaid I was sure. Her pale blond hair was as long as her waist and it floated hypnotically around her in the water as she swam in lazy circles.

And then suddenly, she was swimming toward me. Really fast. I thought about backpedaling out of the water but decided to hold my ground. My curiosity was going to get me killed one day.

When she was no more than five feet from me, her head and shoulders broke the surface in a spray of sea foam. The minute her hair hit the air, it was completely dry. She sat there, bobbing in front of me and I could tell she recognized me from that day Caiden and I flew over the lagoon. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. Her irises were like liquid silver with just a hint of blue in them. They seemed to sparkle as if they were filled with starlight.

"Hello, Charlotte Wright."

Whoa!
She knew my name. And her voice. It was so weird. It was light and airy, like an ocean breeze, but there was a faint sound of water in her voice. As if she was gargling while she was talking.

"Um...hi."

She looked at me quizzically as if she expected me to say more. The power of verbosity, however, seemed to have been stricken from my existence so I just stared at her dumbly. Finally, she said, "I'm Nerissa."

I blinked at her and then said the first thing that came to mind. "How did you know who I am?" At least my tongue had started working again.

"My people know many things about you, Charlotte Wright. Your arrival in Semper Terra has been foretold. And very welcomed."

I didn't bother to correct her misuse of my name. It seemed rude so I let it go. Instead, I asked for clarification. "Foretold?"

Nerissa rose from the water and moved toward me. I was fascinated to see the scales on her tail disappear as her lower body left the water, leaving behind smooth, pale legs. She stood before me, absolutely naked although her long hair hung forward, covering her breasts.

"Um...would you like a towel?"

She cocked her head at me as if not understanding the question. "Why would I want a towel?"

"Because you're naked."

"I have no shame over my body." There was no anger in her watery voice. If anything, it was that same care free tone. It was as if nothing bothered her.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any experience with mermaids."

She smiled and I noted her teeth were straight and ultra-white. They must have good dental care in the deep blue sea.

"Think nothing of it, Charlotte Wright."

Okay. The Charlotte Wright thing was getting old but I held my tongue. Instead, I pointed her back toward answering my original question.

"You said that my coming was foretold? What does that mean?"

"I've dreamed of you as the future is my night lover. I fear for you and what is to come." That breezy tone never changed and now it sounded creepy. Her message was one of warning but her voice sounded like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Charlie! Get away from her!" I heard the panic in Caiden's voice as he yelled from behind me. I didn't question the danger and immediately started running backward toward the shore, only to lose my footing and fall into the shallows. Quick as a flash, Caiden was there pulling me up and out of the water.

Nerissa just gave a faint, accommodating smile and sunk back down into the water, until only her head was showing. Her hair was floating all around her shoulders. "Be well, Charlotte Wright. Only you can give us deliverance." And then she disappeared into the blue depths.

As I stood there in Caiden's arms, I found that I was shaking. Caiden had given me quite a scare when he yelled at me to get away from Nerissa. I had no clue why she was dangerous but his voice had been filled with panic when he yelled out to me so I knew to heed his warning.

Caiden squeezed me in a hug. "Are you okay?"

I gave a nervous laugh. "I think so. You scared the hell out of me."

He released me and turned me toward him. "I'm sorry. But mermaids can be very dangerous. They can foresee the future and if they tell you what the future holds for you, it will inevitably come true."

Oh crap!
My mind raced to remember the exact things she had said to me. Unfortunately, I clearly remembered she did not tell me I was going to win the lottery.

"She said she feared for me. For what was to come. And...I think she said I would give deliverance."

My heart started racing again. Were those things now set in stone? If so, what in the hell was I going to deliver? Although it was a bit cryptic, I apparently now had something to fear in the future since Nerissa said she was afraid of what was to come.

Caiden led me back to our towels and we sat down. He had me relay the entire conversation to him two more times before he was satisfied I remembered everything. Shaking his head, he looked at me with worry. "I don't like this, Charlie. Mermaids rarely talk to humans, and usually they don't care if they help or hurt you. I think we need to talk to the Elders about this."

We packed up our gear and flew back to the Academy. Touching down in the courtyard, we unfortunately ran right into Sarah. Before she could even look at us with disdain, Caiden spoke up. "Sarah. Can you come with us to find Bashir? We have something important to discuss."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up but she didn't argue. She just nodded and followed us into the building that housed the Elder apartments. Bashir opened his door after Caiden knocked, clearly surprised to see the three of us standing there. He invited us in and offered tea, which we all declined.

After we were seated, I nervously recounted what Nerissa had told me, ignoring the way Sarah's eyes seemed to flash in anger. Was she mad about our snorkeling date or mad that a mermaid talked to me?

"I don't understand what the fuss is about. It doesn't sound like much of a prediction to me." Sarah sounded bored and completely put out to waste her time on this.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Bashir reprimanded. "It is extremely rare for a mermaid to talk to a human. I think the mere fact that Nerissa approached Charlie is more than enough proof that we should take this seriously."

I cut in. "You sound like you know Nerissa?"

"Not at all. But she is in our history books. She is a very ancient creature and extremely wise."

Sarah snorted as she stood up from her chair. It was not an attractive sound. "Well, it seems ridiculous to me. And I have more important things to do."

"Sarah!" Caiden practically barked at her. Bashir and I both jumped. "If a mermaid says she is afraid of what is to come, then you should be concerned."

Sarah gave an effervescent laugh. "Lighten up, Caiden. She's probably afraid she will get hooked in a fisherman's net. Until you have something more definitive to tell me that will affect my school, I frankly don't want to hear any more about it." She walked out the door, without so much as a goodbye to Bashir.

Well, that was awkward.
But it didn't stop me from asking further questions. "Bashir...how accurate are mermaid's predictions?"

Bashir picked up a pipe and held it up to us, inquiring if we minded if he smoked it. We both nodded it was okay. "Well, our historical texts say that mermaids can be very wily creatures. Some say they aren't to be trusted. But there are many—myself included—that believe their dreams of the future are fed to them directly by the Great Lady herself. It is a way that she can ensure to pass along helpful information to her warriors. The Great Lady is all-knowing but cannot or will not communicate directly with us. At least, no one in our known history has ever talked to the Great Lady."

I thought about that. If the mermaids were a direct conduit to the being that provided our magic, then as far as I was concerned it should be taken seriously.

"Any ideas why she told Charlie she would be our deliverance?" Caiden asked.

Bashir puffed on his pipe and shook his head. "I have no clue. But first thing tomorrow I will convene with the rest of the Elders to discuss this. I'm starting to think that this also has something to do with the fact that Charlie could see daimons in the First Dimension. I'll let you know what I find out."