Hearken (Daughters of the Sea Series) (2 page)

             
Without warning, a rancid wave of sweltering heat washed over my mind and imprisoned my every thought, dream, emotion, memory and belief. It happened so fast that I had no chance of defending myself. All thoughts were wiped completely clean, every ounce of fear and apprehension replaced by an embrace so holistic, so encompassing I could only hope to revel in its presence. I registered my eyes growing larger as the bloodshot sphere above actually moved closer. It finally dawned on me what the glowing, red ball of light was. The moon. A blood moon. Its deep crimson hue warmed my blood and sent spikes of power through my heart, while my soul disappeared into a valley teeming with surrender. It was only a matter of time now. A sinister laugh escaped my lips and I suddenly became aware of an insatiable need for the power emanating from its watchful moon rays. The small orb that hung from my neck mirrored its deep red glow as its heat spread tantalizingly across my skin.

             
I didn’t remember making the decision to sit up, but my body was doing just that of its own accord. As it folded unto itself mechanically, my eyes shifted to the ocean laid out before me that was currently tinged with shades of red and orange. Once my vision cleared, I met the gaze of a beautiful woman kneeling before me. With a smile overflowing with venom, she handed me a dagger encrusted with luminescent white stones, flanked by darker red ones I couldn’t identify. With the razor sharp blade aimed downward, I twisted to the side and trained my eyes on the fragile-looking body lying next to me.   

             
Her flowing blonde hair framed an ashen, lifeless face that I knew was capable of beaming with unconditional friendship. Her shining, blue eyes that had always danced with happiness were now hidden behind closed eyelids. The white skin of her bare chest appeared out of place among the glowing red hues streaming down from above. With a building excitement I couldn’t understand, I readied the dagger directly above her heart and glanced up at the woman in front of me for the final cue. She smiled with pride and nodded her head in silent approval.

             
“Welcome, Granddaughter, to your destiny,” she affirmed royally. I smiled at her with wicked anticipation and felt a surge of power flow through my veins. Without further hesitation, I swung the dagger downward and into Willow’s heart with all of my strength.

             
Gasping for air, I lurched forward onto the sand as nausea took hold of me and the contents of my stomach were emptied again and again. Thankfully I was close enough to the surf that it gently erased any signs of the violent reaction my dream had elicited. I collapsed back onto the sand and rolled over to my side; pulling my knees protectively against my chest and squeezing my eyes shut.

             
It had been like that for an entire month, and each time the dream began the same way. I consistently awoke on the very same stretch of sand on the very same beach, and each time I became sick immediately after. The only difference was the person I killed in the end. Carmen. Kira.  Phoebe. Natasha. Ricker. Amphitrite. Even Finn’s life had not been spared. As my most recent victim, Willow’s delicate, innocent face flashed before my eyes and a flood of tears spilled down my sandy cheeks. A warm, gentle energy sizzled up from the sand just as a cool wave of water enveloped my legs. The despair racking my body slowly drained into the sand below, replaced by unconditional love and ever present support. A final slice of panic cut through me, and I clumsily grasped the orb around my neck. Instead of the sinister red of my dream, it emitted its usual cool, silver light and I was able to breathe somewhat easier.

As the moon arched across the sky above, I waited for the sand to replenish my wavering strength. I held onto a thin shred of sanity while the sea healed the mental scars that had once again been carved deep by my hauntingly real life nightmare. I’d spent countless waking hours mulling over each and every detail of the recurring dream, and I refused to believe that it was simply a creation of my subconscious. If I’d learned one important thing over the past year of my new life, it was that
nothing
was ever what it seemed.  

             
Unfortunately, this recent stint of torture failed to fit neatly into any of my known abilities. I continually ticked off the possibilities. It didn’t meet any of the criteria for foresight. The visions associated with my foresight ability had historically appeared to me once and only once. Reveries consisted of the present, so unless a second blood red moon was hiding on the other side of the Earth, that wasn’t viable either. I was also consistently a simple bystander in my reveries. Finn and my father had proved to be the only ones capable of seeing me in reveries, and even then I wasn’t a part of the script - I was an onlooker. Antiquity was quickly marked off the list, since it was the ability to see the past through another’s eyes. The only other explanation was the very one I refused to accept. A dream. However, I couldn’t deny the solemn fact that none of my known abilities aligned with what was happening to me. Convincing myself that it was merely a simple dream was the only way to keep my already shaky grasp on reality, but I remained ever skeptical. It had always felt too real.

             
“I should have known…” someone muttered with disdain from the dunes. I felt the vibrations of running feet as they quickly made their way to where I lay in the sand. I painstakingly lifted my head and inspected the figure descending upon me. Her unruly dark hair blew across her face in the early morning breeze, and she pushed it behind her ears as she came crashing down to her knees next to me. Her hand brushed the hair from my own face and gently turned me over onto my back.

“Stasia? Are you okay?”

              “Yeah, I’m fine,” I huffed incoherently. Olivia’s dark chestnut eyes rolled at me with contempt as she quickly secured her hair into a loose bun on top of her head.

             
“Sure, because people who are
fine
waste a perfectly good bed by sleeping on nasty, wet sand.”

             
“Leave me alone,” I moaned unconvincingly, and then made a futile effort to return to my fetal position. She truly had impeccable timing. It was as if she
waited
for the most inopportune moment to show up, and then proceeded to blaze a trail of sarcasm and bitterness as she went. 

             
“Like hell!” she challenged with a sinful chuckle. “You look like you’ve been pulled backwards through a knothole.”

             
I opened my eyes just enough to narrow them again with indignation. She was the
last
person I wanted to deal with right now. “What does that even
mean
?”

             
Her beautifully mysterious features twisted into a sly smile and a manicured finger tapped her chin. “Rode hard and put up wet?  Two degrees short of a hot mess?  Any of these ring a bell?”

             
“Now that you’ve sufficiently insulted me,” I began; resting my head back down on the cool sand, “why don’t you go play in traffic or something?”

             
“Mmm…”  She contemplated my suggestion with one perfectly sculpted, raised eyebrow. “That’s actually on the schedule for later today. Lucky for you, my morning is wide open.”

             
“Grand.” I scowled and then decided to try a new tactic. I dangled my arm to the side and pointed loosely in her direction. “As the Leader of the Tydes, I order you to leave me alone or I’ll banish you to the Underworld for all of eternity.  You pick.”

             
“Well aren’t we just a bowl of sunshine this morning?” She sniffed the air dramatically. “I thought I smelled scrambled arrogance with a side of blackmail biscuits…”

             
“Unless you plan on carrying me back to the cottage, I suggest you leave me exactly where I’m at.  It’s actually pretty comfortable once you get used to it.”

             
“Suit yourself,” she resolved dryly with a shrug. The decidedness in her tone took me off guard, just before I felt an arm slide under my back and another beneath my knees. It was then that I realized she fully intended to take me up on my offer. I wiggled out of her grasp and curled into an even tighter ball. Why was it so difficult for her to understand that I just wanted to lay there on my bed of wet sand? The world wasn’t going to end if I stayed there for another hour or seven! Any sunbathers would gladly step right over me with a knowing smile, assuming erroneously that I’d partied a little too hard the night before. The sun had just peeked over the shimmering horizon, which gave me at the very least one more hour of glorious sleep. Most of the students at the House of Lorelei would sleep for as long as possible. Speaking of which…

             
“How did you know I was down here?” I interrogated her from the crook of my arm.

             
“I just did,” she countered nonchalantly. “Now scrape yourself off the sand and try to make yourself look presentable,” she instructed with a sharp tug of my arm.

             
“You didn’t answer my question!” I pressed further.

             
“You’re right, I didn’t,” she retaliated icily. “At the moment, you have other things you should be worried about.  One of which is the fact that you’re lying on a beach in front of three dorms…with no pants on.”

             
Damn. She had a point. I really needed to invest in some pajama pants. I moaned inwardly, reluctantly stood and fought the urge to smile as she unfolded an oversized beach towel and wrapped it securely around my shoulders with unrestrained annoyance.

             
“Thanks
Mom
,” I joked.  She shot me a scolding look that only enhanced my comparison.

             
“Next time I find you sprawled out half naked on the beach, I’m gonna kick your ass into next Thursday,” she warned me coolly.  She cleared her throat and raised her chin in defiance, as the corners of her mouth betrayed her by pulling up into an amused grin. For each hole that appeared in her tough exterior, I was rewarded with a taste of who Olivia Campbell
really
was. She had been vital in the trip to the Fortunate Isle, as well as helping me practice my abilities before becoming a Goddess. For someone who tried so hard to hate me, she continued to prove her loyalty time and time again.

             
“Amphitrite might take issue with that,” I scowled as I followed her grumpily up the beach. 

             
“I have a feeling she’d have my back,” she snorted. I ran right into her as she stopped mid-stride; twisting around to face me with off-putting enthusiasm. “Wait! The Declaration of Council is tomorrow, isn’t it?”

             
“How could I forget?” I groaned. Her sentiment had been echoed across the entire population of descendants, sea Goddesses, and the like; their excitement building as selection day drew ever closer. The selection of an entirely new Council hadn’t taken place for centuries, and likely wouldn’t happen again until I stepped down, was forced down, or was simply murdered. In my opinion, the latter of the three possibilities seemed the most probable. 

             
Every Leader of the Tydes led with the support of her Council. It was an immense honor to be chosen for the Council, as well as a weighty responsibility. My mother had chosen those closest to her, as well as several others who had expertise in areas she did not. As time passed and individual Council members perished or stepped down, new members were named - but it was void of the pomp and circumstance surrounding my current situation. All eyes would be on me in anticipation of my first major decision as the new Leader of the Tydes, and the pressure was excruciating. Needless to say, I’d been dreading tomorrow ever since Amphitrite had informed me of my first responsibility in my new position.

             
“During the Declaration of Council you must decide who you’d like to appoint as your Council members,” she instructed. “As the former Queen on your mother’s Council, I will act as witness.”

             
“How many members have to be chosen?” I asked behind the fingernails I had begun to bite.

             
“A Council traditionally consists of six specific roles: a Queen to execute your decisions, a Chamberlain to oversee the finances, a Warrior for protection, a Sage to provide wisdom and guidance, an Apothecary to watch over your physical state, and lastly, a Page to arrange all ceremonies and make civic appearances on your behalf.”

             
“Should I choose from only Nerieds, or should I include Tydes as well?” My feeble attempt to drag her into my decision didn’t seem to faze her in the least.

             
“Whomever you see fit.” She covered my shaking hand with her steady one. “When the time comes…you will know.”

             
Well the time had almost come, and I was still wavering back and forth on who to choose for each role. My forthcoming decision had become a hot topic of debate across the world, with people placing bets on who I would choose or not choose. Talk about pressure! I’d even heard whisperings of planned selection parties to be held at different schools that night in anticipation of the declaration! It had been decided that the appointed members would be posted in a formal manner for every school housing Tydes, as well as on the new website created specifically for me. The anxiety that had simmered in my stomach for several months was beginning to rise to a boil. It should have been no surprise that I was having murderous nightmares followed by bouts of sickness.