Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) (14 page)

     “I should have told you,” he said and she nodded. Her fingers reached out and slid between his, accepting without speaking.

    In some way I was amazed how far they had come. The Kryssa I had known, would have at least berated him, but this was a different girl than the one I had met on the island nearly a year ago. The war had changed her, much in the same way it had changed me.

     It was my turn to look out over the ocean, my eyes scanning the horizon as they tried to grasp upon something other than the rolling dark shrouds of water which formed and disappeared without a trace. My thoughts drifted, as if on the breeze, wondering if Zale was out there in the water somewhere. I so desperately wanted to see some trace of his dark fins, shimmering in the water, but all I could see for miles was the deep emptiness of a disgruntled ocean. All around me, the waves crashed and the breeze pulled at my clothes.

     “How do you know it wasn’t him?” Elik asked.

     “I just do,” I shrugged, feeling the tingle in my left shoulder as I turned back to them. “I trust him.”

     Kryssa nodded and squeezed Elik’s hand and looked away. My heart warmed at her acceptance of what I said. It took a strong person to look at something objectively and trust a friend without abandon.

     “More than anything, it’s the way he spoke about how he was controlled by Morven.” They both stilled as I explained. “He told me it was the anger which left him in a sort of fog. No matter what Morven commanded him to do, he had a hard time going against it, because he lived in a clouded world where clear thought was far away from him. But when he saw me for the first time, he was finally able to think for himself.”

    “But now Morven can’t control him,” Elik said.

     “True,” I nodded, “but the anger can always return. Until this morning, I didn’t realize how powerful it could be.” The last words I spoke were more to myself, but they heard them anyway.

     “What do you mean?” Kryssa asked.

     I heaved a large breath into my lungs, “You saw what happened when I let the anger control me. At the end, I was trying to get her to tell me who had killed your father.”

     “We know,” Kryssa said as though it was obvious.

     “You do?”

     “Yeah,” she shrugged and glanced at Elik. “We could understand what you were asking her.”

     For a moment I remained silent, realizing how simple it really seemed. Of course they would be able to understand. The sounds I made were not dissimilar from the merfolk language we used beneath the water.

     “I didn’t realize you would be able to understand,” I said and tried to think back. “I guess my brothers only grasped the gist of what I was saying.”

     “Maybe,” she agreed, and I turned back to look at her. “You were saying something about the anger?”

     “Oh, right,” I nodded, pulling myself back to the conversation at hand.  “Well, when I was trying to clear his name, the more she fought against me, the angrier I got.” Merely thinking of the moment brought my frustrations back to the surface and I had to breathe deeply to still the trembling of my hands. “I wanted so badly to bend her to my will, I didn’t realize how it was taking over.”

     “So that’s what happened,” Kryssa said.

     “I guess it was obvious, huh?”

     “Basically,” Elik said and pursed his lips. “I’ve never seen someone concentrate so hard before. You know you could’ve used some of that determination when I was teaching you how to throw your dagger.”

     For a moment we paused, and then the laugher left all of us at the same moment. “You would focus on that,” I said and shook my head.

     I had forgotten about my first knife throwing lessons which Elik had orchestrated before our rescue attempt on Hyvar.  Although they had proved helpful in my later lessons with Zale, I had shown little skill when I had first attempted to do as Elik bid.

     Our laughter died on the breeze and carried away over the ocean, leaving us standing at the top of the hill in silence. The moment passed like so many had before it; a little glimpse of joy, only to be taken and tucked away in our thoughts. A treasured moment standing out as a shining light in all the darkness around us.

     “What you did was important,” Elik said, letting go of Kryssa’s hand as he stepped closer to me. “I have to get back to it,” he jerked his head in the direction of the Outpost, “but I wanted you to know Kryssa and I are on your side.”

     “Well thanks,” I said casually, even though a generous warmth spread through my stomach.

     “Not to mention,” he held up a hand, “half of Lathmor is beginning to as well.” Shocked, I stood still as he passed by me, calling goodbye to Kryssa and ducking into the darkness of the stone arch.

     I watched him disappear and turned back to my friend. She spun on her heel and I followed her as she walked across the flat landing until we reached the end, where the trees grew close together in tight packs of tangled branches and beckoning leaves.

     It was there we sat, and for the next couple of hours we became what we had been before. We spoke of nothing of importance and only of what made us happy. There was no mention of Zale or Elik, we stayed away from the death of her father, and long forgotten were the moments of Verna’s interrogation. For a couple of hours we simply returned to the best part of ourselves and enjoyed being in one another’s company. But as with all good things, the moment came to an end, and as the sky began to lean toward dawn, Kryssa rose to her feet.

     “Come on,” she said, and without hesitation began to walk down the hill; it took me a moment to get my feet to follow her down the pathway we had come. Our going was easier as we trudged down the slope, and all the while my thoughts came back to the conversation we had had with Elik. His last words ran through my mind over and over again, confusing me with remembrance.

     “Why?” I asked.

     “Hmmm?” she responded, not following where my thoughts had been.

     “Why would they trust me now?” I clarified.

     “Because what you did was something they had never seen, and you did what Tunder asked of you,” her tone was casual and yet I still couldn’t believe it. In some way, it seemed unbelievable to me that the acts during the interrogation had led to some of the Lathmorians trusting me.

     “It doesn’t seem right,” I disagreed, and shook my head.

     “Look,” she said and suddenly stopped, I had to pull up short. “Tunder told us what my father thought about you. What you did yesterday proved he was right. But it’s more than that, my father trusted you, and the people trusted him. So now, in some weird way, they’re beginning to trust you too.”

     “That’s unbelievable,” I said and shook my head as we restarted our journey down the hill.

     “You might think so, but I don’t anymore.” I turned my head to look up at her and she smiled, “I have a feeling before all of this is over, we’re going to need you.”

     Stunned by her declaration, I paused allowing her words to pass through me and seep into my skin. Having someone behind me and feeling her belief was something I would have to grow used to. After so many months of feeling distrusted, I was finally being brought back into the embrace of Lathmor.

     And as we got closer and closer to the looming palace, I began to wonder if Lathmor’s acceptance was what I really wanted.

Two days passed with little significance. In the mornings, I woke to a sunlit room and waited for Kryssa to take me to the kitchen, where we scrounged some food together, before taking a walk around the island. Our paths took us down to the shores on the front of the island, and on one occasion, we made the long hike up the hill to the Outpost during the day time. I was even more awed by the sheer drop of the cliff in the bright sunshine of midday, than I was on the first evening I had seen it.

     It was a matter of importance for me to remain out of sight from most of the Lathmorians. No matter where I went, each time I passed a group of them or was seen from afar, they would stop and stare, never looking me directly in the eye. Sometimes I caught their whispers, the word siren falling from their lips and sending chills down my spine. It took some concentration on my part to behave as though it didn’t bother me, and whenever it did happen, Kryssa was always kind enough to lead me to more secluded areas.

     At first, it was the word they spoke which bothered me, but as it continued to happen, something else about their behavior frustrated me even more. The story of what I had done to Verna was known to every Lathmorian, and it was often spoken of in the small homes and during gatherings between merfolk. Kryssa told me the story had grown far beyond what had actually occurred, but my power was the cause of all the gossip. What I had done, was something the merfolk had only ever heard of in tales before. In much the same way merfolk had been a myth to me while I was growing up, I was now a creature of myths to them too. In a few short moments, I had gone from being a transformed human to a siren creature they feared. And that was what bothered me most.

     As I walked around the island, I could see their palpable fear just before they glanced away. They knew how I had forced Verna to make eye contact, and wanted to prevent looking in my direction and being controlled. Merely thinking of their anxiety left me feeling vulnerable again. Elik had spoken of acceptance, but theirs was different than what I was expecting.

     It was midafternoon and I was still inside Kryssa’s room waiting to be escorted out for the day. She had told me it would be later when she arrived, I had simply thought it would be sooner than this.

     To pass the time, I had resumed my pacing around the room, and when it grew boring, I took to throwing my dagger at the wooden door. Only when I heard voices in the hall did I pause and wait for them to pass by. The continuous thud of my dagger rang throughout the room with a gentle echo.

     Once again, I heard the soft murmur of voices outside my door. Hurrying, I ran to press my ear up against the frame, where the door met the wall. If I listened carefully, I could barely make out the words spoken. But as soon as I was able to grasp what they said, the voices were gone. I grunted in mock anger and tapped my knuckle against the wood, the sound different than the solid thunk of the dagger.

     Sliding my head against the door, I pushed my back up against the wall and tilted my chin toward the ceiling. With a sigh, I wondered if I would be able to sleep but turned the idea away when I heard voices again. Once more, I pressed my ear to the edge of the wood and cried out when I heard a click. The door moved toward me.

     I startled backward and nearly tripped over my own feet, as I watched the girl who normally brought my food enter the room. Just outside in the hallway was Voon, he nodded in my direction.

     “Yes?” I asked.

     “Come with us, please,” the young mermaid gestured toward the hall with an open palm. It was the first time I’d heard her speak. 

     “Why?” my voice sounded doubtful to my own ears. Voon sighed.

     “Just come,” he butted in and then grumbled, “Kryssa sent me.”
     Instead of asking more questions, I put my suspicions aside and stepped into the hallway. Without a word, Voon began to walk down the hall and the young mermaid beckoned for me to follow him. I trailed behind him and the girl pulled up beside me, tiptoeing.

     We passed through hallways and reached a spiral staircase I knew quite well. Without pause, we whisked around the rising floor and reached the wooden door. Voon tugged on the metal latch and pushed on the wood, the hinges bemoaning their resistance. He stood to the side to let me pass. I glanced his way, but his gaze was focused above my head, so I shrugged past.

     The room opened up before me, looking much the same as it had the last time I was here. Antique settees and cushions were scattered about the room and a small gathering of merfolk stood before me. The last time I had been here, Shaylee and Tunder were the only ones in their living space, but before me stood all three princesses, two of their husbands, Elik, and three other mermaids whose names I had forgotten. My appearance did little to stifle the conversation, only one of the mermaids turned to look my way as they all stood around a table, heavily-laden with papers.

     The documents passed from one hand to another, all the while, Tunder was speaking, his voice confident and strong, as he pointed to the largest paper spread across the table.

     “—and they will move only if this point has been reached. Upon my command, we will then gather in the valley and lure them away from the city.” Heads nodded all around him. “If they take the bait, then we can close in from behind.” More heads bobbed and Shaylee gave a sigh of success, just as Kryssa lifted her eyes and met my gaze. Lifting her hand, she beckoned me forward and I stepped tentatively toward the table, unsure of whether or not I was supposed to be there.

     “We’ll swing around here,” the captain pointed at the large map spread across the table top. The document was faded and worn brown, but the lines defining the rises and falls of the land stood out from the tanned paper. My eyes traced over the lines showing where the palace resided, drifting down into the valley and up again to where the Outpost was located. 

     It was the first time I had ever seen the entirety of Lathmor and I found myself amazed at its strength in size. Now that I had traveled from the front to the back side, I knew it was over twice the size of Patrick’s island, a notion which had surprised me at first. After all my time here, I had only ever remained near the front, except for the night of Nixie’s wedding, but even then, I hadn’t really had a grasp of where I was going.

     “Gendra,” Tunder beckoned to the tallest mermaid. Her back straightened and she looked to her captain. “If we’re able to lure them in, you will bring your team down, cinching in the left—“

     “Leaving the right to be their only escape,” she broke in and nodded.

     “And the Outpost,” he replied, holding up a finger, “never forget that.”

     “Yes, sir.” The Lathmorian soldier nodded, her light hair shifting gently as she moved. “Would you like me to take these to my soldiers?”

     The captain nodded, “But don’t give full disclosure. They are to understand if the Hyven infiltrate tonight, they are to fall back and wait until the call is made, then we can cut off their escape.”

     “Yes, sir,” Gendra said again, and with a flick of her head she gathered her two mermaid soldiers with her and they left the room. After their departure, Voon entered and shut the door firmly behind him. There was no sign of the young mermaid who had escorted me to the chamber.

     “Did you hear everything?” Tunder asked without glancing over his shoulder. I opened my mouth, not sure if he was speaking to me, when Voon answered.

     “Yes, sir. I’m assuming my team will be in the valley?”

     “Actually,” the captain straightened, his broad shoulders stretching wider than his stance. “I will need you to come around the back.” Voon nodded and glanced at the map on the table, his head high enough to see over Nixie’s small frame.

     “Come closer,” Shaylee called. The soldier moved into our ring as we adjusted our places. “Here is where we’re thinking you will be most effective.” The eldest princess gestured along the front shoreline of the island, right where the small cliffs began; the very cliffs I had often sat on to look out over the ocean. Shaylee leaned over the table, around her swollen belly, to draw a line with her finger from the forward-facing cliffs to where the valley lay.

     “I see,” Voon said and turned to his captain again. “You don’t think they will come in too close for that?”

     “No,” Tunder shook his head. “According to what she said,” he gestured in my direction and I startled, “they came in near the caves.” His knuckle tapped out where the map had small humps along the shoreline.

     “Did Gendra’s scouts find any more sign of them?”

     “No,” this time it was Elik who spoke, “and the Outpost has seen nothing all day.”

     “I will get my mermen ready then,” Voon said.

     “Yes, but there isn’t to be any panic.” Shaylee said, and Tunder nodded. “All they need to know is where they’ll be if the command is given.”

     “As you say,” the soldier spoke with a slight bow in her direction and left the room.

     Quiet filled the chamber upon his departure and Tunder turned back to the map on the table. His eyes skimmed over the area once more and then rose to meet the gaze of his wife.

     “It’ll be fine,” she said and smiled, unconsciously sliding a hand around her belly. Elik shifted and left the table to look out the window as the mood in the room altered. There was a sense of urgency, coupled with an unspoken calm I couldn’t understand.

     “Sorry for not coming for you earlier,” Kryssa nudged my side, speaking under her breath.

     “She was busy,” Nixie added, and I smiled at her.

     “So I can see,” I said, not really sure if I should voice my questions.

     Just then, Daggin began to roll up the map, the lines disappearing as if they had never existed. His hands worked quickly, and tapped the sides to keep the large piece of parchment from being rolled unevenly; he then set about moving the other papers into neat stacks. All the while, Tunder’s eyes stared at the table, his hands pressing against the wood and his head hung low; held with determination, not grief.

     Looking away from the captain, I glanced at Nixie beside me and she smiled. Her springy red curls hung about her face as though creating a perfect halo. I was about to say something to her when Kryssa nudged me in the side, once more, and I looked her way.

     “We need to talk,” she said looking to her elder sister, who nodded. “I guess there really isn’t a way to warm up to it; Tunder’s going to be crowned king tonight.” Taken aback, I blinked quickly and glanced at the merman still leaning over the table.

     “What you heard before,” his wife interjected, “were plans if we’re attacked tonight. We can only assume what happened at Nixie’s wedding, could happen again. Whether or not their attack had been a coincidence, we don’t want to take the risk again.”

     “Okay,” I said, still uncertain of why they were telling me everything.

     “Even so, Hyven were spotted just north of us last night and then off to the south again this morning. We believe there’s more than one group around us. Scouts have been on full alert all day.” The earlier conversation I had witnessed fell into place. I nodded as I began to understand what she feared.

     Tunder straightened, rising to his full height. When he met my gaze, I was shocked to no longer see the hostility he recently bestowed upon me. Instead, he held me in his regard without contempt, and I felt myself stand taller.

     “You heard the commands I was giving?” he asked; I nodded. “If we’re attacked tonight, you are to head to the dungeon. I don’t want Verna getting out. She’s in your charge, you do whatever it takes to keep her our prisoner.”

     I nodded and then remembered what the others had said and added, “Yes, sir.”

     As the words came out of my mouth the weight of what he was placing on me began to grow. Not only was he giving me free reign of my fate, but he was also calling on me to use my strength, and power, to keep Verna a prisoner in Lathmor. It was a task fit for one of his highest soldiers and the weight of it was a test which I must pass.
Please don’t attack tonight
, I pleaded.

     “When is the ceremony?” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

     “Soon,” the future queen and her sisters all said at the same time, and I almost laughed. As though one person, they moved together to the couches and seated themselves on the worn cushions. Shaylee’s face relaxed as she rested her back against a pillow.

     “It won’t be anything big,” Elik turned away from the window and walked back in our direction. “More than anything, it’s a ceremony to declare our loyalty to Tunder as our leader.”

     “Has that been a problem?” I asked.

     “Yes and no,” Tunder answered, folding his arms across his chest. I tried not to notice the bulging muscles in his arms. “For the most part, Lathmor follows me, but recently,
some
have begun to question my methods.” His emphasis on the word some wasn’t lost on my part and I knew he was challenging my judgment, once more. Instead of taking the bait, I gritted my teeth and let the moment pass.

     “It’s time,” Elik said glancing toward the window, and his captain nodded. The princesses rose with grace, even Shaylee, and they made their way to the door. Kryssa pulled back to let her sisters pass, and when I reached her, we proceeded together down the stairs and through the hallways in the direction of the throne room.