wrath of the Sea Queen (212 page)

Apela left
the lounge
after the disturbing conversation.  Ben continued to sit, rubbing his chin, while Vin paced in front of the windows
,
keeping an eye on Salma and C
a
eli.  They
had
stopped walking and appeared to be having a private conversation of their own.

"Do you understand why I wanted you to hear Apela's answers?"  Ben asked.

"Yes, but C
a
eli
's situation
i
s different than Apela's wife. 
Apela's wife had to learn her talent.  She did not inherit it. 
C
a
eli
also
has the requirement that Apela's wife lack
ed
to make the transition permanent.  Rika knows about C
a
eli's bloodline.  They will have to face each other and bring this to an end.  I
realize
that.  C
a
eli
is aware of
it
, too. 
She figured it out before any of us. 
Raph
ael
said that C
a
eli has much to lose if she faces Rika on her terms. 
She still
has a child that can
be taken from her,
"
Vin answered.

"It's
much
more than that, Vin.  It
i
s not
only
what Rika is trying to take from C
a
eli.  It's also what C
a
eli will become if Rika succeeds.  C
a
eli will
lose
more than
her
child.  She w
ill
lose
more than
control of her body.  She will lose her
life
," Ben explained his interpretation of the facts before him.

"She will be forced to
switch places with
Rika
and assume her
current role
.  Believe me, Ben, I understand the implications.  I'm worried more because Raphael said that C
a
eli cannot beat Rika without s
urrendering
herself.  It doesn't sound like there is a winning choice for C
a
eli.  Yet, I can't
accept
that.  There has to be a way. 
C
a
eli has been searching for it
.
 
For her sake,
I hope she is having better luck than we are.
"

Vin noticed that C
a
eli turned to look
up
at the lounge and enhanced his connection to her.  He immediately received the backlash of emotion that tumbled through her
mind
.  Salma told her
about Lara's betrayal
. 
It was the last straw, and C
a
eli
was
finally
ready to do something about this situation.  This was more like the C
a
eli he knew.  This was the spirit that he loved in her.  The mere thought of C
a
eli at her best stirred Vin's
personal
feelings
for her
again. 
After answering her briefly, Vin
had to forcefully set
those
feelings to the
side
once more
.

C
a
eli was ready to talk; to tell him the details that she had not been ready to share before. 
She wanted
Vin to understand her struggle, and she wanted
answers.  She
intended to bring this
to
an
end. 
Vin
completed his
repl
y
with a supportive stirring of the wind already surrounding her. 
He
fully intended
to help
C
a
eli
achieve
her
goal.

Vin and C
a
eli returned to their room a while later.

"Vin, I need to talk
to you
.  I haven't told you everything that
has
been
happen
ing
," C
a
eli began.

"I know, C
a
eli, and I understand
that
this has
been
difficult
for you
.  I kn
o
w you need
ed
time
. 
I
'
ll admit that it has
not
been
easy f
or me to
wait
to hear everything
. 
Despite my impatience
,
I knew you would
eventually
t
ell
me
, when
you were ready
."

"I'm ready now."
 

C
a
eli finally
told
Vin
everything
; all
t
hat she remembered
, even
explain
ing
about the gaps
in her
memor
y
.  She gave him more details a
bout
the events that caused her injuries
while he was away at the seminar with Ben and Salma. 
While she relat
ed
that story,
a
portion of the
veil lifted in her mind
. 
C
a
eli remembered
a few more of
the
horrific
details
that Urim
had sheltered
from
her at the time.

"Urim has been your steadfast guardian
for which
I am
immeasurably
grateful
.  I'm
ve
ry glad he was able to help you in the cave
," Vin said
as he held C
a
eli in his embrace while they sat on the bench, listening to the repetitive sound of the waves and watching the water sparkle under the spotlight of the
nearly full
moon
.

"Me
,
too.  Without his help…"

"
Please, l
et's not talk about what might have happened.  I
cannot bear to
dwell on
how close I came to losing you again.
 
Why don't you t
ell me what Max was talking about when he said that this was the second time Rika borrowed you
?
  When was the first?
"
  Vin turned the direction of their conversation
down a different path
.

C
a
eli
explained what Max
witnessed
when Rika took control of her in the cave
after she h
elped Vin at the levee
. 
She was particularly interested in Vin's opinion about the exchange between Michael and Rika, but he was not certain what to make of it.  Finally, C
a
eli
told
Vin
about the most recent injury
.  H
e was momentarily upset
by the fact
that she
did
n
o
t tell
him
about
it
right away
. 
Then h
is irritation quickly
switched to feeling guilty
, as
C
a
eli
knew it would,
about not heeding her plea
to stay instead of chasing after the mysterious man
. 
And then he understood why she had waited to tell him. 
C
a
eli
subsequently
squashed
Vin's
guilt by assuring him that she was fine and that he could not have prevented it, even if he
ha
d
remained. 
There was one final piece of news that C
a
eli shared, hoping Vin would help her
clarify
it.

"Vin, there is one thing about this that I don't understand
,
"
she hesitated.

"
Only
one?  Then you
a
re having
much
more success than
me
," Vin replied
in a
half jesting
manner
.