He waited, straining every molecule to hear what was going on outside. It had to be getting late. The others would realize he was gone by now. But what could they do? He had to hope that Tegel was serious about not harming them. They had been foolish to think their harebrained scheme had had any chance of succeeding, not when they had been betrayed before they arrived. But by whom?
Footsteps echoed outside. At least three people were approaching. OK, so he’d have to take out the first quickly, grab a weapon and deal with the others. A kick to the throat was the most debilitating so he mentally lined up his attack. The guys were on average about six foot. He would aim at the five foot mark and hope he’d got it right.
The key turned in the lock and the first guy entered. Kel took a short run and lashed out with his boot. He had a split second to realize he wasn’t aiming at a guard, angled his kick to miss and collided bodily with Meri. She smashed into the wall with him on top of her.
‘Dammit, Meri!’ He rolled off her, terrified he’d snapped her neck. ‘Talk to me!’
A gun barrel jabbed him in the back. ‘Get away from her!’
He told the gunman what he could do with that threat. ‘Meri, I’m sorry. I thought you were one of them.’
Finally, she stirred, lifted a hand to rub the back of her head. ‘Well, that wasn’t how I imagined our reunion would go. Bernard, you can stand down. It was an accident.’
Kel scooped her up. ‘Are you hurt anywhere else? Do you have concussion?’
‘I don't have time for concussion. We need to talk. Guys, can you give us the room, please? Don’t let anyone else come back here, OK?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Somewhat reluctantly, her men withdrew, closing the door behind them. They didn’t lock it.
‘Hello, Kel.’
‘Oh God, oh Meri.’ Kel was so relieved he hadn't killed her, he crushed her to him. ‘You should’ve called out a warning.’
‘I stupidly thought you might be asleep. I was wanting to wake you with a kiss. Yes, I’m officially an idiot.’
‘You’re my idiot then.’ He cradled her in his arms as they sat on the floor together. ‘How did you know?’
‘That you were here?’
He nodded.
‘Nixie told me. She’s a double-agent by the way. First she worked for Tegel and now she’s working for me so eventually I’ll forgive her for selling you out.’
‘Nixie?’
‘Yeah. Who would’ve thought it, hey?’
He ran his fingers through her hair, feeling guilty about the bump he could feel at the back of her head. ‘So you’re here to rescue me? That’s ironic because it was us who thought we were coming to save you.’
‘I guess we’ll just have to save each other.’
‘And how are we going to do that? What’s your support like here?’
She grimaced. ‘I’ve got some on my side from the staff. I’m hoping Ben, Francis and Mabel will back me up.’
‘I wouldn’t count on them. Ben and Francis were the ones who put me off the ship. Mabel tends to keep out of things.’
‘Oh.’
‘To be fair, they thought it was the only way they could stop Tegel killing me, which, after today, I have to admit was a real possibility.’
‘So I’d say that my support is pretty thin. However, I do have one wildcard advantage they don’t know about.’
‘What’s that.’
‘Look.’ She pulled out a sketch pad and turned to a picture of a mosaic. ‘They fished that out of the real Atlantis. It’s just off the coast from here. That’s the translation of the inscription.’
‘Wisdom died when we were set apart. Breath without body; thunder without lightning. Your touch can kill in anger, but it can also complete us in love. So now, as skies darken, and the days end, together we glow. What does it mean?’
‘It means we aren’t the first Perilous and Tean to fall in love. That we mustn’t be scared of what we can be together because we can be something great. Just look at the two of them. We started down that path but got separated too soon to see where it would lead.’
‘You don’t think it’s like some kind of suicide pact between lovers? Go out in a blaze of glory?’
‘Oh.’ Meri rubbed his arm. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. But why ban the temple if it led nowhere? Killing each other is what Perilous and Tean have done so well for millennia; that’s not heresy.’
Kel just wanted to sit here, freeze this moment in time with his girl on his lap and all finally right in his world—apart from the enemies at the door who wanted him dead. He knew Meri was telling him something important though. He had to understand.
‘What is it you think this can do for us?’
‘I’ve been telling everyone that there is another way for Perilous and Tean to live but they always throw in my face the grim facts of the past. This is new evidence: something they have to respect. And what’s more, we’ll show them.’
‘How?’
Meri shuffled off his lap and went to her knees. ‘I want us to do that—hold our energy together. That’s what they’re doing in the mosaic. She becomes Perilous and he Tean—look at her skin, his eyes. You can’t tell who is who so it might be the other way around.’
Kel thought this was a lot of conclusions to draw from an ancient mosaic. ‘Meri, what if you’re wrong?’
‘I’m not. I know I’m right.’
He pulled up the bottom edge of his T-shirt. ‘This happened last time we kissed.’
Meri reached out and traced the butterfly wings. ‘Kel! Did it hurt? Did I burn you?’
‘No, it didn’t hurt. To be honest, it might’ve done but I wouldn’t have noticed.’
‘But you don’t want to risk it again?’ She sat back, putting distance between them, shoulders slumped. ‘We’ll have to think of something else.’
‘I didn’t say that.’ He caught her hand in his. She was ice-cold. ‘Come here, darling.’ With her snuggled next to him, he found he could think more clearly. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
‘I’ve felt like I’ve been only half alive since you’ve been gone.’
He kissed the top of her head. If Meri thought this was the way forward, he should trust her. After all, ten minutes ago he’d thought his future had been a short fall out of a helicopter over the Atlantic. At least if this killed them, they would be together.
And if it succeeded…?
‘If this works as you hope, then what do we do?’
‘We march into the Tean Council and kick butts.’
He laughed. ‘OK, Meri, let’s do it.’
21
Meri couldn’t believe that Kel had agreed. She had been half-hoping he’d tell her not to be so reckless, but she hadn’t had time to come up with a Plan B so this was as good as it was going to get. If seeing her share power with a Perilous did not convince the council that things had to change, then she was out of ideas.
Kel rubbed a lock of her hair between finger and thumb. She got lost for a moment in just how much she loved looking at him. The last few months had felt like free-fall; now she had landed safely.
‘How do we do this?’ he asked.
‘I think we just connect with each other as we’ve been doing. I’m hoping that the poem is correct: that it is the emotion that drives the power that is the key. If I’m angry I can hurt; if I’m…’
He grinned. ‘If you’re what, Meri?’
‘If I’m…you know…getting into feeling the love then you’re safe.’
‘Delicately put, as I would expect from you. And if I tell you to stop, will you?’
‘Of course!’
‘But don’t stop because you’re scared for me, OK?’
‘All right.’ She was less certain of that promise. If he looked like he was suffering then she’d probably pull back instinctively.
He brushed his thumbs over her eyelids. ‘I think you’d better close these.’
‘You don’t like my freaky eyes?’
‘I lov
e your freaky eyes, but I think you’ll get scared.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Meri?’
‘OK, I will—a little bit—but I need to see to make sure I’m not burning you again.’
‘You’re not burning me; you’re marking me as yours. But what if this goes two ways and you end up being marked?’
‘I’ve always wanted spirals. I have spiral-envy.’
He laughed and kissed her lightly. ‘OK, let’s get this show on the road. I think we’d better stand.’
Meri nobly withheld comment as he stripped off his T-shirt. He’d clearly not been sitting on a couch the last few months.
‘So you can see better,’ he explained with a wink.
She took off her jacket, leaving her arms bare. ‘And you can tell me if I start to mark too.’
He ran his fingers down her arm, making her shiver. They didn’t need any extra power to make the link between them electric. ‘Now what?’
‘Well, I guess, we just…kiss.’
She leaned into him, hands flat on his chest, and he firmly took hold of her around the waist, not allowing her to question herself. She dragged her palms up to loop them around his neck. He was so precious to her, she could not imagine hurting him in any way. They had been apart so long, coming back together felt like finally returning home after a long day, kicking off uncomfortable shoes and settling down with the one she loved. Her Tean senses woke up. Under her fingertips, she could feel a rush of power, sense the hairs on his skin pricking to attention in response.
‘Hey, Tiger, slowly,’ he breathed, dotting little kisses on her jaw and cheek until he brushed home on her lips.
She held back a little, imagining her power not as a tidal wave that would overwhelm him, but a river joining with his own power. Teans too often forgot that the Perilous naturally had their strength. She might be sending in the majority of the energy but he was giving back to her the channel for it to flow in. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her forearms begin to shine with a web of peril marks. As Kel shifted her closer so that he could hold her body against him, his hand pressed between her shoulder blades, Meri could feel the peril markings go further than ever before. Her neck, her chest, her back: all were tingling with this thrilling new sensation.
‘It’s amazing!’ she murmured, breaking off a kiss. She looked up at him. His eyes were closed but when he opened them she found they were blazing. ‘We did it. We shared. I didn’t hurt you.’
‘I’m not sure about that. I’m feeling so much I don’t know if it includes hurt. It’s overwhelming. It’s like every nerve is on fire.’
‘You want me to stop?’
‘Are you kidding? This is the best I’ve ever felt!’ Keeping hold of her hands he stepped away. His chest and arms were glowing with intricate spirals, but so were her arms and neck. She was his exact mirror image. But more than that, somehow they were blending their energy so that neither was being burned. She could feel him in her, holding things in check. The markings on her skin were not writhing as they had that first time, but settled into the same pattern. There was no sign on Kel that his markings were turning that permanent colour.
‘Wisdom died when we were set apart,’ Kel murmured the poem. ‘Breath without body; thunder without lightning. Your touch can kill in anger, but it can also complete us in love. So now, as skies darken, and the days end, together we glow.’
‘It’s not my touch, not a Tean's touch, it’s the touch of either one of us,’ Meri said, realizing finally what the verse meant. ‘That’s what the ancestors feared. Kel, I think you have my powers while we are connected, and I yours.’
Kel squeezed her hand. ‘I get to zap our enemies?’
‘I guess so, but I was thinking more that you get to light up the Perilous like I can.’
‘What good does that do?’
‘I don’t know, but I hope we’re going to find out.’
When they were both ready, they slowly let the glow fade and their hands disengage. Kel bent down and grabbed his T-shirt.
‘How do you feel?’ asked Meri nervously.
‘Magnificent.’ He threw back his head and laughed. ‘Meri, our people have been so stupid for so long!’
‘Do you think we can really persuade them otherwise?’ Meri bit her lip. As the warmth of their joining subsided, doubts crept back in. It was easier to be angry.
‘I think we can only give it a try. What do we do now?’
‘Now we summon the council. They’ve dragged me to meetings often enough; it’s about time they got a wake up call.’
Leah had done her job and gathered in the kitchens all of those she thought could be relied upon to back the heir over the council. There were more than Meri expected: the chef and many of the servers, the steward and half of the footmen, maids, even ones Meri didn’t know: they all crowded in to show their loyalty. Despite Kel’s fears, Ben, Francis and Mabel had not hesitated to add their voice. Daro had wormed his way into the delegation too, which was a risk but Meri reflected that they might as well start as they meant to go on. Anyone who was caught giving him a cold look was quickly reminded that the old ways were not welcome at her court. It was just a shame Bernard was the only one from the security team. She hoped that was just because Leah didn’t want to risk alerting them to what was afoot rather than a sign of their loyalties.
‘Thank you so much for rallying round,’ she said, at Kel’s suggestion standing on a chair to address them all. ‘By now Leah has had a chance to explain a little what this is about. As you know, I am the acknowledged heir.’
This met with cheers. If only the rest of the speech was so easy.
‘Unfortunately, the council think they know what’s best and have overruled my orders. I want to make peace with the Perilous. I know that this goes against what many of you have been taught but, frankly, what you’ve been taught is wrong. We aren’t natural enemies, we are natural allies. And on that note, I want you to meet Kel. He’s Perilous.’
Kel waved. ‘I’m not sure of the protocol, Meri. Help me out.’
That produced a few nervous laughs from those in the room.
‘None of us are. We’re breaking new ground here. I think “hello” about covers it.’
‘Well then: hello.’
‘Kel here was arrested earlier today just for being here and Tegel Waller was planning to throw him from a helicopter. Whatever you think about the Perilous, Kel is first and foremost a human being. Tegel’s actions were treasonous because they went against my orders, as well as cold-blooded murder. If the council don’t admit that, then I’m dissolving the council. But I need you to back me up because, well, because they’re bigger than me.’
‘Everyone’s bigger than you, Meri!’ called a voice from the far end of the room.
‘Theo!’ Her speech forgotten, Meri ran down the length of the table and launched herself at her guardian. ‘I can’t believe you came! I love you guys so much! Thank you.’
Theo hugged her, too overcome to make one of his usual teasing remarks.
‘Group hug!’ announced Valerie as Meri vanished under her friends. Nixie stood to one side awkwardly.
Kel approached. ‘Meri, you’ve called a council meeting.’
‘Yes, sorry.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘This might be the shortest council meeting ever, ending with the need to run for it, but is everyone with me?’
Assent echoed around the room.
As her supporters filed out to the throne room, Nixie sidled over. ‘I’m sorry for what I did, Kel. Should I go now?’
Meri and Kel exchanged a look.
‘I’m way less mad at her than I was,’ admitted Meri. ‘You would be dead if she hadn’t confessed.’
Kel held out a hand. ‘It’s OK, Nixie. In fact, it’s a relief to find you hadn’t fallen in love with me but were just setting me up. I was panicking about having to let you down gently.’
Meri wasn’t sure the girl hadn’t really fallen for him but she had to give Nixie
credit, she reacted well. ‘Thanks, Kel. I will never do anything that will make you doubt me again.’
Having learned the lesson from previous meetings that it was best to arrive first, Meri arranged her supporters around the throne. Kel was hidden behind it, blending in dressed as a footman, but he was within reach. As they waited for the council members to respond to their summons, she ran through how she was going to broach the difficult issues. Not head on was best.
‘Nixie, can you hang back so Tegel doesn’t see you, please?’ Meri asked. No point in letting the man suspect she knew anything about Kel’s arrest.
The council filed in. Rayne looked as though she hadn’t gone to bed but the others were distinctly rumpled. Rio was last.
‘Really, Meri? It’s two in the morning. What’s so urgent? Has Castile declared war on us? Or are the Perilous rappelling down from helicopters?’
She winced. That was not funny considering what Tegel had planned for Kel. ‘Please take a seat.’ Meri gestured to the chairs she had set out in a row at the foot of the dais. She realized she was twisting the peril ring nervously so folded her hands in her lap.
‘Ridiculous,’ muttered Tegel. ‘I’m too old for games like this.’
Meri ignored him. She didn’t trust herself to keep her temper if she spoke to him. ‘It’s come to my attention that certain items from the underwater exploration of Atlantis are being secretly withheld. Leah, if I could have the first slide, please?’ The wall screen behind the throne unfurled and her photos of the mosaic flashed up from the hidden projector. The last one was a collage of all four in the correct order to show the complete picture.
Rayne shook her head. ‘I don’t understand. Couldn’t this be raised with Dr Severn in the morning?’
‘No, prime minister, it couldn’t. Rio, would you like to explain what we are looking at?’
Rio had been fuming ever since the first image flashed up. ‘It was you! You broke into my storage area!’
‘Do we have to do this again? They are my storage sheds and I expect if I look into the small print of the funding for the exploration, I’ll find the artefacts are also mine. Explain to the council why you hid this one.’
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