by Anne Bourne
Gabriel drained his coffee cup and headed for the car. He knew roughly where Marcus lived and found a small parking spot along a marina and went on foot from there, scanning the storefronts for any sign of “Marcus’s Dives and Tours.” For the next twenty minutes, Gabriel wandered around fruitlessly until finally he ended up at a pier where a man sat in front of his bait shop and read the paper.
“Excuse me, do you know where I could find Marcus Rayner?” Gabriel asked with more patience than he felt.
The man looked up, judged him not a tourist, and nodded.
“Marcus lives back there, number one-oh-two. Not a good day for a dive, though,” he said with a grin, revealing cracked teeth.
“I’m not here to dive.” Gabriel left the man and went around the back to a white door with a broken screen.
He rapped on it hard to make sure he was heard. After a few minutes, a tousled dark blond head poked out and looked up at him with sleepy blue eyes. The brothers shared that feature of their father’s.
“Hey, didn’t expect to see you so soon after, you know,” Marcus said groggily. He wore only a pair of plain boxers.
“Yea, well, I have stuff to give you and a message from Mom,” Gabriel said irritably.
“Huh. Well, I was recruited to pick wreckage of a plane crash a few days ago.”
“Congrats.”
“A friend of mine is dead.” Marcus gazed at his brother and saw Gabriel’s face change into sympathy.
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a dick.” Gabriel could tell his brother was slightly shaken.
“See you got the watch,” Marcus changed the subject, motioning to the Invicta on Gabriel’s wrist.
Gabriel nodded absently.
“Yea.” He stared at his brother until Marcus seemed to realize they were still in the doorway. He backed up to let Gabriel move in.
“Don’t sit on the chair over there. It’s broken,” he said by way of an invitation.
Gabriel followed him into a dim living room with an adjoining kitchen. A hallway led to what he assumed were two other bedrooms. It wasn’t five stars but at least there weren’t any roaches like Marcus’s last place. His brother wasn’t much of a decorator, but Gabriel saw some touches of the female persuasion: a few nice pillows on the couch, pans hanging on the kitchen wall, the neatly organized spice rack.
“So, what does Mom want now?” Marcus called as he popped open a beer. “Oh, you want one?”
“I don’t like beer,” Gabriel observed.
“So, no?” Marcus shrugged and took a sip. He started making coffee, knowing that was more Gabriel’s drink of choice at any given time.
“Mom wants you to visit longer. This hasn’t been easy on anyone. She also wants you to get tested,” Gabriel said flatly. Their father had been diagnosed with lymphoma several years ago and now their mom was adamant about health check-ups.
“I am perfectly healthy!” Marcus exclaimed with a grin.
“I can see that. Do you always go around half naked?” he asked as Marcus’s blue boxers threatened to fall off his slim hips.
His brother wasn’t a body builder but a set of six-pack abs poked out against tan skin. Gabriel could understand why Marcus liked Florida, if only for the chance to show off his body in return for female admiration. He self-consciously flexed his own pectorals, wondering if all the hours at the gym were making any difference. Gabriel mainly went there for an outlet when he couldn’t sleep, which was more often than not.
“It’s too hot to wear much. That’s why I love it here,” Marcus declared, as if reading Gabriel’s thoughts.
“And why are you wearing a damn suit? What are you, forty? You did come to discuss serious business,” he chided. Gabriel gave him a small smile.
“It’s discounted Armani. And, yes, I came here to sort out Dad’s old stuff. I’d hardly call that fun.”
The two stared at the floor in awkward silence for a long moment. Gabriel wanted to say so many things to his wild card brother, but from past experience, he knew it would fall on deaf ears.
“So did you want to go through the box together?” Gabriel asked in the stillness.
Marcus shrugged noncommittally. “If you want.”
He glanced at Gabriel but his brother was looking around the place and trying to hide his concern. “It’s home, ok?” he said preemptively.
Gabriel turned to him with a small raised brow.
“I didn’t say anything. I’m glad at least the roof doesn’t leak.”
They stood in silence again, Marcus sipping on his beer, the sound of the ocean a white noise in the background. Gabriel had a decidedly peevish attitude.
“Ok, well, if you don’t want me to be involved I’ll go,” Gabriel said in parting and turned to go.
“Why do you have to be like that?” Marcus asked in a growl.
“Like what?” Gabriel turned and gave him a steely look.
“Saint Gabriel always helping out the family. Always having to come around and start shit with me just because I choose to live where I do.”
“It’s got nothing to do with where you live,” Gabriel shot back. “You couldn’t even have stayed a week after the funeral?”
“So, you’re tired of taking care of Mom, I see. Finally, you admit you can’t take something anymore,” Marcus said with a sneer.
“I didn’t say that. I said you could be more available,” Gabriel ground his teeth. A slight headache was coming up from behind his temples.
“I was with her when it mattered, Gabriel. You can’t say I wasn’t,” Marcus snarled.
“And when Dad was in the hospital, where were you? And when he asked me to help with a living will instructing them to turn off the ventilator, where were you?” Gabriel forced himself to calm down.
Marcus’s eyes were flashing dangerously.
“I don’t see how saying any of that matters anymore.” Marcus clenched his fists, obviously wanting to slam one right into his brother’s handsome face.
“You’re right, it doesn’t.” Gabriel turned on his heel and left the door open.
Chapter Five
Jake took the mermaids on a plunge so deep, their vision darkened and the pressure crushed their bones.
“How much further?” Ephyra panted as she struggled to make her tail move. She and Muriel were so sluggish down here no doubt because their oxygen was thinner. At least moving generated heat, but Ephyra still shivered. True, merfolk were highly adaptable to freezing temperatures but not for prolonged periods of time. Their cousins in the Arctic had much thicker skin.
“Should be somewhere around here,” came the muffled answer. Then they all saw a faint glow of green lights dancing a macabre pattern against the darkness.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Muriel said quietly.
A new, low voice slipped out of the darkness, startling them all.
“Of course it’s not. Three young merfolk are quite vulnerable down here,” the voice said with a laugh. The tone was at once melodious and harsh, female but with a throaty rasp.
“Scyllane?” Jake asked politely into the gloom.
“The only,” the sea witch answered and they felt current running past them.
“We’ve come to ask for shelter and bear the news that Erebos has risen; he declares war,” Jake’s voice shook slightly but Ephyra gave him credit for the solid stance he took, shielding her. His magnificent tail was splayed out to make him appear larger.
“Did he?” The woman’s voice was amused. “And you thought seeking shelter with me would save you?”
“I thought … ”
“And what will you give me in return?” Scyllane asked and then, like the furtive manta ray, appeared in front of them.
Her face was pale with luminous purple eyes framed
by long, twisting dark hair. A shroud of fins and tentacles cloaked her shoulders down to her tail, which had permanent holes in them. Scars ran in jagged streaks down her tail that caught the dim light when she swayed. Ephyra saw beautiful reflective colors in her scales as the witch held up a light in her hand.
Muriel seemed too stunned to speak. Jake gulped visibly but his face was set in determined steel.
“I’ll give you whatever you want. I need protection for Ephyra,” he said slowly.
The sea witch swiveled her head sharply to glance at Ephyra. Her eyes seemed to light up and a faint smile crossed her face. She was almost beautiful when she smiled, a fact Ephyra tried to keep in mind as she leaned closer.
“The princess herself, I thought I recognized you,” the witch whispered and gave a small bow of her head. Ephyra sensed it was ritual and not out of respect.
“I would be grateful if you could provide us with a place to stay. When the war is over I will see you are rewarded,” Ephyra said as confidently as she could. She could feel her parents were dead, the dull ache pounding on her heart. She had to live, had to make sure all that they’d worked for would stand.
“And what makes you think this will be a quick siege? Erebos does not come just for your realm; he will claim the entire ocean. Where will you hide then?” Scyllane asked in a low hiss.
It was a good question that left all three of the merfolk suddenly deflated.
“Come, merlings, this is not a place for discussion,” the sea witch said with half a smile.
She turned with a flourish of fins and the three followed. They were led into a cavern of black rock with lichens lighting the interior. The cavern split into several large rooms, some with a curtain of cloudy material hanging over the entrances. Treasures of all kinds lay piled together, with even half a ship that had settled over the roof of the room.
“Where did you get all this?” Jake asked incredulously. He was swimming around like an excited snapper fish as he gazed at wealth.
“A girl can have a hobby.” Scyllane smiled at him and offered a ledge for the mermaids to sit. Ephyra did so cautiously as she took in all the amazing loot around her. There were some human things that she’d never even seen before.
She and Scyllane shared a common interest in their fascination with anything that fell into the ocean. Ephyra picked up a few shoes and then ran her hand over some plates. Eating off something round and flat was such an interesting concept, she marveled.
“Now, I would offer you sanctuary, protection, but we all know he will find you eventually.” Scyllane surveyed the three around her.
A flat snake wiggled to her and Scyllane let it wind around her arm up to her face. With a startling fast bite, she ate its head. Muriel gagged. Ephyra frowned and turned her head away. Jake merely shrugged, though his fins deflated into a normal stance.
“What’s the deal you propose?” Jake asked bluntly.
“Aren’t you an impatient one? I propose,” she said, “that we make good use of the loophole in the runes.”
“So, I’m supposed to go out and find some big monster to save the realm?” Ephyra said with a sigh. “That’s a myth. There is no loophole in the runes.”
“Says you.” Scyllane smiled a toothy grin. “The runes let anyone with enough power claim the throne but you can proclaim a period of time to find a champion to fight for you. Erebos will have to provide his own, of course.”
“Don’t you think if it was real it would have been written in the laws?”
“Then, why was the slave trade banished?” Scyllane countered. “Countless merfolk had invoked the law to their advantage.”
“I can’t declare anything, I’m not Queen.” Ephyra knew it wasn’t true but she needed to hear it from someone else.
“You are, my merling.” Scyllane grabbed a gilded silver hand-held mirror. She turned its surface toward them and they all gasped at the sight of the palace in smoldering ruins. Leech-like creatures were dancing around and all manner of dark sea creatures swam in the mirror’s image. They saw the King and Queen’s bodies torn apart by the spiny creatures and crabs moving in the scraps. Their crowns floated down to be ignored among the crowd of scavengers.
“Stop it!” Ephyra cried and felt the sting of tears.
“I’m sorry. Your father fought bravely and his wife at his side,” Scyllane said and the mirror floated away to sit gently on a ledge.
“How can you know that mirror doesn’t lie?” Jake asked in alarm.
“Why would it? Magic does not gain from lies, it is the humans who manipulate it who do,” Scyllane explained. “Now, do you want my help or not?”
Ephyra rubbed a hand over her eyes and tried to steady herself. She was grateful for Muriel’s hand on her arm, warm and calming.
“I don’t really have a choice do I? The merfolk were just beginning to talk about uniting and even revealing ourselves to humans,” Ephyra said, faltering at Scyllane’s look of disgust for the word “human.”
“Yes, humans. They have combed our home very thoroughly and it will only get more invasive. It would benefit us both to help each other,” Ephyra said with a grim look.
“So I’ll find a champion.” Ephyra nodded and shot her friends a determined look. Jake smiled proudly.
“A wise decision,” Scyllane said with an almost playful smile. “I will shield you from Erebos.”
There was a sudden shift in pressure and the cavern shook so hard, they each ducked from what was surely falling rocks. Ephyra felt a burning in her chest at the high keening sound, like a thousand voices shrieking in agony.
“From a fallen place she will seek,
On burnished heels to spring from light,
His soul of fire to the darkness he shall meet
A slave for the eternal fight.”
Scyllane recited the verse from the ancient sea runes while Jake, who knew some of the ancient language, translated what he could. Ephyra couldn’t tell if Jake was choking on excitement or fear.
“I’m decidedly impressed,” Scyllane said to him and he bowed his head slightly.
“I studied them when everyone else banned them from our libraries. I believe in them,” he said to Ephyra. “There are many more verses and I know you don’t believe, but it’s happening, exactly as it says.”
Ephyra had to grin at him. His enthusiasm was endearing to her.
“You always did keep me entertained with forbidden stories. I’ll try my best, Jake,” she said and gave him a warm look.
She glimpsed a shadow out the window and her heart nearly stopped.
“It’s one of those creatures,” Ephyra shouted and backed up hastily. Jake grabbed a gold sword and brandished it bravely in the direction of the thing.
Scyllane took matters into her own hands as she shot lightning bolts of magic at the many-eyed creature until it let out a shriek and plunged into the darkness.
“He knows. It’s time,” Scyllane said quickly. Her face was like marble, pale and flawless. Her cloak of fins now spread out to reveal tentacles under them, stretched in webbing. Jake reflexively stood in front of Ephyra, blocking her view.
“You won’t hurt her?” he asked firmly.
“I will hold up my bargain, have no fear. You will have one week,” she said and gave a throaty laugh.
An explosion of purple bubbles shot past Jake to Ephyra as the sea witch encased the remaining royal mermaid in its shroud.
The last thing she heard was his scream of “Ephyra!” as she was lifted in a cage of violet light.
Chapter Six
Gabriel felt the storm explode and still he sat on the bench. His short hair was slick with rain and his suit was now black. It was almost therapeutic to sit and breathe in the fury. He knew he shouldn’t have lost his temper but the strain of being alone finally got to h
im. Thunder crashed overhead and jagged streaks of lightning sizzle into the water. The waves seemed jolted to life as they heaved on the shore.
A few boats tied to moorings in the harbor were tossed like toys on the white caps. Gabriel sat for what seemed like hours and let the wind wash his memory, the rain mingle with his frustration.
The storm began to slow as a few rays of sun poked through the clouds. He saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, and Gabriel turned to scan the line where the horizon met the ocean. The thing was flailing in a way that seemed distressed. He squinted harder into the cobalt water and saw an arm. Gabriel stood quickly, his heart pounding.
Was that an arm? He stepped off the pier to run down to the sandy shore for a better view. Was that a head bobbing or was it a buoy? No, it was a human head. He shrugged out of his jacket and kicked off his shoes. With a bounding leap, he dove into the surging water and breast stroked his way out to where he last saw the silent cry for help. The waves pulled at his shirt and crested so high, several times he lost sight of his target.
At last, he reached spot and discovered a young woman with long black hair whose swimsuit seemed to have gone missing. Her eyes were wide with confusion and she choked on the salt water. Gabriel didn’t have the breath to speak so he simply grabbed her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The salt stung his eyes as he struggled with the waves that crashed to their backs. Thankfully, they were actually propelling them toward the beach. Still, it seemed to take hours before Gabriel touched bottom and could lift the woman in his arms.
He set her down on the sand and tried not to gaze at her naked body. Firm, high breasts thrust with each ragged breath and brushed his hand. Gabriel instantly jerked it back. He found his eyes wandering lower to a v-shaped waist and long legs that lay entangled together with seaweed.
Gabriel mentally slapped himself and cradled her head. His gaze refocused on her pale face with golden eyes framed by long, dark lashes. She seemed very confused as she glanced frantically around at the land.
