by M. Leighton
********
Jackson and I exited much the way we’d entered. The only differences were that he held my hand tightly, comfortingly and we said absolutely nothing once we’d left the study.
We had just left the guard’s shack, officially signing the Rainnses out of the Warden’s company when it hit us. A high-pitched sound split my eardrums and made my head feel like it was about to explode. It was excruciating.
When I managed to crack my eyelids and glance toward Jackson, I could see his discomfort through my blurry vision. In some corner of my mind, I was thankful he was faring much better than I.
I saw Jackson tilt and my scrambled brain thought at first he was falling over. I wanted to do something about it, but before I could gather the strength, I realized it was my knees buckling, that I was the one falling.
I wanted to lift my hands to my ears, to cover them and try to block out some of the siren, but I was incapacitated by the whistle. Unable to keep them open any longer, I let my eyelids fall shut once more. I knew I was going down. I could feel unconsciousness clawing at the doors of my mind.
And then I was in Jackson’s arms. I felt them come around me like bands of warm steel just before my body crumbled to the pearl sidewalk on which we stood.
A rhythmic thump assured me we were moving. It took a mammoth effort to open my eyes again, but I managed it, looking up into Jackson’s handsome, sweaty face. He was struggling to keep us both upright and on the move.
That’s when I saw it.
Like a wraith, something dark passed over Jackson’s head. I saw its form for only a single breath before it disappeared behind a wavy cloak of shimmering light that mimicked the crystalline skies of Atlas. But what I’d seen in that fraction of a second, I would never forget.
It was Leviathan. I’d only heard the legends during school, seen the age-old drawings of what it was rumored to have looked like, but I’d never met someone who had actually seen it. Nevertheless, I knew. Instinctively, I knew. Its true form was just as the High Councilors had once described. Just as terrifying.
Each of its three heads was clearly visible. Eyes like the orange rays of dawn hovered above nostrils that streamed with white smoke. Each mouth was round and wide and ringed with hundreds of sharp, triangular teeth and its single breath was laced with fire. Its body was serpentine and covered in dozens of hard scales that protected its tender skin like so many shields. And then I saw its belly. It was lined with jagged spikes that appeared razor sharp. One brush with that belly would gut a Mer. Or decapitate one.
“Jackson, run!” I exclaimed breathily. My voice wasn’t very loud, but I knew that it had made its way to Jackson’s ears. Just before my eyes shut again, I saw him glance down at me with alarm in his eyes.
And then we were sailing through the streets. I couldn’t hear or see anything, only feel. Pain. Movement. Warmth. Fear.
Running, running, running, I barely heard the voice penetrate the shrill noise that clamored around in my head. But I did. It was Jackson’s
“Madly, can you use your bracelet to make it stop? Or make us not be able to hear it? Anything? Just for a few minutes?”
I struggled to access my power, to concentrate, to focus. But I couldn’t. Coherent thought through the pain was impossible. I tried to speak, to tell Jackson I was trying, but my lips and tongue refused to obey my commands.
Suddenly, I felt heat. Steamy heat. The air was thick with it, covering my skin in a light sheen of moisture. I could hear Jackson’s heartbeat beneath my ear. I could feel his chest expanding against me as he panted. I could actually think, the mind-scrambling whistle only a distant whine.
Effortlessly, I opened my eyes. What I saw confused me.
Sparkling white flakes danced around him like a halo. Several had settled in his short, black hair and on the bronze skin of his face. His eyes were squinted as if he were taking us through a snow storm. I knew what the material was. I’d seen it numerous times before.
They were holy blessings. They were manifest in Atlas in a truly physical way, presenting as shimmering flakes that rained down constantly into the Pool of Neptune and onto its lush, grassy banks. That’s where we were. I knew it. I could hear the gush of the waterfall.
Swiveling my head to look around, I wasn’t surprised to see the deep, round pool of turquoise water, the rich green that framed it or the rocky cliff at its rear, the one partially obscured by the waterfall. I’d been there many times.
But why were we here? And how had we gotten here so quickly?
I’d blacked out. Somehow, as I’d been fighting to use my powers, I’d passed out. At least three, maybe four minutes had elapsed since we’d been running from the mansion.
“Jackson, what are we doing here?”
Slowing his run to a brisk walk, Jackson looked down at me. Regret was in his eyes.
“I’m sorry it has to be this way, Madly, but we have to swim into the waterfall. For the outlet.”
Without pausing, Jackson walked into the shallow end of the pool and stopped. He stood perfectly still, watching me, as if moments before we hadn’t been frantically trying to escape certain death.
My faculties back in working order, it didn’t take me long to see his logic. The Pool of Neptune was holy water. Its purpose in Mer culture was ceremonial. The mating tie had long been considered a divine coupling. A fated pair of Mer swam together in the Pool of Neptune much as humans had weddings in churches—to bind their union in the eyes of God.
Just as churches sat on holy ground, the Pool of Neptune was also consecrated. For that reason, no evil could tolerate contact with it, not even with its steam that filled the air. Jackson, ever the brilliant strategist and quick on his feet, had put two and two together. Leviathan was pure evil. Jackson had chosen the one place in all of Atlas Leviathan could not follow.
Also in his genius, Jackson had taken into account something that few Mer knew. There was an outlet behind the waterfall that fed the pool, one that only a few royals and select Sentinels knew of. As I was, Jackson was no doubt gambling on Leviathan not ranking among the few who knew of its existence.
Looking from the waters back into Jackson’s face, I puzzled over his reaction. “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”
“We’ll be married if we go in there. You know that.” I struggled for Jackson to set me on my feet, but he held fast.
“Why won’t you let me down?”
A bittersweet look slid over Jackson’s face. “I didn’t want it to be like this. I wanted you to have the wedding you used to dream about when you were little, the one with all the pink flowers. I had always thought that, one day, when the time was right, I would propose to you. Something really romantic. Something you’d never forget. And we’d have the wedding you wanted. Your family would be there and they’d be pleased for you, even though you would be marrying beneath you. And then—”
“Stop right there, Jackson. And let me down.”
“If I let you down, if your feet touch these waters, there’s no going back. Right now we’re safe from Leviathan. We can’t stay here forever, but maybe I could figure out something else.”
“Why?” I asked, reaching up to cup his cheek. “Jackson, the end result will be the same regardless. I want to marry you. I want to be tied to you in any way I can be. And there’s no reason we couldn’t have a big wedding one day. We have to do this now, but even if we didn’t, I’d marry you in a heartbeat. Every day if I could.”
Jackson’s lips pulled up into a lopsided grin, but it still seemed somehow bittersweet. “You say that now, under duress.”
“I’d say that any day, every day. Jackson, I love you. You are my mate. Put me down. I’ll prove it to you.”
His eyes trained on mine, Jackson released my legs. My feet were still inches from the water, my body pressed tightly to his. Slowly, he let me slide down him until I felt the warm water tickle my toes.
“Stop!” I blurted. Jackson did as I asked, but in his eyes, it was plain to see he d
idn’t know the water was already touching my skin. “Will you marry me, Jackson Hamilton?”
He laughed and a puff of relieved air fanned my face. His smile was more genuine this time. “I was married to you the day you were born, you just didn’t know it yet,” he whispered, bending his head to rub his nose against mine.
I smiled and wiggled until my feet touched the sandy bottom of the pool and the water brushed my calves. Jackson’s grip moved down to my hands. We stood in the water staring into each other’s eyes for a meaningful eternity. Finally, his face shining into mine, he brought my left hand to his lips and kissed my ring finger. “Now you’re really mine.”
“I’ve always been yours.”
Jackson smiled. I smiled. Then, together, we turned and dove into the pool and swam toward the waterfall as a couple, joined in the heart, in the soul and in the eyes of God.
CHAPTER FIVE
The warm waters that flowed over my skin and scales were no comparison to the fire coming from Jackson’s hand. I looked over at him as we swam toward the waterfall. He was watching me. With a grin, he gave my hand a little squeeze and turned his eyes frontward. I couldn’t be sure I wasn’t imagining it, but he looked as happy as I felt.
We were married. I got to keep the man of my dreams. He was all mine. Forever. Nothing could separate us now. Nothing and no one.
When I looked ahead, I could see the churn of bubbles as the water fell from the cliff into the pool. Jackson took us right through it and then pulled me toward the surface on the other side. We emerged in a small air pocket against the rocks, surrounded on three sides by water. I saw no outlet, although I knew one was supposed to be back there somewhere. I looked up and still saw no opening.
“Are you sure there’s an outlet back here? I mean, have you ever seen it?”
“No, but I know there is one. We just have to find it.”
Jackson put his foot in a groove in the rock face and felt around for a place to grip with his hands.
“Wait,” I said, reaching forward to still him. “There might be an easier way.” Jackson turned to face me and I smiled up into his eyes, laying my fingertips gently against his cheek. “Maybe we can look without moving.”
I concentrated on my bracelet, feeling it warm instantly against my skin. Not only was I in Atlas, but I was surrounded by holy water. My power was at its greatest.
Closing my eyes, I let my vision travel up the waterfall, looking back at the rock face as it rose. I saw every crag and crevice in perfect detail, as did Jackson. I transmitted it to him through my fingertips.
“There it is!” Jackson exclaimed.
Toward the very top of the waterfall, nearly imperceptible beneath the dark shadow of the heavy water, was an opening. It couldn’t have been more than two or three feet across at its mouth, which was angled slightly upward, making the hole even harder to see by any other means.
“How are we supposed to get up there?” I asked, opening my eyes and removing my fingers from Jackson’s cheek.
“I guess we’ll have to climb, unless you can find a way to get us up there using that nifty little bracelet of yours.”
I knew he was joking, but, being at such a nexus of power, it made me wonder if I could use my bracelet to help us. “I could try to lift us up through the waterfall.”
“Seriously?”
I shrugged. “I can try.”
“Then I’ll go first. If either of us is going to be performing a two hundred-foot cliff dive, it’s going to be me.”
The idea of Jackson falling from such a height made me shudder. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“On second thought, maybe—”
“Stop. I was only joking,” Jackson said with a tolerant smile. “I have faith in you, Madly. You’re more powerful than you think. I trust you not to let me fall. Trust yourself.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Jackson stepped into the harsh rain of the waterfall and he waited. His confidence in me was complete. And it was nerve racking.
Again, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my bracelet, feeling it warm. Within seconds, it was hot against my skin, almost painfully so. Maybe it was my fear of hurting Jackson. Maybe it was the effort with which I was focusing. Maybe it was the power I was harnessing. I couldn’t be sure, but I knew at that moment I was capable of virtually anything.
I pictured the waterfall, cascading down over the edge of the cliff, the turquoise waters concealing all that was behind them. I pictured Jackson within that flow of water, rising as if weightless, higher and higher. I looked for the opening I’d seen and I pictured Jackson climbing purposefully from the water into the yawning mouth, his shoulders just able to fit through it.
Then, deep inside my head, I heard Jackson speak to me. It was as clear as if he’d been standing by my side.
Your turn, my princess.
Realizing on some level that I hadn’t heard a crash or a splash, I assumed Jackson had arrived much as I’d seen him in my vision. So, without opening my eyes and breaking my concentration, I stepped forward until I felt the warm tingly waters of the fall pouring down upon my head.
I repeated the process, only picturing myself rising to the opening instead. Within seconds, I was following Jackson through the hole into a large cavern that lay just beyond the mouth.
Opening my eyes so I didn’t have to “see” through my mind, I found that I was nearly blind. It was almost completely dark inside the cave. If it weren’t for the dappled spots of pale light refracting off the waterfall, I wouldn’t have been able to see at all.
“So, what now?” I asked, feeling pleased with myself over my accomplishment. However, reality was soon to intrude upon my pleasure.
“Madly,” Jackson began, his tone causing my stomach to fill with dread. “You know our plan to rescue Truly is out of the question now, right?”
“No, it’s not. I know we’ve missed our meeting with Aaron, but I could try and contact him. Or my father. We could—”
“It’s over Madly. We’ll have to try again later. Not only is Leviathan looking for us, and most likely not for polite conversation, you’re not safe down here. Not even with your father in your own house. No one should’ve known we were here. No one but the four of us.”
“But who… I mean, how… we didn’t…”
“I know, I’m confused, too. But what we do know is that, right now, the only people who can be trusted are in this room.”
I wanted desperately to argue, to defend my father vehemently, but I couldn’t. Jackson was right. Something was wrong.
“You know my father would never—”
“I’m not suggesting that he’d do otherwise, Madly. I’m just saying there are things going on down here that we didn’t account for. Now that we have more information, we can try something else when we bring the next Lore back. But right now, I have to get you out of here.”
“Jackson, I can’t leave my—”
“You have to. You know that. You don’t have a choice.”
When I started to challenge that point, Jackson quickly continued. “Not really. You’re the best chance Atlas has and you know it.”
Feeling the hopelessness of the situation crowding in on me, I fought the tears that prickled against my eyelids. Although I didn’t say a word, didn’t make a sound, Jackson knew what I wasn’t saying.
“Come here,” he said, opening up arms that I could barely see.
Emotion tightening my chest, I walked into Jackson’s embrace and laid my head over his heart. Within his strong hold, nothing felt hopeless, everything felt possible, and I needed a big dose of that optimism.
As he stroked my hair and spoke softly, I felt the world slowly return to rights.
“We’ll stay here for a while tonight in case Leviathan is still looking for us. Then, in a few hours, we’ll find a distraction we can use to get us past the shield. Once we’re back in Slumber, we’ll find the next Lore and return them. By then we’ll have a plan and we’ll save your family
and the rest of Atlas.”
It sounded so logical, so simple. So…do-able. “Promise?” I mumbled quietly, knowing he could make no such promise.
I raised my head to look up at him. He traced his fingertip from my temple down my cheek to my lips, brushing them lightly. Bending his head to mine, he whispered across my mouth, “Trust me.”
His kiss was like a warm breeze, barely there, and then he lifted his head to stare down into my eyes. I couldn’t see him clearly, just the bits and pieces the shimmering light illuminated. It made the water droplets on his skin and in his hair glisten like diamonds, even the ones that clung to his lashes.
“Don’t do that,” he groaned quietly.
“Do what?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“Look at me like that.”
Desire rippled through me. “Like what?”
“Like you want to lick all the water off me.”
“Is that how I’m looking at you?” I knew I was being coy.
“You know it is.”
“So what if I do? What if I want to touch my tongue to every drop of water on your skin? Is that such a bad thing?” As I spoke, I leaned back a bit further and let my eyes rove his face and chest. A single droplet ran from the hollow of his throat down the center of his chest. Reaching out, I caught it on the tip of my finger and stuck it in my mouth. I heard Jackson gasp seconds before he crushed me to him.
His lips on mine were flames that spread through me like wildfire. His arms tightened around me. One big hand splayed between my shoulder blades, the other on my butt. Both pulled me toward him, pressing me against him in the most intimate way. I could feel his hardness against the soft part of my belly and lava poured down my legs.
He ground his hips into mine and his moan tickled its way all the way up my tongue, sending a shiver down my back. Reaching up, I threaded my fingers into his short hair and held him close, wishing he could devour me, and I him. I ached for Jackson in ways I’d never ached for anyone, ached for him in places I didn’t know could ache in such a way.
I was panting, rubbing my body against Jackson’s when he tore his mouth away from mine and held me at arm’s length. I could hear his heavy breathing. I could feel his desire for me like a thickness in the air. It filled the cave and warmed my skin.
