by M. Leighton
“Now’s not the time to be a slow poke, Madly,” Jersey chastised from where she’d flopped down on her bed. “Get showered, get dressed and get back here! You’ve got some ‘splaining to do.”
Jersey said the last in her best, thickest Spanish accent. I could almost hear the character from one of her favorite old television shows saying the words to his wife, Lucy.
Quickly, I gathered everything I’d need and headed for the shower.
********
I was apparently lucky enough to catch Jersey in a fairly patient mood. But even after rehearsing over and over what I would and would not tell her, I still found myself dreading the conversation. What it boiled down to, even more than her finding out about my relationship with Jackson, was that I hated lying to my friend. But, I couldn’t handle drama with her on top of everything else right now, so I felt I had to keep the truth from her for a little while longer. So I did.
“Okay, spill it. All of it,” Jersey ordered the instant I returned from my shower.
“You know I was thinking about that. Can I just wait and tell you the same time I tell Aidan? I’m sure he’ll want to know. Kellina, too. And I need to go check on them, especially considering what was going on when I left.”
Jersey sighed, a very put-upon sound that left me in no doubt of how much I was asking of her. I put on my most convincing face and she finally gave in, albeit grudgingly.
“Fine. But let’s get moving then. You know how I hate to wait.”
I smiled my gratitude. Fifteen minutes later, we were out the door, heading to the park. Jersey had informed me that Aidan would be with Kellina, whose house sat at the back edge of the woods, so that’s where we were going.
As we made our way along the path, images of Kellina’s liberation from Wolfhardt flashed through my mind like so many snapshots. Pictures—graphic, harrowing, terrifying—faded in and out. A slide show of horror.
Jersey and I discussed what happened. She’d already talked to Aidan, but only briefly, just enough to get the highlights. As we walked, I filled in the blanks for her. I knew from her gaping mouth she was having trouble imagining what I was describing. And, to her credit, it was quite an astounding cascade of events. Certainly not for the faint of heart.
“I guess it’s a good thing that you and Aidan weren’t in love then. What would’ve happened if you’d tied to him? A guy who’s half Mer and half werewolf?” When I didn’t answer immediately, Jersey mused absently. “Wonder what that makes him? A Merewolf? A Merwolf? Oh, or how ‘bout a Wolfmer? I like Wolfmer best. Reminds me of Homer, which of course makes me think of Homer Simpson. I just wish Aidan was that dorky. We could use a friend like that. Someone to make fun of.”
I knew if I was quiet long enough, she’d keep going on her tangent. And, with Jersey, it was always fun to see where she ended up.
“Maybe if we call him a Wolfmer often enough, he’ll turn into Homer Simpson. How cool would that be?”
Finally, she turned to look at me. She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, that’s probably a kind of mean thing to wish for, isn’t it?” I didn’t need to answer. “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t say things like that. Except to you.”
“Oh, so it’s okay to infect my mind with thoughts like that?”
“Hey, most of it’s not that bad.”
“’Most’ being the operative word,” I reminded her with a dubious look.
Jersey giggled. She loved to bestow upon me shocking imagery, things she knew I’d never be able to forget. I think she took personal pride in scarring me for life. “Ah, I’m not that bad.”
“Jersey, there are things you’ve told me that I will never be able to get out of my head. Never! Not even with bleach and steel wool.”
She threw her arm around my neck. “What are friends for, if not to torture each other?”
I grinned, but not at Jersey’s comment. I wondered if she would still feel that way if I told her the things her brother and I had done the night before. I was pretty sure she’d then sympathize with my urge to put out my mind’s eye with a hot poker.
By that point, we had arrived at Kellina’s. We ascended the numerous wide steps that led to the porch of the white plantation style house and stopped in front of the door. I raised my hand to rap my knuckles on the wood, but it was jerked open before I could. Aidan stood there grinning.
“Madly, you’re back!” He pulled me to him for a bone-splintering bear hug.
“Good to see you, too,” I squeezed out. I was thankful when he released me.
“How’d you know it was us?” Jersey asked. “Did you see us coming? ‘Cause I thought that was the eye of the tiger. Shouldn’t you be, like, sniffing butts or howling at the moon?” she teased, slapping his shoulder playfully before moving past him into the house. She acted as if she’d been there dozens of times.
“What do you mean? I did smell your butt. All the way across the yard. You got some stank!”
“Touché, pussy ca—oh wait. That’s not you either,” she said, tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Oh, I’ve got it. Do I need to reward you for opening the door? Do I need to bring treats next time and call you a ‘good boy’?”
I sighed. This could go on forever. “All right. Enough with the pet humor. Where’s Kellina?” I asked.
“She’s upstairs,” Aidan answered. “Come on. I’ll show you.” He stopped on the third step and turned back to grin sheepishly at me. “Oh, I, uh, I guess you’ve been up here before, huh, Madly?”
I smiled but said nothing. On the one hand, the events of two days prior were as clear as if they’d happened only moments before. They were indelibly etched onto my memory. But on the other hand, so much had happened since then, it seemed as though weeks had passed since I’d nearly killed Kellina to exorcise Wolfhardt. Walking into her room provided me with an eerie collision of the two sensations.
Kellina was reclining against the headboard with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, munching on some potato chips. When she saw us, she smiled.
Anyone who didn’t know her better might say she looked like she had every other day. But I knew better. Her face was gaunt and her eyes were haunted in a way they hadn’t been a few days prior. I fully expected the gauntness to go away after she’d rested. But not the hauntedness. I doubted that would ever go away. Kellina was a werewolf who’d been possessed by the black spirit of Ulrich Wolfhardt. That wasn’t something she could just shrug off and get over.
Aidan breezed past us and climbed up onto the bed. He brushed his lips over Kellina’s before stretching out on his side facing her, facing us. For just a second, they smiled into each other’s eyes. Although their exchange was brief, it carried with it a wealth of information.
I smiled, too. I was relieved.
Aidan and Kellina were tied. Mated. Destined to be together. I recognized it immediately. Even if it hadn’t been plain to see, I’d have recognized it. I’d seen it in Mer my whole life. I knew as long as Kellina and Aidan had each other, they’d both be just fine.
“So, I’ll admit, I did wonder if you’d smell like a dog,” Jersey blurted. All eyes turned toward her. “I’m so glad you don’t. That’s one of the things about life on dry land I have the hardest time adjusting to—smells. Ack!”
“I’m just glad you’re not blunt, Jersey,” Kellina teased. “I mean, what on earth would I do if you spoke your mind?”
“I figure it like this: I’m just doing people a favor. Keeps ‘em from wondering what I’m thinking. It’s a real time-saver.”
Everyone chuckled. I exhaled. Jersey often toed the line between endearingly bald and offensive. I was glad Kellina wasn’t offended.
“So, glad to see you back in one piece,” Aidan said, offering a change of subject. “How’d it go?”
I paused as I decided what and how much to tell Aidan, especially in front of Kellina. They might be tied, but she wasn’t one of us. In fact, for a while, she’d been one of “them” instead.
“You can say anything in front of Kellina. She won’t tell a soul,” he added, as if reading my mind.
“Psssh, I know that,” I waved him off. Secretly, though, I was a little disconcerted I’d been that transparent. “I’m just trying to think of the best way to hit the high spots and not bore you to death.”
I nearly rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness of my prevarication. Of the many words I could use to describe the trip to Atlas, boring was not one of them. Not in a million years.
When I didn’t continue right away, Aidan prompted. “Did you see your Dad? What did you find out? Is Atlas free?”
I sighed. “No. Atlas is definitely not free.”
I summarized what had happened in Atlas as best I could, conveniently omitting any intimate details between Jackson and me. Neither Aidan nor Jersey was familiar with the cave that led to our eventual escape, so I didn’t have to explain that we’d had to pass through the Pool of Neptune to get to it. And I was glad, because both of them were all too familiar with the implications of that.
When I got to the part about the Sea Witch, Aidan perked up. “I thought she was just a legend.”
“So did I, but apparently the Seers disagree.”
“Who’s the Sea Witch?” Kellina asked.
Aidan jumped in to answer her question. “No one really knows that much about her. She was always thought to be just a legend, but if she’s real, we could be in deep trouble.”
“Why? If she’s a Mer…”
“Well, she may be a Mer, but she’s something else, too. Supposedly, the Sea Witch is an anomaly. She is the only Mer ever to be born with magic that exists outside that of our race, outside that generated by Atlas and the water. Legend says she was touched by an angel other than Neptune. Most Mer think she was influenced by Lucifer himself, making her evil incarnate, but some maintain that it’s possible she was gifted by Salacia instead, making her a good witch. No one really knows for sure. The only thing everyone agrees upon is that she is incredibly powerful. She can control Mer as well as the Lore. If she were bent toward the darker side, it could be devastating for practically all life on Earth.
“Personally, I think she’ll be evil. I remember hearing a story about her when I was little. It said the Sea Witch was once a beautiful, sweet Mermaid who had a normal family. She even tied to a Mer and planned to marry. But Lucifer, always power hungry, wanted her for himself. In order to turn her cold and hard, he took from her everyone she loved, leaving her bitter and alone. Legend says he unleashed upon her one Lore after another until her life was completely destroyed, turning her mean, turning her toward dark instead of light. Turning her toward him. Just as he planned. The Sea Witch, not knowing it was Lucifer who actually caused all the tragedy that befell her, entered into an agreement with the devil himself. He made her an offer she couldn’t refuse—revenge.”
We all listened intently. I had never heard that story before. By the look on her face, neither had Jersey. When Aidan didn’t continue immediately, Kellina asked. “So what did she do?”
Aidan shrugged. “Some say she’s still waiting for her revenge. Some say the legend was actually prophecy and that she has yet to rise. Some say she hasn’t even been born yet. No one knows for sure.”
“What do you think?”
“I think if she’s real at all, she has yet to rise. With that kind of power, someone would’ve seen her or felt her destruction by now. I don’t think she could’ve waited this long for revenge. Also, even the High Council doesn’t have definitive answers, which I think is why they say she’s merely legend. They hate not being in the know. If she was out there, they’d have found her.”
“Why wouldn’t the Seers know for sure?”
Not being a member of our race, I had to applaud Kellina’s grasp of what she’d heard and what she knew of the Mer culture.
“Supposedly, because of her great power and questionable allegiance, she and many of her actions are partially obscured to the Seers, making their vision and, therefore, their predictions less accurate.”
“So how will you know…anything then?”
“It has been said that as her power increases, all the elements will bend toward her, that she will have near-total control of the world around her. Fire, air, and earth as well as water.”
“That doesn’t sound like much to go on,” Kellina observed, voicing what we were all thinking.
“No, but I think there would be other indications, too. Things no one would know to expect. Surely a being that powerful wouldn’t be easily concealed, ya know? Not to mention that her life is a tragedy of practically Shakespearean proportions. Something like that wouldn’t go unnoticed among our people.”
I felt a modicum of comfort from Aidan’s reasoning. It seemed sound and logical. I’d relay it all to Jackson later and see what he thought. As far as I was concerned, his was the opinion that mattered most.
“Why not? My life does,” Jersey offered.
“Your life is hardly a tragedy, Jersey,” Aidan rebutted.
“It is from my perspective. I haven’t had a really good kiss in forever and all my girlie parts are gonna dry up if they don’t get some attention. I thought an internship in Slumber was supposed to be like rumspringa.”
“I think ten thousand Amish people just passed out at that reference, Jersey,” Kellina giggled. I couldn’t help but join her. As far as tension breakers go, Jersey was a walking, talking ice pick.
The conversation lightened up considerably following her wildly inappropriate comment. We chatted for a while. Kellina’s yawn reminded me that even a fun visit was probably taxing. I had all but forgotten what kind of an ordeal she’d been through.
“I guess we’re probably interrupting your rest. I need to get this one back anyway,” I said, inclining my head toward Jersey, who looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. “It will only go downhill from here.”
“What?” Jersey asked. “What’d I say?”
Kellina giggled again, but didn’t argue. I could see the fatigue dragging at the corners of her mouth and eyes. Her skin was a bit paler than when we’d arrived, too. She was still recovering and we weren’t helping.
CHAPTER NINE
Jackson must’ve been waiting for us to get back. Jersey and I had just walked into our room when the adjoining door opened. I felt my face flush with pleasure at the sight of him standing in the doorway.
We started to smile at one another, but it was as if, at the exact same moment, we both realized that Jersey was watching. She hadn’t witnessed Jackson’s confession after we captured Wolfhardt, so she didn’t know that we were aware of each other’s feelings. And that was no doubt for the best. At least for the time being anyway.
Jackson cleared his throat and I turned away, busying myself with straightening my bed before I sat down on it. I worked hard to school my features before turning back around.
“Where have you two been?”
“Visiting Aidan and Kellina. Is that a problem?” Jersey asked drolly.
Jackson didn’t answer. “Got some good news at Transport.”
Jackson looked from me to Jersey and back again. “Go ahead. She knows the gist of what’s going on.”
“No running your mouth, Jersey. You can’t—”
“I know, I know,” she interrupted testily. “We’ve been through this once before. Remember? I actually helped last time.”
Jackson grunted. “That’s debatable.”
“Hey, don’t forget that it was me who—”
“All right, you two. Enough. Jersey’s fine. Jackson, what did you find out?”
The two siblings glared at each other for several seconds longer before Jackson’s expression cleared and he turned to me. “It looks like we might have a little bit of a break.”
I perked up instantly. “Why do you say that? Do you know who the descendant is?”
“Now Madly, would I have called that a ‘little’ break?”
I felt deflated. “Good point. So what is it
?”
“When the first couple of Lore were released, Atlas’s systems tried to catch up. The shields flickered for a couple of seconds three times. Each time they did, it slowed the escape of the Lore. What that means for us is that it should be longer between arrivals now. We might have a little more time to think and plan between captures.”
“Time to plan? That would be nice. Maybe we could even find a way to free Atlas before the next one arrives.” I paused. “Provided, of course, that we can catch these two quickly.”
“That’s something else. It’s supposed to rain later today. After I get back from my debriefing, maybe we could go out and let you conjure up all the science geeks before we hit the books tonight.”
Jackson’s eyes twinkled and my stomach muscles clenched. I tried hard not to smile, to act normal. Well, what Jersey knew as my normal anyway.
“Sounds good. I don’t have any other plans. Not that it would matter. This is important,” I added for good measure.
“I can help,” Jersey chimed. “You know how much I love to play in the rain.”
Jackson and I both turned to look at her, neither having expected her offer. And I don’t know why. Jersey wasn’t the type who liked to be left out of anything.
“Um, we, uh, I’m not sure if we could concentrate enough with you there, Jersey,” I stammered. “We have to really focus to get our powers to work that well together.”
Much to my relief, Jersey shrugged. “Okay, then I can help with the book part. When do we start? And what are we researching? Three minds are better than two.”
She had us there. Help with the research would be a benefit. There was no denying it.
“We might have to pull an all-nighter, Jersey. There’s no reason for all three of us to be sleep-deprived,” Jackson reasoned.
“You just don’t want me around. Don’t think I can’t see right through you, Jackson Hamilton,” Jersey griped, hands fisted on her hips.
