Hearken (Daughters of the Sea Series)

by Kristen Day

  “It’s not up to you to decide what I need and don’t need.”

  “Your pride has no bounds, vraziliániki̱ omorfiá mou,” he accused, before smiling and jumping off the boat with ease. His endearment almost got him punched.

  “I will never be ‘your Brazilian beauty’,” I said; using air quotes as I translated his Greek words. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know me.”

  “I’d never do such a thing.” He paused and leaned in so close I felt his breath against my ear; sending treasonous shivers down my spine. “But then again, it is a closed book that yearns to be read the most.”

  “Excuse me-?” I began, but was interrupted by Phoebe when she ran up beside me in a panic.

  “We can’t bring our stuff? What are we supposed to wear?”

  “Everything you need will be provided,” I copied Sebastian’s Greek accent for Phoebe.

  “Really?” she squealed. “It’ll be like we’re real Atlanteans!” She ran back to Carmen, Avery and Stasia in excitement. Not exactly the response I had hoped for. Sebastian breezed by me with a light chuckle. He was really starting to work my nerves, and I vowed to let him know exactly what I thought about him and his uppity opinions the next time he made the mistake of talking to me. I reluctantly followed the other girls up the strip of rocks toward the towering cliffs with Sebastian in the lead.

  “When Atlantis was raised from the Middle Sea, the cliffs were made stronger and taller to protect our ancient land from the very persons who wished to exploit it,” Sebastian informed us solicitously.

  “Mediterranean Sea,” I corrected him.

  “Which means ‘Middle of the Land Sea’,” he said without having the decency to look at me; piquing my anger even more. “Also known to Atlanteans as the Middle Sea.”

  “Then what’s the shield for?” Avery asked.

  “It’s simply to ward off those who don’t believe or aren’t worthy of seeing our veiled paradise.” I rolled my eyes at our self-appointed tour guide’s flimsy explanation. His Greek accent gave his English an elite lilt that made my skin crawl.

  With a captive audience in Phoebe, Carmen and Avery, he continued his extensive lecture of the Atlantean history and its people. I drowned him out by humming to myself and taking in my surroundings. I kept a close eye on Stasia, who was obviously sensing more from the island than we were. A jealous pang shot through my heart and I thought about how amazing it would be to have her extensive abilities. But as my mom always said:

  “Great destiny and abilities come with equally great responsibility and obligation.”

  As I watched Stasia glance around with a sudden bout of ADHD, I reminded myself that ignorance was definitely bliss in some cases. We followed Sebastian to an arched opening that led within the cliff wall itself. I purposely fell back to ensure no one had followed us, but I also wanted to put as much distance between myself and our tour guide as possible. It was safer for us both that way. I’d hate to have to kill the first Atlantean I’d ever met.

  As we walked farther into the tunnel, the roar of the ocean was muted by the deafening silence all around us. I felt Stasia’s apprehension as well as her excitement at this new experience, and wondered what exactly she was sensing in our surroundings that the rest of us could not. My Paladin abilities were able to tell me her emotions, but not the cause. I ran a hand along the wall to my right. The claustrophobic tunnel’s walls were smooth from centuries of use, and a light breeze alleviated the heat pressing in from the solid rock surrounding us.

  We marched on for another ten minutes until we reached a steep stone staircase leading to more infinite darkness. As we continued to climb, distinct smells began to assault my senses. Perfumes and musks I’d never smelled before filled my mind with visions of vibrant flowers, fields of wild animals and water infused with magic. My thoughts of Stasia’s mental state fell away as I breathed deeply and began to relax. For some reason everything felt ‘right’ here; as if everything was just as it was supposed to be. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I could feel it. It settled in my heart and soul like a soft blanket of velvet and I smiled.

  The air cooled slightly as a sliver of light appeared up ahead, and I found myself moving faster to reach it. Stepping out into the sunlight required a moment of blinking before my eyes adjusted, but once they did, I froze in overwhelming amazement. We’d stepped out of the island’s protective cliffs and into an ethereal water wonderland. All around us a lush forest hid its secrets beneath heavy limbs overflowing with vibrant green leaves and flowering vines. Directly ahead, a gentle stream cut a path through the landscape and flowed down towards countless unseen mysteries. The rock wall behind us and the rocky banks of a stream were littered with waterfalls of all shapes and sizes; providing a sort of sound track for our arrival. As we neared the stream, two white vessels resembling canoes came into view and we all looked to Sebastian for direction.

  Instead of providing an explanation, he secured one of the canoes on the bank and motioned for us to get in. Avery glanced back at Stasia for approval before easing herself down into the front of the canoe. Carmen and Phoebe followed suit, and began to inspect their new primitive mode of transportation.

  “You’ll be in the lead canoe with me,” Sebastian informed me and Stasia. His authoritative tone told me there would be no arguing his commands.

  “Super,” I mumbled. He held Stasia’s hand and waited patiently while she lowered herself inside the thin canoe. His tan skin glowed in the light of the sun, accentuating the muscles in his arms when he held his hand out for me. He smiled widely when he caught me staring.

  “I knew you’d be ecstatic,” he quipped, and I forced myself to look away. The last thing I needed was for him to see me gawking at his half-naked body. His ego was big enough as it was. I grudgingly took the hand he offered, but immediately realized it had been a mistake. He pulled me closer and turned my palm over for inspection. I tried to pull my arm back, but his grip was secure. His brows furrowed as he inspected my palm and ran a tender finger over the all-seeing eye. I balled my hand into a fist in response and yanked at my arm again, but instead of letting me go he wrapped a strong, warm hand around my balled up fist and met my angry gaze with assurance.

  “Let go of me,” I demanded of him with gritted teeth. I felt the electrical charge run through my veins as my body heat spiked drastically, and then felt the unmistakable frenzy behind my eyes and tried to push it back. It was a difficult task, being that every cell in my body wanted to fight. The other girls were too busy talking about the island to notice our exchange, but I felt Stasia’s eyes on us.

  “Well this explains a lot,” Sebastian admitted in Greek with a smug chuckle. “I thought I sensed something different about you.”

  “Unless you want to sense your own gruesome death, you’ll let go of me,” I threatened back in Greek.

  “She is in capable hands, indeed.” He eyed me knowingly until something in my face betrayed my secret; making his blue eyes widen in surprise. “She doesn’t know.”

  “I said let go of me,” I hissed at him again.

  “Maybe you’re not as fearless as I thought…” he surmised with a smirk, but finally released my hand. I turned my back on him and climbed into the boat behind Stasia. I leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

  “I don’t trust this guy. Something isn’t right about him.”

  “He’s our Atlantean Guide,” she whispered back, “appointed by Amphitrite. We can trust him.”

  “I don’t like it,” I mumbled as he expertly maneuvered our canoe and slowly slid it into the water along with the second canoe, which contained Avery, Carmen and Phoebe and was connected by a rope to our boat. Sebastian waded into the stream and climbed into our canoe in front of Stasia. With one swift push, we were on our way downstream and into the belly of Atlantis.

  Chapter 17

  Stasia

  “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Avery cooed at the lush forest as our canoes
cut through the water. I felt as if we were explorers on a journey bound for a new world. Everything was foreign; from the curtains of flowering vines hanging from the tree branches, to the small land-bound birds flitting around the banks of the stream. The water we cruised along was as clear as a summer’s day, and the rocks lining the bottom shimmered bronze in the sunlight.

  “Willow would have loved this,” Phoebe exhaled in awe. A brief stillness blanketed the canoes and we all paused; the grief simmering below the surface.

  “Where are we going?” Carmen asked Sebastian from the canoe behind us; breaking the silence.

  “To your new home away from home.” He twisted around to face us with excitement. “Ta Dentróspita. Or as you would say in English, ‘The Tree Houses’.”

  “We get to stay in trees!?” Phoebe bounced up and down excitedly in the canoe, which rocked the entire caravan. “I’ve always wanted to swing on the branches like a monkey or hug them like a koala!”

  “Easy, Tarzan,” Carmen joked as Avery fought to stabilize the canoe. “Your crazy’s showing. You might want to tuck that back in.”

  “Ta Dentróspita is a collection of visitor’s quarters surrounding one of the many lakes on the island. They are reserved for our most esteemed guests.” I noticed Sebastian’s eyes drop to Olivia as she sat behind me with amusement. “You will have all of the conveniences of an American house…just slightly farther off the ground.”

  “Fengári tou aímatos af̱xánetai,” a melodic voice whispered. I twisted around to face Olivia. She raised her eyebrows expectantly but didn’t speak.

  “Did you say something?” I questioned in confusion. She shook her head no and watched me with concern. I twisted back around and shrugged my shoulders. I figured I must be hearing things again.

  “Afounkrasteíte to krýstallo tou fo̱tós,” the voice sang in a whisper once more. This time I sat very still and listened, but I had absolutely zero chance of comprehending what it was saying. I really should have taken a Greek language class! By the time it had spoken, I didn’t have time to memorize it and repeat it to Olivia for translation.

  Sebastian swiveled back around to face the front as the water grew in temperament. The banks were suddenly overflowing with trees and flowers greedily reaching for the sun and water. Or maybe they were reaching for us. It was hard to tell. They all moved in unison as if a fierce wind was blowing. Oddly enough, the air was completely still.

  “Look at that bridge!” Avery called out to us. The bridge she referred to was still several yards ahead and ran from one side of the creek to the other. Two massive trees announced the beginning of the crossing on either side, and it almost appeared as if the bridge was made from their roots. They twisted around and over each other to traverse the large gap created by the rushing stream. Just before we floated underneath, two figures stepped out of the forest and began to cross, and I noticed they were two middle-aged women wearing long white garb. Their alabaster flowing dresses stuck out in stark contrast to the dark earthy colors of the forest.

  As we passed below, I concentrated on their essences to test whether or not I’d be able to sense them. I instantly registered an organic, almost minty energy that was refreshing and clean as sparkling spring water. I could have been standing in the middle of a greenhouse or a magical jungle with the smells filling my nose. As we passed, it dissolved rapidly and I chewed on my lip while I tried once more to sense an essence from Sebastian. Once again, there was nothing.

  I wanted to steal another look at the women, but my attention was abruptly diverted by the rapids in front of us. I grabbed the sides of the canoe and Sebastian glanced back at us with obvious anticipation as the corners of his mouth stretched into a devious smile.

  “Oh my God,” I heard Olivia mutter nervously.

  “Hold on kryies!” Sebastian yelled as our canoe dropped forward and crashed into the roaring rapids. Water flew up around us on all sides, and we were immediately sprayed by shimmering droplets that felt more like ice. I shivered as it ran down my neck and arms. I heard the girls in the second canoe squeal and tried to glance back at them to no avail. As we approached another group of rapids, my adrenaline starting pumping and I couldn’t help screaming out with delight as the canoes once again dropped forward and became battered by the merciless current.

  The canoe tilted to one side as a wave crashed over our heads and filled the canoes with sloshing water. I let go of the sides and held my arms up like I was riding a roller coaster just as we rode over another boiling rapid. The powerful energy of the water soaked into my soul, and I leaned over one side to run my fingers along the surface. The rushing river lurched with energy, and what had been medium-sized rapids before now rose to colossal waves. The intense energy rocked our canoes violently and Sebastian twisted around with alarm. His eyes followed my arm down to my hand and into the water, and a bright smile of relief lit up his face.

  “You might not want to do that!” he called out with a laugh. Realizing the change in rapids was due to my touch, I yanked my hand out of the water and back into the canoe. The water immediately subsided and returned to its normal cadence.

  “Oops,” I snickered, but the exhilaration I’d felt from the water’s energy was empowering and soothing all at the same time. I wanted nothing more than to launch my entire body into the river and swim for hours.

  “Do it again, Stasia!” Phoebe squealed behind me; assuming I’d done it on purpose. “Do it again!”

  “I really don’t feel like dying today!” Carmen shouted in response, but I had already dipped my hand back into the river. Once again the rapids increased and we were tossed like rag dolls downstream; screaming and laughing in sheer terror.

  I retracted my hand when I noticed the river up ahead stretching out into an expansive body of water. We sideswiped one last rapid before hitting the serene flat of the lake, and the roaring of the rapids was suddenly behind us.

  “Is this the lake!?” Carmen shouted before realizing she didn’t need to anymore. I heard the three girls giggle. Sebastian twisted around to face us once more.

  “I had a feeling you’d like that.” He grinned at me with appreciation before speaking to the whole group. “We have, in fact, reached our destination of Ta Dentróspita.”

  The lake we coasted across was immense, and I saw that it was in the shape of a wide circle brimming with trees. I felt a tangible pulling of my soul originating from the center of the body of water. Or maybe it was the ground beneath the lake; it was difficult to tell. All I knew was that it was impossibly strong and clouded my thoughts with undeniable emotion. An overwhelming feeling of insatiable need laced with power washed over me and filled me with the sense that I could move mountains by simply willing it to be. I pushed the cloud of power to the edges of my mind so that I could focus on the present.

  “I don’t see any tree hou-” Olivia began suspiciously, and then stopped abruptly as her mouth dropped open. “Oh.”

  Running along the edge of the forest was a type of tree I’d never seen before. Its large, thick trunk towered over the lake until it split into slightly smaller branches that all reached for the sky. They immediately reminded me of a candelabra sitting on the dinner tables I’d seen in Atlanta. The only things missing were the larger than life candles sitting on each; flickering with fire.

  More impressive were the structures the trees supported. Spaced apart just perfectly, each candelabra tree held actual houses made from wood, roots, and stone. Completely natural, they blended in perfectly with the forest and were only betrayed by the sun glinting off their windows. The entire lake was encircled by them, and no two were alike. Some trees held a single wooden house with a winding staircase leading up to its wraparound porch, while other trees supported two and three houses on separate levels, with only a staircase to connect them. The different shapes and sizes were amazingly beautiful and some had even more to offer. We passed one with a slide leading into the lake, another with a massive deck on top, and then another th
at was brimming with hammocks.

  “I told you they were tree people,” Phoebe pointed out to Carmen.

  “Tree people would be an insult,” Sebastian tapped his chin in thought. “We prefer the term Terrestrials.”

  “You want to be known as aliens?” Phoebe asked with disbelief; making Olivia snort.

  “That would be extra-terrestrial.” Sebastian snickered. “The word ‘terrestrial’ simply means ‘earthly’”

  “Your speaking privileges are taken away for the foreseeable future,” Carmen condemned her, and Olivia snickered behind me.

  “Oh my God.” I gawked openly at the beautiful structure looming ahead. “Please tell me we’re staying there.” Two wooden cottages sat poised in a candelabra tree overlooking the lake with dignity. Even the smallest details had been attended to with the utmost care. Both houses boasted multiple levels with immaculate thatched roofs on top, while a wraparound porch encircled each with a common staircase spiraling down the length of the trunk.

  “You are staying there,” Sebastian grinned ominously.

  “We are staying there – me and Stasia,” interjected a stern Olivia. She held the gaze of Sebastian with determination in an attempt to summon his concession. “I’ll be staying with Stasia. I’m her Warrior, so I need to be close.”

  “That’s okay! I’ll be fine, Olivia-” I countered, but was interrupted by Sebastian.

  “Actually that’s not a bad idea,” he agreed. “She is your Warrior, after all.” He put emphasis on her title, and I realized I would feel safer having her close, not to mention I could keep her mouth in check.

  “Just don’t climb in my bed at any point,” I joked with her. “I have a strict ‘no cuddling with girls’ policy.”

  “I can’t promise anything. What happens in the tree house, stays in the tree house,” she delivered ominously with a smile, but quickly eyed Sebastian with a furrowed brow. I could tell something was on her mind, but I’d have to save my questions for later. I knew she wouldn’t offer me any information with so many others around.