by Kristen Day
“Why now?” Mom asked Fallon.
“The tides are changing. I have been Chosen.”
“Chosen for what?”
“To restore the balance,” she answered cryptically. Instead of asking what the hell that meant - which is what I would have done, Mom sat in silence for a few seconds. I was able to sense the restrained panic rolling off of her, and stepped toward her.
“Finn,” Mom instructed tightly without moving. “Go get Stasia.”
Chapter 31
Olivia
The savory delirium fueled by neon paint, black lights, music and alcohol seeped into every pore of my body; sending my mind into a beautiful tailspin of euphoria. The pulsing music spoke to my heart, and the strong shoulders were attached to a pair of equally strong arms that were more than willing to hold me upright. I clung desperately to them with a seemingly endless well of desire.
Dancing and moving against him to the intoxicating cadence of the bass beating in my chest and ears did nothing to soften the mounting need burning within me to be closer to him. With one arm around my waist and the other cradling the back of my neck, he held me captive in a world I never wanted to be rescued from. The pungent smells of alcohol and cheap perfume were kept at bay by the carnal scent of his velvety skin and untamed hair. It wrapped around me and settled into my soul like a warm bubble bath.
With beads of sweat rolling down my back and strands of hair clinging to my back and face, an entirely new temptation presented itself in the heated tension that was growing between us. The fog of alcohol wiped all other thoughts from my mind, leaving it completely open to all things Sebastian. The cool, wet sensation of his lips on my collarbone almost undid me right there on the dance floor. Although we were no longer in America, I assumed that stripping someone’s clothes off in the middle of a dance floor was frowned upon here as well. That one reminder was the only thread of control holding me together. I clung to it tightly as Sebastian decided to up the ante.
He secured my waist against him while his lips traveled from my collarbone to the crook of my neck. I moaned as his mouth opened and his tongue urgently caressed my skin. My legs almost gave out when his teeth ran across the now-sensitive skin and tugged on it; biting me gently and then letting go just as quickly. I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled his mouth back down against my neck; commanding his kisses once more.
I felt his lips smile against my skin as he fought against my grip; keeping my needs at bay. Instead, his mouth traveled to my ear where the sound of his voice wrapped me in a warm cocoon of desire and arousal.
“So demanding…” he accused with a grin; taunting me with a gentle tug of my ear lobe with his teeth before continuing. “All good things come to those who wait.”
Realizing how much he was enjoying denying me what I wanted, I raised my head and looked him in the eye. The rest of the world was a blur of color and sounds, but the intensity of his blue eyes spoke to me in a way I didn’t think was possible. The hunger behind them was almost tangible, but the smirk dancing across his lips told me he saw the same desire shining from my own eyes.
“I don’t wait,” I challenged him teasingly. “I get what I want, when I want it.”
“Not anymore,” he answered with unmistakable confidence. His eyes flashed as his hands cradled either side of my face, and his mouth came down on mine with force. My body exploded as his lips demanded I surrender to him. Unfortunately for my pride, I was helpless to resist. The desire shooting through me quickly changed to the familiar electrical charge I was growing more and more accustomed to. I felt it swirl within my chest before exploding outward and lighting up my world with fire.
I felt the heat of desire mix with the very real heat of my energy when I felt the wetness of his tongue against mine. His mouth moved against me with raw conviction and strength, and I found myself wanting to give him whatever he wanted. If the music was still playing, I didn’t hear it. If people were dancing around us, I didn’t notice them. If the club caught fire and burned down around us, I wouldn’t have cared.
I vaguely remember one of his hands sliding around my waist, his thumb hooking into the elastic band of my skirt as his other hand gripped my backside with urgency. His hand only remained there for a second before squeezing my waist, running up my back, and then sinking back to rest on my butt. I felt the tension in his hand as it tried to touch all of me at once.
I gripped his waist with both hands and ran my thumbs along the low hanging band of his pants; eliciting a response from the array of stomach muscles they came into contact with. Sebastian broke our kiss and appeared to gather himself for a second before pulling me back to him and groaning something inaudible into my mouth.
That’s when I felt the itching. The soft feeling of his skin disappeared under my palm as the itching replaced it with a completely different urgency. My hesitation had him once again breaking our kiss, giving me a chance to inspect my palm. There was no denying the glowing blue trace pulsing on my skin. Surprisingly, the normal timeline increased and the burning sensation quickly overcame the light itching feeling. I pushed Sebastian away and tried to clear my thoughts.
Several things clicked into place at once. One, I was drunk. Two, It was Sebastian’s fault. And three…Stasia was in trouble. Anger flared in my heart, and I pushed Sebastian away once more with accusing eyes. The heat of electricity fueled by my desire suddenly sparked impossibly hotter by my anger.
“You- !” I glared at him accusingly and tried to yell over the still-thumping music in my ears. “How could you do this to me?!”
“What are you talking about?” He furrowed his brows at me. I held up my hand for him to see.
“I’m drunk!” I screamed at him and pointed to my palm. “Did you know this would happen? Is that why you’re doing this?”
“Olivia!” he yelled at me as I turned and began to claw my way through the crowds of people on the dance floor. “Wait!”
Mistrust and rage filled my every thought while I scrambled to find the quickest way to the exit. Did Sebastian really do this on purpose? Did he know something would happen to Stasia? Was he ensuring I was in no shape to protect her? A range of possibilities – none shining a positive light on Sebastian – ran through my thoughts, and I sobered up with lightning speed. How could I have been so stupid? I allowed him to let my guard down! I let him distract me! And now Stasia was in trouble! And I was in the middle of a city with no way of getting back to her, and alcohol distorting the world I was trying desperately to run through.
I finally found a back door and tumbled out into the cool night air. The busy street I found myself on assaulted my senses and blinded me with lights. I was pushed in several directions as I ran into a group of women; the white of their dresses blurring in my vision and sending me into a bad bout of vertigo. I teetered sideways and landed hard on the cobblestone street. Someone I couldn’t quite see clearly pulled me back upright and asked if I needed help. I ignored him and continued moving my legs in an effort to move forward.
I had to find Stasia. I tried to focus my fuzzy thoughts by ticking off the facts. I was in the city. I had ridden on a train-like system to get here. I didn’t know where I was, or how to even get to the train. Every direction I ran only led to more streets and more crowds of people. I couldn’t tell which way was north, east, west or south. The only direction I knew for sure was down. Unfortunately, I continually found myself on my hands and knees staring at the street below me.
I forced myself against a building and willed my eyes to stop seeing double. When that didn’t work, I grabbed the arm of the next person that walked past.
“Meara!” I spit out. The woman yanked her arm out from my grasp and continued walking. The next arm I grabbed was a little more helpful. Or maybe it was my advanced ability to form a question. It was hard to tell.
“Do you know where Meara lives?” I asked in a voice that sounded slurred even to me. The middle aged man looked at me with confusion for a moment, and then p
ointed into the distance.
“Of course I do,” he answered. “She’s the Queen.”
“Queen?” I repeated stupidly. Somehow I thought he was talking about a different Meara, but I didn’t have time to ask him before the woman he was with grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the random drunk woman on the side of the street. I fought to focus on the golden castle looming over every other building in front of me. It actually appeared closer than I remembered, which I presumed was a good sign. With my other options being non-existent, I made my legs take me in that direction as quickly as possible.
After what felt like an eternity, I had several new scratches on my legs, along with a nice new rip up the side of my skirt. My elbow was bleeding down my forearm, and I felt my still-sweaty hair clinging to my scalp like a wet dog’s. I traversed the long, wide bridge leading to the circular island that housed the incandescent castle. It sloped upward and gave the gift of railings on either side for me to hang on to. The light of the moon illuminated the sides of the castle as it shifted and blurred in my compromised vision.
I felt the bridge vibrate and glanced back briefly. Grand. I was being followed. I tried to pick up the pace, but I couldn’t tell if it was actually working. Finally I made it to the other side, but was stopped cold by a massive stone wall and thick gold door the size of a small building. I looked back at the other body on the bridge and yelled at it uselessly.
“Go away!”
There was something said back, but I didn’t notice because the door blocking my view had begun to open. Once it was wide enough for me to slide through, I did, and tumbled onto the soft grass beyond. I was going to have to give my legs a piece of my mind in the morning. Walking and running was their only job, and they couldn’t even do that right.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as my follower crashed through the door right after me. He was able to remain upright, which was more than I could say for myself, but that didn’t deter me from throwing a handful of grass at him. Oddly enough, I had forgotten all about my newly-realized electrical essence when I’d decided on that plan of attack. As the blades of grass floated underwhelming through the air and back to the ground, a firestorm of sparks left my palm and struck my follower directly in the chest.
He froze, shook slightly, and then collapsed onto the ground. I looked at my hand curiously and smiled gleefully. I should have used that earlier. Good to know. I tucked that new weapon into the back of my mind and climbed back to my less-than-cooperative feet. The ornate courtyard I walked through appeared magical in the light of the moon, and I easily followed the golden stone path leading to an intimidating golden door.
It took more time than it should have to scale the two small steps needed to reach the door, and I noticed too late that it had already opened.
“You came!” A little girl with bright red hair came flying out of the door and crashed into my side, chattering a mile a minute. I grabbed a perfectly placed metal railing and stopped her from knocking me over. A woman appeared in the doorway and her voice eased my nerves instantly.
“Welcome, Olivia,” she greeted me. She didn’t miss a beat as she surveyed my appearance and assessed the situation. “I see you are in need of help.”
“Stasia’s in trouble,” I croaked, and held up my palm for her to see my trace.
“I see,” she answered simply, before turning to her daughter. “Chara, please collect Seraphina to assist our other visitor lying in the grass.”
Chara squeezed my hand with excitement and disappeared inside. I smiled at Meara with relief and leaned against the railing.
“You came to the right place,” she assured me. She produced a handful of seeds and presented them to me. “Eat.” I didn’t ask any further questions; I simply popped the seeds into my mouth and swallowed them whole.
I peered at her curiously. “You didn’t tell me you were the Queen.” She chuckled lightly and smiled.
“You didn’t ask.”
Chapter 32
Stasia
I watched from a nearby tree as Finn quickly scaled the wooden steps leading up to my tree house and disappeared inside. My timing couldn’t have been better. I really didn’t want to hurt him, but I knew I would if he got in the way. This was too important. I could feel it.
I knew I was a sea Goddess. The sea had called me. It sang to me. It powered me and provided me with energy. But it didn’t hold a candle to this. The pull was so strong it was all I could think about. I had no choice; I had to go. And I needed to go alone. With the absence of my needy Council members barking at my heels, along with the serenity and promise of night, I knew the time had come. Once Amphitrite was alone, I knew the moment couldn’t have been more ripe. She’d even sent Olivia away, which I hadn’t expected. Stasia’s just tired, they said. She just needs rest. It’s been a trying week for her.
Whatever they needed to tell themselves was fine with me. I didn’t care. Lying in bed had worn tiresome, along with the mindless dribble they constantly spoke of. Sleep, even induced sleep, was a temporary reprieve filled with brilliant light and endless power; promises of forever and happiness with no bounds. But the heart-swelling ballad continued to caress my mind with its rapture. The melody never stopped. It sang to me in my waking hours, as well as in my asleep. It had become a constant companion; reminding me I couldn’t rest for long. Its musings, although I couldn’t understand the language, spread throughout my essence and gifted me with a feeling of belonging and purpose so intense I knew I must answer the call.
How could something so abstract, so distant fill the holes left in my heart by so many people? How could a presence I’d never before encountered shower me with courage and empowerment rivaled by none? I didn’t know how it was possible, but asking questions seemed to be a moot point. Who was I to question something so all-powerful?
I froze when I sensed a flurry of panicked feelings radiating from Finn, and knew that he’d found Amphitrite. I left her limp body lying unconscious on the wooden floor next to the bed. She was still breathing, but just so. She was so tenacious; a powerful sea Goddess with a myriad of abilities and insights from centuries of experiences. No matter what, I simply couldn’t bring myself to take her life. I suspected it was because I respected her too much.
She had vehemently refused to allow me to leave the tree house. Unbeknownst to her or anyone else, my essence had been strengthening while I rested. The vigor swirling through my Goddess essence traveled on the back of the song, and it started to transform me; preparing me. It had been all too easy to overcome Amphitrite’s stalwart essence with my own. The surprise and shock that crossed her face before she collapsed left me disappointed in her. She should never deny me of what I commanded. She was Queen of the Council, but I was her leader. She should always listen to and obey me.
The ethereal singing in my head began to drift along the watchful wind as I crossed the forest in minutes and reached the large cliff I’d been blown off of. Sebastian. The strength I felt rolling off of him had perplexed me, but my rage at his attempted murder overshadowed everything else now. I recalled flying through the air and feeling the swift haze that blanketed my mind as I stared up at the moon on my way to the bottom of the canyon. The haze only lifted once I’d woken up in that bed with Amphitrite and the other Council members staring down at me like a wounded animal.
I couldn’t recall who saved me, but my instincts told me Finn had something to do with it. He was always so dependable. I quickly squelched the large soft spot I had for him in my heart and forced myself to concentrate. Just as I was expecting, a glimmering frenzy of energy appeared on the ground below my feet and cascaded over the cliff and into the water below.
This time nothing would interrupt me. I ran to the edge without hesitation and dove off the cliff. The wind blew my hair back and I closed my eyes while the moon’s light washed over me from above. I could never get enough of that cool, powerful energy running through me. I leaned backwards and looked up at its brillian
ce with outstretched arms. A cool frenzy began to tickle my palms, and a silver beam of moonlight detached from the others; obeying the command of my energy.
The moment my hands connected to the moon along that slender, magical beam of silver light, my body solidified with fortitude and I felt my descent toward the river below gradually slow. I pulled the beam of light taut as I was gently lowered into the open arms of the river. I spread my fingers wide and released the moon’s ray back into the sky. The moon’s energy retracted from my palms, and gravity was waiting in the wings to pull me all the way into the river. I drifted down to the river bottom, found a section of water lit by moonlight and took a deep, generous breath.
The energized water sent shockwaves through my essence and my eyes sharpened immediately. I reveled openly in the loving arms of the river as I followed its current toward the ocean. Once my journey through the canyon had been exhausted, the water sent me through a sliver of rock in the mountainous cliffs climbing high all around me. I was emptied into the Mediterranean Sea soon after.
I sensed the sea creatures living along Atlantis’s rocky shoreline as they paused at my arrival. I stretched my arms out wide and floated on my back in order to see the moon above. It stared back at me with quiet intensity, and I found myself unable to look directly at it for long periods of time. I also began to feel something else. The call I’d been feeling was growing stronger by the minute, but this time the source was narrowed into one particular spot. A spot deep below the surface of the water.
The beautiful melody in my head intensified, and I heard the same foreign incantation that had repeated in my thoughts for days.
“Fengári tou aímatos af̱xánetai. Fengári tou aímatos af̱xánetai. Fengári tou aímatos af̱xánetai.”
I twisted onto my stomach and dove down into the darkened depths of the shoreline, searching for the magical presence that called to me. Once at the sea floor, an array of colorful fish and mountains of coral greeted me with their energy, but I was too preoccupied to acknowledge them. Where the mountains met the sea floor, an obscure sliver of blackness caught my attention. I swam towards it and was able to discern a frenzy of energy beyond. The pull had become almost unbearable. I turned sideways and propelled myself through the slit and into darkness.
