“Our mermaids here belong in water. Their transformations don’t actually make them human — they are still mermaids. If I cut this puppy open, he won’t bleed human blood. Still a mermaid. So you need to water them. Honestly, this isn’t complicated.”
Gavin took a deep breath to keep his frustration at bay. “Alright, then how do we wake her?”
Valerie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “I swear, you are so deeply stupid. I already said I had the bath drawn. Go drop her in.”
“What are all the other ingredients for if she only needs water?” Clarissa asked curiously.
“When your plants get too dried out you can add a chemical boost to help replenish them. Same here, it’ll speed up the recovery process so you’ll leave sooner,” Valerie answered. “Come on then.”
She beckoned them to follow her into the small bathroom at the back of the house. Gavin, still carrying Arista tightly in his arms, locked eyes with Clarissa. They knew they were treading on thin ice with Valerie. At any moment she could stop helping them — if that’s what she was even doing. Clarissa turned her attention to Kellen who was still trying to talk. Her nervous heart beat faster as she watched his futile attempts.
Clarissa heard rumors that Valerie had developed her powers, but never in her wildest dreams did she think they’d have increased this dramatically. The last time they were together more than six years earlier, it had been little more than a game to her. Valerie could sometimes make a book fall off a shelf or a pencil roll into her hand. At the time, Clarissa wasn’t even convinced Valerie was controlling it. She thought it could have been a coincidence.
Clarissa had no idea where Valerie could have learned to do the kinds of magic she seemed capable of now. And she feared they hadn’t even seen the worst of it. Her hand trailed up to her chest and tenderly felt the spot where Valerie had touched her. The burning sensation had only recently subsided.
Clarissa was the last to enter the bathroom. Valerie was kneeling next to the tub, swirling her arm through the water and chanting under her breath. Gavin nervously looked down at Arista, who remained asleep. Kellen leaned against the sink, sulking at his continued inability to speak. Finally, Valerie stood and motioned to Gavin to step closer.
“Go ahead, put her in the tub,” she said as she gestured over the water.
Gavin hesitantly walked to the side of the tub, standing next to his sister. He lowered Arista into the water. When her legs and arms rested just under the surface of the water, he unhooked his arm out from behind her head. He laid her head slowly against the end of the tub, being sure not to tug on her hair as he lifted his hand away.
“What now?” he asked, standing upright, and turning to look at his sister.
“You have to get her all the way under,” Valerie said.
Gavin furrowed his brow. “What, you mean like her head? She won’t be able to breathe.”
“You have to or it won’t work,” she responded.
Gavin looked over at Clarissa and Kellen who both shrugged with uncertainty. Clarissa wanted to step in and help Gavin, but she thought it was unwise to get in front of Valerie.
“But if she doesn’t wake up right away she’ll drown,” Gavin argued.
“Well then I guess you have to decide if you trust me,” Valerie said.
Gavin reluctantly knelt down beside the tub. He pushed a lock of dark hair away from the front of Arista’s face and rested his hands on her shoulders. He took a deep breath and began sliding her down, but stopped with her chin poking out above the surface of the water. He let her go and Arista drifted back up to the surface of the water. The ingredients Valerie had mixed in swirled around her and clung to her skin.
“I can’t, I can’t do it,” he said, sitting back on his heels.
Valerie scoffed in disgust. “I didn’t realize how big of a coward you are.”
Before anyone could stop her, Valerie bent over and shoved Arista under the water, holding her head below the surface.
“No!” Gavin yelled, struggling to pull his sister’s arms back.
“Let go of me,” she cried. She pulled away one of her arms and hit Gavin with a violent gust of air. It knocked him backwards into Kellen and the two crashed into the sink.
Clarissa stared in shock at the bathtub where Arista remained completely submerged. Gavin and Kellen regained their footing and took a few steps forward before stopping abruptly. Neither could move an inch further, as if a wall had appeared out of thin air. They both stood there pounding at nothing, trying to move past it.
Suddenly, Arista sat up in the tub gasping for air. Her wet hair was plastered against her face and back with pieces of herbs and scales stuck throughout. She blinked the water out of her eyes as she took in her new surroundings. She sucked in ragged breaths of air and violently coughed out the water that had made its way into her lungs.
Valerie twitched her index finger and the wall of air fell away from Gavin and Kellen. Both lurched forward and Gavin fell to his knees next to the tub. Arista held out her arms and grasped at his forearms. Gavin put his right arm around the back of her neck and guided her head down onto his shoulder. As he held her there, he looked up at his sister who had a smirk on her face.
“Thank you,” he muttered, and then looked down at Arista. “How are you feeling?”
Arista gazed into his eyes before offering a hesitant answer. “I think I’m alright.” She looked past Gavin to Valerie, who stood behind him.
“Hello, little mermaid, I’m Gavin’s sister.” Valerie said, crouching down beside her brother. “You can prevent that from happening again by never going too long without water. You can drink a lot of it, but it’s even better to have a good long shower or soak in the tub as often as you can.” She paused to turn towards Kellen. “That goes for you, too.”
He glared silently at her. She snickered and flicked her right hand, causing Kellen to let out a loud, rasping cough.
“It’s about time,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Valerie lifted her finger and raised her eyebrow in warning. “Don’t go testing my kindness.”
Kellen clenched his jaw shut and remained quiet. Satisfied, Valerie turned her attention back to Arista and Gavin.
“So that was all?” Arista asked cautiously. “I just needed water?”
“That’s all,” Valerie answered dismissively.
Clarissa shuffled her feet. A nervous pang in her heart was urging her on. She knew something else was at play.
“That may have been why she passed out,” Clarissa started. “But there is more wrong with her.”
Valerie whipped around to face Clarissa. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Didn’t you feel it when you touched her? There’s a dark power lurking there, but I don’t know what it’s doing,” Clarissa said, unwilling to back down against Valerie’s daunting stare.
Kellen worked up his own courage to join Clarissa. “She’s right, I felt it too.”
Valerie flicked her violet eyes towards him. “I think I released your tongue too soon.”
“Just touch her,” Clarissa urged. “Feel for it.”
Valerie scoffed, but turned back to Arista with a frown. Arista nervously looked back at the woman from her safe place in Gavin’s arms. Valerie lightly pushed at Gavin to nudge him away. He reluctantly backed up to let her into his spot.
“Hold my hands,” she said, reaching her own across the edge of the tub. Arista grabbed her hands and the pair locked eyes. Valerie’s shoulders shuddered under invisible weight and beads of sweat broke out across her forehead. She leaned forward in intense concentration before releasing Arista’s hands with a loud yelp.
Valerie rocked backwards onto her heels. “I couldn’t break it,” she muttered, lost in her own thoughts.
Clarissa took a step forward. “So we were right, there is something.”
“Not just something. It’s incredibly powerful. I tried to break the link to whate
ver is causing it and it’s stronger than anything I’ve felt before.” Valerie looked at Arista who was still sitting anxiously in the bathtub. “What have you been messing with?”
“It’s Salazar,” she whispered.
Gavin frowned. “Salazar? But how could he do that?”
Arista leaned backwards and gazed into the murky water surrounding her. “My memory is still fuzzy, but I woke up in the middle of the night. I’ve been having nightmares ever since I came to the surface. One caused me to wake up…” She paused, unsure whether to even continue. “There were these horrible eyes in the window.”
“Eyes,” Gavin repeated. “How could that be? We were on the fourth floor.”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “But they were there, right up against the glass.”
“It must have been an animal,” Clarissa suggested.
Arista fiercely shook her head. “No, it was Salazar.”
“Clarissa’s right, it was probably…” Gavin said, but Valerie interrupted him.
“Let her finish,” she hissed, keeping her eyes locked on Arista.
Arista cleared her throat before continuing. “I know it wasn’t an animal. As I watched the eyes, they somehow moved from outside the window to inside the room. Then he was there, like he materialized out of thin air.”
She paused, lost in her own hazy memories. She lifted her hand from under the water and brushed the hair away from the right side of her neck. Her finger traced the outline of two small punctures above her collarbone. “He bit me.”
“There has to be another explanation,” Kellen said as he looked at everyone’s equally shocked faces.
Valerie leaned forward and brushed the punctures with her own fingers. Arista flinched as she felt a burning and pinching sensation where Valerie touched her.
“Try to stay still,” Valerie reassured her. “I’m testing it with magic to see what exactly he did.”
“So you believe he was actually there?” Gavin asked.
Valerie didn’t even bother to face her brother. “Of course, don’t you?” He shifted as his face flushed with guilt over his hesitation to believe her.
Arista closed her eyes, letting Valerie probe with her magic. She tried to relax, even with the odd burning feeling. The water was still soaking into her skin and she could tell it was rejuvenating her.
Finally, Valerie grumbled and scooted away from the edge of the tub. She stared at the wall lost in her own thoughts.
“I want to know everything you can tell me about Salazar.”
˜
{ Chapter 19 }
The group of five sat in the small kitchen of Valerie’s home. The simple gray stone walls were covered from floor to ceiling with shelves holding boxes, cans, and vials of all sizes. Hooks suspended her pots and pans above the stove, on top of which sat a shiny silver teakettle boiling water.
Valerie paced the room while the others recounted their parts of the story. Gavin and Arista had the most to share, including their meeting with Kyla and the following encounter with Salazar. Although he’d already heard it once before, Kellen still looked distraught listening to them talk of Kyla’s demise. Clarissa also shared the bits of information she had learned from James MacMahon. Valerie was quiet throughout and rarely stopped circling the small room. Occasionally she paused to peer out the window, as if to ensure the coast was clear.
The next time she did it, Gavin stopped mid-sentence. “Are you still listening?”
“Yes,” she answered, annoyed at the interruption. “I’m just checking on things.”
“Checking on what exactly?”
“You should know.” She turned to face everyone seated at the table. “I’m watching for birds.”
“You have a barrier up,” Clarissa murmured, as if caught in a daze. “I thought I sensed something as we drove up.”
Valerie nodded, appreciative someone had noticed her work. “I always have one up. You never know who or what will decide to amble in. I knew you all had arrived long before I saw you. But I’ve been slowly boosting its power as I’ve learned how dangerous it is to have you here.”
Arista briefly looked at her hands before glancing at Gavin as he patted her back reassuringly. She knew everything that had happened to them recently was her fault. As guilty as she felt for causing trouble, she was happy not to go through it alone.
Valerie turned to gaze out the windows once more. “There have been rumors for some time now about a dark power growing. But the people I heard it from share every bit of gossip that usually amounts to nothing, so I didn’t put much stock into it. Unfortunately, there may have been signs that I’ve ignored.” She paused and frowned. “But there’s no use worrying about that now. We need to figure out how to stop him from coming after us.”
“Isn’t he going after Arista?” Gavin asked.
“Yes, but by now he’s learned who everyone is around her. It’s safe to assume that falling short of capturing her, he’d go after anyone who could get him closer to a mermaid. Even more so if he’s figured out there are two,” Valerie said, gesturing towards Kellen.
“It’s a two-fold problem,” she continued. “On the one hand, he’s demonstrated talent for controlling birds to act as his spies. This makes it hard for us to be safe no matter where we are, despite my barrier. We need to learn if we can block that power somehow. Secondly, he’s created a link to Arista. Based on her descriptions, I believe he’s cast a nexus spell. It creates a connection to the victim at all times through the subconscious — acting like a bridge between their minds. Between that and his use of the birds, he can likely track her movements. When she’s asleep, that connection becomes more powerful. She doesn’t realize she’s doing it, but right now, her own powers are subduing that link, weakening it. Her magic is aware of the intrusion in her mind. When she’s asleep, that protectiveness is dulled. He’ll continue to appear in her dreams and, depending on his power, he’s likely able to control them.”
“Meaning what exactly?” Gavin asked.
“That as soon as she falls asleep, Arista is likely subjected to unspeakable nightmares,” Valerie answered. Gavin reached over and held her hand as Arista’s complexion paled.
“So all those nightmares I’ve had, those are from him?”
Valerie nodded. “It gets worse. If it’s his first time manipulating this sort of spell then it will take awhile for him to learn his limitations. However, if he’s experienced in this…. Well, you have to remember that this is a direct link to her mind. As he forces these nightmares upon her, he tricks her mind into thinking those experiences are real. As he gets better at controlling them, her mind will increasingly believe she is being tortured by whatever he’s inflicting upon her. I think that’s where the marks came from. He wasn’t actually in the room with her. He caused her to dream that she woke up, that he was with her. That control over her mind produced her injuries.”
“He could actually break her mind,” Clarissa said, abhorred by the realization.
Valerie nodded sadly. “It has the potential to quite literally drive her insane, if not kill her.”
“Maybe he doesn’t completely realize what he’s doing,” Kellen said while casually leaning backwards in his chair.
Valerie eyed him from her spot by the window. “Sure, but are you willing to risk Arista’s life over that chance?”
He snorted his displeasure, but remained silent.
“So how do we stop it?” Arista asked.
Valerie sighed. “That’s the million dollar question. I’ve read about spells like this, but I’ve never actually seen one used. There are very few places to even look for answers. It’s going to take some time to figure it all out and, in the meantime, he will continue to track us. He has us at a complete disadvantage,” she said, slumping down into a nearby chair.
“Maybe not,” Clarissa said, directing her gaze out the window.
“How so?” Gavin asked as they all turned their attention to her.
“Well, for
one thing, the barrier seems to be working so far. We could even fine-tune it some more. I have some ideas,” she explained.
Valerie raised an eyebrow, skeptical as to what Clarissa could contribute. Clarissa ignored the look and stood to face everyone.
“He won’t anticipate that and it should keep us safe, at least for a time. He also won’t count on Valerie, or realize immediately that we’re working to tear apart the spell on our side. And there is at least one place to go for some answers,” she paused to make eye contact with Valerie. “The Oracle.”
“I was hoping it wouldn’t come down to that,” Valerie groaned.
“I know, but like you said, we don’t have a lot of time. We need to quickly gather as much information as we can.”
“What is the Oracle?” Arista asked, leaning forward with a curious glimmer in her eye.
“To put it simply, she can answer questions about the past, present, and future,” Clarissa answered.
“Like you?” Arista asked again.
Valerie snorted with derision until a stare from Clarissa quieted her. “No, not exactly. Remember when I said I can’t see answers to direct questions? She can. As long as we ask the right question, she can give us an answer.”
“But there’s always a price,” Valerie finished. “That’s where the problem lies.”
“So how far away is this Oracle?” Gavin asked.
“Over in Delphi,” Clarissa answered.
“All the way in Greece?” he exclaimed with a shout.
“No, Indiana. Like an hour and a half away,” Valerie said laughing at her brother.
“You said there was a price,” Kellen interrupted.
Valerie stopped laughing as the color drained from her cheeks. “There is. Her information doesn’t come free. She always asks for something in return. You ask your question and she names the price for her information. She always collects.”
Tangled Ripples Page 12
