Tangled Ripples

by Erin Thedwall

  …

  Gavin cautiously opened his eyes as he felt Arista breathing deeply against him. Through the dim lights in the room, he watched her chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. He sat up and at the same time eased Arista back so she was lying on the couch in his place. He pulled a blanket over her and kissed her forehead.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “But I promised to keep you safe.”

  He glanced at the mug sitting on the table. When he and his sister had trouble sleeping as children, their mother mixed together glasses of what they called sleepy sips. When he was older, he learned it was nothing more than some melatonin with a drop of valerian root mixed into hot chocolate or warm milk. Apparently Valerie also remembered the recipe, as he found all the ingredients in her kitchen cabinets.

  Gavin had overheard Arista and Kellen talking, including Kellen convincing Arista to leave. He couldn’t believe she would go along with the plan, and didn’t think it was what she really wanted. But, as long as Kellen was there, Gavin knew she’d be afraid to make her own decisions.

  He made up his mind to go in Arista’s place and force Kellen to leave on his own. While Arista chose the movie, he mixed the drink to make her drowsy. He was confident it would work since she was already exhausted. Gavin pretended to sleep while Arista finished her drink and until she fell asleep against him.

  He made sure she was snug on the couch before leaving the house. He paused and considered writing a note for Clarissa and Valerie, but realized they’d either pass him in the cemetery or he’d beat them back to the house. He shut the door behind him and paused to listen. He didn’t hear any birds chirping and hoped that meant Valerie’s wall was still keeping Salazar at bay. He was nervous about leaving Arista alone, but knew she’d be safer in the end with Kellen out of the picture.

  He walked down the drive, away from the house and towards the cemetery. The brisk night air sent a chill up his spine and he shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his pants. If only he’d thought to grab his jacket from the truck. He felt guilty tricking Arista, but hoped she would understand why he had to do it. Not only did he think he was falling in love with her, but she had brought him, Clarissa, and Valerie back together again. It was still difficult, but it was more than they had done together for several years now. Arista was already changing his life in so many ways and he didn’t want that to end.

  Valerie’s forested yard gave way to the clearing filled with antiquated and forgotten headstones. Many were broken or decaying into small chunks of rock. Others were so weathered from the elements that the names and dates had faded away into obscurity. Although the headstones showed the wear of time, the grounds looked crisp and fresh. He shook his head, knowing Valerie used magic to get the job done.

  As he crossed the cemetery, he noticed a car idling on the side of the road past the stone arch. It was surprising that Kellen had gotten a car so quickly. Gavin grew suspicious that Kellen had instead found someone willing to drive them. The muscles in his shoulders tensed as he walked closer.

  Kellen was leaning against the car and jumped in shock when he realized Gavin was walking towards him, and not Arista.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s not coming with you,” Gavin answered, trying to remain calm.

  “And who decided that — you or her?”

  “I know this is what she wants, despite what she may have told you.”

  Kellen balled up his fists in frustration. “This isn’t how it was supposed to happen.”

  “That’s alright, he’ll do,” leered another voice from behind the car. The hair rose on the back of Gavin’s neck as a man walked around to stand next to Kellen. His black eyes burned into Gavin with a raging fury. “He will bring her to me.”

  The blood rushed out of Gavin’s face as he stared back into Salazar’s cold dark eyes. He averted his own eyes to glare at Kellen. “How could you do this to her?”

  “Well, now, it’s not really his fault,” Salazar answered for Kellen. “My pet here is just following my instructions. But we do need to make some slight adjustments now.”

  He snapped his fingers and all of Gavin’s limbs locked stiff. He struggled to move, but was unable to twitch even his finger. He helplessly watched as Salazar addressed Kellen.

  “I will take him back with me. You stay here, pretend you never left, that you’re still locked up. Then, you will help guide her to me. Do you understand?”

  Kellen nodded and Salazar trailed one long fingernail across Kellen’s neck. “Soon I will have both of my mermaids.”

  Salazar turned towards Gavin and snapped his fingers once more. “Come,” he said. As hard as Gavin resisted, his legs kept walking forward one step at a time. Salazar guided him to the car and roughly shoved him into the backseat.

  “You won’t get her,” Gavin said. “She’s smarter than that.”

  Salazar rolled his eyes in response. “There’s no way I can listen to that the whole way.” He circled his bony index finger in front of Gavin’s head, casting a spell to silence him. Gavin tried several times to scream to no avail. Salazar nodded in satisfaction and cast a glance at Kellen.

  “I was inspired by your little witch friend in there. I enjoyed how she handled you.”

  Kellen shifted uncomfortably as Salazar walked around and climbed into the front of the car. He paused to address Kellen one final time.

  “Return to the house now, the way you left. Once you’re back, you’ll fall asleep and remain that way until she wakes you up.”

  As soon as Kellen nodded, Salazar slammed the door behind him and drove off.

  ˜

  { Chapter 27 }

  “Something isn’t right,” Clarissa said softly as she and Valerie continued their drive back to Covington.

  “What do you mean?” Valerie asked. “Is it the first sign the Oracle talked about?”

  “No… I don’t think so anyway. I mean, I think that will be more obvious. I can’t explain it, I just have a feeling something bad happened.”

  “Shit,” Valerie swore as she punched a fist into the steering wheel. “I hope Salazar didn’t find a way through the barrier.”

  Clarissa sighed and turned her gaze out the window where night had fallen across the sky. “Do you know what the Oracle was talking about when she said he had transformed?”

  “I think he may be a blutjager. I’ve heard stories but I don’t know much about it. During World War II, there was a select group of Nazis called the Ahnenerbe. They were supposed to prove the superiority of the Aryan race by finding historical artifacts to support the notion they had once ruled the world. Eventually their cause instead turned to capturing creatures of magic.

  “As Arista has said, mermaids have avoided human contact for a long time, so they were difficult to track down. The vampires in Eastern Europe were the easiest to find since they needed to feed on humans and as a result were less isolated. It’s rumored a hagzissa, a witch essentially, captured vampires for the Ahnenerbe and used them to hunt other supernatural creatures. You know how the Nazis experimented on humans? They did the same with the magical creatures they caught. They discovered a way to alter the essence of those vampires. Instead of only hunting humans, these vampires could stalk creatures with magic running through their blood. They became known as the blutjagers — the Blood Hunters.”

  “So Salazar is one of those?”

  “That’s what the Oracle indicated. Because of the threat the Hunters posed, many magical creatures joined in the war effort. When the war finally ended, they eliminated most of the blutjagers, but a few escaped.”

  “Do they drink the magic blood instead of human blood? Is that why he’s after Arista?” Clarissa asked.

  “Not from what I’ve read,” Valerie answered with a shrug. “That’s what I still can’t figure out. The Nazis made them hunt the creatures, the way a bloodhound follows a scent. But they still supposedly fed on people. Without a Nazi pulling the strings, he should have nothing more than a
passing interest in the other creatures the way a regular vampire would.”

  Clarissa took a deep breath before asking her next question. “Does that mean someone could be controlling him?”

  Valerie frowned as she continued to drive. “I don’t know, but that’s my fear. It’s the only scenario that makes sense.”

  They each fell silent, unwilling to voice more concerns that only seemed to make the situation worse. The car’s headlights filled the empty rural road stretching out in front of them. They occasionally passed another vehicle but, for the most part, they were the only ones out as the moon slipped into the early night sky.

  “Do you think you can help Arista and sever the nexus spell he cast?” Clarissa finally asked, breaking the silence.

  Valerie inhaled a deep breath before answering. “The fact that he’s a Blood Hunter explains some of what I sensed when I felt the nexus earlier. I have an idea, but we’ll have to cross our fingers and hope it works. If it doesn’t, I’m not sure what we can do.”

  …

  Valerie slowed the car to a stop when she got to the leading edge of the cemetery in front of her house. “Do you feel that?”

  Clarissa shook her head. “Feel what?”

  She depressed the brakes all the way and rolled down the window. Valerie leaned her head out into the night air and closed her eyes. “That presence. Something was here.”

  “Did something go past the barrier?” Clarissa asked nervously.

  “No, it appears undisturbed, but something was here…” Valerie muttered under her breath as she parked the car and stepped outside. Clarissa leaned over as far as she could to watch.

  Valerie extended her arms all the way out to the side, letting her palms drift up towards the sky. She frowned and spun around, keeping her back towards the cemetery. Squatting above the ground, she placed her hands on the patch of dirt in front of her. Valerie lowered her head and pushed her hands into the ground with such force Clarissa was shocked it didn’t crack wide open beneath her. She suddenly thrust her head back up and looked around with wild eyes.

  “Gavin!”

  She rushed back into the car and Clarissa slid back into her own seat. Clarissa didn’t even have time to reach for her seatbelt before Valerie threw the car into drive and accelerated as fast as her car would allow.

  “What’s going on?” Clarissa asked.

  “It’s Gavin,” Valerie said, gritting her teeth as they drove under the stone arch marking the entrance to the cemetery. “He’s gone.”

  “What do you mean he’s gone? He wouldn’t let Arista leave the protection of the barrier.”

  “He didn’t, she’s still here. He was taken.”

  “But, he wouldn’t have left her alone,” Clarissa argued.

  “I don’t know what happened. But I know he’s gone. And Salazar took him.”

  She sped along the winding cemetery road, screeching to a halt in front of the house. The women jumped out of the car and ran inside, tripping over each other in the process. Upon finding no one in the kitchen, Valerie headed straight for the living room while Clarissa stopped to look in the bedroom.

  The lights were off in the living room and the static on the television screen cast a washed out gray glow across the surrounding area. Valerie flipped the light switch and saw Arista lying unmoving on the couch.

  “In here,” she yelled, “Hurry!”

  Clarissa ran from the bedroom to the living room, kneeling down next Valerie in front of the couch. Valerie grasped Arista’s shoulders, shaking her gently.

  “Wake up, Arista, you need to wake up now.”

  Arista blinked and looked around the room in a daze. “I only shut my eyes for a moment,” she said. “I don’t know what happened.”

  “Salazar, did he come to you in your dreams?” Clarissa asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. I don’t remember anything,” Arista said, still confused. She sat up and looked around the room. “Where’s Gavin?”

  “We don’t know,” Clarissa said, glancing at Valerie and shaking her head.

  Valerie nodded. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with Arista, but she didn’t appear ready to hear bad news. Arista attempted to sit up more, but Valerie eased her backwards.

  “I think you should lie still a little longer, until you get your bearings.” She pressed the palm of her hand against the top of Arista’s forehead and bit her lip in confusion. She rocked back onto her heels and furrowed her brow.

  “What is it?” Clarissa asked.

  “I’m still trying to figure out what happened. There has to be some kind of answer,” Valerie said, still watching Arista intently for any sign of magical forces. She stood up to stretch and noticed the mug on the table. She picked it up, rolling it around in her hand.

  “What was this?” she asked Arista.

  “I think Gavin said it was hot chocolate.”

  Valerie tilted the lip of the mug towards her and peered down at the dredges still left at the bottom. She swirled a finger in it and lifted it back out, studying it closely. She tentatively licked her fingertip and groaned.

  “Sleepy sips,” she said with a sigh. Both Clarissa and Arista stared at her awaiting an explanation. “Gavin, he spiked your drink with sleeping aids. It’s something our mother used to make for us when we had trouble falling asleep. But for the life of me, I don’t understand why he would do that, especially with the danger of Salazar entering your mind. You didn’t have any dreams at all?”

  “Nothing I can remember,” she said hesitantly.

  Clarissa looked up at Valerie from her spot on the floor. “Do you think it could have something to do with the drugs? Like they clouded her mind enough that he was unable to enter?”

  Valerie shrugged. “It’s entirely possible. He also may not have tried and it could be a coincidence.”

  “So what do we do about Gavin?” Clarissa asked.

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “I still have no idea why he would drug Arista and purposefully leave her here.”

  “I think I might know,” Arista answered. The other two turned their attention back to Arista, still perched on the couch. “I think he knew I was considering leaving.”

  “Leaving? Why?” Valerie asked suspiciously.

  “Kellen talked me into it, convinced me it was the right thing to go back home and keep everyone here out of danger. He said he found a way to escape the basement and I was supposed to wait for Gavin to fall asleep and then join him. Gavin must have found out somehow.”

  “I should have known he was involved,” Valerie grumbled as she walked to the basement door. The door slammed into the wall with a large crash.

  ˜

  { Chapter 28 }

  Arista pressed a hand against her throbbing head. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Clarissa gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”

  She went into the kitchen and Arista sat up all the way on the couch. An awful ache engulfed her heart as she considered the ramifications of Gavin vanishing. Clarissa returned with the glass of water, which Arista accepted thankfully.

  “I didn’t want to be the cause of any more pain,” she said softly before taking a sip of water.

  Clarissa forced a smile as she sat down next to her. “Believe me, I understand how that feels. We’ll figure everything out.”

  They both jumped, startled at the loud banging noises emanating from the basement. Finally, Valerie reappeared at the top of the stairs with Kellen in tow.

  “I thought you were leaving,” Arista said, staring at him in surprise.

  “I know, I wanted to. It turned out that I couldn’t get out of the basement like I had thought. I’ve been stuck down there worried that you left without me.”

  “No, but Gavin is gone,” Valerie said, pushing Kellen ahead of her. “You’re going to tell us everything you know. Did you hear anything while you were down there?”

  “No, nothing. I swear,” he said. “I was
asleep most of the time anyway.”

  Valerie glared at Kellen behind his back, not convinced by his story. She pressed her fingertips against either side of her head and rubbed her temples. “Ok, first things first. We need to try to break the nexus spell between Salazar and Arista. Then we’ll figure out what to do about Gavin.”

  Arista and Clarissa both nodded in agreement, and Kellen turned to look at Valerie. “I’m willing to help any way I can.”

  “I’m sure you are,” Valerie said, grabbing his elbow and tugging him along behind her. “But you’re going back to the basement until we decide what to do with you.”

  “But I didn’t do anything wrong,” he protested.

  “Maybe. But it looks like Gavin left to protect Arista from you. So it’s best you stay out of things for now.”

  She prodded him back down the stairs and shut the door behind him, twisting the lock on the knob.

  “Is that necessary?” Clarissa asked.

  “I certainly feel better about it,” Valerie said with a clear tone of finality in her voice.

  “What happened with the Oracle?” Arista asked. “Did you learn how to break the spell?”

  “Well, maybe,” Valerie started, taking a seat on top of the coffee table. “Have you ever heard of the blutjagers ?”

  “From the war?” Arista frowned in confusion. “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “That’s what Salazar is,” Clarissa chimed in.

  Arista turned pale and fell silent for a moment, letting the news sink in. “I thought they were killed when the war ended.”

  Valerie shook her head. “Not all of them. Some managed to escape, and Salazar is one of them.”

  Arista stared at her glass of water as she puzzled through her thoughts. “Remember when Gavin and I talked about meeting the mermaid Kyla?”