by S. K Munt
‘Everybody loved him!’ Ardhi snarled. ‘But he only loved himself!’
‘Not true,’ a masculine voice said. A man strode forward, wearing a baseball hat and hauling along Sherri the bartender into the centre of the room. The blonde looked hysterical, and was struggling against her captive-at least until he tossed her onto the floor like a rag doll so she lay sprawled in front of Ardhi, wheezing and sobbing. The man’s back was to Vana, but there was something familiar about his deep voice.
‘I mean, if I hadn’t loved Ivyanne so, you would never have felt the need to do what you did.’
A collective gasp went through the room, but it wasn’t until Vana saw Ivyanne’s own face light up enigmatically and knowingly, that Vana realized that the impossible was happening before her very eyes.
‘Perfect timing,’ her daughter cooed. ‘Even if it is three weeks delayed.’
‘I like to make a grand entrance,’ the man responded, his tone merry.
Vana looked down at Ardhi before fully allowing herself to believe the miracle- and when she saw the absolute horror on Ardhi’s face as he gazed up at the man addressing him, she finally uttered the word: ‘Tristan.’
Tristan turned to grin at her, his face brighter than any sun had every been. ‘Good evening, your highness,’ he said, dipping in a slight bow. ‘Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?’
Vana stepped forward to embrace him but was practically bowled over as a stampede of screaming mers raced forward and enveloped the golden child before she could catch her breath. Still, Vana’s heart practically exploded from happiness when his hat was knocked free and his golden curls were revealed over the top of his sister’s head. She glanced over at her husband and saw that he was white with shock. He swiveled his head to meet her gaze and shook his head in astonishment, silently communicating to his wife that for once, Tristan Loveridge had impressed him. They turned in sync, eyes landing on Ardhi’s contracted form on the ground.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ Ardhi muttered, hanging his head in defeat.
⁓
Lincoln waited until the crowd had backed off Tristan before he staggered forward, unable to comprehend everything that was going on. He looked from Ivyanne to Ardhi, to Sherri to Adele, and then finally to Tristan. It was like one crazy algebra equation that should never had added up and yet did so perfectly.
‘Hey,’ Ivyanne said softly. ‘You okay?’
Lincoln looked at her, unable to form the thoughts or the words. ‘Ahh...yes? I think. Is this...?’
‘That was basically my reaction,’ Ivyanne said with a knowing smile.
‘How did you...?’
Ivyanne quickly explained-about the come on, the wallet, the call from Absalom-while Lincoln listened in stunned silence. In the very least, he was relieved that Ivyanne hadn’t been hiding Tristan from him for more than a few minutes. He already felt betrayed that he’d been left out of the loop-he would never have forgiven her for hiding the fact that Tristan had survived for any length of time beyond a hesitation.
‘Oh...’ a small voice said. ‘God…..Ardhi...’
Lincoln looked to see that Pintang was listening to Ivyanne’s account with large and wet blue eyes. In fact, quite a few mers were-the ones who weren’t jumping on Tristan anyway.
‘I’m sorry,’ Ivyanne said to Pintang.
Pintang turned and buried her head into her father’s shoulder, who was approaching fast. ‘I never thought he’d stoop this low!’
‘Ssh angel...none of us did.’ Over his daughter’s shoulder, Joakim glowered down at his son’s hanging head. ‘I’ve never been so ashamed.’
Ivyanne turned back to Lincoln. ‘Anyway, it just all went together in my mind and then out pops Tristan to back it up.’ Ivyanne took a deep breath. ‘But he confirmed my worst fear-that Ardhi intended to kill you if I didn’t change my mind about marrying you...which brings us to where we are now.’
Lincoln’s gaze fell onto Ardhi’s head. He’d never wanted to inflict pain on someone so much as he did at that moment. His blood felt ice-cold and yet boiling as it pumped from his heart to his brain. ‘Can I hold him for awhile?’ he asked through gritted teeth.
Ivyanne smiled, then yawned. ‘Might be an idea, I’m getting tuckered out.’
‘Actually Link-if you don’t mind...I think I’m entitled to a few minutes with Ardhi first.’ Tristan’s voice rang above the din as he pushed himself free of the crowd. His smile for Link was bright. ‘Hey mate. Miss me?’
Lincoln smiled in pure reflex, even though his brain was quickly calculating what else Tristan might still think he was entitled to...or deserving of. The worst part was, Lincoln wasn’t completely sure if the other guy was wrong. But that didn’t mean that Lincoln was ready to concede defeat-not by a long shot!
‘I sure did,’ he admitted, sticking out his hand. ‘Don’t know how you survived it, but I’m glad you managed.’
Tristan shook it, his handsome face glowing. ‘Big of you to admit.’ He looked down at Ardhi. ‘It was touch and go, I’ll tell yah. If I hadn’t seen Adele at the airport before I left, I probably never would have connected this douche to the storm. Knowing I had to get away from the crash was the only thing that kept me conscious. That and-’ his voice faltered as his eyes rose to meet Ivyanne's gaze.
Lincoln clenched his fists, knowing what the end of that sentence was. When he’d been drowning the second time, Ivyanne’s face was the only thing that had made him fight for the surface.
Say it! He challenged Tristan silently. My fiancé! Just say the words!
But Tristan merely took another step towards Ivyanne, his expression troubled suddenly. ‘Are you okay? You look a little...’
Lincoln turned to Ivyanne, his possessiveness forgotten, and frowned to see that her face was rapidly paling.
‘I don’t know...I feel....’ Ivyanne punctuated that sentence by slithering slowly to the floor, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, releasing her grip on Ardhi when her palm fluttered open and hit the floor.
Lincoln’s stomach dropped but his reflexes kicked in, and he reached forward and caught his bride before her head hit the ground. ‘Ivyanne!’ Lincoln patted her slackened face. ‘Honey! What happened?’
‘She fainted!’ Someone screamed.
‘He drained her!’ Tristan exploded.
But he disappeared from view as Ardhi leapt to his feet and threw himself at Tristan with a furious snarl. The room erupted into an orchestra of screams as Ardhi pinned Tristan to the floor. Tristan gave a shout and rolled, ending up on top, retracting his arm and smashing his fist into Ardhi’s face.
Lincoln looked down at Ivyanne’s pallid complexion, furiously trying to shuffle back away from the fight, to keep her out of harms way. ‘Someone tell me what to do!’
‘She needs energy before she stops breathing!’ Vana’s lavender skirt billowed around her as she knelt at his side. ‘Kiss her Lincoln! We don’t have enough time to get her to the water!’
Lincoln didn’t have to be told twice. He leaned down and pressed his trembling lips against Ivyanne’s slack ones, cradling her in his arms and opening her mouth with his prodding tongue, terrified that she was already so unresponsive.
‘Wake up baby girl,’ Vana whispered, her voice sounding choked and hysterical, her crown lopsided on her hair. ‘We need you sweetheart. Oh Lincoln kiss her harder! She’s my everything!’
Mine too! Lincoln found Ivyanne’s hand and pressed it to his thrumming heart, willing his own life force into her as his lips moved against her desperately. ‘I love you,’ he whispered without breaking the lip-lock. ‘I need you to kiss me back...’
Suddenly, there was a twitch in her lips. Lincoln’s heart skipped a beat and he cupped the back of her head, intensifying the kiss, feeling the rest of the world slip away into a dull, blurry roar as Ivyanne’s mouth opened willingly, her tongue finding his at last. He wanted to pull back and shout in triumph-but he couldn’t budge.
Ivyanne pressed her
hand against his heart as the other came up and gripped his jaw, and Lincoln was overcome with an instant dizziness and the belief that he would never ever be able to let her go. She was a siren, the mermaid put on this earth to tempt him, and only him, and if she took every ounce of energy he had, than so be it. Losing himself in her was his destiny.
So as Ivyanne became the aggressor, draining him, Lincoln surrendered to it, blissfully aware that if she was going to kill him, he would go with a happy heart.
30.
Tristan caught Ardhi’s hand before he could connect it with his face and forced his elbow into the hard stone floor. ‘Killing me is one thing!’ he raged, backhanding the other boy while holding the first hand down, so hard the bones in his hand rattled. ‘But if you’ve hurt her-’
‘Get off me!’ Ardhi exploded, bucking beneath him. ‘You think I’ve gone through all of this to lose to you in the end?!’
‘Yes, I do!’ Tristan dodged one of Ardhi’s clumsy blows, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him and smashed him back down against the floor, crunching his own knuckles in the process. ‘That’s your destiny Kayu-Api- to come in third!’
‘Yeah?’ Ardhi choked out. ‘But you’re still gonna be second thanks to my intervention. Good enough for me!’ Ardhi got one of his hands on Tristan’s shoulder. ‘You think I’m scared of your muscle? Watch this party trick, golden boy!’ Ardhi’s eyes flashed grey to black and in that instant, Tristan felt a slight shiver run down his arm.
He looked down to see a greenish-purple glow extending down his arm from Ardhi’s palm. It was burning hot, but not unbearable.
‘What?’ Tristan taunted him. ‘A light show?’
Ardhi looked confused. Tristan decked him again with a balled fist. More blood flew from Ardhi’s cracked teeth and he grunted in shock.
‘By the way, Adele and I figured out that the reason you haven’t been able to kill me yet is because I’m built a bit tougher than you’re average merman-so if that’s electricity you’re using there-I’d save it. You know how I feel about conservation, and you’re already on my shit list.’
‘Tristan! Aubrielle’s here!’ Ash’s voice suddenly interrupted his tirade. ‘Can you get his jaw open so I can get some of this down his throat?’ A small vial containing clear fluid was thrust before Tristan’s eyes.
‘What is it?’ Tristan asked, releasing Ardhi heavily to the floor and kicking him in the stomach for good measure. Ardhi gasped and contracted.
‘Irukanji Potion.’ Ash said, waving the vial. ‘A drop or two will render him useless for awhile.’
Ardhi’s chin lifted. ‘Get that poison away from me!’ He croaked.
Ash Court delivered a kick to the back of Ardhi’s head with his own polished dress shoe, snapping Ardhi’s chin forward once more. ‘My daughter’s struggling to live because of you,’ the king snapped. ‘I’m tempted to pour all six of these down your hatch and end you myself.’
Ardhi curled into a ball again, grimacing, clearly hurt by the kings reprimand, though why he was surprised was beyond Tristan. Tristan pinned his hip down with his sneaker.
‘Ivyanne’s okay!’
Tristan glanced over his shoulder, forgetting himself momentarily. ‘She is?’
‘Yes she’s breathing!’ Grace affirmed. ‘Link’s going to be okay too.’
‘Thank god!’ Ash Court rested his palm on Tristan’s shoulder and patted him. ‘I must admit Tristan that your timing is spot on. I never thought I’d see you again.’
‘I was under the impression that you’d have preferred it that way too.’ Tristan joked, though his words weren’t dishonest.
But Ivyanne’s father smiled, clearly embarrassed. ‘I guess things change. I can see what my wife sees in you right now, Tristan. What you’ve survived is nothing short of miraculous, and it speaks fathoms about your character. If you’ll forgive a silly old man for holding a silly old grudge, I’d be honored to shake your hand.’
Tristan took the hand, thrilled to shake it. ‘I just needed to know that Link would survive Ardhi.’ Tristan said, moved almost to the point of tears. He was overcome with a wave of relief, but then the breath rushed out of his lungs when he felt something hard impact across his spine. He fell off Ardhi, temporarily incapacitated, and looked up to see Sherri standing above him, holding the stool she’d obviously struck him with, her hazel eyes aflame.
‘Link will! But you won’t!’ Sherri snarled, bringing the stool down towards his face.
⁓
Ivyanne awoke in time to see Lincoln slump over her.
‘What happened?!’ she yelped, her pulse quickening with fright at the sight of Lincoln’s heavy eyelids. ‘Is he okay?’
‘Ardhi drained your energy, so Lincoln gave you his,’ her mother was already pulling Lincoln off her. ‘I’ll help him Ivyanne-but you need to help Tristan!’
Ivyanne glanced over her shoulder in time for her to see Sherri smash Tristan across the back with a bar stool as Ardhi attempted to push Tristan’s legs clear of his own. A shriek ripped out of her, and many other mers who seemed struck dumb by the scene, but she looked back at her mother and Lincoln first.
Vana was staring into her fiancé’s unfocused eyes. ‘Lincoln? Snap out of it! Put your hand against my heart!’
‘Mum-’
‘I’ll help them!’ Grace Londeree flew to Lincoln’s side and waved Ivyanne away, picking up Lincoln’s heart and pressing it to her chest. ‘I can’t lose my uncle again Ivyanne! Wikiwiki!’
Ivyanne turned away, knowing her mother and Grace would be able to take care of Lincoln. He was still conscious, so he’d be okay.
‘Link!’ She heard Grace shriek. ‘Feel my heartbeat? You have to feel it Link, you have to drain me!’
Ivyanne’s eyes zeroed in on Sherri, who now had the stool raised above her head. A few mers rushed forward but Ardhi rolled out from beneath Link and her dad and sent out a wall of blinding light with an upraised palm, causing everyone to squeal and recoil before turning back to Tristan and elbowing him in the side. Tristan managed to deflect the blow, but he looked unfocused and hurt, blood glistening through the fabric of his shirt on his back. She realized instantly that Sherri had caused the injury to his back and was now going for his head.
Ivyanne reached for the stool as she ran forward, knowing she’d never get there in time to stop the hated girl bringing it down on Tristan’s skull. Bane was already diving towards her feet, but he wasn’t close enough either.
‘No!’ Ivyanne screamed, and seconds later, was pushed backwards by some unseen force. She teetered for a few seconds, looking down at her hand in shock, wondering how the cold chrome bar stool had ended up in her palm when Sherri was still a few meters away. She dropped it and regained her balance before she could topple over and raced forward towards Sherri, who had turned around and was eyeing her with amazement.
‘What did you- oof!’ Sherri’s words were cut off as Pintang came out of nowhere and flung herself at Sherri, knocking her to the floor just as Bane took out her feet. Both girls landed with a sickening thud against the hard ground and a stray foot caught Bane in the jaw, sending him reeling. Sherri seemed to get the upper hand in seconds, throwing an elbow into Pintang’s side, winding her, then rolling her over and grasping Pintang’s swan-like neck with both hands.
‘You fucking traitor!’ Sherri gasped. ‘I’m defending your brother!’
Ivyanne came to an abrupt halt before she fell in with them. She felt one of her high heels crack under the pressure just as she saw her father release her mother and tear Ardhi off Tristan. For the moment, her ex lover was safe.
‘He’s no brother of mine!’ Pintang croaked, attempting to pry Sherri’s hands off her throat as her face turned purple.
Ivyanne was about to pull Sherri free of Pintang, but suddenly saw that Ardhi was on his feet and racing for the door with her father hot on his heels. He sent out another wall of light ahead of him and Aubrielle shrank back, shielding her face, missing the wall of solid ener
gy by only millimeters with Saraya yelping behind her, the sound muffled by a boom of thunder. Another mer-one Ivyanne didn’t recognize who had been standing by the door, was not so lucky. The young man, twelve, guessing by his looks, flew backwards a few feet, his hair sticking up from the current. But to Ivyanne’s amazement, he landed on his backside and although his expression was dazed, he clearly hadn’t been badly hurt. It looked like Ardhi’s gift wasn’t as effective over a prolonged distance.
Ivyanne snarled to see her people being threatened, and glanced back at Ardhi. By the speed he was doing, it was obvious that he intended to leap over both Sherri and his sister and make a beeline for the exit.
Coward! Ivyanne set her jaw, reached out and shoved him at the moment he was most airborne, mid-leap over the girls, sending him flying sideways into the wall.
‘You’re not going anywhere!’ Ivyanne screeched, landing easily on the tips of her toes and fingers. ‘Terrorist!’
Ardhi’s eyes widened in shock as his head connected with the rough timber. But he didn’t even have the time to slide to the floor before her father grabbed him him by the collar and hurled back against one of the solid timber pillars which held up the beams.
‘You may be the most powerful kiddo, but you aint the fastest!’ Ash spat as Ardhi’s head lolled on his neck. ‘You just got taken out by a girl and her old man. How’s it feel?’
Ivyanne grimaced out a smile before turning back to Pintang, who was still be strangled by Sherri. Oxygen wouldn’t be a problem if Pintang had breathed deeply enough beforehand, but Ivyanne was afraid Sherri’s manic grip would crush Pintang’s larynx. She lifted her leg, sending a round-house kick into the side of Sherri’s face. Almost intoxicated from Lincoln’s energy coursing through her system, she hit so hard that a shudder ran through her to the hip, but Sherri copped far worse-her head snapped sideways and she fell to the floor, knocked out.
Pintang’s eyes flew opened and her hands went to her own neck, which was bright red. ‘Thanks!’ she croaked, chest heaving as she gasped for oxygen. ‘Tristan?!’
