Shattered by the Sea Lord (Lords of Atlantis Book 8)

by Starla Night

  He bellowed in pain.

  The lieutenant had leaned through the lattice to hook Ciran. He dragged him back, toward the open ocean.

  Ciran struggled against the pull.

  From across the shallow reef, Dannika locked eyes with him. Horror contorted her face.

  She screamed.

  Her scream echoed through the water like a wall of shattering glass.

  It reached into Ciran’s soul and yanked at the roots. Nausea soared up his throat and his very heart turned black. He collapsed on the trident.

  Lieutenant Orike grunted in pain. “What is that noise?”

  And then a white wave of light whipped the coral lattice. It shuddered as though it had been smashed by a giant fist. And then the coral broke into pieces and toppled to reef floor.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The rest of the fight passed in a blur.

  Lieutenant Orike flew back empty-handed, leaving his trident embedded in Ciran’s shoulder. “What is that?”

  Dannika’s agonizing scream faded.

  Lieutenant Orike searched the shoreline and fixed on Dannika, who was now floating alone. “Your mainland bride…”

  Meg and Bex had moved to Konomelu and Itime. Lieutenant Orike’s gaze passed over them without stopping. Did he actually see them? He called his other warriors to him and growled, “Do not challenge me again, exiles, or I will see you murdered by your own young fry.”

  They swam away.

  Ciran was dead. He was dead. Oh, God, Dannika had messed it up. She hadn’t shielded him in time. Everything was wrong and he was dead.

  She’d been so terrified during the fight, and angry at herself for not having better control to push through and make a shield when she felt like she would throw up, and horrified for him, fighting on bravely and alone while everyone else was safe inside the lattice.

  But then he’d escaped through the lattice, and she’d relaxed. It was okay she’d failed this test. She’d have another chance.

  And then he’d jolted, horribly, and that warlike lieutenant’s trident had stuck out of him. Her horror had ejected in a scream. She hadn’t even been able to control it, and all the warriors had flinched.

  Then Bex, the real hero, had used her powers to push the lieutenant back.

  It had also taken half the coral lattice with it. But at least the lieutenant had abandoned Ciran and they’d all swam off.

  Now, Ciran floated on his back with a trident sticking out of his shoulder like a harpoon.

  Dannika jetted through the water. Her heart throbbed in her throat. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She couldn’t feel anything below her neck.

  She reached his side.

  “Ciran?” She touched his taut face, stroked his cheek, brushed his scratches and bumps. Please be alive. Please don’t be dead because of me. “Ciran?”

  She delicately probed around the sharp, angry spear points. Blood, his blood, seeped into the water.

  He arched his back in agony.

  Death throes.

  Is that what happened when people died?

  Would she have seen this already if she’d been present when Eliot had died?

  His lashes fluttered. He moaned.

  No, no. There was still hope.

  She had powers. Not strong, but Ciran believed in her. She clenched his Sea Opal, her focus during the earlier tests. That was the problem. When she’d been so terrified for him, she hadn’t been able to tear her gaze away from the fight to focus on his Sea Opal. Of course she hadn’t made the shield.

  She held his Sea Opal in front of her and stared into its swirling depths. If she had any healing powers, let it flow now…

  Oh, no.

  A massive crack fractured the Sea Opal nearly in half.

  Her scream. Her terror scream. She’d clenched it too hard and cracked it.

  She had no useful powers.

  Her chest convulsed. A sob, or throwing up, one of the two.

  She had no healing powers. She had nothing.

  What was she doing? What was she thinking?

  “Meg?” Dannika clutched his uninjured hand and towed him to the shore. “Meg, you have to heal Ciran. Meg!”

  Something tickled Ciran’s shoulder.

  And then a sharp pain jolted him back to awareness. Heat radiated from an agonizing wound in his shoulder. Meg leaned over him, her brow furrowed, her straight black hair floating around her.

  “What happened?”

  “You got hit.” Dannika floated on his other side. Her eyes were red and her soul light dim as night. “Your shoulder. That’s my fault. I’m so sorry. I was so upset—I couldn’t focus. I didn’t shield you.”

  “It is okay.” He summoned the strength to comfort her and raise her soul light. “You did your best.”

  “No, I didn’t do anything. You were right there. I couldn’t stop those warriors. I made you weak and slow, and I…I cracked your Sea Opal.”

  His strength drained. He wanted to comfort her, reassure her, but his words were all gone. Her sadness was his sadness. His soul reacted to hers and shrank into a dense, protective ball.

  Itime gripped the trident still sticking out of his shoulder. “This will hurt.” He yanked.

  White-hot pain snatched his consciousness.

  Then, the cool ocean seeped in. Heat seared his shoulder, and the pain eased.

  He opened his eyes again.

  Meg’s glowing hands hovered over his shoulder.

  Everyone else hovered over his other side, anxious. The warriors relaxed and eased back. But Dannika looked destroyed.

  “Not bad, if I do say so.” Meg poked his shoulder. “Try it out.”

  The deep cuts still rubbed and stung, but it no longer felt like his ligaments were severed. He made a fist, dared to move his shoulder back and forth, and shrugged. Ouch. But he had a small range of motion, and with his healing rate amplified by Meg’s powers, he should be back to full health in hours.

  “Good.” Meg folded her lips in rueful apology. “I so didn’t mean to send the animals after you. I directed them after ‘the warriors who didn’t belong,’ which was obviously a mistake. So, oops.”

  “We all made mistakes,” he vibrated.

  Dannika’s soul light dimmed again. She pressed her palms to her collarbone. Even if she couldn’t see soul lights, she must feel the terrible ache.

  Konomelu was grim. “We will talk more on the shore.”

  Where they would have to face the rest of the islanders.

  They staggered out of the ocean. The women collapsed as they shifted back to human, coughing out the fluids they hadn’t yet learned to expel gracefully. Itime and Konomelu had both been injured like him and they limped.

  The young fry gathered in a silent crowd by Val at the top of the beach. Angie stood in the front. She took a few steps toward Konomelu. Her gaze raked them and desperately looked past to the ocean, then returned to her husband.

  “Nuno?” Her voice broke on the second syllable.

  Konomelu shook his head.

  A sob burst from her. She covered her mouth, forcing the emotion back in, and then her knees bent. Konomelu caught her before she hit the sand. He held her, silently grieving, while the wind swept across their isolated beach.

  Nuno had been taken.

  The coral lattice was down.

  No one would come to rescue them.

  They had to rescue themselves.

  After a few minutes, Angie recovered. She stood, dry-eyed, and neatened her hair, straightened her grass dress, and removed the crushed flower on her chest. “You’re leaving today?”

  “As soon as we are fit.” Konomelu touched his bruised abdomen.

  “You’ll need lunch.” She turned and strode through the solemn young fry into the structure, then almost mechanically began pulling out the containers of food to create a meal that nobody felt like eating.

  Itime and Konomelu conferenced quietly. They were planning to go to the echo point alone, just themselves. If th
e Luscan patrol was busy kidnapping Nuno, no one would stop the Sanctuary warriors from leaving the island. They should escape quickly for the echo point.

  But it was not a great plan.

  Hadali hugged Bex. “They took Nuno on Lukiyo’s order. Didn’t they?”

  “Yes, it seems Lukiyo has embraced the ideals of his grandfather,” Konomelu said heavily. “He has forgotten Prince Ankena, us, and you.”

  Hadali hugged his mom tighter. “What can we do?”

  “Here? Stay on your guard. We will return as quickly as possible.”

  Bex jerked her chin at the waves. “Can I come with you?”

  Hadali sniffed. “Me, too?”

  “And me,” Tulu said.

  “No,” Konomelu snapped, and Itime also shook his head. “It is too dangerous.”

  Bex’s eyes narrowed. “Not for me.”

  “For the young fry,” Konomelu clarified. “The barrier has collapsed. You must guard them. And when the patrol returns, only you can drive them back.”

  Bex grimaced.

  “It is now clear to me and Itime that Ciran was right. Queen powers are the key. Bex’s push attack and Dannika’s war cry were both highly effective, even though they were undirected. You two must gain control. And, because we need more queens, we will go to the crash site of the airplane to retrieve the potent elixir. Meg and Angie must gain the same effectiveness.”

  Angie turned on her heel. “Didn’t you say the crash site is near Lusca?”

  “Yes because of the currents. But do not fear. We have snuck into the city before, such as when we searched for Prince Ankena. We will exercise caution.”

  “Don’t take too long.” She slapped one platter down with more force than it needed. “Not on account of me.”

  “You have not experienced the true effectiveness of the queen powers. It is worth the delay. And we must summon the Atlantis queens. The king will try to convert Nuno to his allegiance. We have time.”

  Angie fell silent, focused on her work. Meg and Bex helped her, and the two warriors debated the finer points of their strategy. Ciran heard the gist, but it was largely what they’d already discussed, and he was so tired.

  He collapsed in a seat and closed his eyes. His body felt heavy. Dannika’s grief or just the injury? He forced his eyes open and beckoned to Dannika, who lingered at the outside of the solemn group. “Sit with me.”

  She stopped at his knee. “Here?”

  He looped her wrist and tugged her to his lap. His shoulder complained, but everything was better with her in his arms. She’d taken the time to dress, and her damp fabric clung to her skin.

  She sat stiffly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  He squeezed her close “Having you in my arms outweighs any discomfort.”

  Her chin wobbled. “Don’t say that.”

  “But it is true.”

  “All I do is make your life harder.”

  “Only one part.” He nuzzled her suggestively. “And you like when that is hard.”

  An unwilling ghost of a smile lightened her. She melted against him, finally accepting the comfort he offered, and he hugged her, taking his own comfort in return.

  She was soft and feminine and all he wanted, forever. He wanted her in her dark moments and in her bright moments. All her moments. And obviously, this was a dark moment. His heart hurt for what she’d witnessed. After losing one soul mate, a second loss always weighed on her. If Lieutenant Orike’s thrust had been more central, in Ciran’s spine instead of his fleshy shoulder, Dannika’s worst fear could have come true.

  Ciran well understood her fears and recriminations. He would bear any pain if it would ease her regret. But he couldn’t, and so, all he could do was snug her close and try, try, try to help her heal. “I want you to swim with me to the echo point.”

  She sucked in a sad breath. “I nearly got you killed.”

  “Today was not your fault.” He stroked her bare biceps. “The warriors invaded our reef before you finished the tests. We were disorganized and unprepared. You did very well, all of you.”

  “Getting you stabbed and Nuno kidnapped was a good job?”

  “You secured the young fry, as we trained you. You worked with Bex and Meg.”

  “They did things. I did nothing.”

  “Because, as you said, you lost focus. The next time you face them, your powers will flow.”

  “Or I’ll mess up again and you’ll die right in front of me.”

  This encouragement wasn’t working. “Every trainee makes mistakes.”

  “Does every trainee’s mistakes get people stabbed and kidnapped?”

  He sighed. “Not often.”

  “Tell me something honestly.” She snorted to herself. “Sorry. Everything you say is honest. I don’t know why I said that. But tell me. Our souls are linked, right? When my soul dims, it makes yours dim, and that makes you weak.”

  Was there any way to answer her question without increasing her burden of guilt? “I am strong when you are confident, yes.”

  “And the opposite is also true. So when I watched you evade the lieutenant, my fear made you slow and weak.”

  “That is a risk.”

  She shook her head. “I am going to get you killed.”

  “No.” He gripped her. “You are angry at yourself, but this will pass. You will recover your confidence. And I will be there to cheer you on.”

  “What if it never comes? What if this is as good as I will ever be?”

  “Then I will still be here, holding you, like this.” He tried to burn his truth into her soul. “Someday, we will swim the open ocean as one. I promised to embrace you until you were strong enough to believe in yourself. And I will.”

  “I can’t let you.” She pulled back. Agony reflected in her dark, sincere eyes, in the tremble of her lips, in her soul light. “I told you a hundred times you should find another woman. One who wasn’t so broken. But I never thought that loving me would endanger your life.”

  “You still need time—”

  “How much time?” She swallowed and held up his mating gem. “I broke your gemstone. I saw you jolt when the trident hit you, but I also saw you spasm when I screamed. And I couldn’t stop. What if I scream again in the middle of a battle? Or when another shark attacks?”

  “We will conquer this together.”

  “I can’t.” She traced the crack, then pushed it at him. “Just take it.”

  His heart contracted.

  Dannika didn’t think he was worthy. She didn’t think he was strong enough to bear her grief, help her to her feet after she stumbled. She didn’t want to enter a new life with him by her side. Her selflessness showed again. She would deny herself happiness and live the rest of her life alone to keep him safe.

  Long ago, back in Undine, he’d dreamed of a bride who would desire his honesty, treasure their union, and hunger for the truth. Dannika did that.

  But his truth did not give her comfort.

  His throat tightened. He tried to clear the lump, but it choked him. He tried several times and finally pushed words through. Closing her fingers around the cracked gemstone, he pushed it back to her chest.

  “I gifted it to you. Our souls are linked now. So, you cannot give it back.”

  Her chin trembled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “While I am gone, practice believing in us. In yourself. Hold this cracked gemstone and think your most powerful thoughts at me. Banish the fears. What is your dating phrase? Reframe your fears into belief. You will give me the strength I need to return.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded.

  “Ciran, Dannika.” Angie summoned everyone to the table for a last meal. “Lunch is served.”

  Dannika rose, and Ciran clambered to his feet unsteadily. But he was already stronger. Meg’s healing was powerful.

  While Dannika remained here, he would consider how to remake himself.

  He either had to become the warrior she needed, or he had to accept that
he would never be good enough and return to Atlantis alone.

  And this time, he would accept her rejection.

  Forever.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The warriors left at dusk.

  Everyone gathered at the shoreline. Without the barrier of the coral, the waves rolled up to the shore and crashed more violently. The spray dusted Dannika even though she was farther back.

  Ciran kissed her one last time. “You are a powerful queen. Focus on your strength. One crack is not the end of us. Believe.”

  Sure. Right. Okay. “I’ll do my best.”

  Sadness reflected in his vibrant irises. He stroked her cheek, joined the other warriors at the shoreline, and looked back one final time.

  Dannika waved and pasted on the smile. Why, though? He could sense her true feelings.

  Then again, she wasn’t trying to fool him that everything was fine. No, she was still trying to fool herself.

  Except it wasn’t fine.

  Her bones felt like glass tubes filled with helium. Her heart squeezed in a wire cage. Everything was wrong, and she was sending Ciran into danger, and she had to be strong for him when her soul cried out in protest. I am killing you. She pressed the cracked Sea Opal to her chest and blinked back tears.

  Ciran didn’t crack a smile as he turned and disappeared into the crashing waves. The other warriors disappeared as well.

  They left the women and children behind on the forlorn shore.

  Bex glared at the horizon.

  Val leaned on the staff Bex had made for her. “We’re as cheerful as a funeral.”

  Angie and Meg snorted.

  Then they dispersed.

  Dannika sat by the firepit staring at the sand until darkness fell. Bex asked her, “You going to sleep in the lagoon tonight?”

  Without Ciran? The wires around Dannika’s heart tightened. “I don’t know if I could bear it.”

  “I felt that way.” Bex hung two hammocks by Val and patted one for Dannika. “I’ll be on the other side if you need me.”

  The wires loosened. Dannika sniffled and rubbed her nose. “Um, thanks. That’s really kind.”