Lady of the Sea: The Aureate Chronicles, Book One

by Heather Zwygart

  “Go on,” I say, ready to do whatever he suggests.

  Vailea and her gang were affected by the greenstone.” Ethan looks away for a moment before looking back and saying in a much quieter tone, “I think it may have a similar effect on you as well.”

  I think back to that day at the waterfall. What I had felt then hadn’t been pain or fear, more of an absence of will and a strong desire to possess the stone for myself. I don’t like to think of anything, or anyone, having that kind of power over me.

  “What are you suggesting?” I ask.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Avelessa, but perhaps, if it could be used as a weapon, you wouldn’t be at such a disadvantage when next you and Vailea meet. Of course…” he quickly adds, “…we won’t do anything you don’t want to do. And if it gets to be too much, we can call the whole thing off.”

  “Doesn’t Kai already believe it can be used to ward off the taniwha? Shouldn’t we ask him more about it?”

  Ethen cocks his eyebrow. “I believe it was your decision not to involve him in all this,” Ethan reminds me, giving me a look that leaves no doubt of his disapproval. “Besides, I’d like to know for a fact what it can do, not what some dusty old legend tells me.”

  Oh, Kai would love experimenting with greenstone, alright. If given half the chance, he would probably keep my head as a trophy and throw what’s left of me back to the waves. Isn’t that what his people did to their enemies?

  Ethan is right of course. We could use him. But I still don’t know if I can trust Kai.

  “I’m ready to start today if you are?” I reply.

  “I have some things I have to finish up for my pa this morning, but I could come back later with the spear. You’re sure you’re feeling up to it?”

  “My kind heal quickly. It shouldn’t have taken even this long but I think being away from the water is taking its toll.”

  “To think, only days ago, my life consisted of sheep, sheep, and well… sheep, and here you are, proof that mermaids really do exist. Still waiting for my head to catch up,” Ethan says, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “And I once thought humans were monsters to be avoided at all cost, yet here I am sharing all my secrets with one,” I say with a smile.

  Ethan says goodbye. I resolve to get out of this whare and out of this village for the day. Ori will be coming soon with the afternoon meal but I refuse to spend another moment cramped in the small thatched hut.

  I walk in the direction of the waterfall where my first encounter with humans began. It’s a warm, balmy afternoon and I’m in no hurry. I hope the time alone will help me to devise some kind of plan for what to do next.

  I haven’t gone far along the trail when I catch sight of a male figure up ahead, making his way back to the village, I assume. It doesn’t take long for me to recognize the easy gait and broad shoulders as those belonging to Kai. He’s seen me now and I wait for him to turn on his heels in the opposite direction. When he doesn’t, I’m genuinely surprised.

  I speak first, hoping to diffuse an awkward situation, but only manage to make it worse. “Kai… what… where have you been?” I stutter. I hadn’t meant to ask that. I didn’t care where he had been.

  What difference did it make to me? I barely knew the guy after all. He could come and go as he pleased; this was his world. And I would do the same. Sooner than later, I hoped.

  “Avelessa, I’m glad to see you’ve recovered. Ori is our best healer. I’m glad to see she’s hasn’t been remiss in her duties.”

  “Ori does a good job. Not much of a conversationalist, but then neither am I, so I guess we fit well together.”

  Kai chuckles, “No, you’re right about that. Umm… where is it you’re headed? Perhaps, I could keep you company?”

  “What? No pressing business elsewhere?” I ask, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

  Kai holds up his hands in defeat. “I know. I haven’t exactly been around lately. To tell you the truth, I actually thought you would prefer it that way.” The look he gives me is one full of confusion and self-doubt. I don’t know what I want but I see no reason to turn him away.

  “I was just headed to the waterfall. Try to keep up,” I say, knowing full well his long strides could easily surpass mine. I catch the hint of a smile, before brushing past him, to continue down the trail.

  I eye the knapsack hanging at his side and ask, “You got anything to eat in there?” I wonder at my own brashness. What’s there to lose?

  “No, but I could find us something to snack on, show you a couple of edible shrubberies that are common around here. If I remember correctly, you like to study plants, right?”

  I do… or I did… what little good it has done me. But it’s a start. “I would like that,” I say.

  “Well, to start, over here we have what we call Karamu. It produces berries that are edible, so help yourself. Only the orange ones though, the green aren’t ripe yet.” The berries are small and grow in clusters. They have a slightly bitter taste, and I know they won’t go far to curb my hunger in the long run, but they’ll do the trick for now.

  “Those are called Harakeke,” Kai announces as we pass a group of tall, flat leafed stalks with orange flowers. “Good for weaving baskets and making fishing nets.”

  I let out a sigh of relief when, at last, we arrive at the waterfall. Despite Kai’s snail’s pace, which I’m sure had been for my benefit, I was still overly winded. This had never been the case when Acelin and I had played at being explorers on deserted island after deserted island. But then we had never been gone from the water for long.

  If my suspicions were true, big plan or not, my time on this island was drawing to an end.

  I had forgone shoes, which was common practice in the village, and lowered myself onto the grassy edge near the water. Kai followed suit. We sat in silence for a time, but it quickly became intolerable. I had so many questions running through my head.

  First and foremost, “Why have you been avoiding me?”

  “I honestly didn’t think you would care.”

  “After an adventure like the one we had, I would have at least liked to have heard your side of things. What did you tell your father?”

  “What was there to say? The boat capsized and there was a storm… you both disappeared and I was the only one who managed to make it shore.”

  “The boat capsized? What about before the boat capsized? Or have you forgotten?

  “Give me more credit than that. I know what it is I think I saw, but Ethan has been a little vague in his retelling of that day. I had hoped to hear your side of things… and yes, I’m stupid for having waited this long, I know.” Kai pauses, brushing his hand through his hair and over his face in the manner of a man who is weary to the core. “Would you like to explain to me what it was I saw out there that day? The look you gave me, in that moment, before the boat overturned… you were terrified.”

  He had just handed me the power to alter history, the facts. If I told him, it had been a whale that had capsized our canoe that day, he would believe me. Perhaps thank me even, for having spared him the responsibility of knowing the truth. But it would be wrong to leave him and his people in the dark, vulnerable to whatever plot Vailea was hatching.

  And this would likely be my last chance to tell him the truth, to prepare him for the even greater truth that eluded him, and to say in his very presence, I am one of them.

  “I hardly know where to start,” I say.

  “Just tell me if what I saw was real.”

  “It was,” I whisper.

  “How… where did you come from, Avelessa? The truth. No more of these made up stories.”

  The truth? Not now, not yet. I guess I’m not ready after all. It wasn’t the right time. So I would stay as close to the truth as I dared. Gauge his reaction and let him make his own deductions. By the time he realized he had been lied to, I would be long gone.

  “Where I come from, the taniwha are equally feared, although we don�
��t call them by that name. My people know them as the Ael. I believe you may know more about them than I do. It’s part of why I am here. They stole something very valuable from us.”

  “Are you even human?” Kai asks, danger lurking in his voice. And I don’t dare tell him the truth.

  The lie comes easily enough. “Yes. I am every bit as human as you are.” Kai pales, looking as though I have hit him. This strikes me as very odd. I don’t offer any more information. Let him ask the questions.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Sol,” I reply.

  “Are you trying to be evasive or do you honestly believe I will settle for so little information?”

  “Kai, look, I’m not your enemy. My people are few and we live on a remote island. You haven’t heard of us because that is the way we like it. I didn’t want to lie to you about what you saw that day because it could put you and your people in jeopardy. Despite what you may think, I do care.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t more you’re not telling me?”

  “Mhmm,” I mumble. Avoiding eye contact, I bow my head, looking into the pool of crystal clear water, waiting for his response. Whether because he believes me or he chooses not press the matter further, Kai nods his head. “Okay,” he says. “Wanna head back and get something to eat? I could eat a whole kuri, Maori dog, and I know you must be starving.”

  Kai rises first then helps me to my feet. Somehow, I seemed to have lost my appetite. Kai has dropped the matter but I don’t feel as though I have won anything.

  “What happened to you and Ethan that day?” Kai asks. "After you went under, Ethan and I searched with little hope of ever finding you and then…” He stops, as though remembering that day. “Ethan disappeared and the nightmare just kept getting worse. I searched everywhere.” And the way he says that has me thinking he has his own secrets.

  "I swam as far as I could and must have blacked out. It was Ethan who found me. I don’t really understand it myself. We were lucky I guess.”

  “Luck? My people would say you owe Tangaroa, god of the sea, thanks for your life.”

  I nod. “Kai,” I begin, not wholly sure I wanted to challenge this newfound peace between us but needing answers more. “I’m not trying to start a fight, but do you think you could tell me what it was about my singing that day that bothered you so much?”

  “I guess you’ve been honest with me. I suppose it’s my turn.” I inwardly cringe at the irony of that statement. I’m only trying to protect my people’s secret, I tell myself.

  “It’s from a memory… or a dream… I can’t be certain. There is the face of a woman but she’s not my mother, at least not my adopted mother. Her face is distorted by rain and she’s singing…” he stops and looks directly at me. “It was the same melody you were singing in the cave but how can that be?”

  “Kai, it was a lullaby. One I heard as a child too.”

  His eyes narrow, “No one has ever heard that melody. I practically asked the whole village believing it was the one link to my real mother. I met a lot of dead ends and finally I decided, she clearly did not want to be found. Or perhaps it had been a dream after all… until I heard you.”

  “I don’t know who your mother was, Kai. I’d love to say I have all the answers but, to be honest, I’m a bit baffled myself. I promise to give it more thought, and if I come up with anything, you’ll be the first to know, okay?” I give him an encouraging smile, hoping that if nothing else, he can see that I’m sincere in this. This is indeed a mystery, added to all the other mysteries I have yet to discover on this island.

  When Kai and I arrive back at the village a small central fire pit can been seen, glowing bright. “Hangi, or earth oven,” Kai says. Plumes of smoke rise skyward and with them the smell of roasting meat.

  The canopy of trees, creating a shadow over the area, makes it feel darker than it really is. Several women, seated around the fire, look up, watching us as we approach. They soon lose interest and go back to chatting. My presence is tolerated.

  Kai leads us to the outskirts of the fire, just out of earshot. I make myself comfortable on the hard ground. I have traded my cotton dress for a muka garment with one sleeve connected at the shoulder. It allows me more freedom and, I believe, may help to mask my already otherworldly appearance.

  A little girl runs up to Kai with a string in her hand and seems to be insisting he play some kind of game with her. I watch in silence, as together they twist and manipulate the cord, all the while smiling, hoping the child doesn’t take note of my presence and shy away.

  Kai whispers something in her ear, chuckling. He holds out his hand and she places the string in his palm, turning to run in the direction of the fire.

  “What was that all about?” I ask.

  “I persuaded her to bring us some food,” he says, pleased with himself.

  “And the string?”

  Kai grins, dangling the circular piece of string in front of him, and replies, “I wanted to teach you how to create the Maori string figure for kopu, the evening star. Watch closely because I fully expect you to recreate the figure once I have completed it.”

  I nod for him to start. He weaves his fingers in and out, molding and shaping the string, making it seem as though magic were at work. Having accomplished the intricate pattern of what appears to be a many pointed star, he releases the tension in the string and hands it to me.

  “Your turn,” he says.

  “Ha! Prepared to be amazed,” I reply, laughing at the futility of it. Relying on memory, I try to mimic his movements, but quickly become lost in the tangles. Kai chuckles and moves in closer. He settles himself in close to my right shoulder and taking both my forearms he props them in the air. He loops the string back on my widespread fingers and begins instructing me where to move next.

  “Now move this finger over here. No, loop it through there...” And just like that, it collapses again.

  “It’s useless,” I say, giggling. With Kai’s help, I make several more attempts. He rolls his eyes and sighs at my failures, which makes me laugh all the more.

  This is how Ethan eventually finds us, laughing over a game of whai, string and a meal of root vegetables served over cooked eel. If Ethan is surprised, he doesn’t show it.

  We pass the rest of the night much the same way, sharing stories and laughing at one another’s antics. I feel carefree and full of renewed energy. I sense that Kai and Ethan feel much the same way.

  It occurs to me how much my being here has changed their lives. I’ve heaped responsibility upon their shoulders on top of everything they already have to deal with day to day. Neither Kai nor Ethan has ever complained. Kai may protest my being here, but for good reason. His instincts tell him I’m dangerous. And he’s right.

  But tonight I don’t let these thoughts consume me or take away my joy. I vow to live in the moment. Tomorrow would be here soon enough. I would deal with reality then.

  Chapter 22

  Morning comes all too soon. I’m just sitting up to face the day when I hear Ethan calling me from outside my whare.

  “Morning sunshine!” he says, peaking his head in.

  “How can you be so cheerful this early? What are you doing here?”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our plans already?”

  “What pla… oh! The spear,” I say, trying to clear the fog from my head. “Does Kai know about our plans?”

  “Not unless you told him,” Ethan says.

  “Where is he?”

  “My company is not good enough for you?” Ethan quips.

  “You know what I mean,” I growl. I was still waking up and was in no mood to joke around. “If he finds out what we’re doing, there will be no end to the questions. He’ll know what I am.”

  “Okay, okay, calm down,” Ethan says. “He’s helping his dad with some other matter that came up this morning. Seemed serious. He won’t be bothering us any time soon.

  I wonder what could be the matter? “I better tell O
ri we’ll be gone most of the day, so she doesn’t worry,” I say, choosing to focus on the task at hand. I grab for the dried eel and bread, hidden in the straw, still wrapped in flax leaves, from last night’s dinner.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ethan grab his spear, which had been leaning against the side of the small whare. When we don’t find Ori right away, both of us agree to give up searching and head out.

  It doesn’t take long for us to reach our destination. Ethan leads us out onto a secluded beach and turns to face me. “Ready?” But before I can answer, he has already placed the spear between him and myself and I immediately feel its pull.

  The surrounding sand and beach grass become a blur. Time seems to stand still. My focus narrows in on the pounamu spearhead. I move toward it without thinking.

  A surge of anger courses through my veins as I realize someone is still holding the spear, the only obstacle between me and the object of my desire. I am vaguely aware that it is Ethan.

  Is this some kind of game? Does he think he can keep it for himself? That I won’t do whatever it takes to snatch the spearhead from his hands?

  I reach for it, finding no opposition. I feel a rush of relief as I close my hand around the hard, jagged edges of the greenstone. Before I can draw my hand back, searing pain courses through my hand and up my arm. A trail of burning agony moving through my body with every heartbeat.

  I don’t know if I let go of the pounamu, or if Ethan pulls it back out of reach. It makes no difference to me, because the pain, while less, still remains sharp and suffocating. I curl up in a ball in the sand, breathing, waiting for some kind of relief to come.

  It does. I can’t tell how many minutes or hours have passed. I note Ethan’s hand on my shoulder.

  “Ava, talk to me, please,” Ethan says.

  “That… hurt… worse… than…” I mutter between breaths. “…being stung by a man o’ war,”

  “Oh thank goodness, you’re okay. A man-of-what?” Ethan asks.

  “A Siphonophore. You know, a colonial organism made of… oh never mind,” I snap, gaining strength.