Fire (The Mermaid Legacy - Book 2)
Page 9
He shrugged. “They are not of our kind.”
With that statement my argument became suddenly very clear, I couldn’t keep trying to get the Oceanids to see the human angle. They hated humans and would be very glad of the their demise. But in their fierce loyalty to their species lay my avenue of approach: I had to talk to them from an Oceanid perspective.
“What if they were? Would you try to stop Neith then?”
“If it was Oceanids Neith was planning on destroying, then of course we would stop him,” Aoi replied indignantly.
“You claim that the humans’ ignorance is untenable and yet you display the same type of ignorance. Neith is using Oceanids to attack humans and believe me not all of them are there by their own free will. Neith will destroy Oceanids along the way to victory. His ideals are fanatical and they ride roughshod over everything I’ve come to respect in Oceanids.”
“How so?” Aoi seemed at least willing to listen to what I had to say.
“The Oceanids I met pride themselves on freedom, on protecting what is good in the ocean. Your kind is not so different to humans as you imagine in that both species love and cherish their children, both species care for each other and both species exist within communities that hold the ideas of the group high. What is different about Oceanids is that you have ideals that are perpetuated across the species, that despite great power in the talents you possess you nurture gentleness and self-control…”
The group nodded and muttered their approval of what I’d said.
“Neith is destroying all of that. He is blackmailing very powerful Oceanids to do what he wants them to do. In Neith’s army there is no freedom, only his control. I want to stop him, not just because he holds Merrick, my love, in his cruel clutches, not just because he is going to attack innocent humans, but also because in doing these things he is destroying the essence of what Oceanids are.”
The group was quiet, but listening intently.
“But I can’t do that on my own, so I’m asking you to stand with me against the greatest threat to humans and Oceanids alike.”
“I understand your plea, Alexandra, and it makes sense to me. I must ask you though, how is it that we haven’t heard of you before?” Azura’s tone held a shade of deference that hadn’t been there before.
“I’ve only just learnt that this is who I am too. My father decided to keep this knowledge from me…Three weeks ago I was an ordinary teenage girl heading out on a camping trip.” I chuckled dryly, shaking my head at the crazy events that had transpired since then.
I told them what had happened in the mountain caves, explaining how I’d tried to lead the pod in peace, tried to show them how we could save the Oceanids without annihilating humans. I explained how Merrick had been taken and how the remnant had decided to rescue him.
“I was stupid and naïve to go after him alone but I am relieved I did, because I don’t believe anyone who’d come with me would have survived. Neith is that brutal, and I want to ask you to help me to stop him.”
“I am curious as to why you believe that attacking humans will lead to our demise. It seems to me to be quite the opposite. But you are the fortieth generation Gurrer and that alone is enough for me to want to hear you out,” Aoi said.
I shook my head in frustration. We didn’t have time for this, I needed everyone at The Haven on board as quickly as possible if we were to have any hope of success. I thought I’d made myself clear earlier, but Aoi seemed to need further convincing. I tried to phrase it differently, thinking how to scare them into action. Nessa and Bo popped their heads back into the council room, obviously waiting for me to finish, and their appearance gave me the angle I thought might work.
“Neith wants power, power over the land and power over the ocean. He’s using humans’ reckless misuse of the sea as an excuse to stir up this idea that Oceanids are more worthy of life than humans. But ask yourselves this question. Once he rules the humans, what do you think he well do with those Oceanids that don’t agree with what he is doing, and why he is doing it? If he is willing to sacrifice other peoples’ children as the fodder for his war, what else is he capable of?”
There was absolute silence and into it Aoi spoke the question I’d been hoping they would eventually get to.
“What do you suggest we do?”
“We need to attack him before he tastes victory.”
“But none of us are soldiers, Alexandra.”
“I am not a soldier either, but if we train we could all become soldiers.”
Aoi shook his head. “I don’t know, it seems rather drastic to me.”
“Aoi, what is it you protect?”
“The innocence of our species,” he replied.
“Well, all I’m asking is that you continue to do just that. If Neith sends those children into a war, not only will many of them be maimed or hurt physically, all of them will become murderers. You will have a generation of killers. How is that protecting the innocence of your species?”
“I bear witness to all Alexandra, Defender of Men says.” Pelagius cut in. “I’ve been listening to Neith’s conversations for some time now, and as shocking as it all seems to us, he is planning on using our children to kill humans and any Oceanids that stand in his way.”
There was another long silence before Aoi asked, “how do you plan to train us?”
I’d been dreading that question because I didn’t know myself, but before I could answer, a rough, gravelled voice replied from behind the other Miengu.
“I can help with that.”
“Dad?” I whispered.
13. Motives
The Miengu moved out of the way revealing my father, underwater and dressed like every other Oceanid in the room. It was a shock to see him and he instinctively drew into himself as if to protect himself from me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly as a myriad of angry emotions coursed through my veins. He had betrayed me, lied to me, and left me completely unprepared for the destiny he knew I would one day have to fulfil.
“Livius contacted me a few hours after you left. I raced to get to you as fast as I could but you are surprisingly quick and very illusive in the water and I only managed to pick up your scent from within the kelp.”
Livius was an Oceanid who had remained in South Africa, promising to round up land-dwelling Oceanids who were willing to fight Neith for peace and follow my lead in the process.
Although he’d promised that he would contact Dad, I’d put the idea of seeing him agian out of my mind. He had, after all, been silent my whole life about the Oceanids’ belief that I was the leader that would even the playing field, and give them the ability to live in peace within the blue.
Dad had known about my ability to breathe underwater from the day that Brent, my beloved stepbrother had drowned… He had known that I’d played a terrible part in Brent’s death, my body’s natural defence mechanisms creating a massive shockwave in the safe waters of our swimming pool that had stopped Brent’s young and healthy heart. Dad had known all of this, and said nothing.
Not even when he’d left me within kilometres of the Oceanids who had been trying to contact me had he warned me, except to instruct me to stay away from the mountains where he knew they lived.
Hurt at his betrayal mixed viciously with anger as I wrestled with the emotions my father elicited in me: fury at his passivity, and the natural happiness that always filled me when I saw the father I’d idolised all my life. Fury won.
Aoi nodded. “Good, Zydunas has a great deal of experience in these matters. Before he was chased from the ocean, he was the greatest Gurrer of our time. If anyone can train us into an army it is him. Alexandra, when do they plan to attack the humans?”
“I don’t know, but I think it will be soon.”
“When do you suggest we attack?”
The faster we got to Merrick the better, but I was also fully aware of the challenge we would face at Ferengren. We would have to be a well-oiled machine.
“That’s easy, we don’t fight.”
“You’re telling me in all of the years you’ve lived in the ocean there has never been a disagreement?”
“Disagreement yes, war no.”
I nodded, trying to wrap my head around that. “Aoi, I’ll get back to you with a date tomorrow.”
He nodded. “In the meantime, you and Zydrunas,” he pointed at Dad, “will devise a strategy on who will be trained and how you plan to do that. We will hold another council meeting tomorrow to discuss it.”
“I am not working with him.”
Aoi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“But he is your father is he not?”
“That doesn’t mean I trust him.”
The council were whispering and shaking their heads, expressions of shock and embarrassment on their faces.
“You will find, Alexandra, that disrespect for one’s elders is not well taken here.” Azura’s words were clipped.
“She has every right to be angry with me.” Dad spoke softly, “I have lied to her, her whole life.”
His defence of my appalling behaviour sent a bolt of shame through me.
“Alexandra and Zydrunas, you must put your family quarrels aside. Your people need you and duty will come before any personal feelings. I trust.” Aoi closed the discussion before leading the rest of the council out of the room.
14. Strategy
The council room seemed suddenly very large and at the same time horribly confining as I faced my Dad.
“So what do you think we should be doing?” I asked him belligerently, wanting nothing more than to get the meeting over with so that I could get away from him.
He sighed. “Before we begin, I’m really sorry, Alex. Please know that everything I did was to try to protect you.”
“How is keeping me in the dark protecting me? How is lying to me about who you are, who I am, protecting me?
He grimaced.
“I wanted to protect you from this world, Alex. This leadership that you’ve been pushed into was never my dream for you, I wanted you to be free.”
I was shocked at how little he knew me. “Dad, I have never felt more in control of my own life, my own destiny than I do now…this is what I was meant to be…and you kept me from this…”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he repeated lamely.
“Whatever, can we get on with this?”
A spasm of pain flashed across his face, but he nodded anyway.
“So what do you think?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure what to think, Alex, if what you say of Neith is true…”
“So you mean you don’t believe me either? That’s just great!”
He held up his hands. “Alex, I didn’t say that…”
“If you don’t believe me then please don’t even bother, I’ll figure this out on my own, just like I have been doing...”
I was really angry now and felt myself losing control of the emotions that I had held on to for so long.
“Does Mom know who you are?”
“If you’re asking whether she knows that I am an Oceanid…no she doesn’t, and I would never want her to know.”
“Why not? How can you live such a lie?”
“Alex, unless you haven’t noticed humans, don’t do well in our world…” He held out his hands to me as soon as the words were out of his mouth, trying to placate the fury I knew must be raging across my face.
“If you had been any sort of father at all you would have warned me, warned us about the dangers of mixing Oceanids and humans.”
“Humans do not respond well to our kind, Alex.”
“I’m human and I responded fine.”
He didn’t reply, just shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose briefly, closing his eyes for a few moments.
“I don’t expect you to understand my actions or even forgive me, but we have a bigger problem here than our history…”
He opened his eyes and looked at me.
A screeching trumpet wailed through The Haven, interrupting our argument.
“What was that?” I whispered, a cold shiver racing up my spine as something pushed urgently at my thoughts.
“A distress call,” Dad replied before we raced out of the council room. Everyone in The Haven was following Aoi in a rush to get to the source of the sound as it reverberated again.
“What is making that?” I asked Dad.
“Zmija.”
“They didn’t make that sound before.”
“It’s a shout for help,” he replied, still avoiding looking at me for longer than he absolutely had to.
We wound our way through the great mass of Oceanids gathered at the entrance, all chattering worriedly as Aoi and Azura hurried towards them.
The Oceanids parted, inclining their heads as the leading couple dove through the opening, white sand swirling into the water as they went.
The screeching noise came again and again as the Oceanids at the entrance trickled out of The Haven one by one.
Dad and I were the last to leave and when we joined them on the other side the chaos was just wider spread.
“What’s going on?” I asked Dad as we drifted slightly above the melee. We could just make out a tangle of Zmija at the centre of which Aoi and Azura stood surrounded by brightly coloured creatures with whom they seemed to be deep in conversation.
Dad shrugged non-commitally as we watched Azura turn suddenly and begin to weep. Aoi wrapped her in his arms and comforted her for a few moments before he spoke to the Mami-Wata that had crowded around the Zmija as they formed a procession into The Haven.
When we re-entered The Haven, it was a hive of activity. Azura had regained her composure quickly and was instructing a flock of Oceanids as they darted around doing her bidding. Surrounding her were dozens of Oceanid children. They looked as tired and frightened as the group I’d found in the trap and many of them clung to each other in terror.
Azura did her very best to comfort them between giving those around her orders, and I watched with admiration as she cuddled and kissed as many of them as she could, whispering words into their ears until they smiled or hugged her back.
Dad had drifted away from me to speak to some of the Miengu who were guarding the entrance to The Haven. When he returned there was a pall of horror and fury around him.
“What is it?” I asked
“These children had almost exactly the same experience as the ones you protected earlier. They fled to the forest when Neith’s thugs came for them and forced their parents to join his army. They are fortunate to have survived in the open ocean as long as they did.”
“That sounds about right. So many of them though!” I muttered as I watched several Oceanids leading the children away to their new homes.
When all of the children had been shown into a gorgeous reef studded in brilliant colours with miniature versions of the capsules that had been in each of the cells in Ferengren, Azura and Aoi motioned to Dad and Ime to join them.
“You have until this afternoon to come up with a plan and then we go into action.” Aoi’s eyes flashed in fury. “One group of children is bad enough, but so many…and the Zmija say they can hear still more coming. Not all they hear are making it to The Haven.”
I shuddered.
Dad and I hurried back to the council room.
“OK, what did you see when you were at Ferengren?” Dad asked.
I explained the squid and the cell, the regiments of Oceanids and the manner in which Neith treated them. I explained the Påvirke and their ability to squirm into my head. When I got to the part about Merrick I struggled to talk around the lump in my throat.
“You really love him don’t you?” Dad asked gently.
I nodded, trying to hid
e my tear-crumpled face.
“It’s funny how life works out sometimes.” He smiled gently at me. “When I asked for a Traduzir to be assigned to you I was furious when Merrick showed up. He was so young and I was so worried about your protection.”
“You asked for Merrick to watch me?” I’d always assumed it had been Talita’s idea to have Merrick guard me.
Dad nodded.
“Why?”
“Do you remember the car accident Mom was in?”
I nodded, welling up again as I remembered how badly Mom had been hurt, and how long it had taken for her to recover.
“Some of my previous enemies found me, they wanted me to join the army they were creating. When I said no I was told I had three years and then they were coming for me.” He looked at me again, his expression worried. “I don’t know how they even knew about Gillian, or how they managed to tamper with the brakes of her car.”
I cleared my throat, past the fear that threatened to overwhelm me. “Maybe they didn’t?” I asked hopefully.
He smiled gently at me. “We had your mom’s brakes checked the week before the wreck,” he said quietly. “They were replaced at a service we’d had done on the car, and they worked perfectly for a full week. I spent weeks trying to decide what to do, and in the end the only solution I could come up with was to separate myself from you and your mom. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
“So you still love her?” I asked in a whisper, staring at my fingers which were clasped tightly in my lap, the white of my knuckles showing through the stretched skin.
He nodded. “I do, but Alex, sometimes love isn’t enough to withstand the forces life throws at it. It was surprisingly easy to convince your mom that I was someone she didn’t like, someone she couldn’t be with.” He shook his head, smiling sadly. “Humans,” he muttered, shaking his head. “That was also when I arranged for Merrick to begin guarding you. I have to say, when I first met him, I didn’t think he would grow to love you as he clearly does.”
“Why not?”
“He wasn’t thrilled to be looking after a Halfling and had many strong opinions about you and other humans.” Dad smiled. “You obviously changed his mind.”