“Are you all right?” Dad asked quietly.
I shrugged. “I’m not worrying about anything new, Dad, I just…it’s just such a fine balance between annihilating Neith and anyone who attacks us and saving the innocents caught in the middle. I don’t want the children at Ferengren to be hurt and I want to get Takimu and Cyan out alive and, well…”
“And you want to rescue Merrick,” he finished for me.
I nodded, afraid that if I spoke I’d cry.
We were quiet for a few moments, watching as the Oceanids around us practised the drill.
“I keep wracking my brains to try to figure out if there is something more I can do, something I haven’t thought of that will make this all go away, some way to placate Neith and rescue all of them, without fighting…”
“There isn’t,” he replied simply.
I sighed and closed my eyes briefly at the finality of his words because I’d known from the moment Neith took Merrick that it would come to this. As long as my heart carried on beating I would defend humanity against Neith’s kind of anarchy and protect Oceanids from his madness.
I opened my eyes. “OK, let’s go to the practice grounds and try this thing out properly,” I said.
Aoi explained that while it was mostly deserted with very little animal life it was also completely exposed and visible from the air.
“We’ll have to go there this evening just after dusk, that way any human flying machine will be unable to see us.”
The terror for Merrick’s safety threatened to consume me as the day stretched ahead of us. The moment I stopped working towards his rescue I felt panicky.
Dad seemed to understand this about me and suggested we spend the day checking the technical elements for the battle.
Pelagius approached me as I was rechecking the harpoons and bows and arrows.
“Those will be of little use to you in trembling uncertain hands,” he said as he watched me pick up yet another bow and check the tightness of the string.
I looked up at him, waiting for him to get to the point as he eventually did.
“Your people need you today, Alexandra. Men’s hearts fail before the battle, not in it. Give them something to do – they are as anxious as you are.”
“There isn’t anything to do.”
“Then make something up, perhaps this is the perfect time for you to talk to them. To encourage them, to give them hope and strength.”
“I can only give them what I have, Pelagius, and I have very little of either of those right now.”
He shook his head. “You cannot afford to show them that Alexandra. You must be confident even if you don’t feel it.”
“What do I say to them?”
“It doesn’t really matter, just go and speak to them, find out what they are afraid of and give them hope that their fears are unfounded.”
I nodded and asked Aoi to send word to everyone to come to the arena in battle gear.
I drifted high above the arena, watching with a sense of awe as they assembled, glittering in shades of blue and green and looking like something out of a movie. As I watched them though I could see the fear that drifted around them, the spiritus an unhealthy shade of green and black. It seemed to be infectious as it drifted from one to another and with it the soft murmuring of negativity drifted up to me on the current.
They are afraid, Mitra. How am I going to stop them from being so scared?…What should I say to them?
You will win, she replied in her usual abrupt certainty.
I don’t know if we will though.
You will win, she repeated, giving me another mental shove.
How do I stop the fear?
Silence, she replied.
I smiled at the simplicity with which Mitra saw things and realised that, as usual, she was right. I had to stop them speaking fear into each other and the only way to do that was to have them keep silent until the battle.
I descended into their midst, the fearful chattering ceasing the moment I did so and swam to the first Oceanid, a massive Miengu whose sheer size was intimidating. I tugged slightly on the covering for his head.
“This looks a little small. Please go and have it adjusted,” I told him.
He looked surprised.
“We don’t want any of you more exposed than necessary.” I smiled at him, hoping to convey courage.
He left without another word, swimming straight for Sini the cloth maker.
I moved on to the next Oceanid, a pretty, middle-aged woman, her hair drawn back tight from her face.
“What is your name?” I asked her as I inspected her armour.
“Maayan,” she replied shyly.
“And what is it you are fighting for tomorrow?” I asked.
“I have two children,” she replied, her voice wavering and her eyes reddening with the tears she tried so hard to keep back. “I want them to be safe.”
“That is a valiant reason to fight, Maayan. Hold onto that reason because it is at the heart of why we must fight and win.”
She nodded, smiling at me.
I continued along the ranks checking armour and speaking to each Oceanid, trying with all my might to show them that I cared about them as individuals and shared their passion and drive for the fight that was to come.
When I’d finished I returned to the beginning to find the Miengu I’d sent off to get his armour adjusted back in line.
“That looks better,” I told him. “It will offer you more protection.”
He smiled at me and thanked me.
I drifted above them slightly so that they all could see me.
“We will perform a proper practice tonight at dusk. Until then I want you to eat, and sleep. Finally, and this is the most important command I’m going to give you until we attack Neith, the only people you may speak to are the children. You may not speak to each other until we are practising and then only to give commands. Your respect of this command will show me your loyalty and commitment to defeating Neith.”
There was an icy silence throughout the army and when instructed they swam to their respective capsules without a word.
I could see Dad wanted to question me but instead he surprised me by smiling, nodding and swimming to his own capsule in silence.
I knew I’d never be able to sleep and my stomach was too knotted to think of eating, so I swam to where the children were playing among the coral.
As usual they flocked around me in a kaleidoscope of colours, but instead of giving me their normal greeting they were very quiet.
They swirled around me, some of them into my arms for a hug while others ran their fingers through my hair.
“We heard you ask everyone for silence,” Nessa whispered dramatically as she pushed my hair away from my ear and held my head with her pudgy hands.
“Shhhhh,” one of the other children hushed her, “if you talk you are showing you are not part of the army.”
“I am too!” Nessa protested.
I smiled at them.
“I also said that the only people we could talk to was you.”
“Why?” little Bo asked as he did a series of loop-de-loops around me.
“Because you are great to talk to,” I replied.
“What are you going to do to that bad guy…Neeee?” a very small boy asked me.
“I’m going to make sure he can never hurt any of you, or any other children human or Oceanid again,” I replied, ruffling his shocking blue hair.
“Are you going to make him dead?” he asked me seriously.
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I hope he will stop what he is doing before it comes to anything like that.”
Alazne shook her head. “He won’t, he’s only got darkness in him…he took my brother and my sister…”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied, pity for the anguish on the child’s face fuelling the fury I had at Neith’s monstrous behaviour.
“Will you get them back please, Alexandra?” she asked, h
er forehead creasing in worry.
“I will try my very best,” I told her, putting an arm around her frail shoulders and squeezing her gently.
I played with them for a while, laughing at their antics and attempting to copy the crazy twists and turns their supple little bodies could do effortlessly, but even their delightful company couldn’t keep the anxiety at bay for long.
“I need to rest,” I told them, accepting more hugs and kisses before squirming my way into the leathery confines of what should have been a restful space in my capsule.
I tried closing my eyes, but Merrick’s tortured face was always behind my lids.
Eventually I left The Haven in search of Mitra.
She was drifting, eyes closed in sleep, tangled among some kelp.
She lifted one lid lazily as I approached and closed it again as I settled into my usual seat.
Rest, she commanded me and as she did so a sleepy calm drifted through me and enabled me to rest until it was time to leave.
We moved out of The Haven just before dusk in silence. The sunlight glinted off the exquisite colours of the Oceanids in armour as they rose and fell with the creatures that accompanied us.
Mitra and the other Zmija led the group, followed closely by several whales and finally by a large pod of dolphins, each one pulling an Oceanid as he or she held onto their fins.
We arrived at the practice grounds as the light was seeping from the sea.
At a silent command from Mitra, the Zmija, closely followed by the rest of the sea creatures, fanned out around the circumference of the practice ground, depositing the Oceanids they’d brought with them in an even circle of soldiers.
Now, I told Mitra.
Within moments the Zmija did as I commanded and were quickly followed by the other creatures.
But there the battle plan ground to a halt.
Dad and Aoi appeared next to me, waiting for me to tell them why I wasn’t shouting commands to the waiting Oceanids.
“All of the animals are in danger of being shot by the Oceanids on the ridge,” I explained. “Whether the Oceanids are above us or below us they are in real danger of being hit.” My heart was pounding in fear as we faced yet another glitch as we put our battle theory into practice.
It took us over an hour to work out how the harpoons and bows and arrows should play out. And another half an hour to retrieve them from where they’d been shot.
I was infinitely glad for the command of silence, knowing how disorganised and inexperienced we seemed. The fear I could see curling off the Oceanids’ skin would have been amplified a hundredfold had they been talking to each other.
Eventually we were ready for the Oceanids to practise the talents they had learnt to share with me.
I shouted the word for disguise, bracing myself for the draw on my energy. Next I shouted the word for shock waves and then for the manipulation of water. Finally I shouted the word for the energy ball. Each talent had cost me a little in strength but again the energy balls left me exhausted.
Mitra, feeling me droop, infused me with some of her energy, so that I could carry on.
I instructed the group to return to The Haven, struggling to contain the fear that filled my stomach as I clung to Mitra’s neck and held my back straight against the overwhelming exhaustion as I faced the reality that in order to beat Neith I may well have to give everything I had…
Dad asked me at frequent intervals how I was feeling and I told him on Mitra’s back I was fine, that she had enough energy for the both of us. But he knew I lied.
27. Race
I’d recovered a little by the time the kelp forest came into view, Mitra’s continued flow of energy enough for my own body to begin to restore itself. As we approached The Haven a shudder went through Mitra that made my hair stand on end.
What is it?
She didn’t reply immediately.
Mitra?
Something is wrong.
Tell the others to be on high alert.
The other Zmija fanned out from us, their massive heads scanning the kelp as they approached The Haven warily.
Mitra and I arrived at the entrance first and as I slipped from her neck she turned and positioned herself in coiled readiness.
Aoi, Dad and Pelagius joined me as we entered The Haven only to stop dead, our eyes stretched wide in horror.
The entire place had been destroyed, all of the capsules, the coral, the council room, everything had been smashed.
“The children,” I whispered, dread racing through my veins as I rushed to the debris of the coral they normally played in, hoping against hope to find them safe.
“Spread out and look for them!” I shouted at the Oceanids who seemed paralysed by the annihilation of their home as they dribbled through the entrance.
Within a few minutes every nook and cranny of The Haven had been searched. There was no trace of them.
“Oh Azura, no!” Aoi’s wail pierced the silence as I rushed over to where he was kneeling in the debris of the council room.
He held her broken body gently as he kissed her face. She blinked slowly at him, her eyes full of pain as I knelt beside her.
“Call Maya,” I shouted desperately, knowing I didn’t have the strength to heal Azura on my own.
Azura turned to me.
“He took them,” she whispered through broken teeth, “he took the childr…” She swallowed convulsively. “He will kill them if you attack…” Her voice drifted away as her eyes froze wide and her mouth set in a grimace of pain.
Tears filled the water around me as I watched Aoi sob over the body of his love before my own shock and sorrow consolidated into a furious rage.
“There is still time to get them back,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
Aoi continued to sob as I stood.
“We leave now,” I shouted at the shocked Oceanids.
“But, Alexandra…” Aoi struggled to straighten up, turning to face me, refusing to let go of Azura as he did so. “You can’t risk their lives like that…”
“If we let Neith have them it will be even worse for them.”
Aoi shook his head. “I won’t lose more of my loved ones to Neith. I told you I had the right to withdraw The Haven’s support from this battle at any time.”
The Oceanids stared at Aoi, fear and uncertainty curling off their skin.
I turned to face them. “This battle is no longer about fighting for humanity. You are all fighting for Oceanids now. If you leave those children in his clutches they are as good as dead. If you let Neith get away with this atrocity he will come back and attack you again and again until you are forced to join him or you die. Aoi is right. You have no obligation to follow me, but I am going to fight for the freedom of the children Neith took. I am going to fight for the right of each Oceanid to live their lives in peace. You can join me, or you can stay here, the choice is yours.”
The Oceanids took only a few moments to choose. Most of them swam to hover behind me, only a few swam to Aoi’s side.
“Let’s go.” I turned from Aoi and swam out of The Haven.
What happened? Mitra asked me.
They’ve taken the children to Ferengren.
Their scent is still fresh in the water.
Then let’s go get them.
I felt a thrill of excitement tinged with fear run through her as she shrieked.
The answering shriek of the other Zmija was chilling in its ferocity as they leapt forward in a flurry of bubbles.
Dad and Pelagius appeared on a Zmija to my right and Thanh to my left.
“Thanh, I want you to take over Aoi’s group and Pelagius, you will have to take over Azura’s.”
“What is the plan when we get there?” Dad asked.
“We attack as planned.”
“Neith knows our movements, Alex, what’s to say he doesn’t know what that plan is?”
“That’s a risk we have to take,” I replied, spurring Mitra to move even faster as we reached the
open ocean.
She and the other Zmija flew through the water and glided through the air at incredible speed.
We are closing the gap, Mitra told me and hope bubbled up inside me that we could catch the kidnappers before they reached Ferengren.
Where are they? I asked her as I watched the Zmija fanning out in front of us to create a semi-circle.
Just ahead.
I saw them in the distance a few moments later. There were twenty of them and they were pulling a net full of my little friends, all of whom were swimming as hard as they could, trying to keep up with their captors. One of the adult Oceanids yanked on the net, the slower children bumping into the ones ahead of them and crying out in pain as they did so.
Just ahead of them the sea bed rose towards the surface and the blue phosphorescence of Ferengren shone in the inky-black waters.
We’re not going to make it, I yelled mentally at Mitra.
She ignored me, racing ahead of the other Zmija, her jaws wide as we gained on the kidnappers just before they disappeared into the eerie blue light of Ferengren.
Mitra, STOP! I yelled again, knowing that racing into Ferengren alone would seal our fate and the rest of the army that hurried to catch us.
She twisted up and back in on herself, moments before we reached the edge of Ferengren, frustration rippling through her.
The rest of the pod caught up with us and as soon as they had I gave the order to attack.
28. Unexpected
The Zmija and their riders dove over the edge of Ferengren, teeth bared and shrieking in fury into a space void of life.
The plankton lit the round space perfectly revealing only one Oceanid in the very centre of Ferengren.
The Zmija milled around the edges looking for the massive army that should have been there as Mitra and I cautiously approached the Oceanid in the middle.
It’s probably Neith, I warned her. He is evil, Mitra, be careful.
It is not Neith, she informed me.
How do you know?
He is dying.
I stared more intently at the figure suspended in the middle of Ferengren.
Fire (The Mermaid Legacy - Book 2) Page 19
