Beneath the Waves

by Ali Vali

  “Let’s go see how good you are at making it up to me.”

  *

  The orb under Oba’s hand glowed with the white light she always attributed to the purity of the goddess. The vision she’d been given, though, made her cry just like the first time she’d seen it. It was as if seeing a prophecy that had been written about and part of their scriptures for generations before her time with the orb come to life like a stage play.

  When the high priestess who’d been gifted with the vision first wrote of it for her successors to learn from, the orb had provided a specific time frame. Kai’s actions could start the domino effect that could lead to the fulfillment of the priestesses’ writings.

  “Can you share what you see?” Galen asked as she sat at the edge of the throne in the main-temple altar area. The space had been cleared for this meeting, and even Hadley had left them to speak freely.

  “Why ask when you can demand that I share?” she said, lifting her hands to her face after giving thanks to the goddess. “I’m sorry, Galen. These images are unbalancing me. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “I’m a little unbalanced myself, if you’re telling me I might have given birth to the ruler who might bring about our destruction. Kai might not pick up after herself at times, but world annihilation is hard to believe.” Galen stood and faced the statues of the gods that stood watch over the orb when it sat on its grand perch made of pearls and other precious stones.

  “It’s not a total world annihilation.”

  “To be exposed to the human world and causing worldwide panic might just be the end of our world,” Galen said, and sat again. “The sharks among us believe it our right to rule humans and stop their assault on the environment we must share. At times it’s hard to be heard over their objections.”

  “They’re loud, true, but in no way the majority,” she said as she poured them both tea.

  “I realize that, but they do exist and will continue to exist since they raise children with their beliefs. They don’t understand how ambitious those who dwell on land are to get their way, and some are just power-hungry to rule over everything. It’s in the nature of every species to destroy what they don’t understand.” Galen accepted the cup, her smile, though, not as relaxed. “We are something they will definitely not understand.”

  “But like in all prophecies, this one can be changed, Highness.”

  “By calling Kai home to a quest of my choosing? Something the orb, you, Hadley, and I deem safe? I could, but my child would never have faith or trust in any of us, and I wouldn’t blame her for that.” Galen stared at her in a way that she never had, and she wanted to look away in shame. “Could what you see be tainted by what you feel for Kai and what she wants from you?”

  “My Queen,” she said but couldn’t say anything else because she could think of no words to excuse her behavior.

  “Oba, I do remember what it was like to be young and attracted to someone, especially someone who looks like Kai,” Galen said, and winked. “But you have to have known what you shared with my daughter wouldn’t last, and not because of whether I approve.”

  “What I did was wrong, so I wouldn’t blame you if you choose to punish me for my lack of judgment. I’ll accept it willingly.” She dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the floor.

  “Oba, please rise. That’s not what I meant.” Galen placed her hands on her shoulders and encouraged her back to her seat. “When I first saw Hadley and then got to know her in my heart, I was certain of the truth of my future with her. There would never be anyone else who owned so much of, not only myself, but my dreams and future. You might think that’s too much to give, but Hadley gave back of herself more than what she’s received. Too much of you belongs to the goddess, and too much of Kai belongs to the throne for either of you to sacrifice what you must to prove you are soul mates. So it doesn’t matter if Hadley and I approve—what you and Kai share isn’t built on a foundation to last a lifetime.”

  “Perhaps though, Highness, she is about to find exactly that, and it will result in the same shaky ground.”

  “This girl Vivien, you mean?”

  She nodded and stayed on her knees. “The prophecy can be interpreted in a number of ways since it reads—‘She will turn from the path set by the first and that will bring about the end of our world as we know it.’” As she spoke, the orb shone again but with a dimmer light. “Kai emerged from the water for a reason that day years ago, and when she did, she didn’t fight the first chapter of her fate.”

  “Vivien Palmer is Kai’s fate?”

  “If she is and Kai turns from the path decided for her at birth, then it could bring about the end of our world as we know it. She could choose Vivien over the throne.”

  Galen fell back in the throne and closed her eyes. “Is that what you saw?”

  “Yes.” She saw no reason to lie. “I told her as well before she left. Love may draw her away from us and our people, but eventually that choice will bring nothing but pain.”

  “Some will think it insane to consider making that choice, but I believe I understand your concern.”

  “If she loves as deeply as you do, the choice will be easy, even if it does end badly.”

  Galen’s eyes grew glassy with tears. “Of course, because no one wants to believe it’ll end like that if they love enough. What of the rest of what Kai found? Did the orb show you anything else?”

  “It only shows me the prophecy, so perhaps they’re connected.”

  “Let’s hope not,” Galen said as she closed her eyes again. “It might bring new meaning to the end of the world as we know it.”

  *

  Kai set a course west of Triton and tried to clear her head as the Sea Dreamer cut through the choppy water. The night was cloudy, hiding the moon, so Vivien’s profile was visible in the glow of the instrument panel. She sailed until they were relatively alone, at least by the display of the radar. It was too deep to drop anchor here, so she left the engines above idle, so with the slow speed they’d stay almost in place when she turned them into the current.

  “Why don’t you want me?” Vivien asked softly, but she still heard her over the hum of the engines.

  “You’re way off if that’s your first question.” She stood and motioned Vivien down to the deck and slid down the ladder to join her. Vivien stood and watched her but didn’t move as she knocked all the cushions off the bench seat to the deck and sat with her back against the stern.

  Vivien followed her and stumbled on the last step, as if from nerves. “More stargazing?”

  “Not in this cloud cover.” She held her hand up, but that’s all the encouragement she’d give Vivien. “If you want me to answer all your questions, I will.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “My list includes nothing someone like Steve’s does. All I want from you is your time and you.” Vivien took her hand, so she tugged gently so Vivien would straddle her legs. “I have to admit it wasn’t what I had in mind when we first met, but I’m glad our first impressions don’t get in the way of all this.”

  “Could you please explain before I screw up again?”

  She hadn’t thought of Vivien as a vulnerable person, but the question did have hints of uncertainty that made any other words unnecessary. When she placed her hand on the side of Vivien’s neck, Vivien closed her eyes and stopped breathing. This time she took her time as she pressed her lips to Vivien’s. Every woman she’d ever been with fell from her thoughts when Vivien opened her mouth slightly, as if inviting her in.

  She tried not to make the kiss too demanding, but it was hard when her mind filled with all the things Vivien wanted and was thinking. “You weren’t wrong, and I really didn’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m sure enough people in the past have wanted what you could give more than they wanted you.”

  “Could we stop talking for a little while?”

  “We can do whatever you like.”

  The invitation made
Vivien laugh and stand, so she had to cock her head back to see what Vivien had in mind. When the button of Vivien’s shorts was undone, she had a clue, and any shyness Vivien had displayed before disappeared along with her clothes. The splash a few moments later made her think she wasn’t as irresistible as her history had proved, but this was a refreshing change. Like Vivien, it was a relief to be wanted and pursued for herself and not for the power that would come from landing the title a union with her would bring.

  She stripped and jumped in without making much of a ripple in the water and swam until she was behind Vivien. “Be careful in this chop,” she said as she put her arm around Vivien, bringing her close.

  “That’s why you’re here—to keep me safe and afloat,” Vivien said as she turned and put her arms around her neck. “You have to since I’m beginning to understand the wonders of skinny-dipping more and more.”

  They kissed again, Vivien’s nipples hard against her chest. The constant breeze chilled her wet skin, but she didn’t think that was the reason for Vivien’s reaction. Some of her hesitancy melted away at the thought that Vivien wanted her, so she put more need into the kiss and pushed her leg between Vivien’s, which caused both of them to moan.

  “Let’s get out of the water,” Vivien whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

  Back on the deck Vivien spread a towel over the cushions and lay down as if issuing another invitation. The radio came to life just as she covered Vivien’s body with her own.

  “Ms. Palmer.” Kai recognize Barney Hickman’s voice.

  She enjoyed Vivien’s walk to the control panel even in the low light. Vivien wasn’t tall, but her curves and the shape of her ass were impossible to look away from. “What can I do for you, Barney?” Vivien asked with a shake of her head when she glanced back at her.

  “The coast-guard guy wants to talk to whoever’s in charge right away.”

  “Of course he does,” Vivien said, pinching her eyebrow as if in frustration. “Give us twenty minutes and we’ll see him in the mess hall.”

  “Will do.”

  Kai stood and collected Vivien’s clothes and handed them over. Maybe this distraction had saved her from something she couldn’t undo, but she refused to think of it as a mistake. What she felt for Vivien wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t fair to either of them since it had no future. Since she couldn’t control herself around Vivien, maybe getting back to the job site was for the best.

  “Once this is over, I want a few more days out here with you to hunt for more than stones,” Vivien said as she kissed the spot over her heart.

  “That sounds like the best offer I’ve had in forever.”

  “Just don’t forget it,” Vivien said. “I’ve finally found something I consider real treasure.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Triton was lit up like a star on Broadway when they approached, so Kai cut their speed and reached for the radio. “What the hell’s going on, Barney?”

  “The coast guard said they found something and they want all our people off,” Barney whispered as if he wasn’t alone. “Are you guys close? This shit’s getting intense.”

  “We’re close, so don’t let anyone push you around.”

  “If someone punches me I want a raise.”

  “What else could they have found?” Vivien said with her arm around her waist. “The boxes were bad enough.”

  “Did you bring your phone?” She had the engines set to the lowest speed that propelled them forward. Vivien held up the device so she relinquished the wheel. “Make a loop around from the east, then park it.”

  “Why not go right in?” Vivien did as she asked despite the question.

  “I want to see if they’ve got divers in the water. Look for lights away from the rig, because if something else was attached to Triton we would’ve spotted it.” She stepped away and typed a text message, erasing it when she was sure it’d been sent. “Thanks,” she said, handing it back. “Call your dad and see if anything else has been reported to him.”

  “Has anything like this ever happened to you in any other situation?”

  “There’s always some strangeness on every job, but this is a first.” Vivien didn’t leave her side as she spoke to Winston, and when she stared in the direction Kai pointed, she saw a line of light in the water. “Keep circling but don’t get too far away.”

  “Why?” Vivien asked not moving.

  “I don’t think these guys are planning to share with us what they found, so I’m going to go peek. I won’t get too close, so don’t worry—in and out so we have a clue as to what’s happening.”

  “They might shoot you, too, so I don’t want you to go,” Vivien said before blowing out a long breath. “But I guess I can’t stop you.”

  “You can if you asked nicely, but I also don’t want you to lose Triton.”

  “Be careful at least.”

  It would’ve been easier to go over the side unencumbered, but she had no choice but to strap on a tank and put on a mask. The darkness didn’t bother her as she swam as fast as she could toward the lights, and after a few minutes she didn’t see divers but Triton’s unmanned subs. They were hovering over a spot, and she cursed when she focused on what it was.

  A command module that resembled an upside-down mushroom was floating in about eighty feet of water, from what she could tell in the inky water and with no moonlight. Again the object appeared to be theirs but a more antiquated version of what was in their arsenal. The info the boxes were collecting was evidently being recorded into this and sharing it. It was like an office’s server, and the boxes were workstations. If she could get close enough she could find the answer to so many questions—the most important being who was responsible for all this.

  She couldn’t pull the brains out of the thing without appearing in the sub’s video feed, so for now she’d have to think of something else, but she had time. The unmanned subs were in the water for only one reason: the coast guard didn’t know what the hell this was. When you were afraid of something in the water, the government wasn’t any different than the rest of the world—it proceeded cautiously.

  She swam back to Vivien more confused than ever, since she and her team couldn’t have missed something like this given all the time they’d been in the area. The boxes were at times hard to find unless you were tuned into them, but a command module sent out a stronger signal.

  “Hey,” she said, tossing her mask aboard the Sea Dreamer.

  “Find anything?” Vivien peered down at her with what Kai assumed was worry.

  “A big something but they’ve got it surrounded.” Vivien grabbed her tank so she could come up. “Let’s dock so we can make some calls.”

  “Is it another clump of boxes?” Vivien put a towel over her shoulders and gave her a quick kiss.

  “This is something bigger and looks like the capsules from the Apollo flights. Now that I’ve seen it, they’ll speed up their timeline to get it out of here without telling us anything.”

  “Did they see you?”

  “They don’t have anyone in the water, but once we make the first call or ask the first question, the jig is up, as they say.” She wondered if this would be some of the last moments she’d spend with Vivien. A quest was important to everyone in the realm since it officially finished your education and prepared you for your future, but security would reign over all that once she reported this situation. “The subs are down there, so they probably don’t know what it is either.”

  “You think they’ll boot us back onshore for good now?” Vivien stood next to her as she guided them back to Triton.

  “This is a bizarre set of circumstances, so probably yes. Might save your dad a trip back out here.”

  “Promise me you won’t disappear on me,” Vivien said softly, and the need in her plea made Kai want to hold her.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you,” she said, and she meant it.

  *

  “Highness, we patrolled the area yesterday and that wasn’t
there,” team leader Edil Oliver said to Galen and Hadley by video link.

  “Did it drop from the sky?” Hadley asked, making Galen poke her for the sarcasm.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “I’m more interested now in what we’re going to do about it,” Galen said before the blame game got going.

  “The coast guard has the unmanned subs monitoring it, so we’ve kept our distance, but we plan to get close enough to stick a probe in it and backtrack the information. Once we know who, it’ll be easier to ask why. Both of you have my apologies for this failure. If you’d like to replace me, I’d certainly understand.”

  Galen wanted to do just that, but Hadley took her hand, which calmed her. “Throw yourself on your triton later, Edil. Right now we just need you to do your job,” Hadley said without a trace of humor.

  The screen went blank without them dismissing Edil, so they both leaned forward, knowing why. Galen’s emotions swelled when she saw Kai’s face on the screen, but she took a deep breath to tamp down the urge to sob in relief. From the surroundings, Kai wasn’t on the Salacia, but she didn’t appear tense or afraid.

  “Highnesses,” Kai said with her fist over her chest as she bowed slightly. Their child was only this formal when she knew they weren’t alone and she was acting in an official capacity. “I’m sure you’ve heard about what was found, so I was reporting in for instructions.”

  “How—” Hadley said.

  “Vivien and I were on the water and saw the lights from the unmanned subs. I took a quick look but stayed out of camera range.”

  For all the times she was glad Kai was like Hadley in most things, Galen didn’t care for her need to jump into anything without much thought. “Has the Salacia picked up on anything?” she asked as she studied Kai’s face for signs of anything amiss. She wanted to call Kai home before any real danger presented itself, but she had to balance her maternal instincts with her daughter’s future and how the realm would view her.