The carved perfection of his chest.
The V of his hip bones right before they plunged into his sunset orange tail …
Becoming painfully aware of my audience, I cleared my throat and addressed the commander while blood filled my cheeks. “My apologies for the interruption. We’ve had a bit of a royal emergency that requires I request a moment of Recruit Alastor’s time.”
The commander’s spine stiffened at the unorthodox request. Anyone else would have been turned away; however, the blood coursing through my veins made me a hard girl to say no to. Or such was his skewed outlook. If he knew the truth, that I was a half-breed mutt, he would’ve ordered them to kill me on the spot.
“I suppose for a moment or two …” He trailed off, faltering under the watchful eyes of his recruits.
“Atlantica and your king, thank you,” I said with my most beguiling smile I could muster and skirted around him. “This is a private conversation. I trust you and your men can grant us a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness, of course.” The commander begrudgingly bowed. Judging by his reddening neck and cheeks, the recruits would soon be swimming laps in his effort to reassert his authority.
Pulling back the flap of his tent, Alastor welcomed me into his cramped abode with a formal wave of his arm. Sunlight shimmered through the water, casting golden diamonds over his torso. Edging past him, I avoided contact, as if his skin was a scorching toxin … which it very well may have been if I let myself indulge. The moment the flap fell shut behind us, he clasped his hands behind his back and forced his troubled gaze to meet mine.
“You didn’t care enough to say good-bye,” Alastor sniped, audible hurt adding an unforgiving slice to his tone. “What then would prompt a spontaneous visit?”
Raising one finger to halt his accusation, I clarified, “In my defense, I had every intention in partaking in the long standing tradition of the tearful good-bye. Unfortunately, I touched the Olympus Pearl and spent two days unconscious in the closet of my shop.”
Shoulders shaking with a snort of laughter, Alastor’s expression softened. “Only you.”
“We can marvel at the wonder of the anomaly that is me later, right now a larger matter looms.”
“It always does,” he sighed.
Lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, I closed the distance between us. “The Caribbean mer are holding Triton captive in the castle. The guardsmen couldn’t get to him and the Pacific mer have intervened. Things got bad, and fast. But, as we both know, I have ways of sneaking in undetected …”
“You used magic.”
“I used magic.” For a moment I fixated on a freckle just alongside the bridge of Alastor’s nose. Under different circumstances I would have liked nothing more than to brush my lips against it, to feel the warm current of his breath teasing over my face. He had a magic all his own, and it made coherent thought nearly impossible.
“Triton?” he prompted, one corner of his mouth pulling back in a knowing half-grin.
“He kicked me out!” I erupted, focus on my mission returning. “He’s insisting I invoke the spell to grant our soldiers,” glancing over his shoulder, I made sure no one was peeking in the tent, then mouthed the offensive word, “legs. If I succeed, the power in his reign will be carved in stone with a force no one can ever question again.”
A valley of concern furrowed his brows. “Are you ready for such a lofty endeavor?”
“Those holding him could decide at any moment his life no longer has value to them.” Blinking hard, I fought back the wash of tears burning behind my eyes. “I can’t lose him, Alastor. He’s the only family I have left.”
His thumb skimmed over my jawline, gently tipping my face to his. “That wasn’t an answer. Are you ready for this?”
Laying my hand over his, I offered him the only assurance I had to give, “I have to be.”
Reaching behind my head, Alastor plucked the driftwood stick carved into a whale’s tail from my hair. His scent, salty sea water and sandalwood, inebriated my senses. Casting the stick aside, he weaved his fingers into my hair and shook the locks free from their tightly wrapped bun. Cascading over my shoulders, they brushed the small of my back in their descent.
When his gaze met mine once more, his face was an open locket of sincerity. “My mother once told me of a flower on land called the wild orchid. Its enchanting bloom is an exotic beauty that rivals all other flowers. Even so, that’s not what makes it special. A breed of it can be found in almost any climate, its radiance conquering the most unforgiving conditions.” Both his hands gently cradled my face, his lips breathing the words into me. “You are my wild orchid, and I cannot wait to be there when the world gets to watch and be dazzled by the strength and elegance of your bloom.”
I wanted nothing more than to get lost there, in the sweet surrender of his touch. Thankfully, my desire to keep him alive interjected the painful reminder that time wasn’t on our side.
Pressing my fingertip to his lips, I backed to a more breathable distance. “You’re one of the soldiers now. They’ll put you on the front lines. You saw what happened to me, and you know what to expect when I invoke the spell. When you are given the call to formation, and it will come, position yourself in the shallowest waters you can stand. When it happens, kick for the surface and don’t stop until you break through.”
Dropping his chin to his chest, he blinked up at me from under impossibly long lashes. “I love that, in spite of everything, you’re worried about me.”
“Is that all that you love of me?” I asked, feigning insult.
Catching my driftwood hair accessory as it floated past, Alastor clamped it between his teeth long enough to gather my hair and twist it into a loose knot. His topaz stare melded with mine as he used the stick to secure the strands back in place. “From your wit to your demanding ambition, there isn’t one element I don’t love,” he admitted in a throaty rasp. “The second I return I fully intend to offer you my heart … forever. You see, I have no choice. It already belongs to you.”
Again those pesky tears welled in my eyes. This time, one slipped from my lid unchecked. Pushing away, I swam to the exit, knowing if I didn’t leave then I never would. With the tent flap hooked on my arm, I glanced back, memorizing every subtle nuance of his face. “Hurry back to me, Alastor … and bring forever with you.”
Chapter Twenty One
I never thought I would miss my mother’s ghoulish presence. Yet there I was, wishing her melted face would appear to impart a bit more wisdom about the spell she created. Cutting through town square, my mind ticked through the plethora of questions I would ask her … if she would only materialize. Flutter kicking between the castle and the housing for the Arctic members of court, which resembled jutting icebergs, I took the shortcut to my parlor. Pushing back my curtain door, I pulled up short at the presence already filling the space.
Cocking one hip, I jabbed my fist to it. “Huh, I suppose when I wished upon a starfish for my mother I should have been a tad more specific.”
She turned at the sound of my voice, a vision in white. Harsh black hair had been traded for chestnut waves that swept past her shoulders, the sides tied back with delicate ivory sea flowers. Her tail was the color of a snowflake falling into the raging sea. A vest of the tiniest seashells imaginable was slung over her shoulders, secured at her breastbone by a flourish of pearls.
“Amphrite!” Swimming into the parlor, I swept over my bottles of tonics and potions with a glance to ensure all was in place. “Welcome to my private parlor where you have obviously made yourself at home. If you came to kill me, may I suggest you wait a day? Then you can take part in the spectacle after my failure. You know: hand out rocks to be thrown, whisper insult suggestions to the angry masses …”
Folding her hands in front of her, she tipped her head in a convincing mask of pity. “Honestly, Vanessa, not everyone is your enemy. I don’t know why you believe that to be the case.”
“Uh,” I mu
ttered with a wry chuckle, “maybe it’s low self-esteem. Or, when it comes to you, maybe it’s because you specifically said it. So, you know, no real stretch there.”
Pale pink lips pursed in a subtle pout. “I was grieving. Surely you can understand that?”
“And now?”
Something dark flashed in her eyes, disappearing in a blink before I could tag an emotion to it. “Now, I want only to help you.” With the snap of her fingers, my cauldron began to bubble and roil. Vials and ingredients leapt from shelves, floating over to add themselves to the mix. “All that power lying beneath the surface, untapped. Yet, if I had to wager, I would guess you have no idea where to begin.”
Filling my gills to capacity, I exhaled a rush of bubbles and fast moving current. “There’s numerous places I could begin. It’s what comes after that I’m hung up on—more on that topic in a moment. First, you haven’t spoken more than a dozen words to me since my father died. Why, in the name of Mother Ocean, would you offer to help me now?”
“Without help,” leaning over the cauldron she wafted the scent of its brew to her nose with one hand—lips drooping with disappointment, she summoned a vial of rainbow trout ribs to her waiting hand and sprinkled them into the brew, “Poseidon’s entire family could be cast from the castle that is rightfully ours. That is a matter that affects me as well, considering I am very comfortable in the life to which I have become accustomed.”
“You’re suggesting we team up to keep Triton on the throne so you don’t have to move?” Eyes narrowed, I waited for a punchline or taunting hook I was sure would follow.
“What can I say?” Lifting one shoulder in a coy shrug, the shells of her vest clicked a soft applause. “Royal living suits me. Now, what are you hung up on in the spell?”
In retrospect I should have protested further, delved deeper into her seemingly materialistic motives. Feeling stiflingly overwhelmed proved to be my downfall. Seizing the opportunity with the vigor of a human grasping to the last buoy in a stormy sea, my mouth opened and the paradox I had been juggling tumbled out. “If I focus the spell on them one at a time, it will drain my energy too fast. Which would be fine, if I could hit them all with the same potency of magic at once. Unfortunately, even with the boost from the Olympus Pearl, I’m doubtful I can expand my reach that far.”
“That’s an easy enough fix.” She batted my words away as if they were bothersome sea gnats. “We simply need two channels. You harness the power and pass it through me; I’ll syphon it out to all the soldiers. Think of me as your own personal conch shell, giving your magical ‘voice’ a little amplification.”
“You know if I hit you with that much concentrated magic and you don’t disperse it, the force could kill you?” I reminded her, still hunting for the trap in the offer.
“And I will have no one but myself to blame. What say you, my dear? The brew is complete. The stage set. Every prop in place. All we need now … is our star. Take the lead, my sweet child.” With a warm smile, she offered me her hand over the cauldron’s frothy foam. “Seize your destiny.”
Heart pounding in my ears, I expelled the apprehensive breath lodged in my gills. Energy crackled between us the moment I laced my fingers with hers, Amphrite’s pupils dilating in anticipation.
Bowing my head, I swallowed hard and spoke the words which would alter the course of my existence forever:
“Prometheus, Athena,
Bring the winds of the Pacific Sea.”
Luminescent emerald wisps snaked from the cauldron, lighting the cavern with an eerie glow.
“Fermoris, bronchioles,
Et Max Sartorius,
Mutate to thee!”
Eyes bulging from their sockets, I watched the silhouette of a merman rise from the angry brew.
“Again! Quickly!” Amphrite prompted, squeezing my fingers in a vise-like grip.
Once more, I recited the incantation. The floating image changed, wriggling and writhing as if in pain. Its tail tore in two, kicking and flailing until it solidified into human legs. A blink and it was gone, mutated into a vicious claw of magically-infused tendrils. Shooting out from the confines of the cauldron, it punched into Amphrite’s chest.
Her body convulsed, head wrenching back at sharp angle. Her fingernails gouged my flesh in her struggle to hold on. Jaw falling slack, smoke belched from her mouth in an erupting geyser, darting off like a monstrous beast with an intent all its own.
At a loss for any other aid to offer, I held her as tight as I could until the very last puff of smoke hiccupped from her lips.
Red-rimmed eyes snapping open, Amphrite’s body sagged against the cauldron.
“Next time, you be the syphon,” she wheezed.
“Noted,” I mumbled, barely listening … but for very good reason.
On my worktable beside us, the now crystalized Olympus Pearl came alive. Within it the ravenous storm cloud of my creation descended on the waiting soldiers, hell bent on devouring them all. I lost the ability to think … to breathe. All that existed in my world was the occasional glimpse of thrashing limbs and sporadic, garbled shrieks of terror. Mermen splashed, kicked, and fought their way to the surface—the struggle complicated by their inexperience with their new legs. One by one, they burst from the water gasping for air. Those that could stand pulled in their flailing brothers, gifting them a foothold in an unknown world. Panting in equal parts adrenaline and fear, the soldiers pulled their weapons and charged the shore. The battle cry of one spread to the lot of many in a mighty roar. The people of Lemuria had no time to prepare. The walls of their defense had already been breached. Soon, every bit of life as they knew it would be claimed by the sea … by us.
“Vanessa, dear, you’re drifting.” Amphrite nudged me softly, rousing me from a much needed slumber.
I came to with a snort, forcing my anchor-heavy lids open wide. “Is everything okay? Did anything falter?”
We learned mere moments into the battle that the spell could only be maintained through a constant vigil. Clasping hands, uttering the spell for the umpteenth time, tossing fresh ingredients into the cauldron, all were required at regular intervals to prevent the magic from wavering. Minutes turned to hours, hours to days, and the battle raged on. We found we could only doze in shifts, waking each other if our subconscious drifted too far into sleep’s warm embrace. There laid the pivotal threshold where the thread to maintain the spell could be severed. Exhaustion had long since set in, bringing with it a dull ache deep in my bones.
“For now, everything is as it should be. We should probably recite the incantation again soon, give it a bit of a refresher.” Gazing into the cauldron, Amphrite flicked her wrist in an off-handed gesture to the table. “Your pets brought us a satchel of food from the palace kitchen. I have no idea how they managed it. The way they dote on you is truly endearing.”
Floteson’s head raised at her mention, only to flop back down over his sleeping brother’s back.
“They’re my boys.” Rolling my jaw one way and then the other, I tried to work out the kink from having fallen asleep on the side of the cauldron.
The late day sun hung heavy in the sky, casting a golden amber halo over the ocean and everything she contained. The third day of battle was drawing to a close.
“The west wing of the Lemuria castle crumbled into the sea. Flames engulf the heart of the city. Our victory is within reach,” Amphrite stated, her tone cold and emotionless.
An ominous chill tiptoed up my spine, setting my nerves on edge. “As promising as that sounds, we must sustain the vigil until the very end … for the sake of our soldiers.”
Floating away with a lazy stroke of her tail, Amphrite hovered in front to the pearl, gazing at the perils of war playing out with an almost wistful expression. “You really are quite strong, Vanessa. I firmly believe you could have invoked this spell without me.”
“Your faith in me trumps my own.” Something about her posture, this sudden feeling of detachment, set off trumpets of warn
ing in my mind. “I’m convinced I’d still be staring into the cauldron hoping for a blinding epiphany.”
Amphrite’s forefinger brushed the crystal surface of the pearl, tracing the outline of a rampaging soldier. “So many lives saved because of you …”
“Us,” I corrected, rising up to full height.
Gradually her head turned my way, daggers of accusation stabbing from her murderous glare. “Yet you couldn’t be bothered to save your own father.”
And there it was, the hook I feared the moment I saw her in my parlor.
“I told you, it was too late; there was nothing I could do!”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she held up one finger to silence me. “Nothing is such a subjective word, wouldn’t you agree? There were options you could have dabbled with. You just chose not to utilize any because you no longer had a need for your father.”
The bubbles in the cauldron were beginning to fade, a sign the magic needed to be renewed. Unfortunately, Amphrite didn’t seem in the mood for the necessary hand holding and I doubted my ability to go it alone. “That’s not true. I went in there to save him.”
What happened afterward was another matter …
“But you failed!” she snapped, spinning on me. “And in doing so you stole Poseidon from us all.” She punctuated her statement by parting her vest and laying a protective hand to the swollen pooch of her mid-section.
My gills clamped shut, momentarily forgetting how to function. “You’re … pregnant.”
“Her name will be Morgana,” she declared, rubbing her belly in a small, circular motion, “and I foresee her spending much of her life fighting to get out from under the evil stigma associated with her dear, departed, older sister.”
“Think of all of our men, Amphrite,” I urged, struggling to keep my tone calm and steady. “If you kill me now, every one of them will die.”
“Oh, I’m not going to kill you,” she purred with a deadly smile. “But, my dear, sweet child, you will wish I had.”
Rise of the Sea Witch (Unfortunate Soul Chronicles Book 1) Page 18
