CHAPTER VIII
At the advice of the mermaids, Caia and Thea placed the different foodstuff in stages of stasis to keep it at its peak. The men were growing pensive. They were all aware of the fact that there was a lot of information that needed to be shared. The question was where to start? Did their knowledge overlap or interconnect at all? If so, how? Considering that their species shared very little in common, it was possible that what they knew had nothing to do with each other. The thought was doubtful under the circumstances, but it was still a consideration.
It was Violet who decided to break into the silence as she led the women back to where the men waited for their return. “You should see the looks on your faces, and I have never seen our men so quiet. Well, it is time to do something about this.”
As Violet curled up next to Arad, she purred in approval of the feel of the materials that seemed to surround her. “So soft and warm, a girl could get used to such decadence. So who wants to start? Coral heard the most, I think she should tell us what she knows first.”
Coral, who had made herself at home on Doral’s lap, began to tell what she knew without anyone giving her the go-ahead. “We had been watching the schooner from the shoals for a while before the waters began to show signs of the blood coming from below. The moment we noticed what was happening, we knew the waters were going to turn dangerous. That amount of blood in one place in the ocean was going to attract the attention of every shark and barracuda for miles in any direction. We decided the safest place for us was to hug the hull of the schooner and stay away from open spaces. As the current in this area is fairly strong, we hoped it would clear the carnage away fairly quickly. We hadn’t counted on so many sharks showing up, or for them to begin to start attacking each other the way they did.”
Hawk, pulling Caia onto his lap, so he could make her more comfortable, reminded Coral about the conversation they were supposed to be listening to. “So, what did you hear during all of this?”
Coral, looking suddenly embarrassed by the reminder, blushed as she apologized. “We tended to focus more on what was happening in the water than over it. While we were hiding, a couple of the men onboard the schooner moved from one side of the ship the other to see what they could below. They were calling out names. Charles. Roman. Mike. When the sharks began to appear on the surface, the men on the ship settled at the bow. Their words were filled with hate and spite. They didn’t call out to those who had been in the ocean earlier any more, but they did mention their own. They were angry that the bitches had managed to slip from the noose they had set out to capture them. They were having trouble believing that the sharks had caused the deaths of their co-workers. I doubt whether they had any idea how right they were, yet at the same time, how wrong.”
Adriel asked. “You said they called each other by name?”
Violet nodded. “Troy and Norton. They set sail as things got rougher in the waters below, and we clung to the hull like a trio of barnacles. When we thought it was safe enough to let go, we let them continue towards shoreline on their own, and we came here. We knew where we would find you. We also knew it would be dangerous to travel in the area, but we know how to do these things. We have lived in the ocean all of our lives. We were right about the level of danger, which was why we collected food to bring with us as we made our way over the ocean floor. When we thought we could make it safely to the opening of the cave, we quickly swam to the entrance. Coral almost got caught, but we got here in one piece.”
Caia frowned. “Do you think we can get out the same way as you got in?”
Violet shook her head. “Not unless you are willing to challenge the predators that are still flocking to this area. The sharks who arrived here earlier have had a good feed, but even they know when it is smarter to leave than stick around. A smart person doesn’t go out of the way to tempt the Fates. Those fickle females can turn on you in a moment. We are better off waiting this out here.”
Thea added Caia and her story as Violet finished. “We have noticed there are strange men hanging out on the shore, they have been watching for us, but that isn’t news. Men are always trying to hit on us, but they seldom continue to do this for such a long time.”
Hawk immediately was concerned. “When did this begin?”
Thea looked thoughtful, knowing Hawk wasn’t interested in the men of the past, but those she had only finished mentioning. “Approximately two months ago. It could have been more, but not by much. We took care to never be in the same area where they were and definitely never alone if we noticed them close.”
Caia added. “There was a foul odor coming from them that was enough to make us feel ill. We were taught to watch for people like this all of our lives. Our parents told us that although they had never come across anyone like them, there had to be a good reason for our ancestors to have left a warning detailing those points. Our ancestors have always kept us aware of things that guide our safety.”
Adriel asked, “From all I have heard from you so far, there is more to this story than you are telling.”
Thea nodded. “We saw something that scared us about a week ago. We were further out to sea on our boards than usual when we noticed a schooner coming up fast on us. The ocean was unusually calm for the area, and the time of the day, so we were resting to wait out the lull. Well, as calm as the waters seemed to be, the schooner appeared to have full sails and was skimming over the surface. It was quickly coming up on us, and it was all we could do to escape.”
Hawk’s eyes were sharp as they focused on Caia. “Weather mages?”
Caia nodded. “We assumed so at the time, although we have never had any experience with them. We read about such people during our studies, but what the missive had to say seemed more like flights of fancy to us than anything real, so we didn’t pay enough attention and forgot about it.”
Thea sighed. “After we saw what we did, we will never make that mistake again. We were lucky there happened to be a small pod of humpback whales swimming close. We sent out an SOS for help, and they quickly responded. The one whale came up from under the schooner and nearly caused it to capsize. Another struck it with its tail as it came to the surface. It all looked pretty natural, and as the ship was slightly damaged, we sent the whales on their way with our gratitude. It didn’t take long for the sea to return to its natural state.”
Caia ended their story. “We watched for a few moments while we waited for a good wave to take us to shore. We could tell the men on the schooner were having a lot of trouble getting it stabilized, so we thought we would get back to shore without them being able to follow us to where we live.”
Thea finished off. “The way they were floundering around out at sea when we looked back at them, we assumed that one of the whales had struck the rudder, as it was having problems staying on course. They were also heading for land.”
Caia chuckled, “By the time they finished limping in, we were long gone. We even thought of leaving the area, but that sounded too much like abandoning out posts.”
Adriel caught on immediately to what Caia was saying. “Ahh, I presume this means the portal is close to here.”
Thea nodded. “It is extremely unstable, so much so that I doubt if anyone could pass through it safely.”
It was exactly what Hawk and Adriel had feared, and they hoped Caia and Thea were wrong about their suspicion, for they were still going to need that gateway to be in working order to get back to the Elven Empire with their Life Mates when the time came to leave.
CHAPTER IX
Hawk rose at this point of the conversation and started to comment on what he had been told up-to-date. This included what was happening in the Elven Empire, as well as how the portal under the Book Aerie had met its untimely demise. These were things they all needed to know about if they were to get away alive. To Hawk, it looked like the Fates were stacking the deck against them, which would be nothing new in his estimation. The Fates might favor his people, but it didn’t mean they were
going to make life easy for any of them.
As Hawk began to pace, he ran through anything he had known before he had been sent to bring Caia and Thea back to the Elven Empire. Hawk wasn’t very happy about the need to tell all of this in front of the merpeople, but at this point he doubted if it mattered. “Adriel and I were sent to bring Thea and Caia home, as I believe they have already ascertained. We never expected to find that they are our Life Mates. Nevertheless, things like this happen, and have no doubt, we are pleased that this is the case. Before this, another set of Elves had come across the boundary to meet their Life Mates. The existence of the two female Elves had been told to them through a vision. In finding them, Joran and Tarik ran across information that was important to the Empire that had to be passed on to the Emperor Lothriel. It didn’t take long before there were many Elves involved in keeping them alive, as well as those who were guarding the information from enemy hands.”
Thea asked. “Did you find out who the enemy agents were?”
Hawk nodded but had to admit, “Not all, but from what we have learned in the course of things is that there is a strain of Demon blood in every Human alive on the planet. The people seem to be able to handle things well enough on their own, so Emperor Lothriel decided to cut all contact with them off from the Elven Empire. It was something that should have been done eons ago anyway.”
Thea gasped, “Our people would have abandoned us here?”
Hawk shrugged. “We didn’t know about the Elves on this side of the boundary when the decision was made. As we assumed no one is this part of the world knew anything about us, we thought it would hardly matter. To these people, we are creatures of myth, like fairies, unicorns, and others like them. Our sudden appearance after so many hundreds of thousands of millenniums would be meaningless.”
Thea looked incredulously at Hawk. “But doesn’t it seem to you that the Demon strain is becoming more dominant?”
Hawk explained. “From all we have learned about those living on this side of the boundary, there are few people who have the stronger Demon bloodline in them, but it does comes to the surface from time to time. These types of people never live long, and those who follow usually have to straighten out whatever harm was done before they move on. We are not going to come into this world to try to control something nothing short of full annihilation will eradicate from the surface of the planet. It is time to accept things for what they are and for us to move on.”
Arad asked. “How about Troy and Norton?”
Adriel took over from Hawk, as he knew more about Troy and Norton than his partner. “The two Demon Hybrids you are so worried about are part of an organization that has been going around and gathering information about us based on conjecture. We don’t know how much of a following they have, but their goal is to kill us. I am not sure how anyone else feels about this sort of situation, but we grew tired of being hunted a long time ago. It is for this reason we went out of our way to be helpful and to protect the world we live in from those who mean it and us harm. We feel we deserve better from those who benefitted from our sacrifices.”
The merpeople nodded their heads in agreement. They knew what Adriel was talking about, as well as how he felt. These people had been doing much the same thing to them since they had arrived on this planet. They were still considered oddities, and thus they had to be exterminated. It was not fair.
Caia caught the thought that was foremost in every mind in the underwater cave, and she wondered. “Since when do the Fates fight fairly? It has been our lot in life to do as we are told, not as we deem fit. Is this any different? Since when do our people run from a fight?”
Thea laughed at Caia and teased. “You sound like you are ready to lead an insurrection. I am sure we will find a way around our predicament. Our people always have in the past. Remember our history lessons?”
Hawk didn’t say anything, mainly because what was happening in the Elven Empire was known only to a few. Those who were in on the planning stages were close to the Emperor Lothriel and sworn to secrecy. Hawk and Adriel knew a bit of what was being planned, but this was mainly because they were the sons of Kings. The full details of what was going on, however, stopped with their fathers and Elves of power like the High Lord General Gabriella Eagle Claw. Olyne, as head of the Elven Wizards, had only been brought into the know during the last few weeks. Hawk and Adriel had decided that whatever was being considered must be huge, or Olyne wouldn’t be walking around the Empire looking shell-shocked.
When Adriel had asked about what was happening in the King’s Counsel, he had been told that everything would be made clear in due course. For now, they had a task to see to. When this was finished, then they would be able to look forward, but not before. The one thing an Elf grew up learning was patience. The only family who was exempt from this rule seemed to be the Eagle Claws, and Adriel and Hawk were not a part of that group, more was the pity.
Caia watched Hawk’s facial expression closely and noted, “There is more to what is happening in the Elven Empire, but you are not telling us about it. Do you care to share?”
Hawk gave a derisive bark of laughter and then admitted. “There is a lot going on, but I am not the one to ask about it. If I started spouting off guesses about what I think might be happening I could easily cause trouble between our people that should never exist.”
Adriel asked. “You think what little we are not saying could be that big?”
Hawk shrugged, again not sure what to say in case his mind was creating a mountain from a molehill. “I am not high enough in the commanding ranks to be told what is going to happen. The fact that I think might be is meaningless. All of my thoughts could easily be no more than flights of fancy. I don’t want to spread what could be nothing more than lies.”
Arad sighed and agreed. “Point taken, but doesn’t it just kill you when those higher up in your society keep things from you?”
Adriel laughed and replied. “It makes our imagination work overtime.”
Arad agreed. “And more times than not what we come up with is the wrong thing, and we create a tempest in a teapot. Which probably wouldn’t be a good thing in this case.”
CHAPTER X
While they were confined to the cave over the following two days, the merpeople and the Elves dined on seafood. During this time, the blood in the waters cleared up completely, the predators left the area, and the danger passed. When they were sure things were safe again, they decided to return to their homes. The merpeople were the first to leave, for they had the longest way to travel, but the Elves continued to linger for a while longer.
Hawk and Adriel would have liked nothing better than to have traveled directly to the Elven Empire with Caia and Thea where it would be safe from those who hunted them. However, Caia and Thea had other ideas about the matter that they were unwilling to share with them. Hawk and Adriel had a suspicion their Life Mates were hiding more from them and had been from the beginning.
For the third time in a row, Hawk and Adriel crossed the floor space before their stubborn Life Mates and asked, “Why? What is holding you to this land?”
Thea and Caia refused to answer, instead choosing to remain silent as they continuously played with their fingers while they nervously clasped and entwined them. They exchanged concerned looks with one another, as if warning each other not to say anything, and then turned their faces from Hawk and Adriel.
To Hawk and Adriel, Caia and Thea’s actions spoke volumes. It told them their suspicions were right and the girls were deliberately hiding something important, but they couldn’t imagine what it could be. This had to do with more than the steadily weakening gateway. What else did these two know that they were reluctant to talk about?
With a sigh of resignation, Caia eventually decided it probably wouldn’t matter if Hawk and Adriel knew their secret or not. “Sage and Sahara weren’t the only Sentinels entrusted with volumes that were supposed to be hidden from the rest of the world about our reasons for being
here. We also were given some. Those we have are not as important as those Sage and Sahara have, but the danger factor could be bigger than theirs if someone of power were to ever find them. We had to remain to guard these tomes. The books tell about ways to bolster the strength of the gateways at the point of their collapse so we can still use them one final time to get safely back to the lands of our ancestors. Those are not the only pieces of information that are contained in the books, for they tell of the history of our enemies. Whatever type of conjuring it takes to use those missives is beyond our power, so they must remain where they are. Only an Elven Wizard of the highest order has the strength to use the information the books contain, especially if the volumes are to accompany us through the portal at the same time. That does not mean they cannot be taken across without using magic. In fact, that would be the preferred way to do it.”
Adriel looked at Hawk as they shared their shock and wonder that Thea and Caia had never bothered to mention this before. It would have taken little more than a summoning to bring Olyne across to them, or maybe it wouldn’t have. It took a great deal of power and energy for an Elven Wizard to cross through the boundary, and each time they did, they were weakened. According to Olyne the condition was temporary, but if used too often, the conjuring had a compound effect, and it would only be a short time before the Wizard using the spell would become diminished to the point where it would take years to recover from the trips.
Hawk was the first to say anything, and this came after a prolonged period of silence. “Olyne won’t be able to come to this place. Rock is a major inhibitor to our talents when it surrounds us like it does here, which is one of the main reasons Elves hate caves. We are going to have to return to shore if we want to summon Olyne and Emperor Lothriel.”
Water Bonded Page 4
