“I’m really sorry about Tristan,” David said, throwing him a glance. The mer walked ahead of everyone with his head down as if he didn’t have a friend in the world.
“I don’t want you to think you came between us, because you didn’t,” Faren said, twisting a leaf between her fingers. “Tristan is a good friend, but I knew long before I met you that he wasn’t the one.” When David started to bring him up again, she stopped him. “Can we talk about something else?”
The issue with Tristan hung over their heads like a dark cloud. It wasn’t something that would go away on its own, but maybe Faren was right. Perhaps now wasn’t the time to delve into that problem any deeper.
“Tell me more about this island,” David said, taking her hand. “How does the Spirit hide it from humans? I think I’d remember hearing about a tropical rainforest near the Bahamas.”
“Seneca is in a parallel realm, so unless a mer invites a human here, no matter how far they travel, they’ll never find it,” she replied, sounding relieved for the change in conversation topic. “From what I’ve been told, this gift of sight passes down from generation to generation.” She moved a clump of ferns out of her way. “As far as I know, you’re the only human who’s ever been here.”
“If I’m the only human who’s ever been here, and this island is in a different plain, where did the shipwrecks come from? And why are there so many?”
Faren stopped to think. “I’m not sure,” she said, scrunching her face up as she contemplated the question. “That’s something we’ve been asking ourselves for years.”
“There’s one more thing that still doesn’t make sense to me,” David said, stopping to watch a bright yellow and black frog climb up a tree trunk. “How do all these animals survive here? It isn’t the right climate.” When he reached out to touch it, Faren grabbed his hand.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she said. “One touch can kill you.” When he snatched his hand away, she added with a short laugh, “Seneca has its own climate.”
David gave her a funny look. “Its own climate?”
They proceeded to follow the others through the dense forest. Sporadic patches of sunlight enveloped the ground, but for the most part, it got darker the farther in they got.
“Seneca has many climates, a different one for each region,” Faren said. “It rains every day here in the forest, but there’s a constant drought in the desert on the southeast side. And the savanna is extremely windy.”
David smacked a mosquito on the back of his neck. “Oh, I see. It’s like a biosphere,” he said, flicking it on the ground.
“I don’t know what this biosphere is, but I can tell you Seneca is like nowhere else you’ve ever been.”
David watched Cindel teasing a spider monkey. It dangled from tree limbs, screaming at her every time she stuck her tongue out at him. “She’s having fun,” he said. He couldn’t help but laugh at the irritated primate.
Faren wrapped her arm around his waist and smiled up at him. “My sister loves it here,” she said. “If she had her way, we would never return to Atlantis.”
Tristan glared at David over his shoulder, but David ignored him. He was determined not to let him bait him into another fight.
Like clockwork, it started raining, creating the perfect soundtrack for their adventure; the pitter, pitter sound was soothing. Cindel squealed when the first raindrop hit her. Then she giggled. She whispered something in Harmony’s ear, and the girls laughed. Luna walked ahead with Tristan whispering back and forth. Every now and then, she looked back, but kept walking.
Faren broke the uncomfortable silence. “I’ll take Cindel and David with me to search the forest,” she offered. “The grasslands aren’t too far from here. The three of you can track a bigger area if you hitch rides from the horses.”
Tristan’s attitude was lighter than when they had first arrived on Seneca, but his sarcasm was still going strong. “Yes, I agree,” he said with a smug grin, “because this is an island we can cover in one day.”
“Tristan, don’t be rude,” Luna said with a frown. She looked back at Faren and David, mouthing “I’m sorry”.
Tristan didn’t hang around long enough to hear the rest of the conversation. “Fine with me,” he growled, stomping back through the trees. He called over his shoulder, “We’ll meet you at the beach when the sun starts to set. Luna… Harmony, are you coming?”
Luna hurried to his side, but Harmony held back. “I know Tristan hurt you,” she told Faren. “He betrayed you in the worst way, but you’ve been friends for years. Remember that when it comes time to forgive him.”
Faren brushed her off. “I’ll see you later,” she replied with little emotion. “Be careful.”
Harmony winced at her blasé attitude. “You, too,” she added quickly. She ran to catch up with Tristan and Luna, glancing back at Faren once before disappearing into the thick foliage.
“Are you okay?” David asked. He reached out to touch Faren’s shoulder, but she pulled away.
“I’m fine,” she said without looking up. “Cindel, stay close to us.” She wiped her eyes and walked away, leaving them to follow in silence.
David saw many species of animals he never thought he would witness in the wild– giant anteaters, sloths and various types monkeys to name a few–but the big cats fascinated him most.
Faren and Cindel weren’t afraid of anything slinking around the forest floor, and it soon became apparent why. When a jaguar crawled from the ferns, Cindel called out to him. The animal walked over and snuggled her side, arching his back when she touched him.
“It’s all right,” Faren reassured David when he shied away. “He’ll let you pet him. He knows you wouldn’t be here unless you were invited.” She added with a smirk, “And you’re not a sea demon.”
David admired him from afar. “I’m okay,” he said. “The animals on Seneca don’t like the sea demons?”
“No,” Cindel said. “The Spirit gave them the power to see how evil those nasty creatures are.” She cupped the jaguar’s face in her hands and kissed his nose. “You’re too smart for sea demons, aren’t you?” she cooed. “Yes, you are.”
“Go ahead,” Faren coaxed David. “I promise he won’t hurt you.”
David sucked in a deep breath and reached out to the big cat. His coat felt like wet satin, his paws like rough dead skin. When the jaguar purred, David laughed nervously. “This is so cool,” he said, stroking the top of his head. “He reminds me of my mom’s cat… except much bigger of course.”
The animal perked his ears up, and in a flash, he was gone, back into to the underbrush.
“Faren, David!” Harmony hollered, out of breath. “Where are you?” As soon as she saw them, she raced over. Tristan and Luna weren’t far behind. They all looked terrified.
“What’s happening?” Faren asked. “Why are you running?”
“Sea demons,” Tristan choked out between gasps.
David looked back in the direction they had come, but all he could see were trees and bushes. “How many?”
“Two.”
Tristan pulled him to the side. “Between you and me, I don’t think they’re alone,” he whispered.
David gazed around the forest. “What makes you so sure?”
“Harmony and Luna were too far away to hear what they were saying, but I heard every word,” Tristan said, throwing the girls another quick glance. “Those beasts were talking about meeting up with their leader, and the way they made it sound she isn’t too far from here.”
A screaming chimpanzee shattered the forest’s ambiance, and seconds later, she emerged from the trees clutching her crying infant. David waited for others to appear–he knew chimps traveled in communities–but to his surprise, she was alone.
He and Tristan hurried to join the girls huddling in the tall ferns. They stayed quiet and conformed, but they all had to be feeling the same fear he was. He could have cut the tension with a knife.
They didn�
�t have to wait long for the demons to make an appearance. The monsters shot out into the open like tornadoes and wrestled the mother to the wet ground. No matter how hard the poor animal tried to shake them off, her struggle was futile; the demons overpowered her with ease. The baby’s heartbreaking cries seemed to go on forever before the forest settled down.
“No, no.” Harmony cried soft sobs.
Faren did her best to comfort her, but Harmony’s fear was taking over fast. “I need to get out of here,” she said a little too loud.
“Harmony, be quiet,” Tristan whispered. “They’ll hear you.”
The closest sea demon swung around. With her wet hair plastered to the sides of her face, she resembled a drowned zombie rat. She took a step toward them, and then another.
Harmony froze where she was, eyes wide and mouth agape. She was holding her breath, and David could see her trembling from where he crouched a few feet away.
The sea demon lingered a few more seconds before returning to her kill. After spending an agonizing twenty minutes with the chimps’ corpses, she and her companion moved on.
Harmony backed out of the ferns and took off running, though David could tell she had no idea where she was going. She appeared oblivious to everything but her own fear.
Faren chased after her. “Harmony… Harmony, come back.”
David trailed the girls, but he could still hear Tristan’s rude comment to Luna. “They have no sense running around…” His voice cut off.
David rushed through the trees, smacking ferns and leaves out of his face as he ran. The constant sounds of insects and birds were all around him like a record playing continuously. The steady rain was picking up, and the sound of thunder rolled in the distance. It cracked like a bullwhip across the sky.
When he caught up to them, Faren was holding Harmony close, talking softly. Harmony was crying and holding her head.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. He stood off to the side, feeling like a third wheel.
“She’s fine,” Faren reassured him. “We’re all under a little stress.”
“Harmony, we have to keep our heads,” Luna said, walking up behind them. “We need to stick together. We can’t go running off on our own.” Her tone was unsympathetic, irritated even.
Faren came to Harmony’s defense right away. “We’re all trying to deal with this…”
“Quiet,” Tristan said, putting his hand up. “Hang on, I think I hear something.”
When the excited chatter resonated toward them again, everyone dropped to their stomachs and pressed forward, slinking through the shrubs until they had a clear view of the sea demons gathered in a small clearing up ahead.
It was evident who the leader of the pack was. She stood at the front of the crowd waving her arms in the air, demanding attention. “Quiet!” Suri commanded. She glared at her minions. “If we destroy Atlantis, we can focus all of our efforts on Pavire. Without their neighbor to the north, they don’t stand a chance against our numbers.”
Her audience cheered again.
“We need to watch this island carefully,” Suri said, her voice cracking. “We need to catch the mers by surprise so we can take control. The upcoming celebration will give us that element of surprise.”
“How do they know about the celebration?” Luna whispered.
“We have waited for thousands of years to destroy the mers,” Suri hissed. “Furia will awaken soon, but I have decided we can extinguish the enemy without her help.”
When Zavian stepped forward, Faren and Luna gasped at the same time.
“Well, now we know what happened to the keys,” David whispered, watching Faren’s horrified expression.
“We have a little problem,” Zavian stated with confidence. “We have the Ring of the Ancients, but we don’t know how to use it.” She stared a hole into her audience. “We need to harness its magic so we can win this war, and I believe the Atlanteans know how. Without this knowledge, the ring is useless, so we need to capture as many mers as we kill.”
David stared at the intruders with only one thing running through his mind: Madame Isadora was right. The battle was on its way, and there was no stopping it. The cold war had run its course; bloodshed was in their near future.
“When the mers arrive for their little party,” Suri said, “we’ll be ready. Our spears will be triumphant in our time of need.” The other sea demons voiced their approval. “Our children, grandchildren and many generations to come will know about the war that ended the world as it is now.” She smiled with satisfaction. “They will remember us for who we are, soldiers who took control of our destiny.”
“Kill!” Zavian screamed, leading the others in a morbid chant.
The mob answered in unison. “Kill!”
“I didn’t hear you!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Suri shook her fist in the air and screamed, “We will make Cadence proud!”
“What are we going to do?” Luna asked. She couldn’t have made herself any smaller if she tried. She was already in a tight ball.
“First, we have to get out of here,” Tristan said. “We can figure the rest out later.”
Harmony whimpered again and ducked her head. “I just want to go home.”
Tristan put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, revealing his softer side. “We’ll get out of this, I promise. Come on.” He gestured for the rest of the group to follow him. “Let’s get out of here while we still can.”
They got to their hands and knees and crawled through the foliage. When they were far enough away, they jumped up and ran from the forest. The rain still fell softly to the surface of the small creeks snaking through the trees, and it hit the leaves with gentle repetition, but now its pitter, pitter sounded more like the drums of impending war than the Sounds of Nature CD David kept in his bedroom.
The rain stopped and the heat soared the moment they stepped out onto the beach. David thought it was amazing how quickly the climates changed on Seneca.
Harmony’s overloaded emotions exploded almost at once. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she cried, pacing back and forth like a restrained racehorse. “We have to warn the High Council.”
“I agree,” Tristan said. “If we don’t tell the High Council what’s going on, they’ll be ambushed. Thousands will die.”
“Who’s going back?” Cindel asked in a small voice. She snuggled against Faren, her eyes darting back to the forest frantically.
The silence didn’t last long.
“I’m taking all of you to Fior–the island’s close by and secluded–and I’m going back to Atlantis to straighten this mess out alone,” Tristan announced.
“No, I can’t let you go alone,” Luna insisted.
“I know I’m not welcome in Atlantis, but I’d be happy to escort you,” David offered. Sitting on the sidelines in times of crisis had never been his strong suit, and he couldn’t let the unique circumstances make a difference.
His kind gesture was met with indifference. “Well, that isn’t an option, is it?” Tristan snapped at him sharply. “And if you go back, they could arrest you on sight,” he reminded Luna. “I’m sure that guard already gave them descriptions of every one of us.”
Luna was relentless. “That’s why you need someone to come with you. I’m not going to Fior.”
“You can’t make her go to Fior,” Harmony interrupted. “She can make up her own mind.”
Tristan ignored Harmony. “We’re fugitives, or have you forgotten that minor detail?” he warned Luna. “You’re going to Fior and that’s final, little sister.”
“Here we go,” Faren mumbled under her breath.
“Final?” Luna rushed up to him. “Just because Mom and Dad died doesn’t give you the right to boss me around.” She poked him in the shoulder, eyes blazing. “You’re my brother. Maybe you should remember your place and stay in it.”
“I’m trying to protect you.” Tristan reached for her
arm, but she sidestepped him.
“I’m not a child,” she shot back. “I’m coming with you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” She stomped to the water’s edge with Harmony in tow.
Cindel ran after them. “Wait for me,” she called out.
“Well, are you coming?” Tristan asked Faren impatiently when she still didn’t move.
“I’m staying here.”
“No, you’re not,” he cried, inching closer. “You can’t stay here with those things. David, talk some sense into her.”
When David tried to speak, Faren put her hand up to stop him. “Tristan, someone needs to stay here to keep an eye on the demons’ activity if we’re to keep the High Council informed.” She watched Cindel talking to Luna down by the surf. “Just make sure my little sister gets to Fior safely. I don’t want her going back to Atlantis yet.”
“What about you?” he said. “I can’t leave you here; it’s too dangerous.”
Faren answered him with another favor. “I also need you to take David back to the islands with you.”
“No way,” David cried when it sank in what she was saying. “I’m not leaving you here.” How could she expect him to swim away and leave her on Seneca defenseless? He was shocked she would even suggest such a thing.
“I’m not taking him anywhere without you,” Tristan said, eyeing David. Then his tone softened. “At least give me that if you refuse to come with us. I can’t stand the idea of you being here alone.”
“Please, Tristan…”
“If you love her the way you say you do, today is the day you can prove that.” Tristan told David, ignoring her pleas. “She’s made up her mind about staying, and I’ve known her long enough to realize there’s nothing I can say to change it, but you have to promise me that you’ll…” He choked up and looked down at the sand.
“I’ll do my best to protect her,” David said when he got quiet. “You have my word.”
Tristan’s snippy attitude was back with a vengeance. “Don’t try… just do it.” He hugged Faren as if he never wanted to let her go. “Take care of yourself,” he whispered in her ear, shooting David a warning look over her shoulder. He joined the girls by the surf, and moments later they vanished into the sea.
Mythos Page 18
