Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3)

by Rauscher, Meaghan

  Somehow I simply knew Zale had been out there last night. I had gone over the events for hours before falling asleep, I knew it was a Hyven soldier who had been watching me. It wasn’t a coincidence.

  My only comfort was Zale’s presence. I was certain it had been him, who had fought off the soldier stationed to intimidate me. For a while I had wondered if anything would have happened if Zale hadn’t intervened, but by now I believed the soldier would have remained put. It was obvious they had yet to capture Zale, and would therefore leave me alone. Morven had said as much.

  Sighing, I placed a hand over my quivering stomach. Ever since seeing the orange tail in the rolling waves last night, my heart had been hammering in my chest and I wondered if it would ever return to normal.

  Will you come see me? I wondered, spinning a strand of hair through my fingers. It would be foolish for him to even be this close to Coveside, but having seen the dark shimmer of his fins was enough to get my mind wondering how near he was. If not for his clear warning, I would have been foolish enough to go searching for him.

  The house was quiet today, the younger ones taking a mid-morning nap and if I listened carefully I could hear Jillian humming to herself as she washed the dishes downstairs.

  It was mundane in the midst of the unnatural things I had seen last night and as I lay on my bed, restless from pacing around the room, I wondered how much longer I was going to have to wait. The words from his note ran through my mind with a perfect vibrancy, when a sudden knock reverberated on the door downstairs and my heart leapt in my throat.

  Without another thought, I shot off the bed and raced down the stairs before Jillian had a chance to answer it. She paused mid step, her eyebrows rising in surprise at my sudden appearance. She hastily wiped the soapy suds from her hands on the worn dish towel.

  A thrill of expectation, coupled with fear, trembled through my stomach as I grasped the cold handle of the door and whipped it open. A blast of warm air swirled around me but nothing could have prepared me for the face waiting outside my door.

  “Voon,” I said, surprise and disappointment mingling in the word. I took a step back from the door.

  The sharp, light blue gaze was so different from the dark brown one I had been hoping for. His eyes were dull, filled with something I couldn’t quite understand. By the downturn of his mouth, I knew something was wrong.

  Clad in the dark clothing of a Lathmorian soldier, he made an impressive image on my doorstep.

  “What are you doing here?” I said upon the second try of opening my mouth.

  Everything in the room behind me had frozen in time; my usually loud siblings were silent as they looked at the man in front of me.

  “I need to speak with you,” his eyes flickered from mine toward Jillian and back, “alone.”

  “What’s happened?” I asked my mind immediately jumping to the note currently residing in my pocket.

  His eyes could cut stone, “Get your things, we’re leaving.”

  “W-what?” I sputtered, not sure if I had heard him correctly.

  As far as I was concerned, Voon had never wanted me near Lathmor and had in fact forcefully voted to have me banished. Even after I had proven myself in the attempt to rescue Patrick, he had still treated me as though I was worthless. Something didn’t seem right about all of this.

  “There’s no time to lose,” he said, the creases of his mouth turning downward.

  “And I’m just supposed to trust you?” I asked, shifting the door in front of half my body while placing my dagger closer to my right hand. I knew I could reach it quickly if needed, but my immediate worry was for my family behind me. If anything was going to happen to me, it must happen out of their sight.

  “You don’t have a choice,” his eyes shifted to Jillian once more and I caught his meaning. He would take whatever means necessary to make me come with him. Anger surged forward, coursing through my body with immediate and effective desire.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said and slammed the door in his face without ceremony. I shoved the fear threatening to overthrow me aside.

  “Lissie!” the panic in Jillian’s voice was audible as I ran up the stairs and stripped out of my shirt and shorts. The soldier clothing Kryssa had given me was safely tucked away in the top drawer of my dresser, and I hurriedly whipped it out. At the back of the drawer, I placed the note Zale had given me, hoping Jillian wouldn’t find it. It rested beside the other scribbles he had left the day after I was attacked near the movie theater. It all seemed so long ago and yet it had only been a few months.

  Checking to make sure my dagger was safely secured and Patrick’s bracelet was carefully tucked beneath the tight fabric encompassing my wrist, I left my room. My bare feet padded down the hall and over the stairs.

  Jillian was at the bottom of the steps, her face more furious than I had ever seen. “Just where do you think you’re going?” She demanded and I tried not to look at the tears welling in her eyes.

  “I have to go,” I said and pushed past her. “Tell Dad and the twins bye for me.” A pang of guilt shot through my heart as I realized I was breaking my promise to them. I had said I would never leave without warning again, but here I was doing it once more. Little did they know their safety depended upon it.

  “You can’t just leave,” she said and the crack in her voice made me stop for a moment. “I thought all of this was done.”

  “No,” I shook my head and tried to hold the tears at bay. “I’m sorry.” I gave her a quick hug, unable to look at my younger siblings, and fled to the door before I did something foolish.

  Again the warm air swirled around me. This time I stepped into its embrace as though it were an old friend. My eyes met the gaze of the merman, who glanced over his shoulder, his back to the door.

  “Let’s go,” was all he said and I followed, surprised when he led me toward the trees on the hill leading down to the restaurant. My expectation had been to head toward the beach, as soon as possible.

  I stopped in my tracks, “Wait.”

  In a swift move, he leaned back and grabbed my bad arm beginning to drag me behind him. I inhaled sharply as his thumb pressed into the scar and I bit back a groan.

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!” My voice escalated until I was close to yelling. The only control remaining inside me was for Jillian’s benefit, I didn’t want her to hear the fear in my voice if I yelled at him.

  Voon suddenly whipped around and faced me, his fury burning as heat rose in his cheeks. He grasped my arm harder as he brought his face close to mine. “Let’s make something perfectly clear. You’re coming whether you like it or not, because Tunder sent me to fetch you.”

  “Tunder?” I asked and realized I had slipped up; my suspicion he was actually working for the Hyven coming to the surface.

  “How dare you?” He spit the words at me and I felt his breath waft over my face. “It’s no secret I hate you, but I would never betray Lathmor.” I tried to shift out of his grasp, but he jerked me again. “Never.”

  Rather than say anything to defend myself, I remained silent and glared back at him. The rage stood out sharply from his face, as though carved into the lines along the sides of his mouth. I found myself wondering if he had ever smiled.

  “Then tell me what’s wrong,” I demanded and was surprised by how strong I sounded. Part of me wondered if I should convince him with my voice, but I knew now was not the time. If I ever used my siren voice to control him, he would never forgive me.

  Voon sighed, his strong grip on my arm lessening. “The king is dead.”

  If he had spent an hour kindly talking to me about the events of Lathmor and catching me up on what was happening in the war, I still would have been shocked to my core by what he said.

  “What?” The word barely escaped my mouth, the blood leaving my face.

  “Yeah,” was all he said and his hand slipped from my arm. “Now let’s go.”

  “Okay,” I mout
hed and shook my head from side to side to clear the doubts filling my mind.

  My last memory of the king had been during his visit to the island, the day he told me to go home and learn my power in such a way that I could turn it back on Morven. My mind couldn’t grasp just what this all meant, and I selfishly wondered who else would be able to tell me what to do. King Oberon had been my one source to understanding what had happened to me, to Patrick, everything. There was still so much he could have told me.

  Without another word, I followed Voon down the hill and as we crossed Main Street I got the feeling people were looking at us. The sun was a floating orb on the horizon and long shadows stretched toward the ocean across the faded, cracked pavement beneath my bare feet. Even so, it wasn’t dark enough for people to not recognize me. Some locals looked at me as I passed, but I ignored their stares and walked beside Voon with a purpose. If Tunder needed me then I would come, not because of how he treated me when I last saw him, but because of who he had been to Patrick and to the king.

  Crossing another street, a tall, dark figure leaned against the wall of an antique store. His head swept back and forth, scanning the people milling about on the sidewalks as though searching for something. Or someone.

  Voon made straight for the figure and I tried not to grow worried until the lean body pushed away from the wall and walked toward us. The long, sloping gait was immediately familiar to me and the left over doubt I had about Voon disappeared.

  “Daggin,” I said and felt the desire to run forward and hug him in relief. I restrained when I saw his searching eyes. He stepped into motion with us and I was surprised when we began to walk down streets cutting across the town and moving toward the harbor, rather than the ocean.

  “They’re definitely here,” Daggin said, his deep voice always surprising me. The words weren’t directed toward me. I knew the Hyven would be here, they were here last night.

  Voon grunted, giving the only indication he had heard Daggin speak at all. His rough fingers grasped my hand again and with a gentle tug I found my feet following him at a run. We jogged together, across roads and around people, until we reached less crowded streets. The old movie theater loomed up ahead and without stopping the Lathmorian soldiers ran forward and past the poorly lit cinema. Darkness was beginning to spread over Coveside, a dull gray which only seemed pale due to the loss of golden tint the sky had held moments ago.

  Our feet passed over the rock scattered pavement and onto the sand leading down to the harbor waters. I was vividly aware of the ground we were covering. The last time I had been standing on this beach, I had nearly met death, and to see its shores again only brought the memory back to the forefront of my mind.

  Off to the left, I heard a shout and turned my head, there was a group of teens gathering a long ways down the beach and it took a moment for me to realize just who they were. Some were the same from the night before, their bodies pushing and cajoling one another as they walked along the shore. I could only hope they wouldn’t spot us as we ran directly for the water. Once again, the roar from last night replayed through my mind.

  A voice called out to someone who had yelled in greeting. I caught a glimpse of Jonathan, his lanky body standing beside Trey, their heads turned in the direction of two girls walking their way. Off to the side stood Daron in a different Hawaiian shirt.

  I saw it all as if from a different body and somewhere in my mind I realized this might be the last time I saw them. I had been a part of them last night, but now I was running down the sandy length of the beach and into the water, calling to me stronger than a siren’s voice.

  Suppressing the urge to smile at the thought of the ocean being my siren, I dove into the oncoming waves transforming in midair and strapping the black pants inside the pack around my stomach. The tight, black shirt stretched across my body and the contrast to the shimmering lavender of my tail was breathtaking.

  Daggin shot ahead into the surf with a speed my eyes could hardly keep up with, the pale green of his fins faded into the murky waters, as Voon and I moved at a quick, but slower speed. Through the water came a loud thump and chilling silence, again the sound filtered through the water and reached my ears making the silence almost deafening. The words Daggin had spoken earlier, only now reentered my mind, and I realized what lay ahead of us.

  A knot of fear wove its way into my gut and I was surprised to find the innate desire to move closer to Voon in the darkness, but it was one I fought. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how I felt.

  Clear for now, Daggin’s call came to us in the merlanguage from somewhere in the darkness. Only now did I realize the language wasn’t very different from what I could do with my own voice on land.

  We skimmed the bottom of the harbor and moved into the openness of the ocean. It was as though I could feel the complete boundlessness of the water on either side of me stretching for miles of unknown possibilities.

  Even though danger certainly loomed up ahead, my heart soared at the feeling of the water caressing each curve of my body, rushing past the flick of my powerful fins. In some ways, it felt as though I was coming home.

  How many? Voon asked, his voice floating on a wave as we kicked miles out from the shore.

  Only two, Daggin replied and Voon grunted disapprovingly. The rest will be on our tails soon.

  His words tightened the knot in my stomach. I focused on keeping up with my clearly faster escorts. They swam on either side of me, the green fins of Daggin contrasting the flashing red scales of Voon’s tail. Combined with my lavender, I wondered how the Hyven hadn’t already come upon us.

  Let’s move, Voon said and I felt the powerful surge he put into his kick which knocked me slightly to the side.

  Gritting my teeth, I put more energy into each flick of my fins as we fled across the deepening ocean floor and beneath the murmur of boat motors returning home from a long day’s work; I wondered if any of those we heard carried my brothers and father.

  Before long, a rhythmic sound of a far off tail pushing the water up and down reached us. I almost gasped but held my breath, as I waited for the intruder to make its presence known. Both Daggin and Voon’s blades stood out sharply from their arms, ready for a battle which might come upon us at any moment. I terribly wanted to pull my dagger out of its sheath to provide myself some protection, but all my concentration was focused on keeping up with the mermen. It wouldn’t be possible to pull out the small weapon without slowing our pace. For now, I would have to place my trust in their competency to keep me safe.

  Whoever was following us was not catching up, and my heart rate accelerated as I waited for them to move closer. By glancing to my sides, I could tell I wasn’t the only one annoyed by our pursuer’s actions. If anything, Daggin looked a little relieved, while Voon’s anger was growing by the minute. It didn’t surprise me he desired confrontation rather than cunning.

  Miles passed and the distance between us and the pursuer didn’t change. I wanted to think about what it meant, but all my brain could focus on was the exhaustion beginning to stream into the muscles beneath my scales.

  Do you think? Daggin’s voice murmured, barely audible over the rushing water.

  Possibly, was all Voon said in reply to his counterpart. I ignored the issue unsure of just what they were talking about. Their shoulders were stiff, blades still flashing with each slight tilt of their body as we kicked our way along the depths of the ocean floor.

  It wasn’t until the beat of two other tails joining the original sounded through the water, that their shoulders relaxed. Confused, I followed them, uncertain of why they would be less worried with three than with one.

  That’s it. I thought. The one. If there was any one creature to make the Lathmorians nervous, it would be the one who had cut down so many of them on their island.

  Swallowing hard, the idea of just what I was heading into began to wash over me. The words Zale had written on the piece of paper, now lying in my dresser, took on a wh
ole new meaning.

  A storm is coming. Hang onto what you know. To what you told me when I left. Keep your dagger close.

  For the rest of the journey, I repeated the words as though they were a mantra and a stronghold to grasp on to. He told me to hold onto what I said the night we parted; the night I had told him I loved him. With our feelings at the forefront of my mind, I surged into the darkness between the rippling scales of green and red toward the shores of Lathmor.

  5. Detained

  We swam through the night and daylight broke high above the surface. What little glimpses I caught of the world beyond the water, showed a dark sky covered in stormy clouds. We pressed on hour after hour, minute after minute, all the while our pursuers kept pace. I was being pushed to the point of almost breaking, but I refused to give into the exhaustion in my body. With each inhalation of water, the oxygen swept into my lungs and refreshed the last efforts of my muscles straining in the drive to reach Lathmor.

  I was just beginning to recognize our surroundings when the sound of approaching fins reached my ears. I tensed slightly when I realized they were coming from up ahead, but Daggin and Voon only pushed on harder. I fell back behind slightly, and almost gasped when Voon grabbed my wrist in his large palm to pull me with him. Only then did I notice the strain on his face; they were as tired as I was.

  Four shadows loomed up ahead in the murkiness, Voon jerked his head in the direction behind us and the two mermen and accompanying mermaids shot by in a streak of color and stirred water. Voon’s grasp on my wrist loosened and then left my arm. I glanced toward him. His face betrayed nothing, as my tired mind tried to understand what had just happened.

  Somewhere behind us a sound like a battle cry reached my ears and I shivered. Clashing blades and painful cries rang through the water. Unconsciously, I sidled a little closer to Daggin as the ocean floor began to rise. He gave me a look which was at once friendly, but solemn, making me fearful for just what I would meet in the palace.