I watched from my spot next to the counter, as the warrior picked up his shirt and slipped it on, but the memory of those markings was seared into my brain and I tried to steady myself. My head was pounding when he turned back to me, completely unaware of what I had just realized.
“Are you okay?” His eyes narrowed slightly. I nodded, but he wasn’t fooled. “I was going to answer your question.” He spoke softly, letting the words hang in the air.
Part of me wilted as he spoke. He was so lost, so unaware of who he and I really were. I looked down at my bare feet and walked into the living room.
“I know,” I said trying to be as casual as possible. I was afraid my eyes would give away my secret. Our secret.
He remained standing next to the couch while I sat down on it, not bothering to move the sheets. Oddly, I saw his hand twitch and noticed it was a nervous gesture. Funny, I would never have thought the warrior would be nervous. Careful to control my expression, I raised my eyes to his. He shifted slightly and I noticed his hand twitched once more.
Without pretense, he spoke, “What I said about Bolrock is true. He’s the one coming for you.” His voice sounded hollow.
“Aren’t you doing that too?” I asked.
“Yes,” he confirmed, “but I’m not trying to kill you.” He looked away at the wall.
I waited for him to tell me it wasn’t true, but he didn’t say anything else. Whether Morven knew Bolrock was trying to kill me, or if he had ordered it, all I knew was this warrior was the only reason I wasn’t dead yet.
Why?” I asked. “Is he working for Morven? If that’s the case, then why would he want to kill me?” When he didn’t answer I continued, “You know, I’ve never even met him, except when Morven took me down to the du—” I broke off and tried to cover my slip, “I saw him once.”
Zale turned his full gaze back on me, his brow was creased and I knew he had caught my mistake. He knew I was hiding something and I shifted uncomfortably beneath his insistent eyes.
“He hates me,” he finally said with a shrug. “Bolrock used to be Lord Morven’s right hand, but that’s my place now.” A sense of pride entered his voice as he spoke which disgusted me. I remembered the way Bolrock had spoken the night I escaped, as I listened behind the door. He had given orders that were obeyed immediately, as if they had come from Morven himself.
“But why does he want to kill me?” I asked, not seeing the connection.
“He thinks I’m lying about you, which I am.” A slight quirk of the lips. “But Lord Morven won’t believe him.”
“I thought you weren’t going to lie to Morven?” A glimmer of hope began to build within my chest. Maybe all of this would be different. Maybe, he wasn’t the warrior I thought he was. Maybe, Morven didn’t have as much control over him as he thought.
Zale sighed heavily, “Only when it comes to your safety. Once Bolrock is out of the way, then there’s no reason to not take you to Hyvar.” My feeble hopes shattered into a million pieces.
I looked away from Zale, annoyed by his presence.
“By then you will want to come with me. There will be nothing to worry about then.” I scoffed at his words and let out a harsh laugh.
“You actually think I’d go willingly?” I challenged and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ll never switch sides. You’ll have to force me to go to Hyvar.”
He glared back at me. “You will go.” His chest rose heavily, and I could tell he was controlling his anger. “When I get rid of Bolrock, you’ll come with me.”
“I won’t.” I shook my head, feeling like a stubborn child. “You don’t understand what he’s done and what he would do to me. I’ll do everything I can to stay away from that creature you call master.” I spit out the last word between my lips.
A hard look solidified in his eyes. “As if the Lathmorians you call friends are any better. They care for nothing but killing.”
I blinked at him in shock. “And the Hyven are so generous? I heard a particular group of Lathmorian mermaids were slaughtered and one barely escaped with her life. I also heard a certain warrior wanted to murder her along with the others in cold blood.” I didn’t try to hide the ice in my voice, as I glared at him. There was a small crack in his warrior façade that he covered quickly, but I noticed his hand twitch.
“So, you’ve been in contact with the Lathmorians.” His words sent a shiver down my spine.
“No,” I said. “She only came once, to warn me of what might be coming.”
His face changed as he narrowed his eyes at me. “Then you knew who I was the first night I came here. Lord Morven was right, you are a good actress. Much braver than I’d anticipated.” A cold smile spread across his lips.
“No,” I said, quickly. I was anything but brave. “She visited me after I saw you for the first time. She was here the night before you came back the second time.”
A cloud passed over the moon outside and the room dimmed. He stood there in the shadows, continuing to stare at me. “Then why?” he asked.
“Why, what?”
“Why were you so calm if you knew what I had done? Even now, how aren’t you afraid?”
I paused and the silence filled the room. How could I explain to him what I felt? There was no explanation I could give which could put my feelings into words. Every time I was near him, I felt as though he was a part of me that had been missing. However, there was the other part, which knew he wasn’t what I was looking for. It didn’t matter if I felt safe around him, he wasn’t the man I wished he was. I took time to swallow and tried to form a logical thought about the way I had felt the first time I had seen him. Even though I had been terrified, somewhere deep down I had come to the conclusion he would keep me safe.
“I guess it’s because I know you won’t hurt me,” I said, the words barely passing through my lips and he turned away from me. I could see he was slightly threatened by my words and I realized they went against everything he thought he was. He sighed loudly in the gloom and looked back at me. Dark golden strands of his hair fell into his eyes.
“It’s that obvious,” he said and gave a half-laugh.
I didn’t say anything and my heart pumped loudly in my chest. I hadn’t really expected him to respond at all to my words, let alone admit to it. What I had said was more wishful thinking, than what I really truly believed.
“I have a question for you though,” he paused and then asked, “What did you mean when you said our fates were tied together?”
It was my turn to be surprised. I’d forgotten I had said that to him.
“I can’t tell you that,” I said and looked down at my fingers, feeling a clamminess reach my hands as I concentrated on keeping my buried emotions at bay.
“You mean you won’t tell me?” he said softly, and I nodded. “Why?” I could hear the curiosity in his voice, the nudging gentleness tried to get me to speak. His voice was softer than I had ever heard it.
I shook my head, I couldn’t tell him, at least not until he was away from Morven. If I told him the truth he wouldn’t believe me and that would be worse than having Patrick dead. To tell him who he really was and to have it denied from his lips, would be more than I could bare. I hardly managed to keep myself together every time he left, adding his denial, would be too much. The memory of my nightmare filled my mind and I shied away from it.
Zale heaved a frustrated sigh and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. I felt the cushions dip beneath his weight. We sat in the silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I pulled my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs. I noticed Patrick’s bracelet on my wrist and thought of his smile. I recalled his face, and the memory of him giving it to me. I could see the lights in the trees and remembered the weightless feeling, as he pulled me around in the dance with him. But the best feeling was the safety I’d felt in his embrace.
“Thank you,” I said suddenly, breaking through the stillness of the room. The warrior turned to look at me, confused. I
crossed my legs again and held out my wrist. “For the bracelet.”
He nodded, but I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, when he looked at the smooth stones on my wrist.
“If you don’t mind my asking, where did you get it?” I was curious, wondering if Morven had given it to him with another lie.
“I found it in my room, it was on the floor beneath my bed.” He waved a hand as if it were nothing. He had no idea how much it really meant. “I thought you would like it.”
I nodded and looked down. Even though I knew he didn’t remember, a part of me was still waiting for that spark. For something to remind him, even if it was just the tiniest recollection, that I was his and he was mine.
“So how did you come to be on the Lathmorian’s side? Lord Morven told me of how he found and changed you.”
Interesting. I’d thought everything Morven had told Zale was a lie. I cleared my throat and explained, “After I was changed, I ran away from home and swam for a few days without eating or sleeping. The Lathmorians found me and took me in. They were kind to me and I became friends with the princesses.” It wasn’t the truth, but it got the point across.
“You personally know Princess Shaylee and her sisters?” Zale sounded incredulous and I looked up to see that he was staring at me in disbelief.
“Yes, Kryssa is my best friend. Why?”
“I thought you would be with nicer merfolk than that,” he shrugged and looked at the wall again.
“What do you mean? Kryssa was kind enough to risk her life, to come here and warn me about you. She cares that much for me.”
“Or the Lathmorians just wanted you to come back, so they could use you as a weapon.” He said, as if it were a matter of fact.
“No, they were the ones to get rid of me.” I shut my mouth tight, angry, I had said so much.
“What?” He turned his full gaze on me, his eyes roving all over my face.
“Nothing,” I said, trying to stay calm. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest.
“No, you just said they got rid of you.”
“Fine,” I snapped at him. “They did, does that make you happy?”
He lapsed into a deep silence, with his brow creased in concentration. I silently cursed myself for not keeping my mouth shut. These were the eyes and ears of Morven, and I was letting him know I was completely free of protection.
“So,” Zale spoke after a long silence. “The Lathmorians don’t want you anymore, you don’t want to be one of the Hyven, and yet you don’t fit in as a human. Where does that put you exactly?”
“I don’t know,” I said and sighed heavily. “I thought I had it all figured out, until, well, never mind.” I had been about to say until Patrick died, but realized it was best to keep him out of the picture.
Again the quiet fell between us and I looked around for the clock. It was late, or rather very early in the morning.
“You won’t choose a side?” His question was simple, but I could hear him trying to bait me again.
“I’ve already chosen a side; it’s just the majority of them find me dangerous.”
“They find you dangerous?” Zale laughed and looked heartily amused; it annoyed me.
“After what Morven did to me, yes, they find me dangerous.” My eyes were burning into his, with the anger I felt for Morven.
“He didn’t do anything to you; all he did was change you.” Zale shrugged his shoulders, as though it was a trivial matter.
“Yes, but he did it against my will.” The smile from Zale’s face disappeared and he stared at me suspiciously, not really sure if I was telling the truth. I decided to inform him further. “He didn’t even give me a choice.”
He was stunned, for a moment, but it was soon replaced by anger. I wasn’t sure if he was angry at me or Morven, but slowly, the wrath abated and his jaw relaxed.
“That shouldn’t have happened to you,” he said calmly. “I’m sure there was a reason.”
Part of me wanted to argue with him again but I decided against it. It wasn’t worth it. He was brainwashed, in his mind, Morven could do no wrong.
“Well,” I said and got up from the couch. “I’m going to go back to bed. Sorry I woke you.” I turned to leave when he didn’t respond.
“Lissie,” he said and I turned back to him. His face looked different, as though he desperately wanted to tell me something, but quick as a flash the moment disappeared. There had been something burning in his eyes as they had rested on my bracelet, but just like the passing of a streak of lightning it disappeared. I shifted uncomfortably, as I watched him retreat back into his usual hard gaze. “Goodnight.”
I bobbed my head and left quickly, not entirely sure of what had just happened.
14. Attack
The following days passed by with little excitement, each one making me realize just how much danger I was in. It didn’t matter where I went, I always had my dagger strapped to my forearm. I even kept it on when I slept, which was the only time Zale wasn’t by my side. At night he stayed downstairs while I attempted to get some sleep without him near. Having him by my side was at first comforting, I felt protected in a way I never had before. Most of the time I talked to him, but it was of trivial things such as the weather or about the boats in the harbor. More than anything, he wanted to know about my family. To him, my siblings were a mystery and I wondered if he had ever seen a child before his coming here. Of course, his old self had, but the warrior who was now my guardian seemed to regard them with great suspicion.
As the days passed he grew silent and there was nothing I could do to coax him out of his dark mood. Most of our time was spent outside the house where we often went on walks, which led to the outskirts of town where no one would recognize me. We also took Sean’s truck out for a drive more than once. Again, Zale had taken the wheel and although he drove just as fast, I was beginning to grow confident in his abilities and allowed him to drive wherever we went. The moments we spent in the truck were ones where the closeness of the night I had seen his back returned, but only mere moments. Ever since that night, he had been careful around me. Whenever I asked anything about the Hyven he changed the subject, and aside from his questions about human things he barely spoke at all.
Even now, as I mastered the new throw he had taught me, he remained silent. He was especially quiet as the sun began to dip in the sky and with each throw his scowl grew more pronounced. Every attempt I made to get him to talk had failed and I found myself annoyed with him and ready to leave his company for the evening.
While I threw the knife, he simply stared out at the ocean and ignored my presence. It wasn’t so much his ignorance, but the manner in which he sat, unmoving, that bothered me. Aside from the slight rise and fall of his chest, he could’ve been a statue. I was careful to point that out to him, but he disregarded my joke.
When it started to get dark, we headed back to the house and I got ready for the movie. I knew Zale wasn’t happy with me for going, but I figured he would have to get over it. I realized there were dangers now surrounding me but I couldn’t let that stop me from living. In reality, I knew it was more about my stubbornness toward his silence. There was some pleasure I took in making him mad at me, simply because he made me angry. It was childish, but true.
Prancing down the stairs after showering and changing in under twenty minutes, I looked for Zale to tell him I was ready to leave. Part of my mind remembered how it felt to get dressed up for someone. To want to look beautiful for them, but I shoved that thought aside. Patrick couldn’t be dwelling in my thoughts while I was with Zale. For some reason, I had the feeling he would only make fun of me if he knew the truth and it made me feel vulnerable and weak.
Zale was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter waiting for me. His eyes did a once over of my outfit before he looked away. I made a face at him when his head turned, still annoyed with his constant nonchalance.
“…it really is a gorgeous place, but there have been plenty of oth
er cities that I just loved.” Jillian was chattering away to Zale, while she was making the beginnings of dinner. She stopped talking and looked over her shoulder at me. “Oh good, you’re ready. I didn’t think you could get dressed that fast, but I guess I was wrong.” She smiled warmly and I shrugged.
“One of my many talents,” I said and she laughed.
“Well, you better get going. The movie starts in about fifteen minutes, right?” I nodded and raised my eyebrows at Zale.
He leaned forward and walked over to the coat rack to shrug into his jacket. I turned to follow him when Jillian said, “Here” and tossed Sean’s keys to me. I caught them and thanked her.
Zale opened the door and stepped outside not bothering to hold it open for me, it almost hit me in the face. Such chivalry, I thought and bit back a rude remark and marched through the slushy, old snow. I clicked the beeper to Sean’s truck and hopped inside without looking at Zale.
He slid into the driver’s seat and sat down. From the corner of my eye, I saw him hold out his hand for the keys. I chucked them in his direction, hoping they would fall to the floor and he would have to pick them up, but they didn’t. Instead he grabbed them out of the air as if I had lightly dropped them in his palm.
I glanced at him to see if he got my point and saw a hint of a smile on his face for a fraction of second; that only made me angrier. He started the truck without a glance in my direction and flicked on the lights. The engine roared as it had the day he had first driven, and he took off down the driveway at an alarming rate. I hoped Jillian wasn’t watching.
We rode in silence for the next few minutes and I busied myself looking at the fast passing trees that whipped by the truck. Finally, I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer.
“Would you slow down?” I asked, my words harsh even to my ears. He’d hardly spoken two words to me today and I had had enough.
Ripples (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 2) Page 14
