“No, stupid girl. I worship him and he worships me. That’s something you couldn’t hope to understand,” she spits at me, her tentacles bringing her to my face in one rapid pulsation. She’s inches from my nose, her dark eyes bearing into me.
“I don’t want to,” I retort, smiling slightly. She doesn’t scare me. I’ve had practice dealing with tentacles and I’ve never been so glad for Vex’s hard learned lessons. I’ve looked into eyes darker than hers. My own.
“You should. You should want to know the reason I’m going to slaughter you. You’re useless to him now, and so he’ll revere me once I give him the news that I’ve killed you,” her eyes are wide like her pupils, dilated and crazed. She really believes Solustus will bow down to her superiority once she’s killed me? How deluded can you get?
She doesn’t go onto lament her wickedness, thank God, I’ve had enough of that from Titus for a lifetime. Instead she wraps her tentacles around my wrists, binding them back as her suckered grasp extends and winds around my body. I still, clearing my mind and not allowing panic to set in. I’ve seen the move a hundred times, from Vex, and so don’t hesitate to swim upward, and revolve my body around backward in an arc, twisting her tentacles around and slapping her in the face with the end of my tailfin. She gasps, her head snapping backwards with a gross crack of her neck. She releases me, but another tentacle grabs onto the base of my tail and she pulls me through the water, smashing my head into the floor, my eyes roll backward and as they do I catch two people out of the corner of my eye. It’s Orion, looking like he wants to lurch forward. Cole has his palm on Orion’s chest and then I faintly hear the words pass his lips, “No, this is her fight.” Before I can respond to either of their presence, Alyssa is dragging me across the floor.
I slither free, using muscles that feel like they’re being crushed by her grasp and push myself upward with both palms. I whirl around backward, swinging with my fist, it hits her face with an echoing crack and I smell blood as her nose begins to weep scarlet. She’s disoriented, unable to think straight, as I know the pain is now reaching her temple. I use the time she’s distracted and move behind the throne where the trident is propped. It’s not really my style but I don’t have another weapon within reach. I skim the edge of the room, heart thudding, gills opening and closing in accelerated rhythm. The blood is pounding in my ears and I almost forget to check the location of Alyssa when a near miss from an outstretched extremity reminds me to face her. I spin, nearing the doorway where Orion is watching, itching to jump in and save me. He backs away as I slow my momentum, not bothering to look at him, and turn to face Alyssa.
She’s pissed. Her nose is a bloody mess and I’m kind of amazed that my small fist did so much damage. I guess I really have gotten stronger. Her tentacles are erected, all of them, twitching like angry snakes with the rage that I can see is trembling beneath her flushed composure. I remember something Vex had said… dammit what was it? My time is out, so I fall back onto one of his earlier lessons, going on my instincts. I rush at her, aiming the trident’s pointy end for her face. She raises a tentacle to block me and at the last minute I power upwards, a move Vex had told me he’s once used to outwit Solustus. I flip, rotating my tailfin over my head, like some kind of gymnast, and then jab the trident with all my strength into the back of Alyssa’s neck, right through her oesophagus. I twist the three pronged weapon, severing sinew and circuitry, and detach her skull from her body. It causes a flurry of bloody debris to be released into the water and transforms it a gory crimson. She cries out, still alive, a mangled plea for life before I thrust upward, ending her existence.
It’s over too quickly, and unlike the body of a mer, her body doesn’t disappear into sand. Ew.
ORION
“Alyssa,” the single word leaves my lips. Shock overtakes my body as hers falls, a tangle of dead unmoving tentacles. Callie is revealed behind her, a vision as seen through a bloody tinted hue. Cole removes his hand from my chest, letting me go. I don’t move though, I just float, watching Callie wielding the trident in shock and awe.
“Is that Gideon’s other half?” Cole asks Callie who nods. She looks flushed, panicked at the weapon in her grasp. She drops it to the floor like it’s hot.
“Yes. She wasn’t dead. Saturnus lied. She’s been turning the young ones. Picking them off beaches near San Diego State,” her voice is monotone, like she’s on autopilot. Her blonde hair that falls over her shoulders is still. She is motionless. I feel something stir at my back. It’s Azure.
“We’ve found some weapons. They’re crude, but they’re all we’ve got. The others are outside… they were too afraid to come in, bunch of freaking wimps.” She notices we’re not turned to her as she breathlessly exhales her words like she’s bored of them. We continue to stare at Callie. “What are we looking at?” she asks, more enthused than I’ve heard her in a while. I know she’s devastated at losing Starlet again, as am I, but she’s enjoying being in charge and is, as ever, good at compartmentalising her emotions.
“Callie, she killed Alyssa.” Callie is looking down at her hands as Cole’s words reach her, her head snaps upwards and I can see tears are streaming down her face. She’s just hanging in the water, hands outstretched. I move to go to her, but once again someone stops me. This time it’s Azure.
“No. I’ll go,” she moves over my head, her long tailfin leaving bubbles that tickle my face in a burst of raw power.
I watch as Azure moves over to Callie. She puts her pale, long fingers into the palms of Callie’s hands. Callie looks up at her and her eyes come back into focus. Azure doesn’t say anything and they just hang together, the silence enveloping everything in an eerie calm. Callie gasps suddenly, inhaling in that shocked way she does, like a squalling infant taking its first cry, before collapsing to the floor next to Alyssa’s mangled corpse. Azure bends her tail underneath herself and strokes Callie’s hair, looking back over her shoulder at me and rolling her eyes. She shouldn’t be so brash. I envy that soft touch.
CALLIE
Azure’s vision overtakes me, it’s one from the past I think, but it’s just as disturbing as one from the future. I can see Alyssa, her body encased in red silk, luring in hundreds of boys, kissing them, seducing them, killing them, and transforming them. Turning them to the darkness. It’s over quickly, kind of like a shot of adrenaline, which leaves me shaky and I fall, my tailfin no longer wanting to keep me suspended tucks beneath my body which feels of such weight that I crumble underneath it. Azure’s arms fall around me, cradling my head and stroking my hair. Mothering me. I’d never thought of her as maternal, but right now it’s what I need. She understands, she gets it. The darkness had infected me, but I’d never actually killed another before. I had felt Alyssa’s life slip from my grasp and the moment it had I wanted to claw it back. In a world that seemed so fantastical, no death seemed real to me. Atlas had been old; he’d lived a long life and even my own death, I hadn’t really thought would ever be so permanent. Luckily for me it hadn’t been. It was a view to mortality I had forgotten. I had forgotten the thread that connected everyone to this plane was frailer than it appeared.
As I weep, Orion’s words come back to me, from the time before the ritual. He had refused to train me; he hadn’t wanted me to be burdened with killing another creature. He knew there was a price, but I hadn’t listened, too proud to accept his wisdom. Maybe I should have listened.
“Callie…” Azure whispers in my ear. I continue to cry in her arms, feeling the weight of what I’ve done crush me into her body. “You know why I showed you that, don’t you?”
“No,” I sniffle, inhaling water and trying not to look at the dead body next to me.
“You’ve just saved all those people. Those are the people that Alyssa was going to kill. Hundreds. I know you feel like a monster, but it was for the greater good. Besides, better her than you. Don’t forget she wouldn’t have hesitated to end you.” Oh. I suddenly think back to all those faces, the terror, the light l
ost from their eyes. Because of me that will never come to pass. However, I still feel a knot of guilt anchored solidly in my gut and I can’t get away from it.
“I still killed her,” I say the words bluntly and move back from Azure. The flow of my tears halts and I breathe in the water, still smelling blood.
“Callie…” Orion speaks up and I rise, looking him square in the eyes.
“No, I did. I killed her. I’m not shrugging this off as some act of heroism. It was instinctual. I wasn’t thinking about the teens she’s killed. I was thinking I wanted to save myself. That’s it. I’m not dressing it up. I have to live with it,” I speak the words, finding the truth freeing. A few months ago I would have sobbed, ran and lied about the fact I was okay. I’m not doing that anymore, I’m supposed to be a leader and I need to act like one.
“Okay,” Orion looks taken aback, but Cole smiles at me. He must have killed hundreds in his time. Come to think of it, everyone here has blood on their hands. I guess that’s kind of what you expect when you’re drafted to be a warrior for eternity. If they can deal with their guilt so can I.
Azure rises from the floor, picking up the trident and examining it. Something catches her eye as she does and she shoves it into my arms, not looking at me. She passes me, and I turn to see what she’s staring at. The mirror, the one so out of place.
“Azure, what is it?” I ask. Orion is beside me now, his presence sending my hairs rising along my spine. I ignore this.
“This mirror…” she traces her fingers along its edge. I move over to her; I’m right at her back and Orion and Cole follow my lead. I look at the other mirrors on the wall, noticing how every other reflective surface is smashed in but this one.
“What about it?” Orion asks again, he looks like he knows something but isn’t letting on.
“It’s one of a pair, Star has the other.”
“That’s how Solustus and Saturnus have been communicating,” Orion blurts.
“What?” Azure turns to us.
“Yeah, Saturnus said he was ‘storing’ the other in his office.”
Azure turns and touches a fingertip to the surface again, closing her eyes. The mirror becomes foggy and then clears, revealing a window into the Occulta Mirum.
Well, I’ll be damned.
“Nobody say anything,” Azure warns, keeping her movements minimal. Suddenly, a familiar and angular face pops out of the corner. It’s muttering… “Oh bloody hell keep your hair on woman, I’m going!” Vex moves into the centre of the mirror.
“Bloody hell, blondie is that you?” He looks through the mirror and taps on the glass. I wave sheepishly from behind Azure. “This is way better than high definition!” I roll my eyes at this. He’s such a moron.
“Vexus. Where’s Starlet, is she there? Can you tilt this thing?” Azure asks and he exhales, looking irritated.
“You know I don’t enjoy getting bullied by twins… except…”
“VEX!” I yell at him and he rolls his eyes, looking annoyed again.
“Alright, love, stop with the yelling! Bloody women,” he tilts the mirror on its stand so we can see into the study more clearly. Star is on the floor and Oscar is next to her. They’re bound, but at least they’re alive.
“Oscar!” I exhale, I can’t wait to tell Sophia he’s safe. Then I wonder if I should mention it or not.
“Star! I’m sorry! I tried to save you!” Azure yells and Starlet’s eyes are wide. She looks like she might cry. Orion is silent at my back.
“What’s going on there?” Cole asks him.
“Well, after you and I last saw each other I became best friends with Saturnus and Solustus, we had a nice tea party and they let me braid their hair!” His sarcasm makes me want to laugh, but somehow I manage to contain it. He continues, “How the hell should I know? They’re not exactly good with the sharing their evil plan bit…From what I can tell they’re clearing debris…” He finishes this and a question inside me surfaces.
“You don’t suppose the Necrimad is underneath the city...” I look to Orion and he shrugs.
“I don’t know…” He looks unsure. Vex suddenly turns his neck, looking at something behind him.
“They’re coming back. I’ve got to scram!” He looks scared and it surprises me. Maybe he really is on our side after all.
“Tell Star I’ll be watching. She knows what I mean,” Azure blurts and he nods. The mirror turns back our reflections on us, cutting off the conversation.
“So he’s on our side now?” Orion looks angry. I get ready to speak but Azure beats me to it.
“Yes. We need someone on the inside. Unless, of course, you want our sister to die?” He shuts up. Things get awkward between us and Cole takes it upon himself to break the silence.
“So what’s with the trident?” He asks. Azure has an answer for that, too. I wonder when she got so helpful.
“It was Titus’… but he never used it. He thought it made him look cool more than anything. Bloody narcissus.” I hear her turn of phrase and stare at her with a cocked eyebrow, she really can’t pull it off without the British accent mixed in. “Yeah I heard it!” She snaps at me and I laugh.
“Should we try take that mirror with us? Could come in useful,” Cole suggests, but Azure shakes her head.
“No, it’s too big for a long journey. Besides, once it’s cracked and the pieces are separated it useless. Eventually, Saturnus will smash the other one to pieces. He won’t risk us looking in on him,” she speaks with such certainty that no one questions her.
“We should go. I don’t want to leave the others outside. Anything could come back and pick them off.” Orion nods and we make a hasty exit from the throne room. I pass the trident to him as we make our way through the charred passages.
“Why you giving this to me?” He looks at me, suspicious.
“You’re the best fighter here. You need a weapon more than me.” I lie. The truth is I can’t bare the feel of it in my hand, a reminder of the crunching and snapping of arteries and veins. He doesn’t question me, but gives me a slight smile.
“Thanks.”
Outside we’re met by an alarming and yet slightly hysterical scene. The mermaids and Ghazi are staring down at something on the ground. Orion speaks first, sounding as authoritative as I’ve heard him in a while.
“What happened?” The girls all move to speak at once and Ghazi rolls his eyes. He’s standing with his arms crossed. “One at a time!” Orion barks and they all jump at the volume of his voice. It reverberates off the walls of the city, ringing in our ears.
“We captured a Psiren!” Rose looks practically gleeful.
“I hit him over the head!” Skye states, pride radiating from her.
“I tied him up!” Emma is smiling. They move backward and reveal a Psiren, bound and unconscious on the floor. Sophia moves forward.
“Ghazi did most of the fighting part,” she explains directly, I wonder if my expression is that obviously incredulous.
“Ah,” I nod and give her a smile. I can’t help myself, deciding then and there to tell her about Oscar. “Oscar, he’s alive.” I look into her eyes and watch them tear up.
“How? How do you know that?” She asks me.
“There was a mirror, we could see into the Occulta Mirum, just for a moment. I saw him. He’s with Starlet.” At this sentiment her face drops.
“She’s been captured though, hasn’t she?”
“Yes,” I breathe out. “I didn’t know whether to tell you, but if it was me, I’d want to know.” I rub my left shoulder with my palm, feeling the tension in my muscles.
“Thank you,” she sighs. It’s not a happy sigh, but I don’t think I can ask her to be happy. I hope I’ve given her at least a little relief. Our eyes break as I realise that Orion and Marina are causing somewhat of a scene.
“That thing needs to be killed. I won’t risk it telling Solustus anything, or coming after us when it wakes up!” He barks at her, leaning forward. She’s red in the face.
“I’m just saying! If I had to live in this place, I’d be homicidal too! Look at the décor! These creatures are in pain!” She is gesticulating wildly.
“They. Murdered. Christian.” Orion spits. There’s a gasp. The maidens recoil slightly and my eyes pop open a little. That was over the line. Even for him.
“Yes, and killing this creature won’t bring him back,” she spits, her Italian temper flaring. The group falls silent, suspended awkwardly in the water, nobody daring to move. A few moments pass, and Orion eventually shrugs.
“Fine. Leave it here. We need to go,” he doesn’t look anyone in the eye but rises high above, leaving us behind. I look at Azure with a confused expression and she shrugs too, mimicking her brother. So she doesn’t know what’s going on either.
Well, I think, I hope he sorts himself out soon.
We have never needed a Crowned Ruler more. With that thought, I realise things have changed forever. The city I had fallen in love with is gone and a new reign of darkness and terror has begun for everyone under the surface. Fear knots in my belly, melding together with the guilt that still hangs heavy in my soul. I have hope though; hope born from the instinctual gut feeling that journeying north will bring answers.
ORION
My steed shifts underneath me, his hooves galloping against invisible earth, treading water. His leathery wings extend outward as I sit side-saddle, my sister at my back. We’re leading the pod, if that’s what we are called now. We are divided. Azure and I are sitting on Philippe’s back, riding ahead, and the mermaids and Callie are lagging behind us while Ghazi and Cole are keeping watch at the tail end of our fragmented processional.
“You’re quiet,” Azure notes and I nod, not saying anything. “You know, this is going to be a real long trip if you’ve decided to play mime.” She rises from the Equinox’s spine and moves to face him, keeping pace with the horse’s continuing forward motion while caressing his nose. She looks up at me, her eyes the familial ice blue and sighs. “I thought you’d be happy. Callie isn’t infected anymore.”
The Kiss That Saved Me (The Tidal Kiss Trilogy Book 2) Page 33
