Descending (The Rising Series)

by Kelly, Holly

  When she got back to her apartment, she knocked on the bedroom door. She heard a thump and scrambling. “Hal,” she called out. “I took the liberty of helping you remove your items and carried them downstairs for you. You don’t need to thank me. It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me. They’ll be waiting for you on the sidewalk beside Gus.”

  “What?” he shrieked.

  The door flew open and he stood there, wrapped in a towel. “Not my bag too.”

  She nodded, smiling.

  “You left it next to a homeless guy?” he shrieked at her.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  He wasted no time, streaking through the door.

  He was soon followed behind by a red-faced, strawberry-blonde female in another towel. She slinked around Gretchen as if she expected her to strike her. The thought had crossed her mind, but she was already in enough trouble today. “Hello,” Gretchen greeted. “I left your clothes by the curb too. Good luck getting them back from Gus. He’s partial to women’s clothing.”

  “You’re insane,” the woman cried as she flew down the stairs.

  Gretchen shut the door, sagging against the frame.

  Okay, this was definitely the worst day of her adult life.

  Stepping into her bedroom, her anger boiled. Why couldn’t she find a decent man? Why did every relationship she had go up in flames?

  She stripped the rumpled sheets off the bed. They were her favorite, satin, and worth a week’s pay. Balling them up, she stuffed them into the garbage. She got out her spare cotton ones and made up her bed.

  Hitting the bathroom hard with cleanser, she disinfected it from ceiling to floor. She knew she was probably overdoing it, but she couldn’t help but think that everything Hal and his slut touched was contaminated. She used an entire can of Lysol just to be sure.

  She left the bathroom door open while she showered—she didn’t want to succumb to the fumes. The water soothed her, the stream caressing her body. She spent a long time under the spray, until it turned cold.

  She thought about calling Sara as she slipped on her robe, but frowned when she did the math. It was only five o’clock in the morning in Bermuda. She’d have to call her tomorrow.

  Late that night, she finally climbed under the cotton sheets. They felt like sandpaper against her skin. She tossed and turned until she finally fell into a restless sleep.

  A sweet melody glided through the seawater—drawing her forward. Gretchen swam, her legs kicking out hard as she followed the voice. It was beautiful, like an angel, but chilling. She looked down through the surface of the water to see light coming from below. Diving down, she found the entrance to a tunnel. Soon, there was another sound mingled with the first. She could hear it as she neared; it was harsh and high pitched...She broke through the surface of a dark cave, slapping her hands over her ears at an ear-piercing wail.

  It was little Jami. She sat, crying, on a rocky shore. Her howling voice echoed off the walls of a sea cave. A woman stood nearby, one who radiated cold beauty. Gretchen’s stomach sickened at the familiar face.

  “Hello dear.” The woman smiled, evil glinting in her eye.

  “What are you going to do to her?” Gretchen asked—her voice weak and trembling as she looked at the terrified girl.

  “Does it matter? She’s nothing to me.”

  “Please, just let her go,” Gretchen begged, tears burning her eyes.

  The woman’s laugh was like ice. “If you insist.”

  Gretchen and Jami’s screams mingled as the woman pitched Jami forward into the water. Gretchen reached for her, pulled her sputtering face up out of the water, and crushed her to her chest.

  “Ms. Winters,” Jami wailed. “Please help me; I don’t want to die.”

  “I’ve got you.” Gretchen held her tight in one arm as her other hand grasped the rocky water’s edge. She looked around for an exit, not able to bring Jami out the same way she’d entered. She was much too small to hold her breath that long. But there didn’t seem to be another exit.

  “Where did the mean lady go?” Jami asked.

  Gretchen looked around, horrified. “Let’s get you out of the water.” She pushed her up to the rocky shore. A scream pierced Gretchen’s ear as something pulled Jami down—her cry cutting off as her face submerged. Gretchen tried to hold on to her wrist, but she wasn’t strong enough. Jami slipped through her fingers.

  Gretchen dove down, attempting to catch hold of her again and pull her back. She could see Jami’s horrified face grow smaller, smaller, going deeper and deeper, until she disappeared.

  Gretchen shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. Her body trembled. “It was only a dream,” she whispered over and over again as she sat and rocked.

  Kyros barely made it to the toilet before he lost last night’s dinner. Who knew walking on legs would make him so sick? It didn’t seem to bother the others. They’d taken the transition without any problem—well, other than being repulsed by their new human bodies.

  Kyros just couldn’t handle the way the legs made him feel. The rocking back and forth from one foot to the next and the jarring he got from each step made against the hard floor. Hades, just thinking about it made his stomach turn.

  He dove into the indoor pool and entered salty bliss. He didn’t even mind the excruciating pain of the change from human to Dagonian. It was worth getting his fin back. These daily swims seemed to be the only relief he could get. Swimming in the water was heaven. He closed his eyes and imagined he was back in the sea. He would have made an actual trip to the sea if he’d had time, but he was on call for babysitting duty.

  An hour later, he could see Straton standing above him through the rippling surface. “Kyros, Xanthus wants to see you,” his muffled voice shouted.

  Kyros grunted in reply. A few minutes later, he staggered out of the pool room.

  “Your land legs still making you sick?” Straton smiled.

  “Shut up.”

  “Kyros.” Xanthus’s voice came from the kitchen. “We’re in here.”

  A foul stench assaulted Kyros the moment he entered the kitchen. “Oh gods. And I just got my stomach settled.”

  “Lucky you,” Xanthus answered. “Hades, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to human food.”

  Sara sat across from Xanthus and ate heartily. “You know, most people love my cooking.”

  Kyros covered his nose and mouth. “Yeah, well, that’s the problem.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Cooking,” Kyros said. “Dagonians don’t cook. We hunt, and we eat what we’ve caught. Animal meat heated and burned beyond recognition—well, it’s like… I don’t even have anything to compare it to. But it’s worse than rotting flesh.”

  “Ugh. Now I think I’ve lost my appetite.” Sara scrunched up her nose. “You asked for it.”

  Kyros turned to his friend and coughed. “You did?”

  “I’m trying to get used to it.”

  “Impossible,” Kyros said. “There’s no getting used to that.” He gestured to the plate filled with dead meat.

  “Perhaps I should try feeding you vegetarian food,” Sara said.

  “Veget… you mean plants?” Kyros asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Dagonians don’t eat plants,” Xanthus said.

  “I give up.” Sara stood. “Just eat your live fish in front of those politicians you want to impress. They won’t think anything of it. Oh, and don’t forget to rip the fish’s head off first. I’m sure they won’t mind.” Sara stomped out the door, mumbling to herself.

  “I’m going to pay for that later,” Xanthus said.

  “Pay for what?” Kyros looked around.

  “Sara’s mad at me.”

  “Mad? Why?”

  “Kyros, you have a lot to learn about women.”

  “Yeah, well, Dagonian women are different from humans… and mermaids for that matter.”

  “Right. But…”

  “But what?”

  Xanthus
shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. Sara’s not making the adjustment well.”

  “Her adjustment on legs?”

  “No, no. The legs are fine. I don’t know what the problem is. Perhaps she’s just having difficulty adjusting to her new home.”

  “She’s not the only one,” Kyros said.

  “I know what you mean. Look, I’ve got to travel tomorrow, and I’ll be gone for a few days. I’m going to need you to keep a close eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Like cooking dinner for all of us?” Kyros shook his head at the thought.

  “No, like putting herself in danger.”

  Xanthus paused for a moment, looking like he wanted to speak. Out of respect for his friend, Kyros waited.

  “Listen,” Xanthus said. “I know you don’t like Sara, and I understand why, but you need to know how much she means to me. If anything happens to her… I don’t think I could survive it.”

  Kyros paused, stunned by Xanthus’s words. He’d had suspicions Xanthus was under the mermaid’s spell. Why else would he choose to destroy everything he once held dear—his honor, his status, his reputation…? She’d even convinced him to move to Bermuda when he should have been moving closer to Washington DC. Xanthus’s words now seemed to confirm Kyros’s suspicions.

  Xanthus turned to leave.

  “Xanthus.”

  He turned back. “Yes?”

  “I do have one question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Why did she choose to live here?”

  Xanthus shrugged. “I don’t know.” He sighed. “Sara insisted this was where we needed to be. She doesn’t seem to understand it herself. But she was adamant.”

  “And you let her make this decision because…?”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “No, I think I understand perfectly.” Because the little mermaid had his best friend in her beautiful clutches, and she could bend him to her will.

  Deep in her cave of lost treasures, Aella held a small mirror. The golden handle burned cold in her grasp. She trembled as she admired the most valuable treasure to be brought to her mountains of plunder—the Mirror of Theia. And it had been within her reach all these years. If only…

  No, she wouldn’t regret. Now was a time for celebration.

  After fifteen years, she had a chance. The fates had finally showed her favor. They were giving her the opportunity to right a wrong she’d perpetrated years ago. She could finally rectify her mistake.

  She spoke in a commanding voice. “Show me the one who would destroy me.”

  Her reflection shimmered as another beautiful face came into view—a woman. Dark hair framed her delicate features; her eyes glimmered—filled with deep secrets and regret. And she was near. The gods were undoubtedly on Aella’s side this day.

  She gingerly placed the mirror on a carved, wooden chest. Sprinting to the water’s edge, she dove into the sea. Her legs changed as the sea enveloped them.

  She relished the change. She hated playing the part of a human, hated her exile. She was a mermaid. A mythical being with power humans could only dream of. The humans were rodents, soiling and polluting the land everywhere they went. They were lower than the lowest of creatures. But still, they served her purpose.

  Aella surfaced at the side of a sleek, oceanic yacht, with a ladder hanging down. She pulled herself out of the water—her mermaid’s tail changing to legs the moment they left the sea. She stepped her bare feet up the rungs and onto the deck. Her favorite blue dress clung to her wet body. The breeze had a refreshing bite to it.

  A large, muscular human stepped up at her approach—his eyes lingering over her body. “Aella! Where did you come from? I thought you’d take your treasure and run.”

  “Oh Robert, you know me better than that.”

  “Do I?” he asked, frowning at her.

  “Of course you do.” She ran her fingertips over his chest as she smiled. “I’m going to need you to stay a while. I have another task for you.”

  “Sorry, babe. I’ve already spent too much time here. I’ve got a job to do, and it has nothing to do with looting and treasure hunting. There are a few pirates that need their throats slit.”

  Aella added just the right amount of singsong in her voice to gain his attention. “No. You’re not going to kill pirates. You have someone much closer you need to kill.”

  His scowl melted away as he drew near her. “I do?”

  She turned up the tone of her voice. “Yes, and you will do everything I ask.”

  Adoration filled his eyes as he repeated, “Yes, I’ll do everything you ask.” He reached out to touch her face.

  She fisted his shirt in her hands and pulled him close. “I know you will.”

  And then their lips touched.

  Kyros watched the second hand of the clock twitch its way around the face. Sara’s back was to him, but he could hear her fingers fly over the keyboard of her laptop. Her hand shot out, grabbed the mouse, and made a few clicks. “You know, Kyros, despite being on duty, you don’t have to watch me every second. I’m sure you have other things you’d rather be doing.”

  Kyros jumped at her tone of voice. This was the first time she’d spoken harshly to him. Before, she had always used a sickeningly sweet tone. Maybe her true colors were emerging.

  “I’m not watching you,” he answered.

  “Yes, you are. I can feel your eyes boring into my back.”

  He didn’t respond. Xanthus made him swear not to upset her. Keeping silent was the only way to guarantee he wouldn’t say something he would later regret.

  Sara turned toward him, and he was taken back. She was livid. “Listen, I have no idea why you don’t like me, but your glares are getting on my nerves. Now I know you’re Xanthus’s best friend, and I’d hoped to win you over by being nice, but it looks like that’s not working.”

  “I’ve never said an unkind word to you,” he said.

  “You didn’t need to. Your expressions say it all. I would like to know what I did to deserve this animosity.”

  Kyros narrowed his eyes and didn’t say a word.

  “See what I mean? You’re doing it again.”

  “If you want to win me over so badly,” Kyros said, “why don’t you just sing a few lines? Use your mermaid charm, like you did on Xanthus.”

  “You think I…?”

  Kyros pursed his lips. He knew he should stop talking. He was pushing his luck. She may just decide to take him up on his suggestion, but he couldn’t stop himself from voicing his suspicions. They’d been festering and tormenting him since the moment he’d heard his best friend had married a mermaid.

  “I would never do that to Xanthus.”

  “Right.”

  “I wouldn’t! And even if I wanted to—which I don’t—I couldn’t. My father made him immune to my voice. Besides, the compulsion only works while I’m singing. And you haven’t noticed me singing around here, have you?”

  “It only works while you’re singing?”

  “Of course.”

  “But that’s not right. The power lingers much longer.”

  “And how would you know?”

  “I know.”

  “Right, because you’ve met a mermaid before,” she said sarcastically. “Well, I happen to be a mermaid, and I think you’re full of it.”

  Kyros clenched his fists. He’d never before hit a female, but right now, the temptation nearly overwhelmed him. Yeah, and the way Xanthus worshiped Sara, Kyros would probably find himself at the mercy of Triton the moment Xanthus saw a mark on her.

  The doorbell rang, and the house fell silent. Kyros listened closely. No one moved, no one spoke, he doubted anyone even breathed—well, except for Sara.

  “Isn’t anyone going to get that?” she asked.

  Kyros looked at her incredulously.

  “What? Thanks to my father, you all speak English now. You are all perfectly capable of answering the door.”


  “Oh, forget it.” She moved to step from the room, and Kyros put his arm out and braced it against the doorframe, stopping her. “Sara, one of us needs to answer it.”

  “Oh, good grief. It’s probably only a salesman.”

  The bell rang again.

  “Listen,” Sara said, “it’s rude to leave someone standing on the doorstep this long. Why don’t you just come with me, and you can guard me while I answer the door.”

  Kyros sighed and gave a nod. “Okay, but I go first.”

  “Fine, let’s go.”

  Kyros opened the door to find a human standing on the front step. He guessed it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Who did he think would be there? A Dagonian in a giant fish bowl? But what he didn’t expect… this human was attractive. Not in a classic sense. She wouldn’t be causing any frenzy, but her appeal was undeniable. She had brown, wavy hair cut just below the shoulders. And her eyes… big, brown, beautiful—and open wide. Was she afraid of him?

  She shook her head, blinking. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to gawk. I’m just surprised at how tall you are. You must be a relative of Xanthus. Are all the men in Xanthus’s family so tall?”

  She didn’t sound afraid.

  “Who are you?” he asked, avoiding her question.

  “I’m Gretchen, Sara’s best friend.”

  He looked back. Sara was gone. Good. Sara couldn’t be seen out of her wheelchair by anyone who knew her. How could she have explained her miraculous recovery?

  “Can you tell her I’m here?” The human grinned sweetly.

  Kyros nearly returned her charming smile. Instead, he scowled. This was a human. He couldn’t forget that. He couldn’t let his guard down.

  “I’ll see if she’s here.” He shut the door, leaving her on the step, and turned back. Sara raced in, wheeling through the hall, a blanket wrapped around her lower body.

  “Why did you shut the door?” she asked.

  “I was coming to get you,” he said.