Ambrosia Shore (The Water Keepers, Book 3)

by Christie Anderson

  I knelt down in front of her face beside the bed. “Can you hear me?” I pled. “It’s Sadie. I’m back now. I’m fine.”

  My mother’s eyes stared blankly at the wall, like she couldn’t even hear me. Her face was sallow with dark rings under her eyes, the skin along her lips chapped and cracking apart.

  I felt my father’s presence move in across the room.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I begged.

  He looked at me weakly. “I don’t know.”

  I jumped to my feet. “Then we have to either take her to the hospital or find her some Healing Water.”

  My father stepped toward me slowly, shaking his head in defeat. “I’ve already tried.”

  “Well, if the hospital couldn’t help her, then we have to go find her some Healing Water—right now.”

  I moved forward to push past him, but he reached out for my arm. “No, Sadie, that’s what I’m trying telling you. I already gave her Healing Water. It didn’t work.”

  My brow pinched together. “But, that’s not possible. The whole point of the Healing Water is to heal people.”

  “I think it’s the only thing keeping her alive at all,” he said. “But it’s almost like her mind is fighting it, like she doesn’t want it to work.”

  My mom was dying of her own free will? Even the Healing Water couldn’t save her? I didn’t want to believe it was true. It couldn’t be true. I shoved my father’s hand away as tears started to burn in my eyes. “Why didn’t you come for me?” I sobbed. “You could have tried to find me.”

  As if he couldn’t bear it any longer, my father fell to his knees before me, face twisted in pain. “It was my fault…everything was my fault from the very beginning.” His chest began to shake as he gazed up with grieved eyes. “I couldn’t find the strength to leave her again. I couldn’t leave her.”

  “But that’s what you do,” I said bitterly, wiping the wet streaks from my face. “You leave people. No wonder my mom has turned into a vegetable. Her heart had to shut down just to save itself from being destroyed again. Everything she ever loved has been ripped away from her; my grandparents, you, even Dr. Jensen is dead now. She watched me get shot; I saw the terror in her eyes as that madman ripped her away from my arms, covered in blood. Does she even know that I’m okay? Did anyone think to tell her that I was still alive?”

  My father’s jaw shook as he replied. “By the time we got word that you were okay…it was too late. She was already gone.”

  I darted back to the bedside and clamped my mother’s face between my hands. “Wake up, Mom. Please? Look…it’s me. I’m not hurt anymore. I’m fine; I’m safe.” I stroked her hair and waited to see the light return to her eyes, but nothing changed.

  New tears sprouted as my lower lip trembled. “I just need to be alone with her, okay? Can you please just give me a moment alone?”

  My father lowered his head and backed away out the door.

  Once we were alone, I stroked the skin across my mother’s ashen cheek. “I’m not going to leave you, Mom. I’ll be right here by your side until you’re ready to wake up.” Then, I crawled into the bed beside her and wrapped my arm around her side, not ready to let go.

  17. OUTPOURING

  I lifted a strand of my mom’s hair and let it slide through my fingertips. “Remember that song you used to sing to me when I was sick or would wake up scared after a bad dream? The one about the fish?” I whispered. “I remember how much better I would always feel after you sang it to me; not because I would suddenly never have a bad dream again, or because I would jump out of bed like I’d never been sick in the first place, but I felt better just because I knew it meant you would always be there for me when things got tough. I knew that I could get through the hard parts because I had a mom who loved me and would never leave me all alone when I needed her most. That was why I loved the fish song so much, because you were always there to sing it to me.”

  My arm squeezed tighter around my mother’s side, desperately wishing I knew what I could do to bring her back to me. I sat up and pulled her shoulder gently toward me. When I saw her body move easily at my touch, I pulled her off her side completely, until she was lying on her back. Her face was still unresponsive, eyes looking vacant and lost.

  “I’m here for you now,” I said. “You were always the one cheering everybody else up, helping others with their problems, helping people who were sick feel like there was hope. I know you still have that in you, Mom. Somewhere inside you, you know there’s still a reason to live. I’m not going to give up on you, no matter what it takes.”

  I gazed at her intently, wishing that somehow she could hear my words and would suddenly look back at me and smile. I waited, watched her, but she didn’t respond.

  My heart began to sink inside my chest. “I know that you can hear me,” I murmured. “I have to believe that you can hear me. Everything’s going to be okay; we’ll figure it out together. I promise I’ll be here for you. I promise…”

  The words to the fish song started playing through my mind. I felt the need to sing it to her, to make her feel safe and taken care of like she always did for me. I didn’t have to think as the melody floated to the tip my tongue. “Oh…if I were a fish I’d swim out to the ocean, I wouldn’t have a care in the world. Oh…if I were a fish I’d—” The word caught in my throat, overcome by emotion. I tried to continue through broken sobs. “Oh…if I were a fish I’d swim beside the dolphins…” My voice cracked, and I paused again. I couldn’t even finish the song.

  I crumpled down against my mother’s chest. “Please don’t die, Mom… Please don’t leave me. I need you. I can’t do this without you.” I clung to her body, as if holding tighter could keep her from slipping away.

  Everything was too crazy right now; everything too hard. I didn’t think I could bear it if she left me all alone. All the pressure inside me seemed to burst out at once, and I had no choice but to let it rupture. I let the tears spill over, causing my body to shake. You have to live, I pled inside my heart. You have to find the will…

  As my longing grew stronger, a strange sensation began to tingle through my body. It was like I could sense the source of my mom’s pain. It seemed to be spread throughout her entire being, but the more I focused my energy towards finding it, the clearer the solution became. It wasn’t a tangible solution; it was an impression, an understanding. I didn’t even comprehend how or why I was doing it. I just knew.

  When I understood my mother’s pain, the strength within both my body and spirit united together and searched through every hurt, every heartache inside her, replacing it with light. I could feel the source of life pouring out from within me, leaving my possession completely to repair the affliction that plagued my mother’s soul.

  I felt the pain leave her, watched the agony lift away. It was the most exhilarating sensation I’d ever experienced.

  It was also the most depleting. The energy that had left me didn’t seem to return. Near the end it was almost too difficult to control the release. I could feel that my mother’s ailments and sufferings had been healed, that my work was done, yet I couldn’t rein it back or shut it off.

  I sensed my mother stirring, both body and mind. Even if the life drained completely from my body, it would be worth it to save her.

  I finally heard her voice echo beside me. “Sadie?” she said quietly, almost confused.

  When I didn’t answer, couldn’t answer, she tried to lift my shoulders from her chest. “Sweetheart, are you all right?”

  Even though I had no physical strength left in my limbs, my body still clung to her forcefully, like the momentum from the outpouring still constrained us together.

  My mother’s voice grew more frantic. “Sadie, what’s wrong? Can you hear me?”

  I didn’t want to upset her. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay, but my body wouldn’t move, my mouth wouldn’t speak. A burning sensation grew at the top of my thigh. It didn’t really hurt, though. It was more lik
e a pulse of energy than of heat.

  My mom finally thrust my body away from hers, as if she needed to assess my injuries. Instantly, I felt free. The connection that had compelled me to her was finally broken. Peace spread over me from the release, like I could finally rest.

  My head fell back against a pillow as I wheezed, “You’re okay now, Mom; you’re safe.” Then my weary mind was distracted by a magnificent glow, no, two magnificent glows—one emanating from the pocket of my pants where the Water Briolette was hidden, and one from my wrist, from my Watermark. My eyelids drooped and blinked. I tried to hold them open, tried to fight the pull, but it was too strong, and I was too weak. Then the pull grew so heavy that it carried me away.

  18. HAMLIN SEEKS RELIEF

  Hamlin waited in the living room while he gave Sadie a moment alone with Leena, pacing in a tight box at the edge of the room. Despite his effort over the years to leave them both alone to live normal happy lives, he managed to bring tribulation right to their doorstep. It seemed like everything was backfiring left and right now. If Leena died, he would hold himself personally responsible.

  When he heard the faint noise of the bedroom door opening, he immediately turned and strode back across the room. He prayed in his heart that it wasn’t bad news. As soon as he saw her wide eyes rushing into the room, his legs froze in disbelief.

  “Leena!” he gasped. “You’re awake…”

  Her brow pinched together in a stupor. “Lin? What are you—” she stopped and studied his face as if trying to decide if he was real. She took a step back, shaking her head. “Wait, I think I remember,” she said. “You came that day…when that man… and Mark…and Sadie…” Her face creased with painful memories.

  Hamlin moved closer. “Yes, I was there, and you saw Sadie in the bedroom, right? You saw that she’s okay, that she survived.”

  Leena shook her head again in a panic. “No, she’s not okay. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I think I should call an ambulance.” Leena moved to hurry past him.

  “Wait,” Hamlin said, reaching for her arm. “Let me look at her first.” He paused and held Leena’s eyes with his, the woman he longed to return to every day for the last eighteen years. “Trust me,” he murmured.

  She gazed back at him a moment, then nodded quietly.

  They both rushed back toward the bedroom, where they found Sadie’s body lying motionless on the bed.

  “I don’t understand,” Hamlin said, rushing to his daughter’s side. “I just spoke to her a few minutes ago. She appeared completely fine.”

  “I checked her vitals before I came out,” Leena said. “Everything looks normal. If she was one of my patients and I came across her in her hospital room this way, I would assume she was sleeping. But this was different. Something happened to her. I saw it.”

  “What exactly did you see after you woke up?”

  “Sadie was lying against my chest. I tried to speak to her, but she didn’t respond right away. She was clinging to me, but it was like she was in a trance of some kind. And I saw…a light. I swear it was like she was glowing. I rolled her over and she opened her eyes. She told me I was safe. Then the light disappeared, and she passed out onto the bed.”

  Hamlin reached for Sadie’s wrist and examined her Watermark. It was clear like a diamond. He’d never seen anything like it. Everything he had been told in the past, either from Rayne or from Sadie’s diary entries, told him that her mark had always been black, or more recently a shade of blue.

  “Have you ever seen the mark on her wrist look like this before?” he asked.

  Leena moved closer to take a look. “No, it was always black. I’m sure of it; ever since she was a baby. Why? Do you think it’s a bad sign?”

  “I don’t know,” Hamlin said. “I’ve never seen one this color before.” Without thinking twice, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what remained of the Healing Water he had his guards bring for Leena. A drop of the fluid seeped out from the spout, landing gingerly on Sadie’s palm. The mark on her wrist lit up instantly as he hoped it would, but it faded just as fast.

  “What was that?” Leena asked.

  Hamlin glanced up and shoved the bottle back in his pocket. “Nothing. Just some powerful medicine.”

  “Is that the same substance Mark was testing on his—” the words caught in her throat at the mention of her recently deceased boyfriend. She smiled and pretended nothing was wrong as she continued. “… on his patients?”

  Hamlin looked at her sadly. “I’m not sure…but probably.”

  He glanced back at his daughter, watching her breaths move rhythmically in and out of her body. “I don’t have all the answers,” he finally said, “but I have a feeling in my gut that Sadie’s going to be okay. Just to be sure, I want you to stay here by her side and monitor her closely. If there’s any change in her condition at all, I want to be the first to know.” He stood and moved away from the bed.

  Leena’s expression fell. “Wait, are you leaving?”

  “No,” he said fervently. “I’m not leaving.” He walked quietly toward her and reached to take her hand. She hesitated at first, but let him hold on. He pulled her arm gently toward the door and led her into the hallway.

  “Leena…love…I know there are things that need to be said.” He closed his eyes. “So many things… and I promise there will be time for it soon. But, now that I know you’re okay, there are pressing matters that I have to attend to.”

  Her big eyes watched him carefully. When she didn’t respond, Hamlin leaned into her and brought his mouth close to her ear. “I’ve waited eighteen years to see you again; eighteen years too long. For that, I am eternally sorry.”

  He kissed the edge of her cheek, and whispered even more quietly in her ear. “There’s something you should know before I go. Please don’t be alarmed, but Sadie told me there’s a listening device installed inside the base of her neck. Don't worry, I know the man who is listening on the other end, and he’s someone I trust, but I need to find out what this is about. Do you understand?” He pulled back slowly to study her reaction.

  “What are you talking about?” she whispered back anxiously.

  “As soon as I know what’s going on, I’ll explain everything to you. I promise we’ll get this all sorted out.

  She sighed in frustration and shook her head as she relented. “Fine, okay, just promise me you won’t let anything bad happen to Sadie.”

  “I promise. Leena, you have to know, if given the option, I would choose my own death if it meant keeping our daughter safe.” She smiled faintly in response.

  Hamlin walked back to the bedroom with purpose. “Orion,” he announced. “This is Hamlin. I know you’re out there and I know you’re listening. It’s urgent that I speak to you, and only you, immediately.

  A few moments later, Orion’s face appeared at the front door, eyes riddled with concern. “Lin, what are you doing here?” he implored. “You’ve been MIA for days. The Council is about to send out a team of Scouts to look for you.”

  Hamlin pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered his words. “I know. I think I’ve created a bit of a mess. Listen, I’ll have to figure that out eventually, but there’s something more critical we need to discuss. Voss is still out there. He isn’t dead like we thought.”

  Orion nodded. “Sadie was just telling me the same thing before we arrived.”

  “I want you to reassemble the team you were using to track him before, as soon as possible. He’s too big a threat to let slip through the cracks again.”

  “Of course,” Orion said. “One of my men can have the order made in less than an hour. There’s only one problem. I’m not exactly free to lead the investigation this time. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to personally eliminate Voss Hastings myself, but I’m here on official business by order of the Council.”

  Hamlin closed his eyes as the awful realization sank in more fully. “You’re here because of Sadie.”

  Orion glanc
ed away. “Rayne Stevens was arrested a couple days ago. Sadie agreed to testify at his hearing.”

  Hamlin’s mouth went dry at the thought, imaging the heartache and trials both Rayne and his daughter had to endure over the last couple days. Even before this, he knew he had already burdened them greatly, he wasn’t sure he could ever forgive himself.

  “I was afraid that might be the case,” Hamlin said. “What happened to them? What did Sadie tell the Council?”

  “Rayne is still in holding at the Court of Ambassadors. At his hearing, Sadie told the Council that he saved her life, that his motives for violating serious laws, including breaking into the Sacred Pool, were done purely with good intentions.”

  Hamlin’s voice faltered. “Did she…mention anything else?”

  Hamlin could feel Orion’s eyes staring back at him intently. “Yes,” Orion said. “She told them she was born with a Watermark outside the Threshold border. As you can imagine, the Council was unanimous in the desire to investigate the matter.”

  Hamlin looked down as his mind processed the situation.

  “Lin, I don’t mean to step over the line, but…what exactly is your affiliation with this girl and her mother? What is it that you’re not telling me?”

  Hamlin could hardly bear to look his friend in the eye. “I’ve thought about confiding in you so many times, I just…I just couldn’t do it.”

  “Whatever it is,” Orion urged, “you know you can trust me.”

  “Sadie…she’s my…” Hamlin began, but his throat tightened and he looked away with shameful eyes.

  “She’s your daughter, isn’t she,” Orion said quietly.

  Hamlin nodded, almost relieved by the opportunity to confess, wishing the truth would set him free.

  “Does Sadie know?” Orion asked. “Does she know who you are?”

  “I’m not sure. But if she does, she only figured it out recently. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her. And now she’s…” Hamlin glanced back sadly at the bedroom where his daughter was unconscious.