Elemental Origins: The Complete Series

by A. L. Knorr

  "What if we refuse to sign?" I asked, hollowly.

  "Please don't do that," he folded his hands in front of him. “His entire estate would go to the government. It would likely be dissolved and all assets liquidated. Or it will be dismantled and portions of it sold to competitors. That would, frankly, be a disaster. It would be unthinkable for a company with a 168-year legacy to end in such a way, and poor Martinius would roll over in his grave. I'm sure that you don't want to dishonour his memory."

  Mom and I looked at each other with dismay. I saw that my mother didn't have a clue what to do. "We don't know how to run a company nor do we have the desire," she said, then turned to me and added, "I'm assuming you don't want to run a shipping empire, honey?"

  I almost sputtered a laugh but the situation was too serious. I just shook my head.

  "You don't need to run it," replied Antoni. "Once in charge you can assign whomever you wish to run it for you. You can be as involved or not as you want."

  "Can't we just sign ownership over to you?" I asked.

  Antoni's mouth twitched. "I appreciate the thought but no, you can't. The will stipulates that ownership of the company cannot be transferred for a period of fifteen years, unless in the event of death or serious illness." He focused on me, "I'm certain that Martinius was hoping that you'll eventually have a family and will continue the Novak line so that the company will remain in the hands of his descendants well into the future."

  "But we're not even Novaks!" I said.

  Antoni shrugged, "Martinius was convinced that you are. Perhaps you should have your family tree researched? Maybe there is a link that you're not aware of.”

  "Not you too," I said.

  Clearly, Antoni trusted his employer implicitly, even over our protestations. "He was certain," he said, "and Martinius doesn’t…didn’t draw conclusions lightly. He was lucid and sharp when he made this decision. Do you think he would trust the fate of his company to just anyone?"

  "Can we just put you in charge?" Mom asked.

  Antoni took a deep steadying breath. "Ladies, look. I understand this is life-changing news, and perhaps I didn't deliver it in the most gentile way, but clearly Martinius trusted and believed in the two of you, family or not. My advice is to sign the documents because right now the fate of the company is in the hands of those that he has not deemed worthy. Once you've signed, then seek the advice of a lawyer, several lawyers if you wish. I know you may not fully understand the implications yet but this is a huge blessing, trust me. Now please," he put his hands together in a gesture of prayer. “Make Martinius a happy man, may he rest in peace. It was a nerve-wracking experience carrying unsigned documents of this importance over the ocean with me, please put me out of my misery. The company will run like clockwork without you until you've had a chance to digest everything. There is no rush to do anything, but there is a rush to have you step up and claim your inheritance."

  He picked up the pens and set them down again with emphasis.

  Mom and I looked at each other. Then we each picked up the pen in front of us.

  I took a deep breath, scanned the document on the top and spotted the little yellow sticky tab pointing to the empty line. There were many more arrows poking out from between the sheets of paper in the stack.

  I put pen to paper and began to sign my name.

  Chapter 42

  "What time is your plane?" I asked Antoni as we strolled along the beach. This time it was a proper beach, not the usual jagged mess of rocks and seaweed. This one was beautiful, with miles of golden sand.

  "I told Ivan we'd leave by two thirty.” He checked his watch. "Should head back to the airfield after lunch."

  We strolled in silence, the wind blowing against us gently. I caught his scent several times and it warmed me all over, but I no longer felt hammered by it. I was pleased by this change, guessing that it had to do with me coming into my powers. Someone really needed to write a scientific journal on mermaid biology, or better yet, elemental biology.

  A few families enjoyed the beach along with us - throwing a frisbee around, having a picnic. The occasional jogger ran through the spray in bare feet.

  "Nice country you have here," he said.

  "I guess this is your first visit to Canada?"

  He nodded. "Yes, it's a shame I can't make a holiday out of it but I really have to get back. I have a meeting with the executives tomorrow and I've been asked to report on the status of the will and present all the signed documents to the lawyers for review. I have never seen the company in such an uproar.”

  We stopped and faced the ocean, burying our toes in the sand. The surf washed over our feet and my body thrilled to sense the presence of salt.

  "What are you going to tell them?"

  "The truth, I suppose. That you did sign, albeit reluctantly."

  "And the part about not being related to Martinius? Will you tell them that, too?"

  "I've been thinking on that. I think it would be best to leave that quiet for now, after all there is always a chance that you are mistaken. Your lack of family records doesn't assist you in proving that you're not related, so..." he trailed off. And then, "Let me ask you this, Targa..."

  "Might you be better off asking my mom if it's about my family?" I interrupted him.

  "I did ask her," he replied. "Now I need to ask you."

  "Okay."

  "Can you say beyond a shadow of a doubt, with 100% surety that you're NOT related to Martinius?" he asked, squinting over at me in the sunlight. He'd left his sunglasses off even though it was bright out.

  I was quiet. My instinct was to keep denying it but that wouldn't be the truth. I was also hesitant because it was important that my answer matched my mom's. What would she have said? I thought about the face on the figurehead, the curves and features of it so unmistakeably matching hers. Sybellen had without a doubt been a siren. How many mermaids were there in the world? "Truthfully? No," I answered, finally.

  His eyebrows shot up. "See, there you have it. In the mouth of two witnesses let everything be established."

  "I guess my mom said the same?”

  "She did, but she was still adamant that the two of you should not inherit the company."

  "And she's right. What do we know about running a company of any kind? Let alone one in Europe that functions in another language and in an industry we know nothing about.” We started walking down the beach again.

  "It's clear from Martinius' actions that it was more important to him that the company stay in the hands of a blood relative, even one with no business experience, than to be passed to an outsider. He always said to me 'hire for attitude, train for aptitude.' He believed everyone was trainable as long as they had the desire to learn."

  I blanched and he added hastily, "I keep telling you not to worry about that anyway. Nothing has to change. Martinius is gone but we've been preparing for that eventuality for years. Mrs. Krulikoski will be stepping in as CEO for now."

  I remembered the woman with the deep voice. "The CFO? From the party?"

  "That's the one." He put his hands in the pockets of his shorts, kicking up tiny clumps of sand with his bare toes as we walked.

  "Do you think she'll do a good job?" I had thought she seemed capable but what did I know?

  "She will. She's been in the company for years and knows it inside and out. I'd be happy to report back to you regularly if you'd like to be kept informed?"

  "I don't know what good that would do," I said.

  "Wouldn't you rather know than not?"

  "I suppose so," I replied doubtfully. I felt like I was walking on a moving sidewalk. Soon I'd find myself at an unintended destination in spite of my best efforts.

  I'm not sure why I did what I did next. Maybe it was the control I finally had of myself around him that made me trust myself again. Maybe it was the sudden change in my life that I knew would eventually bring me back to Poland and The Baltic Sea. Maybe it was letting go of denying myself what I had wanted al
l summer.

  A collection of boulders sat in the sand at the edge of the surf and instead of walking around them I stepped up onto one and faced Antoni. We were eye to eye. He blinked at me. I took a breath. "I have a question for you, and I need an honest answer.”

  "Always, Targa. I hope you know that.” He stepped in front of me.

  "At the airfield, in Poland, I heard you," I said, looking at him, unabashedly.

  "Heard me..." he said, cocking his head slightly.

  "When you said you loved me."

  The smallest smile played about his lips. "Did you now?"

  "Are you denying it?" My heart began to pound, but it was steady and slow.

  "Absolutely not.” He set his jaw like he was ready to take one on the chin.

  We were less than a foot from one another, not touching. The space between us was nothing and everything.

  "What I need to know was when. When did you know that you loved me?" My voice was soft but my heart fiercely prepared for the worst. If he answered that it had been after my re-birth as a siren, I'd know that his love wasn't authentic.

  "That's what you need to know so badly?"

  I nodded. "More than anything."

  "All right," he said, smiling. "As much as anyone can put their finger on the moment they realize they love someone, I would have to say it was the day we visited Malbork Castle together. The day you snapped a photo of me when you thought I wasn't looking."

  My jaw dropped and I threw my head back and laughed, I couldn't help it. The old Targa would have been horrified to learn that he'd known that I'd taken a picture of him without his permission. The new Targa couldn't care less and was thrilled that his answer proved that he'd loved me before I got supercharged with seduction skills.

  I put my fingers on his shoulders, drawing him closer. He took his hands out of his pockets and put his palms on my hips. I put my forehead to his. "I'm sorry, Antoni."

  "What for?" His hands squeezed me, pulled my pelvis against his warm stomach.

  "For lying. For hurting you. There was never a bet with my friends.” I put my palms to the sides of his neck.

  He pulled back and looked at me with a lopsided grin. "I know that, Targa. You're not the kind of girl to do something like that. You were just scared."

  My gaze dropped to his lips. "I'm not scared anymore." I kissed his cheekbone, then his cheek, then the stubble next to his mouth.

  He cleared his throat, his hands slid from my hips to my lower back and found the skin underneath my shirt. "No?" he whispered. I closed my eyes with pleasure at the feeling of skin on skin.

  "No," I whispered back and my lips found his. The kiss began softly, gently, but as we melted together the barriers I had built up to keep him at a safe distance crumbled. The kiss deepened and his hands moved under my shirt to my ribcage, his fingers splayed across my ribs and curled around the corral of my heart.

  Suddenly his arms were around me, picking me up off the rock, his body as sure and hard as the knowledge that I loved him too. My heart cried truth with every slow and powerful beat. The yielding of my entire body to him made my nerves sing. He had me completely. I clamped my legs around his waist, pulling him tighter as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with all the passion I had denied all summer. As his lips parted mine my body came alive in a way it hadn't before and I finally let it, drowning in the smell and taste of him. The kiss was not just a kiss, it was a promise, made as clearly as though it had been spoken.

  The squealing laughter of a child somewhere down the beach penetrated our passion and we broke the kiss, both of us smiling and breathless. He planted a hundred little kisses across my cheeks, on my lips, and down my neck as I tilted my head back and laughed. I found the rock with my bare feet again and took his face in my hands, my eyes closed, drinking in the moment.

  His hands cupped my ears gently, his thumbs softly brushing the curve of my cheeks. "Targa."

  I smiled and opened my eyes, devouring his face like I was seeing it for the first time. "Antoni.”

  "Now what?" he whispered, stroking my hair.

  "You have to get on a plane, I guess.” I quivered a little inside at the thought of saying good-bye but the promise was there, too, comforting me.

  "I do," he agreed. "And you and your mom have a lot to discuss. But, you know you can send for Ivan anytime you want. Whenever you're ready, whatever you decide."

  I nodded and pulled him into a hug, savouring our last moments alone together. I stepped down off the rock and took his hand as we walked back the way we'd come.

  We got to the parking lot as Mom arrived in her work truck to pick us up. We took Antoni for lunch at our favourite little Mexican place along the beach. Mom and I wanted to talk about the company and what to do next but Antoni suggested we leave it for now. He told us to sleep on things, take as long as we needed, and then get back to him when we were ready. I was amazed at his maturity, his calm acceptance that we couldn't be together just yet. It made me love him even more.

  "I guess the odds of you returning to Poland sometime in the future are a little higher than they were when you left?" Antoni said to my mother while the three of us were heading back to the truck after our meal.

  She knew nothing about our kiss, our promise. But I wondered if she could sense the change between Antoni and I. "You could say that," she answered.

  I tried to imagine what she was thinking. How could her daughter swim off into the deep blue sea with her if we were responsible for a big shipping company? She was now the owner of the salvage portion of Novak so what did that mean for her? Would she prioritize honouring Martinius' wishes over her desire to go to sea? She'd been so happy to think that we could disentangle ourselves from our current life. I would guess that she felt like she'd just escaped from a trap only to get caught in a bigger one.

  Looking at my mother and trying to find some crack of emotion that would tell me how she was feeling, I remembered the man at the airfield in Poland, the one she'd hugged goodbye. With everything that had happened, I had forgotten all about him. As soon as we had a private moment, I promised myself to ask her about him.

  I knew that I wanted to be with Antoni, but now the question was: when would be the right time to go? After I'd finished my final year of high school? Now? My mom had said that once a siren had found her mate, nothing mattered but him. I felt like I'd found mine, but that didn't automatically mean I'd drop everything right this instant. I guess I broke the mermaid mould in this way, too. What if I wanted kids but couldn't have them until I'd spent a few years in the briny ocean to trigger my fertility? That was how it worked with other sirens according to my mom. How would I explain the need to disappear to Antoni without explaining what I was? Should I just go ahead and explain what I was to him? I loved the idea of him knowing everything about me, but what if that meant he didn't want me anymore? I'm not sure how I would feel about marrying a mermaid if I was him. Probably not very good. But then, if I didn't tell him, wasn't that basically lying? I swallowed all these worries and questions. I wasn't going to solve them all in one day.

  My thoughts turned to my friends. I missed them and I needed to talk to someone other than my mom. I needed people who knew me and cared about me but could be objective. Of course, they only knew me as Targa the human, they didn't know Targa the mermaid. And they weren't any older or more experienced than I was, but they were smart and I knew they wanted me to be happy.

  I thought back to the beginning of the summer and how different my life had been. In a span of less than three months I had become a mermaid, fallen in love, experienced life in Europe, became an elemental, and inherited a multibillion dollar multinational. Two months ago I hadn't a clue what I wanted to do with my life. Was this destiny in action? Some guiding force shaping the direction my life was supposed to take? How was I going to decide what should be the priority?

  How I was going to explain only part of the story to my friends and leave the rest a secret? I wasn't sure, bu
t I had to try.

  Epilogue

  Georjayna: How are you guys? Are y’all home yet? It’s been a long two weeks without you! I have so much to tell you! Like. Seriously.

  Akiko: I'll be back soon. Are you all around this weekend? Sorry I've been so MIA. It's been...uh...where do I start...

  Saxony: I'm here! Me too. Nuttiest. Summer. Ever. Targa? You around?

  Me: I'm around. Can't wait to see you guys. I missed your faces. Summer was mind-blowing. Still can't believe everything that's happened. I def have news.

  Saxony: Sleep over? Georjie, your mom still away?

  Georjayna: Yup, come on over. Saturday afternoon, anytime. Just shoot me a text. I'll get stuff for a wiener roast. Bring your bathing suits.

  Akiko: Sounds good.

  Me: I'll be there.

  I closed my phone and smiled. I rolled over onto my back in my bed. I grabbed the pages of the diary excerpt and took them out of the envelope. I'd been looking forward to this since I'd gotten home. I took a sip of water, unfolded the document and began to read.

  Read the Bonus Chapter!

  You’ll find a bonus chapter on A.L.’s blog as well as the opportunity to sign up for A.L. Knorr’s VIP Reader List. Go to:

  https://www.alknorrbooks.com/index.php/2017/07/10/born-of-water-bonus-chapter/

  Read Targa and Antoni's goodbye words, learn more about the man Mira hugged at the airport in Poland, and learn why Mira didn't use her voice to make Martinius forget that she and Targa are mermaids.

  Turn the page to read the companion novelette: The Wreck of Sybellen…

  The Wreck of Sybellen

  A Companion Novella to Born of Water

  Dec 25, 1861

  It is Christmas and my enterprising son has taken it upon himself to gift me with a beautiful leather book full of empty pages. It also came with a red satin ribbon with which to wrap it closed. I am not certain what to do with it as I am no artist or poet. What a laundry-woman can hope to render into these pages that may be worthy of viewing when she has long since passed, I lack the imagination to know. "Fill it with your thoughts, Mama," said Mattis when I asked him what his intention was by giving me such a pretty thing.