Forever

by Chanda Hahn

  “I bet you I know what she was banished for,” Mina breathed out excitedly. Her heart was racing. She’d once asked the Godmothers, and no one knew where this sprite had disappeared to. “You don’t happen to know where I can find her, do you?”

  Ternan’s expression soured. “Now why would you want to stir up trouble with her?”

  “Because I think she can help me.”

  “Nay, she can’t help anyone but herself. She’s a conniving, deceitful—”

  “Ternan,” Winona gently warned. “You cannot let what happened with our daughter cloud your judgment.”

  “Wait…what bargain did they make? I thought Ternan said my mom got help from a sea witch.”

  Winona closed her eyes and whispered softly to herself. When she opened her eyes, there were tears in the corners. “Ternan spoke the truth when he called her a sea witch earlier. Sprites are entities of water like us, and they go by many names—depending on their choices. Water sprites, nixies—or the deplorable one—sea witch.”

  “It’s true, they can’t be trusted,” Winona said.

  “And now both of our daughters are dead,” Ternan growled angrily.

  “I’ll soon be dead, if I don’t find another way to stop what’s about to happen,” Mina said.

  “We could protect you. We could help you,” her grandmother said.

  She shook her head. “I need to find this sprite, this sea witch. Please, if you know anything… Help me.”

  Both of her grandparents looked pained at the prospect. Winona spoke up first. “She’s here on the human plane. This is where she was banished after the Fates were unhappy with the deal they had made.”

  “Where?”

  “We do not know. We know only the name which she goes by here.”

  “Which is?”

  “Taz Clara.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you can tell me?”

  “That’s all anyone knows. Truly, if you don’t find her, that may be for the better.”

  Mina felt frustrated. No plan she came up with worked. She couldn’t find Charlie, and now—when the possibility of finding the one who’d split Teague rallied her spirits—she had only a name. Taz Clara.

  She left Ternan and Winona’s room and made her way below deck to the sleeping quarters. It was pretty empty except for a few sirens who looked to be taking an afternoon nap. Ever and Nix were chatting while they swung in their hammocks.

  Nix nodded at Mina. “Those two are unoccupied.” Next to him, there were two hammocks folded up, waiting to be stretched out and hung on far hooks for an occupant.

  Mina grabbed the heavy cloth and hooked the ring on a post, then unwound it till she found the other ring. It took a few tries to get the hammock opened enough to where she could sit in it and lay back without falling out. From her position in the hammock, she could see Ever and Nix as they whispered softly to each other.

  “Hey, Nix,” Mina called. “Did you ever know a sea witch by the name of Taz Clara?”

  Nix shivered and looked away. “No. And thank goodness. I’ve never even run into her, since I never left the Fae plane growing up. I’ve heard stories about her, though. She’s one of the most powerful and dangerous sea witches out there. You’ve heard the phrase, be careful what you wish for? Well, that phrase came into existence because of her.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of looking for her.” Ever grimaced.

  Mina stayed quiet and decided not to answer. It seemed like Nix wasn’t the person to ask to help with her personal quest.

  “I was just wondering,” Mina added when he wouldn’t stop staring at her. After his pointed stare finally dropped away, Mina relaxed in her bed. She had quite a few hours before she’d head to the pier to see if Nan had gotten her message.

  If she hadn’t made it, Mina would have to wait until morning. She’d rather do that on the ship than to traipse about San Francisco, though. She didn’t want any nasty surprises from Teague or his fun friends, as in Claire or Temple.

  Unlike last night, the soft swaying of the ship on the water and the heat were actually making Mina sleepy right then. Maybe the stress was wearing her down, but she had the time, so she decided to close her eyes for just a few minutes.

  Chapter 28

  They were in a car. Mina couldn’t see much in her dream, but she could see that Brody was driving, and it was daylight. Nan set down her cell phone and looked over at Brody.

  “You wouldn’t believe who that was.”

  “Mina?” he asked hopefully.

  Nan started to tear up and nodded. “Yes! After weeks of nothing, we finally hear from her.”

  “Does she want us to come back? Is it safe to bring Charlie home?” Brody glanced at Nan and then refocused on the road.

  Nan peeked into the back seat where Charlie was fast asleep in what looked like a bed of comics. Mina could just make out a white bag with golden arches.

  “No Brody, it’s not safe. It’s was a warning. He’s coming for us.”

  “Well, what do we do? She must have given us some instructions other than that.”

  Nan bit her lip and pulled out a map out of the glove compartment. “She studied it for a second. We need to get off of this exit here and take this interstate south. If we hurry, we can get there by tomorrow night.”

  “Are you sure about this, Nan?” he reached out to cup her cheek. “You trust this message? It could be a trap.” The look he gave her was one of affection, and Mina only felt the slightest bit hurt.

  Nan covered Brody’s hand against her face and threaded her fingers through his, bringing it down to her lap. “Positive. That was Mina. She even spoke in code. Not very good code, but there were enough clues that only she would have known. We’re going to San Francisco.”

  “That’s hours away!”

  “Then we better start driving.”

  Brody adjusted the rearview mirror. “You’re sure we’re no longer safe?”

  “Not on our own anymore. We need Mina.”

  “Then we’ll go.” Gravel crunched under his tires as he pulled the car over. He waited for traffic to pass and then did a U-turn.

  Nan gazed fondly at sleeping Charlie. “Did you hear that, bud?” she whispered. “We’re going to find your sister.”

  ***

  Mina woke up to the swaying of the boat. Ever and Nix had left, and she was the only one sleeping. She carefully crawled out of the hammock and placed her feet on the floor. If she could believe her dreams, then Nan had gotten her message, and they were on their way. But how long before they made it here? It would help if she had a clue whether the dream was of the future or the past. She rubbed her temples to try to make sense of it.

  Her stomach growled, and she realized it had been a while since she had eaten real food. She went above deck and saw that most of the sirens were diving off the ship into the water. Kino appeared to be hosting a contest.

  Ever sat as judge, calling out scores for each of the participants. Kino went to the side rail and did a forward somersault.

  “Nine!” Ever yelled.

  Nix was up next. He crawled onto the railing, turned to face her, and blew her a kiss. He jumped and executed a backward tuck, his head just missing the railing.

  Ever jumped up and cheered when he appeared above the water. “Ten, ten, ten!”

  “Maybe I need to flirt with the judge more.” Kino laughed and flicked water at Nix.

  A shadow passed over Mina.

  “You’ve seen him, your brother, in your dreams,” Winona said from a few steps above her, her arm wrapped around Ternan’s waist. “I can tell. You seemed more relaxed.”

  “Yes, they’re coming. I don’t know when, but they’re coming.”

  Ternan answered, “Which means they may lead trouble right to us.”

  “Well, what would you have me do?”

  “Nothing,” Ternan said. “We wouldn’t have it any other way. We can handle trouble, but I think you need to start figuring out your
gifts with your grandmother now, while I show these guppies how it’s done.” He grinned, pulled off his blue jacket, tossed the hat to the ground, and jumped up on the railing.

  All of the jostling and cheering and calls stopped, everyone’s eyes on the King of the Sirens. Ternan raised his hands above his head, the scars even lighter than the siren tattoos on his tanned arms in the sunlight.

  Mina let out a sound of surprise as the ship shifted on the water and rose high into the air, creating an even greater distance to the water.

  Ternan rose to his tiptoes, bent his knees, and jumped into the air, doing a reverse three-and-a-half somersault with a half twist.

  “Show off,” Winona chuckled and nudged Mina in the arm. “Do you want to have a try?”

  Mina shook her head violently. “No, I’ve had enough of the water.”

  Her grandmother frowned. “It seems you’ve been dark water bitten.”

  “What?”

  “It means you have a fear of deep water.”

  “Well, you’re probably right. The last few times I’ve had to swim underwater have been traumatizing.”

  “Maybe one day you’ll get over your fear.”

  “Maybe.”

  “So tell me what you’ve been experiencing or what you can do so far.”

  “I’m not sure exactly what I’m able to do. Most of the things I’ve ever done have been on accident or tied to extreme heightened emotion. I caused a car accident, shifted or changed items, created the Grimoire, and took control of the mind of a giant. Charlie, who never spoke until Mom died, all of a sudden can open his mouth and cause mass destruction. My gifts seem to be a mess.”

  “Well, the two of you have very different gifts—but important ones. Charlie’s gift is very rare—it’s known as the call. When angry or afraid, a siren who has this gift can open his mouth and destroy whole ships with the vibration of his vocal chords alone. We usually try not to have more than one calling siren in a group at any one time. For instance, Kino is the only siren on this ship that has the power to call. Any more than that, and if tempers flared, we’d be adrift at sea. Now, mind you, we are creatures of the sea, but we enjoy riding in a grand Fae vessel.”

  “That makes sense.” Mina chuckled. Just because she had legs and could do it, didn’t mean she would walk across the United States on foot.

  “You, my dear, have what’s known as the lure. It’s one of the most dangerous and volatile gifts.”

  Goosebumps ran up her arms. “How so?”

  “Most sirens have a smidge of the lure. They’re able to sing and control non-sirens or trick their minds, but not like you can. You actually summon the Fae magic to do your bidding, and you use its allure on others. Your gift is tied to your emotions, so if it’s not properly reined in, you’ll find yourself affecting the world around you just by your own thoughts and desires. You’re even more powerful if you’re around water or rain. The magic listens, and things happen.”

  “Yes,” Mina answered. “My jealousy caused my friend to die in car accident.”

  “It can push your deepest desires into being.”

  Heartbroken, Mina wondered again if that’s what she had done with Brody. Had she been so infatuated with him that she pushed him into falling in love with her? Yes, she could blame Teague for the first time, because he was intent on making her follow the Story quests to a T.

  But what about the other times, when Brody’d lose his memories but then be drawn to her? Was she making him obsess about her?

  “I suddenly don’t feel very good.” Mina had to go find somewhere to sit, which happened to be the deck steps.

  “Oh Mina, it’s okay. We’ve all done things that we regret, but it may be what has kept you alive. If Teague is so filled with hate toward you, maybe your gift is also what kept him infatuated with you. Thank the stars that you sympathize with him a little, because he seems to be reluctant to harm you.”

  “But what if I’ve been doing this since the beginning? What if I made Teague fall in love with me, like I did Brody? What if I doomed myself?”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I don’t think you’ve given your own charming self enough credit.” She tapped Mina’s wrists. “You were shackled and your powers bound while in the palace. If you felt any kindness or compassion toward him in those circumstances, then you can believe what you felt was real.”

  A rush of relief ran through her. There were moments.

  Yes. Moments when she felt a tug at her heart and could see the softening of Teague’s eyes. And she hadn’t imagined the time when he almost kissed her. So, despite her own misgivings, a real connection did exist between them. More connection than Winona realized.

  “So what do I do now?’

  “Well, I think you know what you’re capable of, so it’s just practicing to see if you can get it under control and make it work when you’re not angry, threatened, or scared.”

  “Okay, give me something.”

  “You said you’ve changed your appearance before. Change it again. Most Fae are capable of a simple glamour. Let’s see yours.”

  Mina tried to relax and clear her mind. She could do this—she had to.

  She concentrated on her pants, ones from her mother’s trunk. She didn’t really want to change or alter them—she liked them the way they were, but she needed to practice on something. Picturing them as a deep blue instead, she felt Fae power rush to her. Her fingers tingled, and the hair on the back of her arms rose. When she opened her eyes, her pants were blue. She grinned in triumph at Winona.

  “Good. But clothes are one thing. Can you change your hair, your face?”

  “Why would I want to?”

  “What if you had to go into hiding, and your life depended on it?”

  “Point taken.”

  Winona took a small seashell out of her pocket and waved her hand over it, turning it into a seashell-shaped compact mirror. She opened the mirrored shell and handed it to Mina. “Now try your hair.”

  How many times had Mina stared in the mirror at her plain brown hair and boring eyes and wished for something different? But now, given the chance, she wasn’t sure she wanted to change.

  “How about blonde?” Mina tried to imagine Nan’s blonde locks on her head. The power came again willingly, rushing to her and almost overwhelming her, but it disappeared just as fast as it came.

  Mina held the mirror up to her face and frowned. It was the same face, the same color of hair. “What did I do wrong?”

  “Nothing I can tell,” Winona answered. “Try again, just so I can be sure.”

  “Okay.” Once again Mina pictured in her mind what she wanted and tried to imagine the color change. This time, she imagined her hair in a braid. She pulled the mirror up a second time and saw her hair in a braid, but it was the same boring brown.

  “What’s going on?” Mina asked. “Am I broken?”

  “Hmm.” Winona picked up a strand of Mina’s hair and rubbed it between two fingers. “It seems you’re already wearing a glamour, and a very strong one at that.”

  “What? That’s not possible. I’ve looked like this my whole life. I have pictures to prove it.”

  “Yes, but remember that you’re part-siren and part-human. Your siren side is being suppressed. Maybe concentrate on revealing your true self.”

  Doubt flooded Mina. She didn’t know if she wanted anymore surprises. She wasn’t ready to lose more of herself to the Fae world. Her appearance was the one thing that never changed. If she lost that, she’d see a stranger in the mirror. She couldn’t do that.

  But then she thought of someone else putting a glamour over her and changing the way she looked, making it so when she looked in the mirror, what she saw was a lie.

  That infuriated her. How dare someone alter her, change her, do something to her without her consent? Mina let her anger boil over, felt the onslaught of power, and let it burn outward. She envisioned the lie burning away with siren fury.

  The truth!

&nb
sp; I want the truth, to see myself for who I truly am. She heard Winona gasp, and Mina looked up and wiped the stray angry tear out of her eye.

  “What?”

  “It worked.” Winona’s words made her shiver in fear.

  “Is it bad?” She felt like a child asking.

  Her grandmother covered her mouth, her own tears pouring forth. “No. You’re beautiful.”

  Mina’s skin was tinged with gold along her wrists, more obvious than the other sirens’. She raised the mirror, her hand shaking as she held it to see her reflection. Her skin was a pale white, her nose devoid of freckles. Her lips held more color, and her cheeks had a natural rosiness. Her nose and the shape of her mouth were the same, thank goodness.

  But her eyes and hair!

  Mina’s boring brown hair was longer, fuller, with gold streaks. And her eyes were now filled with glowing flecks of gold. Even her grandmother’s eyes weren’t as bright as her own.

  “Oh, how beautiful. Your mother had red accents and marks. But you’re a gold siren—very rare. No wonder your power is so strong. It’s a pity you can’t shift. You’d have a gold tail. You are a gem, Mina. You’re beautiful, and no one can tell you otherwise.”

  One more glance in the mirror made her cry in relief. She’d been worried that she’d be ugly. How absurd was that? But wasn’t it a fear of all teenage girls who’d just been told they were part fish? Mina smiled at that.

  “Now see if you can change it back,” Winona said kindly.

  Mina balked at the idea at first, but she knew it wasn’t a demand. Her grandmother wanted to know if she could. It was so freeing to feel that heaviness and self-doubt gone that she didn’t want to change. But she did it anyway—for her grandmother.

  Mina closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt as if she was being suffocated as the glamour fell over her. How had she not noticed this before?

  “Good, now don’t be afraid. You can be yourself around us. It’s just a useful tool to know when you go around the human plane.”

  It was such an odd conversation. Mina had been living on the human plane for seventeen years, and she was just now learning tools to survive it. She released the glamour and felt the cloying stickiness of it leave her.