Forever

by Chanda Hahn

  Was this what it was like for Ever when she had to hide her wings? No wonder she only hid a part of herself. A glamour was not a comfortable thing to wear.

  “Now, I think you have one last thing to work on.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Power of suggestion.”

  She shivered as she remembered the giant. “I’m not real fond of doing that.”

  “But you need to, so you can replicate it again.” Winona called out over her shoulder. “Kino!”

  Ternan heard his wife call and came over with Kino, who bounded up and paused as he laid eyes on Mina. “Oh, Mother of the Sea, please tell me I can marry her.”

  Mina blushed, and Ternan whacked Kino in the arm. “That’s my granddaughter, you sea slug”

  Kino blushed and tried to dodge another attack by Ternan.

  “Kino, Mina has had a chance to get to know you, and I’d like your permission for her to try and control your mind.”

  Kino swallowed nervously. “But we haven’t even courted yet.”

  “Kino.” Ternan warned. “He’s just teasing, Mina.”

  “Why Kino?” Mina asked them. “You said he was strong. Maybe I should start with someone else.”

  “Because he’s strong,” Winona said. “Ternan and I will be here to watch over the two of you.”

  “Okay.” Mina looked up at Kino who ran his hands through his dreadlocks, making the water run from them. He crossed his arms and eyed her, challenging her to do her worst.

  She looked into Kino’s brown speckled eyes and glanced at the darker brown siren marks across his arms. She met his eyes and tried to command him to clap his hands.

  She stared at him, and he just smirked.

  “Nuh-uh, sea princess. I’m not so easily controlled.”

  That was right. Mina remembered. Giants were relatively dumb and hard to control. A virile young siren, one of the strongest, would be a little harder. She focused on what she wanted and thought she saw his hands flinch, but he just reached up and scratched his arm instead.

  Oh bother.

  “Have you gotten tired already? Am I too strong?” He flexed his muscles at her, and she grew irritated. “Maybe you need to go take a nap.”

  “Oh, go jump in the ocean!” Mina snapped.

  She watched in surprise as the smile fell from his face. His eyes took on a hint of golden glow, he climbed the railing, and he jumped in.

  “Uh, Mina, you need to tell him to swim out now. You can’t give an order without clear directions.”

  “Oh right.” She ran to the rail and saw that he’d sunk beneath the water. She couldn’t see him. He was too far down.

  “Swim! Come back to me,” she demanded. A few seconds later, Kino’s head popped above the surface, and he swam back and quickly crawled up the rope ladder.

  Mina stepped away from him and had to break eye contact as she worked on releasing him. It took a few deep breaths before his eyes returned to their natural color.

  “I could have killed you.”

  “Naw, I’m a siren. I can breathe underwater.”

  “But what if I told you not to?”

  Kino’s brown eyes went wide. “Well, um, yeah. Don’t do that.”

  “I won’t.” Mina looked at the sky and saw that the sun was setting. “I probably need to go and wait at our spot in case Nan and Charlie get there.”

  “Don’t let her go alone. We’ve been here too long in one spot. She’ll need a guard.” Ternan gave a look to Kino.

  “Got it. I’ll grab Reef and Genni.” Kino took off, and a few minutes later returned with two more sirens, plus Nix and Ever. Reef was tall and slender with bright blue eyes and blue highlights and marks. Genni was short with red hair and warm honey-yellow eyes and marks, very catlike in appearance.

  Ever and Nix had plenty to say about Mina’s natural look, and, after a few barbs, they quieted their jokes. Their comments didn’t faze her. Still, Mina worked to replace her glamour. It flowed over her easily. As she worked the illusion, so did the others. Genni’s hair and eyes became dull, Reef’s bright blue eyes turned a dark blue, and his highlights faded and disappeared. Their clothes shifted into casual shorts and plain shirts.

  Mina led the way off the docks and down to the pier. It was weird to be flanked by her guard. With the addition of three extra guards, Ever and Nix seemed to be even more on edge. Ever was making sure she stayed on Mina’s right to prove that she was serious in her duties as Godmother.

  Mina slowed when they got to the meeting spot and stayed back, hanging out of the way as she watched the people coming and going. She had to tell Kino, Reef, and Genni to relax, because their serious facial expressions were too noticeable.

  Kino relayed the plight of the animals in the aquarium, and Reef and Genni were appropriately appalled. Mina caught them whispering to each other and shooting looks in the direction of the aquarium. They were plotting something, but she didn’t know what. Every part of her wanted to walk over and confront them, but now wasn’t the time. Too many people were watching them.

  “It could just be their natural good looks that shine through despite their glamour. Something about them still has that otherworldly feel,” Ever whispered.

  Even getting there early, Mina had them wait for an hour and a half. “I guess they aren’t here yet. We’ll come back tomorrow morning. I can’t stay here any longer and draw more attention, or Teague will find me.”

  As they were walking back, the sun was finally setting, and Nix stopped to stare at the water. Ever noticed and asked him what was wrong.

  “I don’t know. I just feel unsettled.”

  “What do you mean?” Mina asked.

  “Well, when I was a nixie, I could always tell when other water beings were around. It’s sort of like that but different. I think it’s that I’m on the human plane, and it feels different.” He stopped and looked out across the water to stare at a stone building on an island. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but that place is really giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

  Mina followed his gaze and realized he was pointing to the famous prison turned landmark.

  Alcatraz.

  Chapter 29

  “Alcatraz.” Mina pondered the word and eyed the prison again. It was surrounded by water. It would be the perfect hiding place for a sea witch. Especially one bold enough to change her name to an anagram of Alcatraz. It was her calling card. Anyone clever enough could find her.

  Taz Clara resided on Alcatraz.

  This time, it was Mina who stopped moving along the pier. Ever had to grab her arm and pull her along. Could it be? What were the chances that destiny would bring her to the doorstep of the very banished sprite? She couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by, though she doubted that Winona or Ternan would let her go. They wouldn’t risk losing her, so how else would she make it there if not on her own?

  Back on the ship, the island wouldn’t leave her mind. No matter what she did, she found her eyes straying to the water. When it was time to sleep, she continued to lie there with her eyes open, staring at the wall and the swaying hammocks.

  She judged it to be around two a.m. when she slowly slid out of her hammock and tiptoed above deck. She paused and saw that there were two sirens on guard. Her palms were sweaty. She waited for the tall male siren to walk past and slowly stepped in front of him.

  She pushed all of her will on him. “You never saw me. Go about your duty, but you don’t see me.”

  She waited, holding her breath. After a moment, his eyes and face relaxed, and he walked past her. She sighed, slipped down the gangplank, and made her way over to the other side of the pier. Her plan was to try and steal a boat to make her way out to the prison, but she saw someone moving through the darkness on the pier. She froze until she recognized the silhouette.

  It was Kino.

  The way he was slinking made her suspicious, so she followed him. Sure enough, Kino made his way back to the aquarium, and two others joined him in the darkness—Reef an
d Genni. Kino went to the back door and, with a small inaudible bark, blasted the double doors off of the frames. Alarms rang out, and all three ran inside the building.

  Mina rolled her eyes and went charging after them. Kino split off from the other two. Mina followed him as he went through the back storage areas and made it to the front of the exhibits.

  “Don’t worry, my friends, I’ll have you free.” Kino opened his mouth and a high pitch came forth making the closest exhibit explode. The saltwater flowed forth, bringing a school of jellyfish toward Mina’s feet. She tried to get out of the way for fear of being stung.

  “Kino, stop!” Mina called. “You can’t do this.”

  The male siren turned to stare at her. His eyes were filled with pain. “I can’t let them live like this. They need to be free. No one should live as a prisoner. No one.” He whispered the last two words.

  “I know this is hard for you. I understand, but this isn’t your world. There are rules to follow. You can’t just come into a place and start blowing it up.” She tried to speak calmly, despite the blaring alarm.

  Kino ignored her and moved over to the largest tank. Inside, she could see the sharks swimming in frenzied circles, upset by the sound and the vibration of the last blast. He laid his hands against the glass and placed his forehead against it. “They’re so beautiful.”

  “And deadly. Please, step away from the glass. The police are on their way, and if we don’t leave, we’ll be arrested.”

  “I’d like to see them try. I’m too strong for them.” He smirked. But when he faced her, his smile fell again. “Can you not hear their cries to be free?”

  Mina tried to listen, but her head was pounding. “No, I don’t hear anything.”

  “That’s because you’re not trying.”

  “I am trying.”

  He didn’t seem to believe her and stepped away from the glass. More sharks came, now extremely interested in Kino’s movements. Maybe he could hear them, but she couldn’t let him continue.

  Kino turned to the smaller aquariums, and he blasted out the glass. Small turtles and frogs fell to the floor. Mina didn’t think Kino had a strategy, he was too emotional—endangering the creatures more than he was helping them. She was grateful that—at least—he was attacking in bursts, so he wouldn’t bring the whole building down around them.

  Mina had made it past the jellyfish and followed him down the hall until he stood inside the giant aquatic tube. He stared up in awe at the thousands of gallons of water surrounding him, confused at what he was walking through.

  “Kino, stop right now. We have to leave.”

  “This isn’t just a game anymore, Princess,” he said. “I have a duty to let them free.” He lifted his hands, and his mouth opened to let out a loud piercing shriek.

  Mina covered her ears and fell to her knees in pain. She watched in horror as spider like cracks ran up the sides of the tubes. Pain wracked her brain, and she had to grit her teeth and force herself to get up and run toward Kino, but her equilibrium was off. She couldn’t walk without stumbling. Rivulets of water ran down the tunnel and started to soak the carpet. How long before it gave out and crushed them? “You’re being selfish, Kino. Please. Another day, another time, but you are jeopardizing the whole reason we came here, and that was to stay low and find my brother.”

  She could read all of the emotions plane as day across his face, and she knew he was struggling internally. She didn’t blame him for his need to free the animals of the sea. She just faulted his methods and timing.

  He released another almost inaudible yell, and her head throbbed.

  The crack along the tube got longer. Her shoes were now soaked, and the carpet made squishing noises as she moved closer to him.

  Mina pushed her panic aside and used her fury to thrust her will upon him. He didn’t think she could do it again? Well, he was wrong. “You will stop!”

  Kino stopped his piercing yell, and his hands fell to his sides. She could see the golden glow in his eyes. “Make your way back to the ship now, and wait below deck for Ternan and Winona. You will tell them what you’ve done.”

  He struggled against her. She watched as he tried to fight her power of suggestion. Before, he’d been willing to let her use it on him. This time it was a struggle, but she wasn’t going to let up. She felt power rush to her, and she pushed everything she had into her words. “Obey me.”

  His back stiffened, and he turned and walked out of the room.

  Mina collapsed on the ground and gently touched her ears. Small trails of blood had eked out, but it was worse than that.

  Over the pain in her ears, Mina heard the distinct sound of cracking.

  “Oh no!” She darted out of the tube just as it broke, and thousands of gallons of water filled the walkway behind her.

  She ran down the hall, overcome with rushing water. She fought to get her head above water. Just as she regained her footing, something large knocked her into the wall. Mina screamed when she realized it was a shark, but the shark wasn’t interested in her. It was going with the flow of water. Thankfully, she hadn’t been directly under the aquarium when it broke. Still, while the water pulled at her feet and pushed her head forward, she wondered if she’d make it to the exit.

  She slipped, fell, and climbed back to her feet only to be knocked over again. Then the water picked her up and carried her right out the double doors. Mina found herself in the middle of the dock, looking up at the night sky, alit with flashing red and blue lights.

  Someone picked Mina up by her forearms and dragged her through the water. Her brown hair was wrapped around her face, and she didn’t fight the helping hands. Until she felt cold steel handcuffs placed around her wrists.

  “What? No. I didn’t do this.” She tried to swing her head to brush the hair out of her eyes, but it clung to her face like tentacles. An uncaring female police officer shoved her forward.

  The fire department and police rushed toward the building but stepped back when a shark made its appearance flipping and flopping along the deck. They had their hands full. Mina wasn’t given a chance to explain as the female cop pushed her along, away from the others. Hmm. Something feels off.

  When they walked past the cruisers and continued, that confirmed it. The woman kept silent, despite Mina’s attempts at small talk. When they passed a store front window, she caught a glimpse of her captor, and her heart stopped in her chest. It was Claire.

  “Claire! No, stop!” Mina reared back and fought the witch.

  By now they were out of sight of help, and Claire turned, reaching for Mina’s sopping wet head. “Should have known you were part Fae. Otherwise you’d never have beaten me.” She laughed, and Mina felt herself start to suffocate.

  How did they know she was Fae? She could breathe, but everything felt heavy, and her limbs wouldn’t obey. She slid to the ground and noticed a dark form move out of the alley. Grey Tail.

  “We have permission to kill her, right?” Grey Tail asked, his voice gruff. He still wore his black leather vest, and the wolf tattoo stood out as a taunt across his chest.

  “Yes, we’re supposed to kill her before he comes for her.”

  Wait. They’re not here because of Teague?

  “We need to move her farther away. There’s enough Fae magic in the air, I can smell it for miles. It will attract unwanted attention.” Grey Tail looked nervous and kept sniffing.

  “You’re right for once. We can’t stay here.” She pulled Mina roughly along.

  The cuffs dug into her wrists, making her wince. As they walked, the police uniform slowly faded from Claire’s form until she was in a skirt and her signature red heeled shoes. Her face was younger, proving she had been stealing the youth from others.

  Mina tried to keep her head low as she gathered power to her. She had to try and control both of them before they caught on.

  Grey Tail froze and looked at her, his nose sniffing the air, while Mina pushed at his mind, her arms tingling, the hair on th
e back of her neck telling her she was ready to attack. As She pushed toward Grey Tail, she felt Claire’s hand on her head again. Her power was quickly siphoned off. Mina gasped for breath again, and she clutched at her chest.

  “Keep it up, child. Grey Tail can smell magic, and you can’t use it on me. All I have to do is keep draining you, and soon I’ll drain you dead. You don’t have a magic book this time. Let’s see how you fare against me now.”

  If only Claire wasn’t so close to her. If she could get away, maybe she’d have a fighting chance.

  They kept hurrying her along the pier, and Mina only had one last idea. Maybe she could slowly pull enough power and not direct it at her captors but somewhere else, like a beacon for help.

  Mina closed her eyes and felt the power tickle her fingers. She tried to keep it at bay and not let it rush to her. She pushed the power out and away from her with one intentional command.

  Help me.

  Claire and Grey Tail stopped by an abandoned building along the pier, far away from the flashing lights but still close to the water. Grey Tail ran his clawed hand along her cheek and tapped his nails against her skin.

  “Very pretty. I can’t wait to rip it to shreds.”

  Mina tried to stare him down and not show him how terrified she really was. Claire’s phone beeped with an incoming text. Mina ignored Grey Tail and looked to Claire. She flipped her phone open and spoke in another language, quick and direct.

  She turned with a scowl. “We have to wait. They want to be here to see her die.”

  “Who?” Mina asked, irritated that she couldn’t face her enemy.

  Was this the same person in the cloak who sent the trees to attack her? It certainly seemed, as she thought back, that there were some attempts on her life that had nothing to do with Teague. She was tired of playing hide–and-seek.

  “Someone that you’ve ticked off. Apparently you stole something that belonged to them, and now you have to pay.” Claire had leaned down to look her in her face. “Really, I was glad to take the job. You’ve been nothing but a problem for me since you walked into my factory. Now I’m free from one prison but stuck in another—servitude to the Fae Prince—but there’s no reason I can’t do a few odd jobs.”