The Generator: The Succubae Seduction (34 page)

“What’s going on?” someone asks, and I can hear them just fine, but my concentration is absorbed by the glowing multi-faceted light hanging right outside the cell. An orb about two feet in diameter floats there, and from time to time throws off a myriad of colors.

“Lyden,” Angela says, fear thick in her voice, “I think it wants an answer.”

I stare at the succubus, confused. An answer? An answer to what?

The colors flash again, and I have to shield my eyes, but I still don’t know what it wants.

“What’s it saying?” I ask. “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, dear Lord,” AnnaBelle beseeches the light, her tone awed and pious, “forgive this man his sins. We didn’t know you were watching over her.”

The light flares, and I swear it’s angry, but I still can’t understand the thing. I can easily sense its power, and can see the other women quaking where they float in the water.

“But . . . my Lord,” AnnaBelle says in confusion, “I don’t understand. Why would you want him dead?” The light speaks again in its colorful way, and I watch as AnnaBelle debases herself before the thing. “Forgive me Lord, for questioning your wisdom. It will be as you command.”

AnnaBelle turns to me, a deep sorrow in her clear brown eyes. “I’m sorry Lyden, but God has spoken. His will be done.” She pushes off the floor, coming for me, her hands outstretched, but the Grindylow intercepts her, entangling her arms within its tentacles.

“Go!” the Grindylow commands, but I won’t leave AnnaBelle behind, even if she is trying to kill me.

What is that light? What has it done to AnnaBelle, to make her think that this is her God? Hadn’t Angela told her that God was the Pillar of Light? Or is this the Pillar of Light?

The question is knocked from my mind as Lisa’s foot connects with my skull. Dazedly, I look at the blonde woman as she comes at me, and I see the colored lights reflecting from her blue eyes. That thing is controlling them!

I try to fend off Lisa’s attacks, but the water slows my movements, while seeming to aid her. She is too skilled, and I feel her hands tighten around my throat. Desperately I look around, and see Angela trying to use her arms to swim to me, her eyes clear, but her tail refuses to work. Fear and worry are in the succubus’s eyes, but not the multi-hued light. At least she is mostly free of the thing’s influence.

A quick glance at Brooke shows that she is free of the thing’s mind control also, but equally unable to reach me with her injuries.

Why is it only Lisa and AnnaBelle that are affected by the thing?

My vision starts to darken as I’m struggling to breathe through Lisa’s choking grasp, and I focus my mind on the glowing orb. Is this the timeless foe the prophecy warns about? Is this the same one that’d been in TanaVesta’s chambers? If so, a Generator is supposed to come forth, and save or fail. How can I fight something like this?

I remember something Angela recently told me about my ability; that I absorb ambient energy. Well, this thing is throwing off energy like it was going out of style. Concentrating the last of my consciousness on it, I try to absorb its energy. Perhaps if I get enough, I can block its control over my friends.

The area sudden grows dark, and I feel Lisa’s hands loosen their grip just before I pass out.

“Oh my God,” Lisa exclaims, covering her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. Lyden, are you okay?” Suddenly I’m surrounded by three women, all looking at me worriedly, even Brooke. “I knew what I was doing, but I wasn’t in control.”

“Get off me!” I hear AnnaBelle cry out. “My Lord, where did you go?”

“It’s okay,” I tell the Grindylow who’s still holding the older woman. “The thing’s gone now.”

The green little guy warily releases AnnaBelle from its tentacles, and swims a short distance, never taking his eyes off of her.

For her part, the older woman sinks to the floor, and weeps. I can’t imagine what she must be going through.

“We need to get going, before that thing sends reinforcements,” I say, rubbing at my sore throat. My voice is raw, and Lisa is still telling me how sorry she is, but I cut her off with a hug. “It’s not your fault,” I tell her. “I know that, but we really need to get out of here.”

The others agree, though Brooke tries to protest. “Leave me here. I’ll just slow you down.”

“To hell with that!” I exclaim, pulling the too thin mermaid up under my right arm. I grab Lisa’s hand, and use my tail to propel us out of the cell, following the Grindylow.

“What about Ondine?” AnnaBelle demands as Angela hauls her along. I can still hear sadness in her voice, but she seems to be recovering. “We can’t just leave her here!”

Damn her and her bleeding heart, I think viciously. I know her attacking me hadn’t been her fault, but I’m still angry at the situation, and my head still hurts from where Lisa had kicked it.

“Lyden,” AnnaBelle continues to plead, “what happened to not leaving someone behind?”

And there she goes, using my own words and principles against me.

“Ondine?” Brooke asks. “She’s down here?”

“Yes,” I reply, trying not to sound too angry. “She asked us to take her with us, but she didn’t know we were really here to rescue you.”

“Lyden,” Brooke’s face is right next to mine, and I can hear some measure of strength return to her voice. “Ondine was always kind to me. If she needs our help, you can’t leave her.”

“Damn it!” I swear, not even trying to hide my anger.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear,” Brooke says, shocked at my language, and just like that, my anger flees.

What is wrong with me? They’re right, of course. I can’t leave the other mermaid down here, where I know she’ll be punished for letting us escape. Just like I couldn’t leave Arethusa in Marchosias’s grasp. Is this the mistake the prophecy warns me of?

Shaking my head, I realize I need to stop second guessing every decision I make. That way will lead to madness and nothing ever getting accomplished. I wish I’d never heard that danged prophecy.

“Grindylow,” I call after the creature leading us, “we need to get back to Ondine.”

If he hears me or ignores me, I’m not sure, but a couple seconds later, he stops outside of the mermaid’s cell.

Ondine is awake, and she glares at us, until she sees Brooke under my arm. “You were really here to rescue her,” she says, and I can’t tell if she’s happy about that, or some other emotion. Why can’t I get Angela’s ability to read someone’s motives? “Please, take me with you!”

I nod to the Grindylow, and he unlocks the cell door.

“We’d better get moving!” Angela states, her tone filled with worry and fear. “I can hear them coming.”

I can’t hear anything, but I’m not willing to chance it either. We get moving, and Ondine swims next to me. “Let me take Brooke,” she states. “I can swim faster, and you can too if you only have to carry one.”

Can I trust her? And if so, do I hand over Brooke, or Lisa?

I hear a shout behind us, and realize I don’t have time to decide. I’ll be able to swim better with Lisa, and since Ondine can swim faster than I can, she has a better chance of saving Brooke. Lisa at least has some skill to fight as my ringing head can attest. I hand over the broken and passed out mermaid, and redouble my efforts, doing my best to keep up with the agile Grindylow darting down the winding corridors. Looking behind us, I can’t see our pursuers, and guess that they found Brooke’s cell empty.

Looking at my companions, I groan to realize the only one of us that’s armed is Ondine, and her loyalties are still uncertain.

The Grindylow holds the door open for us as we all zip through the exit. We all angle upwards, pushing hard for the surface. Angela and Ondine easily outpace me, but I catch up to them when they stop under my car.

My car. . . . The Orange Bubble. There are six of us now. Even if someone gets into the space under the hood, it’s going to get very cramped in there.

I look at Brooke, unconscious in Ondine’s arms, and know she can’t be cramped up right now, without further complicating her injuries.

“Angela, Lisa, AnnaBelle, and Brooke will have to get in the car,” I tell the other women. “The rest of us can hold onto the outside, while we move to the beach. Angela, you drive.”

No one moves.

“Lyden, there’s another problem,” AnnaBelle says, and I glare at her. I still haven’t completely forgiven her for being the first to attack me. She’s undaunted though, and continues, “Lisa and I still can’t breathe up there.”

It takes me a couple seconds to understand her words. What does she mean she can’t breathe? Of course she . . . oh, right. She has to fall asleep first, before the potion will wear off, but if they do that under the water, they’ll drown. Not only that, but do we have the time for them to take a nap? It won’t take long for Varun’s guards to put two and two together, and realize where we went.

But if they get into the air, they’ll choke and. . . .

“Lisa, AnnaBelle, get in the car!” I yell to them.

“But—“ AnnaBelle starts, but I interrupt.

“Trust me!” I state and shove Lisa for my vehicle.

“I trust you,” Lisa says, and finishes the swim. I watch as she sucks in a deep breath and hauls herself out of the water.

“It’s in the Lor—“ AnnaBelle stops and shakes her head. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I almost feel sorry for her as she swims to my car and gets out of the water. The woman had thought she was talking to her God, and been disabused of the notion very rudely. I can still see her eyes though as she tried to attack me. They had been clear of the light’s influence. She truly had believed that her God was commanding her to kill me.

I follow after the women, trying to push all the water out of my lungs, before I break the surface. I still end up hacking and coughing, and by the time my lungs are clear, and I can wipe clean my eyes, I’m shocked to find a little four inch golden fairy laughing at me.

Three more heads bob out of the water, rain pouring down around us, and Angela is the first to speak. “Arethusa! What are you doing here?”

The golden fairy titters for a few more seconds, before merrily stating, “The Generator seems like he might be fun to hang around as long as he can keep his hands to himself this time.” Her attitude is very different from when she was being held captive in Marchosias’s chamber.

I ignore the pixie as I concentrate to remove my tail, and crawl into my vehicle. The two human women are gasping, still trying to breathe. AnnaBelle looks at me accusingly, but my heart warms to see Lisa’s trust still in her blue eyes as she chokes.

“As soon as you pass out, you’ll be able to breathe,” I tell them. Understanding lights their eyes and both women stop fighting. Lisa actually tries to hold what little breath she has left and ends up passing out first. As soon as she does, water streams from her mouth, and it actually looks bluer than normal water. The blonde sucks in a deep lungful of air, but stays unconscious.

AnnaBelle passes out soon afterwards, and again I watch the unnaturally blue water pour from her mouth, before she starts breathing normally again.

As if the potion has a mind of its own, I watch as the two streams come together and heads out my car door.

“Lyden, they’re coming,” Angela shouts from the water, and I curse as I remember our original predicament.

“There’s no way you’re all going to fit inside that little thing,” Arethusa says happily. The rain pours down around the little fairy as she takes flight and examines my car. “I was right,” she states a moment later. “You
are
a lot more entertaining.” The tiny pixie begins to chant, and I notice her body glowing brightly as she gathers energy for whatever spell she’s about to cast. It still surprises me that the drenching rain doesn’t bother her.

My orange car begins to glow a golden yellow color, and everything seem to stretch out. My doors get farther away, and the back seat grows wider. AnnaBelle and Lisa both tip over, still sleeping, but breathing peacefully. A second seat pops up behind them, and the interior continues expanding, but a sudden scream from outside pulls my attention away.

“Stop it!” Angela cries in anguish as she holds her hands against her head. “Please, stop it!” The succubus begins to sink back under the water and I dive in after her, barely noting as Arethusa stops her chanting.

Angela meets me coming for her. Together we swim back up to the surface.

“Are you okay?” I gasp as soon as my head breaks the water.

Angela nods her dark tresses at me, but I can still see the shadow of her pain behind her almond shaped eyes.

“Yes,” I hear Arethusa titter. “Very interesting.” The golden little woman looks speculatively from the Orange Bubble to Angela and back again.

I turn to berate her for her cavalier attitude, but remember that we’re being chased.

“Everyone in the—“ I cut off as I look at my car. The Orange bubble is the same. When the fairy quit chanting, it must have reverted back to its original form. Growling, I realize that the only way we’re going to get away is to either leave someone behind, or get very cramped in my little car. There is only one real option. “Everyone in!” I yell. I watch as Angela and Ondine help each other get a groaning Brooke into my car. It’s too dangerous to let anyone hang onto the outside and try to get away.

“It’s bigger on the inside,” I hear Ondine state as she crawls in.

It can’t be, I think as Arethusa zips in through the door. I hear her little titter echo inside. Reaching the open door, I look in and see that it truly
is
bigger on the inside. Suddenly I understand Angela’s pain. She’s tied to the car, through the portions of her soul. I can’t imagine what that would have felt like. Then I remember the Orange Bubble getting burned up, and the condition the succubus had been in after the picnic at AnnaBelle’s church. I’m going to have to treat my car a lot better.

Angela and Ondine lay Brooke out comfortably in the car as I get behind the driver’s seat. I experience an odd sensation of vertigo as the windshield displays a stretched out version of the horizon. Willing the car underwater and back to the beach off in the distance, I stand and marvel at the way my car is laid out now. There is easy standing space as well as walking room. There are now two rows of back seats and even a massive bed covered in golden yellow blankets behind that. The floor is covered in a lush golden carpet, and golden tapestries hang down over the windows.