The Marked Ones (28 page)

‘I had to lie!’ Tears sprung into Ivyanne’s eyes. ‘Your life was in danger if I didn’t!’

‘Why?!’ He demanded. He shook her slightly once more. ‘Tell me why now! You owe it to me!’

Ivyanne felt like she was going to be sick.

‘Mermaids exist, and you’re one of them.’ Lincoln said now, still holding her face in place. ‘Ivyanne I know I’m right, and if what you said about my life being at risk is accurate.... then be honest with me now.’ He pulled up to his full height, looming over her and said quietly: ‘If you’re going to kill me, I want to know what secret my death is protecting first.’

Ivyanne looked away, wiping the tears from her face. Mermaids had been spotted before and they’d always handled it. However, this was so much more than a glimpse from the bow of a ship, or a near-death encounter when the rescuer was never seen again... this was a sane, sober man, coming to a deduction based on a series of events that could not be explained any other way. ‘I can’t kill you Lincoln.’ She said softly. ‘You know that. But there are others who
would.’

‘Then I’ll die.’ The anger was gone from Lincoln’s’ voice now. ‘I love you. I always have. Just please tell me…’ His voice caught. ‘Did you ever care for me at
all?’

Ivyanne heart burst into a million fragments and she wiped at her tears, collecting herself. What was right or wrong no longer mattered. It was time to sink, or swim.

28.

Ardhi was so nervous about his meeting with Ivyanne that he couldn’t think of anything to do to pass the restless hours but swim. Around Oyster point he went, then up to the Cape, then back down to the mouth of Settler’s River-the gateway to River City. Three o’clock came and went, then four. Then five. His limbs began to burn, but not with exhaustion. The salinity of the water was charging him, making him feel bloated and swollen with power. The sky above was a clear shade of fuchsia, painted by the setting sun, and his mood so grand that he couldn’t imagine seeing a stormy sky again.

By the time he was almost back to the resort, night had fallen. The boats in the marina bobbed quietly, peacefully. Lights shone within some, others were dark, kept there only as playthings. Ardhi was contemplating going up to the yacht club and seeing Dalton, just to have something to do, when a fresh energy rippled through him. He turned, glaring at the dock. The presence was strong. Mer, for sure. He swum closer.

‘Sorry I can’t give you a ride at the moment man. I’ll drop off your bags later though.’

‘Thanks Dalton. I’m sure I can find the resort easily enough.’

Ardhi watched in astonishment as Bane Londeree bounced out of the yacht club and stood for a moment in a pool of light near the door, looking down the beach. Ardhi was so frazzled by the sight of the one person he’d actually banked on staying out of his way that his skin shivered, scales dissolving instantly as his ‘fight’ reflex overshadowed ‘flight.’

‘What are you doing here?’

Bane’s head whipped around, his long braided hair flying, his eyes scanning the water around Ardhi vacantly. ‘Who was that?’

Ardhi stroked to the rocks bordering the marina until he was standing waist deep in the shallows. ‘The only person who should be here.’

‘Oh.
Ardhi.’ Bane’s usually immovable smile vanished at the sight of him. ‘I heard you’ve been acting like the princess is a tree you’ve pissed on. Wasn’t expecting a welcome wagon though!’

‘Ha!’ Ardhi crossed his arms and glowered at the hawaiian boy. But before he continued he paused, and looked around. A breeze was wafting through the marina, and strangely, a trace of Ivyanne’s scent was within it. Then he realized she could have visited Dalton to farewell him any time that afternoon, and turned back to Bane. ‘Your uncle’s already worn out the welcome due to your side of the family. You won’t be getting an
Aloha
out of me.’

‘Nor did I expect one.’ Bane sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘Look, I’m from one of the most monsoonal places on earth, so don’t think the threat of your bad weather juju is going to frighten
me off.’

Ardhi scowled at him. ‘You heard about that?’

Bane’s skin was darker than Ardhi’s, and so when he smiled, his teeth blazed in the night. ‘We’re mermaids, Ardhi. We have rules to abide by-keep our secret, protect the environment...and gossip about those who do anything remotely news-worthy.’ His grin widened. ‘I think there’s something about breeding well in there too, but it might be towards the back of the manual.’

Ardhi rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah well, Ivyanne’s breeding is going to be a non-issue after tonight. She’s leaving here, and she’s asked
me to go with her.’ He smiled triumphantly. ‘You’re too late.’

‘Well I’m Hawaiian. We rush after surf, not women.’

Ardhi opened his mouth to reply, but then there it was again-Ivyanne’s scent. He looked around him, and frowned. He could feel her energy too-lots of it.

‘You okay there Ardhi?’

‘I can sense Ivyanne. Maybe she’s swimming nearby….’ He murmured, thinking he better lay off insulting Bane on the off chance that Ivyanne was listening.

‘Well,
that’s kind of disturbing.’ Bane was wearing a feminine looking leather shoulder bag which he hoisted up his arm. ‘As much as I’ve enjoyed our reunion-I have a marked Son party to RSVP to before she rushes off in the sunset with you.’

Ardhi waved his arm towards the resort. ‘Well you’re as entitled as I...
apparently. If you find her, by all means, try and talk some sense out of her. I’m not worried.’

‘That’s the spirit!’

Ardhi pushed backwards off the rock and rolled his eyes. Two minutes of Bane’s wit and Ivyanne would run to Ardhi’s arms!

‘Hey. I thought Tristan was staying at the resort.’

Ardhi glanced up at Bane, who had halted after a few steps. ‘He is. He’s been staining that place for almost a week.’

‘Then why does he have a
boat here?’

Ardhi glanced around him. Dozens of boats were nestled together in the marina. ‘He doesn’t.’

‘Yes he does-he called dad for a recommendation before buying a princess yacht last week. That princess yacht.’

Ardhi turned in the direction Bane was pointing, and frowned at the sleek, white vessel a few moorings away. He was about to object-Pintang hadn’t mentioned anything about a boat-when he saw the lettering on the side of the boat:
Nigara’s Legacy. The mere action of reading the title opened a door inside Ardhi and suddenly, Ivyanne’s energy hit him full force, as though the boat itself were the source of it. He vaulted himself out of the water, scrambled up the rocks and marched past Bane, not caring that he didn’t have a stitch on.

‘Whoa-what are you doing?’ Bane demanded. ‘Someone might see you!’

Ardhi said nothing and headed down the damp planks of the dock, feeling a strange pressure behind his eyes as he drew closer to Tristan’s boat. He was hoping against hope that he was about to catch sight of Ivyanne sending Tristan away, and yet intuition told him that wasn’t the case. It was almost six. Pintang had said Ivyanne and Tristan were meeting at four. Her presence should have been long gone.

The boat was unlit and silent. Ardhi grabbed the chrome rail and swung up onto the outer deck.

‘Ardhi!’ Bane called out, losing his composure. ‘What are you doing? You’re gonna get arrested! Kananapaki! ’

Yeah, for murder
, Ardhi thought, glancing around the deck. The idea that Tristan had lured Ivyanne away from the resort to such a private dwelling struck a negative chord inside him. What if he’d kissed her? Pawed at her, trying to talk her around? He stomped through the doors of the cabin, glaring around him like a frenzied bull seeking the matador as his hand swept over the wall. He located a light switch instantly and flicked it, illuminating the room. The shiny white furniture and glass twelve seater dining table reeked of wasted wealth.

‘Dude this is seriously trespassing.’ Bane announced, arriving behind him.

‘Yeah well If that uncle of yours tried anything on Ivyanne I’m going to trespass over his face!’ He saw the bedroom at the opposite end of the room, and stalked towards it, kicking it open, almost afraid to look at what lay behind it.

However, no one was there. But the feeling of Ivyanne was
everywhere.

‘No one’s here, okay?’ Bane’s voice was suddenly right behind him. ‘Can we just
go?’

‘Not yet,’ Ardhi said, spotting a discarded piece of cloth on the floor and kicking it. Bathing suit bottoms-
torn ones. His mouth went dry.

‘Don’t jump to any crazy conclusions.’ Bane came to a halt beside him. ‘For all you know-’ Bane fell silent when his eyes landed on the disheveled bedclothes at the same time as Ardhi’s did. A bloodstain marred one of the white sheets.

‘Oh….dude!’ Bane bemoaned.

The sheet-the entire room in fact-turned scarlet to Ardhi’s vision. Instantly he was hit by a wall of grief, loss and white-hot anger. What had Ivyanne
done? Who was she now, that she could even consider such a course of action?

It’s the humans!
A voice inside his voice raged. You saw how she reacted to that Lincoln guy! It’s his influence! She couldn’t do it with him so she went for the easiest mer option-bloody Loveridge!

He walked over to the opposite wall, where a large plasma television had been fixed across from the table and with little effort, wrenched it free of it’s fixings, lifted it above his head, and then brought it down on the table top-the glass instantly shattering and flying in all directions with a resounding smash that instantly soothed the edges of his anger.

‘That’s it!’ He managed to rasp, more to himself then to Bane. ‘I’ve had it! This ends tonight.’ A boom of thunder punctuated his sentence for him. And when he turned around, he found the boat deserted. Bane Londeree had already fled.

⁓

Eventually, Ivyanne turned and gave Lincoln a thorough look, as though assessing something. She cleared her throat-then said nothing, shoulders sagging as though defeated.

‘Hold
on,’ she said, her hands going to the shell necklace she’d been wearing since that morning and pulling it over her head. ‘Dammit. Damn all of this!’

Lincoln watched her warily, braced as though she were about to attack him. He still had no idea what was actually going on, and he didn’t like it. But who could blame him? Of all the times he’d imagined a reunion with Ivanna-this was
not how he’d thought it would go. He couldn’t believe that the discovery of the two being one had been trumped by something even more fantastical.

Ivyanne stared at the necklace in her hands for a moment, frowning, then lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. ‘I need you to trust me for a minute.’ She approached him slowly, like he was a snake about to strike. ‘Let me put this up to your ear.’

He flinched, not ready for her to be so close to him. ‘Can’t I just hold it myself?’

She shook her head. ‘No, it won’t work the same way.’ She tilted her head to the side. ‘Please? If you want answers, this is the only way I can give them to you.... you’ll see why in a minute.’

Lincoln was mesmerised by her eyes, which were shining with earnest. ‘Fine.’

‘Thank you,’ Ivyanne stepped up to him, gingerly lifting the shell to his ear. ‘Just listen, okay?’

The shell was cool against his ear. He instantly heard what he’d always heard when he did this-the ocean. ‘Ivyanne, so what? It’s the blood rushing in my ear amplified-I’m not a child, you know.’

‘Ssh...’ she said softly. ‘Listen, don’t speak. Close your eyes-it’ll be easier that way.’

He glared at her. ‘Close my-?’

Ivyanne pressed her lips against his so lightly that it was like an evening breeze across his mouth. Lincoln froze, blood pounding in his ears for real this time. He wanted to reach for her, to crush her against him and never let go-but something about the gentle way she kissing him told him that she’d bolt if he tried it. So he stood there, like a statue, his heart leaping- and allowed her to set the terms, his eyelids fluttering shut as gently as butterfly wings.

Then it happened-the image flickered in front of his irises. A beautiful girl, so similar to his Ivyanne, dressed in a style that spoke of centuries before, mixing something with a mortar and pestle, standing alongside a fatherly figure, who was ripping the seeds out of an unfamiliar pod. Then she was outside, and she was happy. Her dark golden hair was piled on top of her head, tendrils floating around her face-her dark, sea-green eyes shimmering as she accepted a bunch of wildflowers from a man in a crown. She wasn’t like the man though, her clothes were those of a peasant.

He felt Ivyanne’s mouth leave his, but he stayed, rooted to the spot, eyes closed, feeling the cool shell against his ear.

The image changed, showed the girl-who was no older than fourteen or so, embraced by the same man, cuddling twin infants-from their curls, and their long eyelashes, he deduced that it was girls. They all seemed happy. But then the scene changed again-the man was yelling, the girl pregnant once more. Lincoln didn’t know how-whatever words they spoke were being muted, but he instinctively knew that the man was upset-he wanted a boy. The girl moved to the window, and suddenly, her eyes were Lincoln’s. He looked out and saw a crowd of people, angry people, yelling from beneath, up at the castle he was in. Lincoln heard the words witch, and peasant, chanted over and over again.

He jumped away from the shell. ‘How are you doing this? Who
is it?’

‘Just let it happen, okay?’Ivyanne’s eyes were burning emerald with intensity. ‘I can’t tell you the story, you have to feel it in your heart. But that girl is Anna L’autienne, the daughter of an apothecary, and the man is Prince Bernard L’Court. Now please, watch until it ends. Every time you stop, it starts over from the beginning. You
do want to know more, right?’

Lincoln nodded dumbly.

‘Okay, then watch...’ Ivyanne replaced the shell against his face, and Lincoln closed his eyes again. As Ivyanne had said, the entire thing began to replay, like a pantomime in his mind. Only this time, he held his tongue, and watched the man take Anna on a boat and drop her on an Island, a tiny one, with a small shack. He kissed her and held her and soothed her- but she was upset-she wanted to be safe, but she wanted her daughters. Yet the man sailed away and left her alone.

Then, Anna’s body continued to grow, and Lincoln watched as she fended for herself. Bernard would come, from time to time, to bring supplies, but he would always leave. Anna learned to look after herself, she caught her own fish, and fed the heads to a pod of dolphins she knew well. They loved her, and she them. When she hurt herself and made her own remedies, she sang for hours, and even without hearing it, Lincoln knew her voice was akin to chimes, and her beauty, even heavily pregnant, closely resembled Ivyanne’s own.