Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) (6 page)

BOOK: Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3)
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     “No way,” Laura scoffed. “What would it be from?”

     “Maybe it’s a fish?”

     “Or it could be an albino dolphin.”

     “Albino means white, not orange.”

    “No,” Daron said quietly, his voice somehow cutting over the others. “That’s no fish and it for sure ain’t a dolphin.”

     “Then what—”

     Whoever spoke was cut off as an inhuman roar split across the air; the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I had heard the sound once before while standing on the shores of Hyvar. It all flashed before my eyes, the feeling of complete hopelessness, the all-consuming fear, the dread of being caught. It flashed within my mind in an instant and without thought, my hand edged toward the dagger at my wrist, ready to pull the weapon into existence.

     They couldn’t take me like this. I wouldn’t let them. They would only come for me if Zale was caught. Swallowing hard, I slid my fingers beneath the sleeve of my jacket and grasped the worn handle.

     “Look!” Someone cried, and suddenly the orange shape shifted, contorting into strange lines and movements, its tail flickering and curving—contorting around another shape, but I couldn’t catch sight of it. It was all too sudden when the orange tail froze, drifting down in the water until it disappeared from sight. I suddenly realized with perfect clarity what had happened, and I scanned the horizon frantically.

     “Lissie?” Someone asked, breaking my concentration and I spun around. The group of students was looking at me, but it was the expressions of confusion and worry on their faces which made me look down. The water was curling around my calves, furling in seething foam and bubbling caresses of unrequited desperation.

     I turned to look back out over the water as the murmurings began behind me. The wonderings of what the orange flicker could have been if it wasn’t a reflection, they proposed ideas about the roaring call, some saying they had heard it before and others declaring it was unnatural, but I heard none of it. My sole focus was on the water, my eyes scanning, hoping for him. Just a glimpse was all I needed.

     A flicker of shimmering midnight rose above the water, and when it came down, a resounding crack split the air with a shocking vibrancy. The girls screamed, and though I knew who it was, I quickly retreated from the water, knowing it was a warning.

     Feet scurried about the beach with hurried footsteps as chairs and coolers were thrown into cars with reckless abandon. I remained frozen in the cacophony of noise and continuous movement until the fire was extinguished. All light and warmth abandoned me to the depths of darkness.

     Without another thought or word, I ran up the dune and across the gravel parking lot toward town. It was only a matter of minutes before I made it up the hill to my house. From there, I crept through the side door only to sprint to my bedroom. Shadows played across the walls, and I resisted the temptation to gaze over the ocean once more as I threw myself on the bed.

     There, sitting on my bedside table was the note.

    
Keep your dagger close.
 

 

4. Beckons

If I had been nervous before, it was nothing compared to how I was feeling now. Upon waking, I had remained in my room for as long as possible. Even then, I had only left to make breakfast, though the food had done little to calm my stomach.

     Somehow I simply knew Zale had been out there last night. I had gone over the events for hours before falling asleep, I knew it was a Hyven soldier who had been watching me. It wasn’t a coincidence.

     My only comfort was Zale’s presence. I was certain it had been him, who had fought off the soldier stationed to intimidate me. For a while I had wondered if anything would have happened if Zale hadn’t intervened, but by now I believed the soldier would have remained put. It was obvious they had yet to capture Zale, and would therefore leave me alone. Morven had said as much.

     Sighing, I placed a hand over my quivering stomach. Ever since seeing the orange tail in the rolling waves last night, my heart had been hammering in my chest and I wondered if it would ever return to normal.

    
Will you come see me?
I wondered, spinning a strand of hair through my fingers. It would be foolish for him to even be this close to Coveside, but having seen the dark shimmer of his fins was enough to get my mind wondering how near he was. If not for his clear warning, I would have been foolish enough to go searching for him.

     The house was quiet today, the younger ones taking a mid-morning nap and if I listened carefully I could hear Jillian humming to herself as she washed the dishes downstairs.

     It was mundane in the midst of the unnatural things I had seen last night and as I lay on my bed, restless from pacing around the room, I wondered how much longer I was going to have to wait. The words from his note ran through my mind with a perfect vibrancy, when a sudden knock reverberated on the door downstairs and my heart leapt in my throat.

     Without another thought, I shot off the bed and raced down the stairs before Jillian had a chance to answer it. She paused mid step, her eyebrows rising in surprise at my sudden appearance. She hastily wiped the soapy suds from her hands on the worn dish towel.

     A thrill of expectation, coupled with fear, trembled through my stomach as I grasped the cold handle of the door and whipped it open. A blast of warm air swirled around me but nothing could have prepared me for the face waiting outside my door.

     “Voon,” I said, surprise and disappointment mingling in the word. I took a step back from the door.

     The sharp, light blue gaze was so different from the dark brown one I had been hoping for. His eyes were dull, filled with something I couldn’t quite understand. By the downturn of his mouth, I knew something was wrong.

     Clad in the dark clothing of a Lathmorian soldier, he made an impressive image on my doorstep.

     “What are you doing here?” I said upon the second try of opening my mouth.

     Everything in the room behind me had frozen in time; my usually loud siblings were silent as they looked at the man in front of me.

     “I need to speak with you,” his eyes flickered from mine toward Jillian and back, “alone.”

     “What’s happened?” I asked my mind immediately jumping to the note currently residing in my pocket.

     His eyes could cut stone, “Get your things, we’re leaving.”

     “W-what?” I sputtered, not sure if I had heard him correctly.

     As far as I was concerned, Voon had never wanted me near Lathmor and had in fact forcefully voted to have me banished. Even after I had proven myself in the attempt to rescue Patrick, he had still treated me as though I was worthless. Something didn’t seem right about all of this.

     “There’s no time to lose,” he said, the creases of his mouth turning downward.

     “And I’m just supposed to trust you?” I asked, shifting the door in front of half my body while placing my dagger closer to my right hand. I knew I could reach it quickly if needed, but my immediate worry was for my family behind me. If anything was going to happen to me, it must happen out of their sight.

     “You don’t have a choice,” his eyes shifted to Jillian once more and I caught his meaning. He would take whatever means necessary to make me come with him. Anger surged forward, coursing through my body with immediate and effective desire.

     “I’ll be right back,” I said and slammed the door in his face without ceremony. I shoved the fear threatening to overthrow me aside.

     “Lissie!” the panic in Jillian’s voice was audible as I ran up the stairs and stripped out of my shirt and shorts. The soldier clothing Kryssa had given me was safely tucked away in the top drawer of my dresser, and I hurriedly whipped it out. At the back of the drawer, I placed the note Zale had given me, hoping Jillian wouldn’t find it. It rested beside the other scribbles he had left the day after I was attacked near the movie theater. It all seemed so long ago and yet it had only been a few months.

     Checking to make sure my dagger was safely secured and Patrick’s bracelet was carefully tucked beneath the tight fabric encompassing my wrist, I left my room. My bare feet padded down the hall and over the stairs.

     Jillian was at the bottom of the steps, her face more furious than I had ever seen. “Just where do you think you’re going?” She demanded and I tried not to look at the tears welling in her eyes.

     “I have to go,” I said and pushed past her. “Tell Dad and the twins bye for me.” A pang of guilt shot through my heart as I realized I was breaking my promise to them. I had said I would never leave without warning again, but here I was doing it once more. Little did they know their safety depended upon it.  

     “You can’t just leave,” she said and the crack in her voice made me stop for a moment. “I thought all of this was done.”

     “No,” I shook my head and tried to hold the tears at bay. “I’m sorry.” I gave her a quick hug, unable to look at my younger siblings, and fled to the door before I did something foolish.

     Again the warm air swirled around me. This time I stepped into its embrace as though it were an old friend. My eyes met the gaze of the merman, who glanced over his shoulder, his back to the door. 

     “Let’s go,” was all he said and I followed, surprised when he led me toward the trees on the hill leading down to the restaurant. My expectation had been to head toward the beach, as soon as possible.

     I stopped in my tracks, “Wait.”

     In a swift move, he leaned back and grabbed my bad arm beginning to drag me behind him. I inhaled sharply as his thumb pressed into the scar and I bit back a groan.

     “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!” My voice escalated until I was close to yelling. The only control remaining inside me was for Jillian’s benefit, I didn’t want her to hear the fear in my voice if I yelled at him.

     Voon suddenly whipped around and faced me, his fury burning as heat rose in his cheeks. He grasped my arm harder as he brought his face close to mine. “Let’s make something perfectly clear. You’re coming whether you like it or not, because Tunder sent me to fetch you.”

     “Tunder?” I asked and realized I had slipped up; my suspicion he was actually working for the Hyven coming to the surface.

     “How dare you?” He spit the words at me and I felt his breath waft over my face. “It’s no secret I hate you, but I would never betray Lathmor.” I tried to shift out of his grasp, but he jerked me again. “Never.”

     Rather than say anything to defend myself, I remained silent and glared back at him. The rage stood out sharply from his face, as though carved into the lines along the sides of his mouth. I found myself wondering if he had ever smiled.

     “Then tell me what’s wrong,” I demanded and was surprised by how strong I sounded. Part of me wondered if I should convince him with my voice, but I knew now was not the time. If I ever used my siren voice to control him, he would never forgive me.

     Voon sighed, his strong grip on my arm lessening. “The king is dead.”

     If he had spent an hour kindly talking to me about the events of Lathmor and catching me up on what was happening in the war, I still would have been shocked to my core by what he said.

     “What?” The word barely escaped my mouth, the blood leaving my face.

     “Yeah,” was all he said and his hand slipped from my arm. “Now let’s go.”

     “Okay,” I mouthed and shook my head from side to side to clear the doubts filling my mind.

     My last memory of the king had been during his visit to the island, the day he told me to go home and learn my power in such a way that I could turn it back on Morven. My mind couldn’t grasp just what this all meant, and I selfishly wondered who else would be able to tell me what to do. King Oberon had been my one source to understanding what had happened to me, to Patrick, everything. There was still so much he could have told me.

     Without another word, I followed Voon down the hill and as we crossed Main Street I got the feeling people were looking at us. The sun was a floating orb on the horizon and long shadows stretched toward the ocean across the faded, cracked pavement beneath my bare feet. Even so, it wasn’t dark enough for people to not recognize me. Some locals looked at me as I passed, but I ignored their stares and walked beside Voon with a purpose. If Tunder needed me then I would come, not because of how he treated me when I last saw him, but because of who he had been to Patrick and to the king.

     Crossing another street, a tall, dark figure leaned against the wall of an antique store. His head swept back and forth, scanning the people milling about on the sidewalks as though searching for something. Or someone.

     Voon made straight for the figure and I tried not to grow worried until the lean body pushed away from the wall and walked toward us. The long, sloping gait was immediately familiar to me and the left over doubt I had about Voon disappeared.

     “Daggin,” I said and felt the desire to run forward and hug him in relief. I restrained when I saw his searching eyes. He stepped into motion with us and I was surprised when we began to walk down streets cutting across the town and moving toward the harbor, rather than the ocean.

     “They’re definitely here,” Daggin said, his deep voice always surprising me. The words weren’t directed toward me. I knew the Hyven would be here, they were here last night.

     Voon grunted, giving the only indication he had heard Daggin speak at all. His rough fingers grasped my hand again and with a gentle tug I found my feet following him at a run. We jogged together, across roads and around people, until we reached less crowded streets. The old movie theater loomed up ahead and without stopping the Lathmorian soldiers ran forward and past the poorly lit cinema. Darkness was beginning to spread over Coveside, a dull gray which only seemed pale due to the loss of golden tint the sky had held moments ago.

     Our feet passed over the rock scattered pavement and onto the sand leading down to the harbor waters. I was vividly aware of the ground we were covering. The last time I had been standing on this beach, I had nearly met death, and to see its shores again only brought the memory back to the forefront of my mind.

     Off to the left, I heard a shout and turned my head, there was a group of teens gathering a long ways down the beach and it took a moment for me to realize just who they were. Some were the same from the night before, their bodies pushing and cajoling one another as they walked along the shore. I could only hope they wouldn’t spot us as we ran directly for the water. Once again, the roar from last night replayed through my mind.

     A voice called out to someone who had yelled in greeting. I caught a glimpse of Jonathan, his lanky body standing beside Trey, their heads turned in the direction of two girls walking their way. Off to the side stood Daron in a different Hawaiian shirt.

     I saw it all as if from a different body and somewhere in my mind I realized this might be the last time I saw them. I had been a part of them last night, but now I was running down the sandy length of the beach and into the water, calling to me stronger than a siren’s voice.

     Suppressing the urge to smile at the thought of the ocean being my siren, I dove into the oncoming waves transforming in midair and strapping the black pants inside the pack around my stomach. The tight, black shirt stretched across my body and the contrast to the shimmering lavender of my tail was breathtaking. 

     Daggin shot ahead into the surf with a speed my eyes could hardly keep up with, the pale green of his fins faded into the murky waters, as Voon and I moved at a quick, but slower speed. Through the water came a loud thump and chilling silence, again the sound filtered through the water and reached my ears making the silence almost deafening. The words Daggin had spoken earlier, only now reentered my mind, and I realized what lay ahead of us.

     A knot of fear wove its way into my gut and I was surprised to find the innate desire to move closer to Voon in the darkness, but it was one I fought. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how I felt.

     Clear for now
, Daggin’s call came to us in the merlanguage from somewhere in the darkness. Only now did I realize the language wasn’t very different from what I could do with my own voice on land.

BOOK: Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3)
11.32Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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