Tenebrasco: The Pearl Wielder Trilogy

by Hannah Reed

  CHAPTER 32

  Setha floated in line to shake hands with the mer at her Dad’s Reflexus. She put a smile on her face and thanked the countless mer swimming past, each one with their Essentia pearl glowing brightly. In honour of her Dad’s flamboyant artistic style, everyone was dressed gaudily as the invitation encouraged. Setha spotted one woman wearing a rainbow Tail Tight and another head to toe in pink seaweed. Shaking hands, saying thank you and nodding occasionally she couldn’t even remember who had floated past her in the reception line. She had dreaded this day ever since her Mum and Grandmother set the date. But, now numbness settled over her.

  Last week the nurses told Setha and her Mum that the meeting scheduled the afternoon of the poisoning was to warn Setha that Cooper was terminal. Within a week he would have suffered a rapid decline that would have most likely been the end. Her Dad’s death was a shock, but Setha knew he would have chosen this death over one in his hospital bed. He hated being cooped up in the hospital. And, at least she had been with him. This was what she kept telling herself, that really it was all for the best. She had been preparing herself for this moment for years. All that time and yet she was still robbed of the chance to say goodbye.

  “Setha honey,” Roxana Moretta called. “It’s time to go to the reception now.”

  Setha smiled and swam towards the shell shuttle that was taking them back to her Grandmother’s house.

  “What a lovely Reflexus,” Jocelyn Moretta, Setha’s Grandmother stated. “It was nice that so many mer came to say farewell to Cooper.”

  Setha nodded at her Grandmother. She looked across at her Mum who was uncharacteristically silent.

  “Mum, are you okay?” Setha asked.

  “Yes, yes I am. I was just thinking about your Dad and what will happen now,” Roxana said. Her make-up was still immaculate but when Setha looked into her eyes she could see the film of tears waiting to flow.

  “I should have come home,” Roxana said quietly. Setha and Jocelyn looked at each other across the shell. Roxana was not one for showing emotion; she kept that for the cameras. When her husband became sick she couldn’t deal with it. It simply did not fit in with how she saw her life.

  “Mum it’s not your fault,” Setha said.

  “He wanted you to be happy and live your life Roxie,” Jocelyn said. There was little love between Roxanna and her Mother-in-law. Jocelyn decried Roxana’s lavish lifestyle and love of attention. Roxana looked up in shock and nodded in thanks. Jocelyn turned away to stare out the window. She was wearing the rainbow-speckled dress she wore for her son’s wedding. They had picked it out together and she was glad it still fitted. As she stroked the fabric she tried to hold back her own tears.

  Setha tapped on her bracelet hoping against hope that April had finally been rescued and had messaged her. She needed her best friend more than ever now. But, there was still an error message attached to April’s Iris. She bowed her head in defeat. Her mass of curls swung forward and floated around her face.

  “Setha?” Roxanna said “Are you okay honey?” She leant forward and flicked the tip of her tail on top of her daughters.

  Setha looked up slowly, tucked her hair behind her ears and gently lifted her tail in response to her Mum’s.

  “Yes Mum. I’m okay.”

  CHAPTER 33

  Kayla thought that adapting to life without her powers would be easy. Although her Factus pearl energy channels were nowhere near as powerful as April’s she hadn’t realised how much she used them in everyday life. Even swimming was more arduous now. After her Dad’s revelation that her powers were ‘free’, Kayla spent the majority of her time in physiotherapy. She had to learn how to swim again without the pearls aiding her and adjust to the new weight of the water. Everyone focused on her physical recovery. Yet, no one seemed to care about the chaos raging within her. Frustration grew and grew like the wave she had released but now she had no way to expel it.

  She snuck into the reception to find out when she would be allowed to leave the hospital. The man at the desk was one of Kayla’s favourite wardens. He wasn’t nearly as surly as the others.

  “Hello Jenko, having a good day?”

  “Hello Your Highness. It has been a quiet morning thankfully. How are you?”

  “I’m good, just ready to go home now. Do you know when I can go home?”

  A disapproving tut behind her caused Kayla to swivel in mid-sea. There, floating before her, hands on her purple tailfins was her grandmother.

  “Kayla, what are you doing down here? You should be resting,” Clarry said.

  “Hello Grandma.” She swam forwards and kissed her Grandmother on each cheek.

  “Come on Kayla, back up to your room.” She ushered Kayla towards the water shoot. “Jenko, some tea would be greatly appreciated.”

  Clarry joined Kayla at the water shoot and together they floated up to the top floor. Clarry wandered through the suite and opened up all the blinds. She fluffed the pillows then made the bed and finally sat herself down on the sponge. Kayla watched her grandmother tending to the room. That she wasn’t saying anything was highly unusual. When Clarry finally sat, Kayla joined her on the other side of the sponge and hugged her tail into her chest.

  “You look so like your Mum,” Clarry said her stern facial expression finally softening. “How do you feel about… about losing her?”

  Kayla sat in silence. She hadn’t discussed her Mum with anyone yet. She stroked the beading on her waist wrap.

  “I miss her.”

  Clarry moved over to Kayla’s side of the couch and put her arm around her shoulders. Kayla stiffened for a moment before dropping her head down onto her shoulder.

  “I just, I can’t afford to lose control Grandma,” Kayla said her voice thick with her unshed sobs. “So many people are counting on me, and I can’t take the hope anymore. The pain, it’s too much.”

  “Shhh,” Clarry said and gently stroked her Granddaughter’s head. Wielding her Factus energy she floated over a blanket and tucked it around her.

  “You need rest my dear,” Clarry waited until Kayla’s breathing evened out before continuing. “You can’t shut everyone out. Needing help is not a weakness.”

  Kayla blinked away her tears before looking up. Clarry was staring down at her.

  “True strength is admitting you cannot succeed alone.”

  “But...” Kayla started but she was silenced with a look.

  “Use your connection to the pearls. Through them we are all connected. They unite us under the sea.”

  Kayla averted her gaze from her Grandmother’s.

  “Kayla?” she enquired. A knock at the door stopped her from questioning Kayla further.

  “Come in please,” Clarry called. A mer swam in with a bubble tray laid out for tea. “Perfect, let’s eat, you will feel better with some food in you.”

  Kayla swam up from the couch with her Grandmother. She tugged on her sleeve to cover her bare wrists.

  That afternoon Kayla was to endure another session of physiotherapy.

  “Thrust your tail forward with determination to then swivel yourself around ready to fire.” The physiotherapist of the day intoned. Kayla obediently thrust forward. The dull room was becoming the place that haunted her dreams. Considering they were in the middle of one of the most beautiful oceans, the designer had lacked inspiration. The rehabilitation rooms looked out onto a bleak stonewall which blocked out all natural light. The room itself was filled with practical chairs and patient beds. There was nothing to inspire her while she endlessly drilled tail lifts, balance reconfiguration exercises and swim patterns.

  “Eurgh,” she vented in frustration. She thrust out with her arms instinctively but was annoyed when the bubbles did not immediately dispel as they used to under her command.

  “Princess Kayla it’s okay…” the therapist started before Kayla cut her off.

  “It’s not okay!” she shouted. Meeting with her Grandma this morning had disturbed her calm facade.


  “Everything is not okay,” she repeated again more quietly. Letting herself sink to the floor she curled her tail towards herself and squeezed hard. All she wanted was to not feel angry and upset and confused. The therapist floated down towards her and settled herself on the ground. Keeping a respectable distance, she asked the princess the one question no one else had.

  “Would you like to talk about it?” she asked hesitantly. Kayla looked up. Instinctively, she opened her mouth to say no. But, something stopped her. The mera said nothing and remained sat on the floor. Kayla hesitated and then smiled.

  “What’s your name?” Kayla was ashamed to admit that she didn’t listen to the mera’s introduction at the start of their session. Insignificant details had stopped mattering to her days ago.

  “I’m Fallon Your Highness. I attended the same boarding school as your sister. I heard that it is, well rumoured, that she... Have you, are you…” Her sentence hung in the water around them.

  “I thought she was dead once. Now, I know she is. I can’t bare feeling hope anymore, it’s too painful to have it torn away again.”

  “Hope? How can you not have hope?”

  “Because,” Kayla paused “I gave up.”

  The silence settled around them and Kayla started to relax. There. She had said it. She had given up hope. Maybe not the hope for her mer, but hope for herself. Happiness was no longer within reach.

  “I miss my Mum. I haven’t, I mean, I hardly saw her for three years. And now I never will. I threw myself into proving that I could be worthy of my station. That even without impressive powers, I was still a royal. But, what was it all for. I didn’t see April for three years. She wrote to me every month and I barely ever replied. Countless messages asking how I was, saying she missed me, and that she needed me. I wasn’t there for her,” Kayla said folding her hands in her lap.

  “You can’t blame yourself. You shouldered a great responsibility. You are worthy. Power doesn’t make you special.”

  “I want to scream and then I want to cry. Repeat. Instead, here I am planning a war in-between physio sessions.” At this Kayla started laughing. Aware that she probably sounded like a crazy mera she abruptly stopped.

  “Thank you, Fallon. I will be back tomorrow.” Uncurling herself from the floor she swam with as much dignity as she could through the door. Before it clicked shut behind her she heard Fallon whisper, “Good luck.”

  For the first time in a long time, she felt like just maybe she might have found a friend.

  CHAPTER 34

  Pain, boredom, pain, boredom. That was Ethan’s routine now. Nothing else entered his day. He wasn’t sure what was worse at this point though. It was debatable what lasted longer the pain or the boredom. He had long since stopped counting the days. What was the point? It didn’t make anything happen any quicker. If anything, the snail pace passage of time was more depressing. It was easier to not give up hope this way. He was still certain that someone would find him sooner or later. He just had to make sure he was still in one piece when he was found.

  The latest additions to Ethan’s day were Lydia’s scientific experiments. Some of these were almost fun in his dull environment. At least he got to swim. Security guards would strap him up and he would be wheeled down to a huge swimming pool. It wasn’t salt water, but it would do. He was then upended into the pool and shouted at until he transformed. Not that much encouragement was necessary. Once in his mer form the electronic tasers lashed out and fastened themselves around his neck, wrist, torso and tail. Lydia would then command him to swim up and down while she changed the temperature of the water and added different chemicals. She did all this while clacking up and down the poolside in her razor-sharp heels. Clipboard in hand she made her notes. Ethan admired her for reverting back to pen and paper. This was old school research and he could tell she loved it. While Ethan swam he was entertained with Lydia’s never-ending commentary.

  “Do you like being released into my fish tank Ethan? If you’re lucky I will keep you as my pet. I wouldn’t mind taking a ride on you.”

  Ethan learnt early on not to bother replying to these comments. Lydia enjoyed being the wittiest person in the room.

  This afternoon was one of his swimming opportunities. Being kept in this white prison was starting to mess with Ethan’s head. He looked forward to his swimming sessions more than he would ever admit to Lydia. They kept him sane. He could have sworn that some of April’s pearls had started to look like they were glowing. Ethan was worried he was going mad. Strolling up and down the length of the lab, Ethan tried not to think of the monotony of his day. He dared not use his Assurgere powers in case Lydia or Frederick were monitoring him. He didn’t want them to try and harness his power like the mer captives before him. To keep himself occupied, he refined his escape plan. With time still to kill before someone would come to collect him Ethan practised once more. Reaching the end of the room he turned and ran. Then just before he reached the other side he jerked to the left and threw himself to the floor.

  “Eurgh,” he groaned as he rolled on the tiles. He looked down and saw that the blue laser was still glowing happily around his neck. Ethan sat and leant against the lab desk and banged his head against the door.

  “Why won’t you snap?” Ethan grimaced at his neck restraint. At some point, he theorised, if the laser was strained it would have to retract or recoil, and if he got far enough away, the retrieval motion would spring back the laser and reverse its current, thus releasing him. Ethan had no idea if this would work, but he had exhausted his other escape options.

  He had tried dismantling the chair to short circuit the laser. But, he didn’t understand the legged electricity. It was entirely alien to him. After one very painful electric shock, he decided to take his chances with Lydia and Frederick over being electrocuted. Ethan had been tempted to try and shatter the window and leap through. But, a grotesque image of him hanging in mid-air being strangled above the sea plagued him too much to try. He knew the only way was to either gain access to a controller or for someone to forget to re-tether him to his chair. Unfortunately, neither of these options seemed likely.

  “Throwing yourself around the room again I see,” Lydia said as she walked into the lab. Ethan didn’t even bother to get up off the floor. He just sat and waited. She would move him when she needed him.

  “Today we’re going to run some fun little tests,” Lydia said. She placed her case on the centre tabletop and started removing lots of little vials. Ethan tried to not look too interested. But, anything with the word ‘fun’ involved was not going to make for a pleasant afternoon.

  “No swimming?” Ethan asked.

  Lydia smiled maliciously at the disappointment in his voice. She pressed her cuff and Ethan was jolted until he made his way to stand beside her.

  “Right, chop chop Ethan. I haven’t got all day.”

  His wrists and ankles were safely cuffed together with new lasers as he reached her.

  “Excellent, now roll up your sleeve and let’s get started,” Lydia said. She inserted one of her vials into an odd contraption. Ethan made no move to obey. Lydia smiled and tapped her control cuff. Pain lanced up Ethan’s arms blinding him in pain. An attendant strode over and roughly rolled up his sleeves. The pain stopped and Ethan was left with a dull ache across his arms.

  “What are you doing?” he panted. Lydia ignored him and continued to twist and turn her vial in place. Then she turned around and smiled. Ethan looked down at her warily. Then suddenly, squirt. With one swift movement, she sprayed a cold liquid onto his arm. Ethan looked down in bewilderment. She was going to spray him with different liquids? He caught the smell of salt water. Looking down at his arm he was glad to see that nothing sinister was happening. Lydia was busy making recordings out of his line of vision.

  “Right, next one,” she said with another spray. This one tingled slightly. It wasn’t unpleasant, just odd. Lydia continued with her observations. The spraying continued for over an hour. The
tingling sensation turned to itching, and the itching turned to burning. A weird hexagonal rash spread across Ethan’s forearm. He winced each time she sprayed a different concoction on his arm. The pain from the last now blending into the next, until eventually he started to bleed. His corroded skin gave in and he was desperate to plunge it into the water or scream out in pain. Instead, he stood resolutely still and refused to give Lydia the satisfaction. Trapped like a prisoner in his own body he tried to focus on the sea through the window and remember who he was protecting.

  “And that is the last one,” Lydia said with a flourish as she squirted a final solution onto his skin. “Wasn’t that fun.” She smiled at him with a glimmer in her eye. Ethan refused to rise to her challenge.

  Lydia started packing away her tools and left Ethan rooted to the spot.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said with a smirk. As she left the lab a faint click signalled his leash returning to normal. The second he was released he ran to one of the sinks and fell over it. His eyes blurred over from the pain. He tried to breathe in deep gulps of air to stop himself from passing out. Slumped over the basin he ran the cold tap and lay his burning and bleeding arm in the sink. The soothing effect was instantaneous. Clouds of noxious smoke were released from his arm as the water cleansed him. A sheen of sweat covered Ethan’s body. He dampened a towel and carefully sat on the floor cradling his arm with the cold, wet towel wrapped around it. It looked like Lydia was done testing the pearls Ethan thought ruefully.