“Are you kidding me?” I said.
“No, I wish I were.”
“All of this is ridiculous,” Mom said. “I don’t know why they consider you a Halfling. You can do everything a full mermaid can and you have powers, too. She glanced sideways at Tammer who shook his head slightly, giving her an icy stare. “If we didn’t know better, I’d say you were full mermaid.”
An awkward smile played about his face when his look returned to me. "It's not possible, Morgan," he tried to comfort me. "But this doesn't matter, Elan. Everyone knows she's a Halfling. The Dartmoth’s are prejudiced against Halflings. You know the history they have with my family. And you know what Limus is afraid of - that’s why we were told not to bring her here.”
I felt like I was in a cloud. This couldn’t be happening.
“Then we need to report this to the police,” Mom said.
“Are you insane?” Tammer’s voice rose. “Do you have any idea what would happen to us?”
“Look at what’s happened to Morgandy! Akin needs more than a slap on the wrist. He went against his father’s wishes.”
“Did he?”
Mom looked uncomfortable.
“It’s not like this hasn’t happened before. Limus didn’t do a whole heck of a lot to take care of it then. That practically gave Akin the go ahead!”
Mom sat down heavily next to Tammer. “There has to be something we can do.”
Tammer nodded, deep in thought. “There is. We’ll have to deal with it ourselves.”
“You can’t!” Mom said sharply. “Remember what happened the last time you dealt with the Dartmoth’s?” Her hand touched his side and instinctively, he pulled away.
“They’re the ones who hurt you?” I couldn’t believe how interweaved all of this was becoming.
“Yes,” Mom began slowly, watching Tammer’s reaction. “Ramus – the leader of the Dartmoth clan - and Tammer’s father, Olin, were best friends. Tammer was practically one of Ramus’s sons. Limus and Tammer weren’t the best of friends, but they grew up together. When Tammer fell in love with me, Ramus was livid because my lineage was not pure. There are a few Halflings within my line and some humans. He threatened Tammer that should he decide to take me as his wife, Tammer was no longer welcome in this area and if we ever brought our firstborn here, we’d be sorry.”
She paused, watching Tammer grow angrier. “Olin tried reasoning with him, but Ramus held fast. They stopped being friends. Then, one day, Tammer and I were helping Olin and Tammer’s two brother’s salvage in an area the Dartmoth’s had claimed was theirs. You can’t officially claim any area of the sea, but they were already beginning to disobey the law and make their own rules. We ran into Ramus, Limus, and Limus’s brother, Reyes. After a lot of harsh words I won’t repeat, it escalated until it came down to fighting. It all happened so fast.”
Her voice broke and she swallowed hard.
“Limus had a special spear gun with him. While they were fighting, he saw a chance to shoot Tammer in the back and he took the shot. Olin saw what he was going to do and managed to stop him, but it came at a terrible price. He blocked the shot with his body, saving Tammer. Tammer’s two brothers tried to save Olin, but they too were killed.”
“They all died?” I asked, stunned.
Mom nodded and wiped away a tear. “They were so kind to me.”
Tammer put his arms around her.
“I hadn’t realized what Limus had done, until I heard my father cry out,” Tammer continued. “Just as I turned, Limus shot at me again and that time, it went through my side.”
“Olin and Tammer’s brothers died that day. Tammer was near death,” Mom said. “It was all over something so stupid! Once they saw that Olin had passed, they fled like the cowards they truly are. I managed to drag Tammer away and get him to shore. It took all that I had in me to stop him from dying, but I managed.”
Tammer continued, “We wanted to get as far away from here as we could, so we moved to California. But just because you run away doesn’t make you less responsible for your obligations. I had to return. I made Elan stay in California because she would have been killed if she had returned. You aren’t supposed to meddle with the dying.”
He lovingly kissed Mom’s hand. “Your Mom’s excellent at taking care of sick people.”
They seemed lost in each other briefly. Tammer broke his gaze and looked at me again.
“I’d visit her every so often in California when I could, but it was always hard leaving her. When she met Richard, it nearly killed me. He was a good man and kept her safe, but we were in agony about being apart. The heart wants what it wants. Finally, we decided it was impossible to live the way we were trying to live and we started seeing each other again.”
“Ramus left after the murder, presumably to escape the wrath of his family. No one was punished, as everyone blamed him. Only Limus knew where he went and he hasn’t said a word in all these years.”
Wow. I mean, what more could I think? It was like a Hollywood movie - impossible to believe. But what was going to happen to Thayde was killing me.
When I looked up, they were staring at me.
“Darling, are you going to be all right?” Mom was so worried.
“I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “There’s so much to think about.”
“Do you want us to get you a doctor?”
“Oh, no. He didn’t actually do anything. I’m just shook up about that, I guess.”
“She cares more about what’s going to happen to Thayde.” Tammer said. “Morgan, you’re a caring person but caring for Thayde can get you into a huge mess. Are you sure this is something you want to get into?”
How could I not? I loved him the first time I dreamed of him.
“Okay,” Tammer rubbed his eyes. “She’s already in this. She has been for a while.” His eyes were wary. “You want to know what’s going to happen to Thayde: he’ll be bound by his family and each of them will be allowed to inflict their darker powers upon him. If he survives, which I greatly think he will as he’s extremely strong, he’ll be in a lot of pain for a few days. It will be excruciating for him.”
My mouth hung open in horror.
“We have to stop it!”
“There isn’t any way to stop it.” Mom said sadly.
“He didn’t do anything wrong!”
“We just have to allow it to happen and go on from there.”
“But it’s not fair! He saved me!” I started to cry. I was so angry with myself. I never cry and lately that’s all I seemed to do. It was pathetic.
“We know. I guess we could try to appeal to Limus,” Mom was grasping at straws.
“Elan, I was just there telling Akin to stay away from Morgan and you see how well that worked.”
“If you guys don’t do something about this, I will,” I said harshly and stood up. “Thayde did nothing wrong.”
“What are you proposing we do, Morgan?” Tammer sounded exasperated.
“Something! Anything!” Their looks weren’t very hopeful. “Where do they live?”
“You can’t go there, Morgan, I forbid it.” Tammer stood and put his hands on my shoulders. “Don’t mess with things you know nothing about.”
Shrugging him off, I backed up. “I don’t know very much, but I know that I love him and this is not fair.” I turned and walked away to my bedroom. Grabbing my I-Phone, I looked up the Dartmoth’s address and instantly found them ten miles away. That was it. I’d go tonight. If no one was prepared to help me save Thayde, I’d do it alone.
Chapter Seven
The Judgment
Mom and Tammer had one of their housekeepers stand watch at my door that night, but that wasn’t about to stop me from leaving. After stuffing some shorts and a pair of sneakers into a little bag, I threw it over my shoulder and simply walked out the French doors that led into the sea. I phased as I hit the water and was ready to go.
Despite being terrified by the dark water, I hugged the coastl
ine as close to shore as I could and swam the ten miles to the Dartmoth’s property. It didn’t take long at all.
I phased back while in the water and pulled on my shorts and sneakers. My heart pounded in my mouth as I walked across the immense lawn. The pristine property was well lit and most likely under surveillance. My attention was directed to the loud voices coming from an area enclosed in trees and I quickly made my way there.
Peering through the branches of a pine tree, I made out a group of people circling someone. Sneaking closer, I recognized Akin, Herra, Gavran, Limus, and two other men I’d not seen before. There was a break in the circle revealing Thayde who stood in the middle.
My heart leapt upon seeing him, but I was worried. What were they going to do to him? He wasn’t yelling back or defending himself. He was just standing there, allowing their abuse. A moment later, the yelling stopped. Something was said and he pulled off his shirt. Then, the two men I didn’t recognize took him by the shoulders and he allowed them to push him back to a thick wooden pole planted in the ground. He didn’t struggle as they tied his arms tightly behind his back, around the pole.
I wanted to scream and run toward them, cut him loose, and run away. But that was impossible - I didn’t even have a knife with me.
His brothers and sister moved into a semicircle in front of him and then Herra stepped forward, planting her feet shoulder width apart. She said something and Thayde stiffened. His head bowed and even from where I was, I could see the pain in his face. She held him there in her power for a good minute, and when she stopped, he fell forward against the restraints but remained standing.
Gavran stepped forward hesitantly. He seemed uneasy, as if he didn’t want anything to do with what was happening. When he looked back at his father, Limus simply pointed to Thayde. Nothing happened.
Thayde slightly nodded at Gavran, almost to reassure him that it was all right and that infuriated Limus. He yelled, startling Gavran, and a blue light flew from the tip of his finger, hitting Thayde in the chest. The light grew across Thayde’s chest making him shudder, but it didn’t last long, as Gavran stopped almost as soon as he started. Limus glared at him as the young boy stepped back in line.
As Gavran returned, Akin sauntered forward until he stood directly in front of Thayde. He smiled nastily, balling his fists. In an instant, he had punched Thayde in the face, whipping his head to the side. The blow was so powerful, it sounded like the crack of a bat. Blood dripped from Thayde’s nose, as he straightened his head to face his brother. He was met with a blow to his stomach, followed by a punch to his sides.
Each time Akin hit him, Thayde raised his head to face him. The last punch was an uppercut to the jaw and blood exploded everywhere. Wiping his hands on his pants, Akin returned to the line. Thayde sagged against his restraints. If he hadn’t been tied to the pole, he would have fallen to the ground.
Without a word, Limus stepped forward and held his palm out, facing Thayde. A white bolt flew from it and hit Thayde in the chest, throwing him against the pole. The ropes that held him disintegrated. His lips pulled back over his teeth in a grimace of pain and slowly his body arched backwards, lifted off the ground by Limus’s power. When I heard him start to groan in agony, I couldn’t watch anymore.
“Stop!” I screamed, sprinting from my hiding place, “You’ll kill him! Please stop!”
The bolt of light extinguished and Limus’s three children stepped protectively in front of him. Thayde collapsed to the ground. I tried to run to him, but one of the bigger men pulled me into his arms, holding me tight.
“Please, please don’t kill him!” I begged.
Limus stepped between Akin and Herra.
“Kill him? We wouldn’t kill our own kind. But he has to pay for what he did.”
“What he did?” I shouted. “What about what Akin did to me? Did you punish him?”
He didn’t answer me.
“Of course you didn’t! But Thayde rescued me from that, that,” I couldn’t find the words, “monster!” That was a good word. “Akin should be tied to that pole!”
“Who are you to tell us how to judge our own?” Limus snarled, stepping closer to me.
“It isn’t fair!” I cried. “Just leave him alone.”
He reached up and touched my face. It felt like it singed my skin.
“You’re in love with him,” he said.
I didn’t say anything. I merely looked around him to where Thayde lay on the ground, not moving.
“How could you do this to your own son?” I said, gritting my teeth.
“It’s the law,” Limus said. “To answer your question, yes, I did punish Akin.” He motioned with his hand and Akin was by his side. “Tell her what your punishment is, Akin.”
Akins glare was chilling. I shrank from him into the man who held me.
“For threatening you,” he began, “I’m not allowed to drive the car for a month.”
Herra stifled a laugh, making Akin smirk.
“Threatening me?” I cried in protest. “You didn’t threaten me, you attacked me!”
“So you say, but there weren’t any witnesses.”
“That’s not true, Thayde was there!”
“You fell down and I was telling you to stay away.” Akin lied. “Thayde was mistaken.”
This was unthinkable.
“Really? And how did my swimsuit top come off?” I yelled, and he stepped so close I could feel his breath on my face.
“Honestly, I think you pulled it off to make it look like I was hurting you.”
“Akin,” a weak voice called, “leave her alone.” It was Thayde. He was conscious but wasn’t moving.
“Come on brother! I think that if she’s going to accuse me of something, I might as well do it!” Akin grabbed my arm.
“Stop it!” I screamed, trying to shrink away from his touch. When he heard me, Thayde struggled to get up but collapsed back onto the bloodied red grass. It broke my heart to see him lie there, unable to even sit up, yet still trying to protect me.
“Father, please,” he mumbled.
Gavran stepped forward. “We don’t need to do this.” He said.
“Akin, that’s enough.” Limus finally intervened, shifting his gaze back to me. “He’s taken about all he can. Now the problem is what to do with this girl.”
A crack of thunder muffled his last words. The clouds moved quickly under the dark sky and lightning quietly highlighted the scene.
“She doesn’t belong in Vero. Her mother was told not to bring her here. What about our laws?” He pulled me into his arms, turning me around so my back lay flat against his chest. I began to shake.
“Please,” Thayde managed to struggle to his hands and knees. “Father, let her go,” his voice garbled from the blood pouring from his mouth.
“We’ll keep her with us for a while, until we decide what should be done,” Limus continued, ignoring Thayde. He started to drag me across the lawn toward the house.
They were going to hold me hostage. Frantic, I did the only thing I knew I could do. I began to imagine that golden orb as I had done before, pushing it to its very limits. As Thayde tried to crawl toward us, Akin ran up and kicked him in the head, bowling him over.
Suddenly, I was livid beyond words. Limus released his grip, jumping back. I felt as if I were on fire.
“Don’t touch me again,” I growled. All of them seemed to be in shock as they stood, not moving, but staring at me.
I looked down at my hands and could see an orange glow about them that soon spread to my entire body. The heat was intense, yet gratifying. No one could touch me like this.
“What is this?” Limus asked stiffly and then looked around me.
“It’s The Fire, Limus.” Tammer was striding toward us, followed by Mom and Vitahl.
Lightning crackled across the sky and when Tammer pointed at one of the big men, lightning struck him in the top of the head, dropping him. The entire Dartmoth clan, except for Limus, took a few steps backward.<
br />
“Well, well,” he said, pulling back his sleeves. “Is it another war you want, Tammer?”
Vitahl stopped behind Tammer and Mom. “There doesn’t have to be fighting at all, Limus. What Akin did was inexcusable and you know it.”
“She’s a Halfling.” Limus looked at me angrily.
“Really? Do you actually think a Halfling could produce The Fire?” Vitahl questioned and moved toward me. “Stop, Morgandy.” He said firmly.
I glared at Limus. “He has to pay for what he did to Thayde.” I wanted to release hell upon him.
“He will. But not by you.” He reached out and took my hand. I could feel his flesh start to burn and it shocked me. Instantly, The Fire was gone and I felt sick.
“Go. Tend to Thayde.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I ran to where Thayde lay and stopped in horror. He was unconscious, lying on his back, his head turned to the side. Blood continued to flow from his mouth and his face was badly cut from Akins brutality. Burns covered his chest and his arms were deeply cut from the ropes that had held him.
“Thayde,” I whispered, afraid to touch him.
“Morgan is right, Limus. You have to pay for what you have done. You know full well that Akin is a liar,” Tammer said.
Akin stepped angrily toward Tammer but Limus’s touch stopped him.
“I believe my son over you.”
“Which one?” Tammer asked. The wind continued to build into a frenzy and lightning crackled across the sky, waiting for Tammer’s command.
Limus didn’t answer. Instead, he shifted the subject. “Get off my property. You are trespassing.”
“We are taking Thayde with us.” Mom said.
“Over my dead body!” Akin shouted and began to run toward them. Vitahl raised his arms. The earth rolled under his feet and the motion shot toward Akin with tremendous speed, knocking him down and throwing the others about. It continued toward the main house and shook the foundation.
“Stop!” Limus yelled, holding up his hands.
“What’s the matter, Limus? You can give it but you can’t take it?” Tammer pointed at the house and lightning struck a turret, crumbling it. The wind was picking up so quickly it was hard for everyone except Tammer to stand. Lightning struck down around them and the Dartmoth’s huddled together. Limus turned and walked toward the house.
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