From The Deeps

by Laura Greenwood

  “I think she did,” Jared whispered back. “I think I like it.”

  Macey sighed and got out of the bed. Halfway across the room, her head exploded in pain. She vaguely felt how her body crumpled to the floor, but she was fixed on the source of the pain, a thick, black hand gripping her mind as if it was a physical object. She struggled against its hold, but it only resulted in more pain.

  “DON’T STRUGGLE, LITTLE KELPIE,” a loud voice boomed, making her shiver at its cruel, cold tone. “YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME.”

  “Who are you?” she shouted in her mind, her voice wavering from pain. “Let me go!”

  A laugh reverberated all around her.

  “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. YOU ARE MINE NOW. YOUR MIND IS MINE, AND YOUR BODY WILL SOON FOLLOW. REJOICE, FOR YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR MASTER.”

  Despite her fear, she laughed. “Are you for real? People don’t speak like that.” It was taking all she had to pretend that she was unaffected by his words. The pain was making it hard to focus, but she pushed it away as hard as she could.

  “I ALREADY HAVE ONE OF THE SEVEN. YOU ARE THE SECOND. THE OTHERS WILL SOON FOLLOW.”

  “Give him back,” she growled, unsure why she knew it was Flint he was talking about, nor why she was so accepting of that. But Flint didn’t belong to the Voice. Flint belonged to her. Instead of responding properly, the Voice just laughed hollowly through her mind, causing shooting pains through her head on top of the duller one that’d appeared when the Voice had.

  “Macey!” Jared’s voice cut through the pain as the laughter faded, along with some of the pain. “Macey, say something, please.” She was surprised by how worried he sounded. After all, he wasn’t aware of that she’d decided he was hers, surely he shouldn’t feel anything more than a very mild concern over someone who he claimed to be protecting. If that’s what she was going to refer to kidnapping as now.

  “Here.” It was Cam this time, and something damp pressed against her head.

  “Maybe we should take her back to the pool?” Jared asked. As her mind regained control a little, she noticed that she was lying on the floor, and her head was on someone’s lap. Jared’s she imagined. His hand was stroking back her hair soothingly. She was sure it was him, but didn’t want to open her eyes to find out.

  “No, not pool,” she murmured. Shifting would probably get rid of the pain in her head, but only because the pain in her body would distract her. Which made it stranger still that the Voice had managed to cause so much pain. Her threshold was pretty high. It had to be when she went through shifts like those, and yet the voice had her almost collapsing. Or completely so, if her other two fainting spells were anything to go by.

  “Will the shift not help?” Cam asked softly, sounding closer this time, though she wasn’t sure if that was because he’d sat down next to her, or that her head was just clearing more.

  “Chemicals,” she got out, sounding fragile even to herself and hating that they’d be able to hear that in her voice. Weakness wasn’t something she liked showing. It never had been, not growing up with her brothers. Which reminded her...no. She refused to accept any of that. Bruce and Jerry wouldn’t betray her, she refused to accept that. Though she also suspected that it wasn’t quite as cut and dry as she thought. Things never were.

  “Oh shit,” Jared muttered. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

  “Because we didn’t expect to have a kelpie come to stay?” Cam replied. He rested a hand on her arm, and she appreciated the contact. She appreciated the contact with both of them actually. It was soothing in a way she would never have suspected before.

  “Kidnapped,” she muttered, still unable to form proper sentences. Damn, the Voice and the pain had taken a lot out of her. More than she’d admit to if any of them actually asked. To her surprise, Cam laughed, actually sounding amused.

  “Yes, okay. I didn’t expect to kidnap a kelpie.” He waited a moment, and though she couldn’t see him, she knew he was hesitating. “But aren’t you glad I did?” he whispered softly, as if he didn’t really want to say the words. Probably because it’d been less than twenty-four hours. She should say no. She shouldn’t feel so comfortable with them. It shouldn’t feel so right. And she certainly shouldn’t let them know that their mere presence was doing more to make her feel better than anything else in her life.

  “Yes,” the word slipped out without her meaning it to.

  “Good, now let me go drain the pool.” A shuffling noise came as he made to get to his feet. With surprising deftness, Macey flung her arm out and closed one of her hands around his wrist.

  “No. Don’t go.” Damn, when had she got so needy? She really shouldn’t let them see this side of her, she had no idea what it’d actually do. Inwardly, she sighed with relief as he sunk down next to her again.

  “What happened, Macey?” Jared asked, still stroking her hair gently. She attempted to shake her head, but that only made the dull ache intensify.

  “Not sure.” Slowly, she opened her eyes, cringing at what felt like a bright light.

  “Try and explain?” he prompted.

  “Where did Flint really go?” Because she was as sure that simply to find her brothers was as much baloney as the sailors who thought manatees were mermaids. If they thought the peaceful manatees were anything like actual mermaids, then they’d be in for a shock when they met the real thing. The mer were a rather...aggressive...race to say the least. Or they were if Aunt Nessie’s stories were to be believed. She claimed to have met some mer while on her own quest out of the loch.

  “To Earth,” Jared said.

  “Specific,” she replied, turning her gaze on Cam. She reckoned he’d be the one who cracked easier.

  “He went to see if your brothers were safe,” he replied softly, though she still thought he was hiding something. She didn’t say a word, her eyes locked with Cam’s and she could see him about to give in to her. “He went to see if he could find more about the fàth-fiata.”

  “Wait, you don’t know about them?” she blurted out, sitting up quickly before clutching her head in her hand, the ache becoming more intense in some places. Whoever the Voice was, they’d done a real number on her.

  “Just the legends.” Cam shrugged.

  “But, you were talking as if you knew more...”

  “I already knew they existed, but I’ve never encountered one before.”

  “So you could have kidnapped me to save me from something that may not have done any harm anyway?” Unlike the last few times, she felt her eyes flare and assumed that meant they were glowing. From the smirk on Jared’s face, she was right. Good to know her eyes glowed when she was angry. At least they’d never make the mistake of thinking she wouldn’t.

  “Well yes, but—”

  “No buts. Don’t kidnap people when there isn’t a good reason.” She poked a finger into his chest, and he captured her hand in one of his.

  “I promise I won’t kidnap you again without good reason,” he said with a cheeky smile, his swirling grey eyes boring into hers and proving to her how sincere he was being.

  “Good. Now the fàth-fiata...”

  “Are going to be a very big problem,” a deep voice came from the doorway, and Macey turned her head to see what she couldn’t quite believe. Stood in the doorway, looking a little worse for wear, but very much there, was Flint. But if he was here, then who did the voice have?

  7

  “Why is she on the floor?” Flint asked, by her side in a flash.

  “Tell me the prophecy again,” I asked weakly, ignoring his question. “What happens after us four?”

  Cam frowned but recited it nonetheless.

  “Lightning is trapped,

  Ice will break the chains.

  Finally, Air is waiting—”

  “He’s got Lightning. It must be. He doesn’t have you, you’re safe. I’m so glad you’re safe. Please stay, don’t go away again,” she mumbled, noticing too late that her filter had apparently switched off.

>   “You broke her!” Flint growled at the other two accusingly. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

  “Nothing, she fainted, then she left the bed, then screamed and collapsed.”

  Flint growled again. “I wouldn’t call that nothing. She looks like she’s half-dead and her eyes are flickering. Why aren’t you two more concerned?”

  “You weren’t here, you didn’t see it,” Jared replied, raising his voice. “She looked like she was having a fit, she was thrashing, mumbling weird things. It was scary, alright? We’re concerned, we’re very concerned! I was fucking frightened, hell, I’m still—”

  She groaned as his loud voice was making her head pound in pain. “Silence,” she whispered and they all shut up. “He’s got Lightning. We need to find him. Or her.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cam asked gently. “Who’s got Lightning?”

  “The Voice. He was talking to me. He... touched my mind. He hurt me.” Macey shuddered, and suddenly she had three pairs of hands holding her tight as the memory of his darkness threatened to overwhelm her. Now that the pain had receded, she realised how much of a violation this had been. How he had entered her mind, attacking her. And she hadn’t been able to fight him off. A whimper escaped her.

  “Shhhh...” Cam whispered soothingly, stroking her hair. “Don’t think about it. Tell us what you know about Lightning.”

  “He said he’s got one of us. I thought it was Flint, but you’re here now.” Macey squeezed his hand and he smiled reassuringly. “If the prophecy is true, Lightning is trapped. It makes sense that it’s the Voice who’s got him. And... he said that it’ll be me next.”

  “No way!” Jared jumped up and the floor shook slightly. His hands were trembling at the same pace as the earth was. He was losing control of his powers. “Nobody is going to get you, I will make sure of that!”.

  “Calm down, mate,” Flint said, releasing Macey’s hand to get up. He gripped Jared by the shoulders, shaking him. “You need to snap out of it or we won’t have a house anymore.”

  “I’m still here. He’s not going to get me without a fight,” she said, trying to fake bravery. She had seen his power. She was no match for him. Waves, none of them were

  “So what do we do?” Cam asked, still by her side. “Do we stay here, barricade ourselves in this place, or do we search out whoever wants to harm her?”

  Flint sighed. “I think it’s time to visit Malan.”

  “Malan?” she repeated, looking at him with disbelieving eyes, trying to marry up what he was saying now, with what they’d told her before. “But you said that Malan lived centuries ago?” She ended on a short squeak and berated herself inwardly for it. They didn’t seem like the type that would be running away now, but she didn’t want to take that chance.

  “We also told you we’d lived for centuries too,” Cam said with a slight laugh. “Is it too far-fetched to think that a prophet’s still around too?” She frowned and cocked her head to the side slightly. He had a point, and she wasn’t sure she liked that. She really needed to make sure they knew they could be wrong sometimes, it wasn’t good to let them know they could be right so often, otherwise she’d end up on the back foot for the rest of her life. Huh, the rest of her life? She glanced at the three men before nodding to herself. The rest of her life didn’t seem too bad really. Damn it, Macey, pull yourself together, she berated herself. She hadn’t known them long enough to be thinking or acting in this way, no matter how right it felt.

  “Well, no...”

  “And Malan’s not exactly around like we are either,” Jared added thoughtful, receiving a whack on the arm from Flint.

  “Don’t spoil the surprise!”

  Jared chuckled deeply. “You just want to see her reaction.”

  “Your point?” Flint smirked and Macey glared at him.

  “My reaction to what exactly?” She crossed her arms across her chest, no mean feat considering her position, pushing up her boobs and drawing three sets of eyes. Not her intention admittedly, but she’d take it.

  Cam cleared his throat. “To Malan.” His voice was husky and he licked his lips, probably subconsciously, but she enjoyed the reaction she got from him. If only now was the time to do something about it.

  “What are you hiding?” She narrowed her eyes at Cam, already figuring that he was the one likely to crack first. He looked a little uncomfortable, and couldn’t quite meet her gaze, only proving her point more. “Tell me,” she hissed. The three men exchanged glances, only worrying her further.

  “Malan is...”

  “Different?” Jared suggested.

  “Dead,” Cam supplied.

  “How can we talk to him if he’s dead?” Macey asked, pulling a confused expression that seemed to have even Flint’s expression softening.

  “His body is dead, his spirit, not so much. We can still talk to him.”

  “Cause that makes any sense,” Macey muttered, already confused out of her mind.

  “So a house in the mists and the Voice in your head are both perfectly acceptable, but talking to someone dead, isn’t? Good to know where the boundaries are.” Flint’s eyes danced with amusement as she looked up into them, and she found she liked this side of him, he seemed a little more angry and serious the rest of the time.

  “Talking to the dead does seem a little more extreme,” she said, pushing herself up so that she was more upright, and grasping her head as the dull thudding intensified.

  “It’s really not. We’ll visit where his spirit lives, ask him what we want to know, and that’s that.”

  “That’s that?!” she half-shouted despite the pain that brought. “Oh hi Macey, what did you do today? Well, I talked to the fucking dead. By the waves, you’re all insane.” She stood up, swaying slightly with the effort.

  “Any more insane than being able to turn into a water horse?” Jared asked, also rising to his feet, with Cam doing the same. The three of them were stood in a circle, with her in the middle. Until she stepped towards Jared that was. She was sure her hair had already begun to turn green, and if the men were to be believed, then her eyes would be glowing too. Miraculously, the headache seemed to have vanished along with her partial shift.

  “Call me a water horse again,” she challenged Jared, almost feeling her eyes flare and a weird burning sensation on her upper back, but she pushed it all away, not caring what it meant.

  “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. You’re a kelpie,” Jared said, holding up his hands, but still smiling slightly.

  “Don’t forget it.” Her eyes bored into him, and then she fixed an equally stern glare on the other two.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Cam said, shaking his head.

  “Not worth it at all,” Flint added. “But you need to calm down, Macey. Getting angry isn’t going to solve anything.”

  “Says you!” The laugh she gave sounded a little manic, even to her ears, but that wasn’t going to stop her. “You’ve been nothing but angry since I got here.”

  “That’s not true,” Flint said, stepping forward.

  “Okay, fine, you’ve been sixty percent angry since I got here.”

  Flint laughed, moving closer still so that their bodies were almost touching. “Who counts angry in percentages?” he asked, his voice low and rumbly and tempting. It soothed out some of her anger, and despite herself, she began to calm down, the magic bubbling through her blood almost vanishing completely.

  “I do,” she insisted, pouting at him.

  “It’s adorable.”

  “It is not,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and attempting to look stern. Though that was well and truly undermined by the effect his closeness was having on her. Really, all she wanted was to press her body against his and let him kiss her. Maybe Jared’s magic had taken hold of her again, that could explain why she was suddenly thinking with parts a lot lower down than her brain. Stupid men, distracting her with their sexiness.

  “Oh, it is Macey.” He cupped her cheek in his h
and in a surprisingly gentle gesture, before leaning down and pressing a swift kiss to her lips. He pulled back, his eyes meeting hers, and while she could see the desire burning within them, she knew he wouldn’t go any further right now. He’d decided on the next step, and she suspected that nothing she could say or do would change that.

  “Let me just break this sexual tension by saying that we should really leave if we want to see Malan today,” Jared said and Macey was tempted to strangle him. Not just because he mentioned sexual tension. Also because he was right.

  “How do we get there?” she asked, stepping out of the circle and rummaging through the clothes Flint must have brought with him. What did someone wear when they went to visit a ghost? Black? Or would that be too morbid?

  “The Staran, if they let us leave,” Cam explained, looking a little doubtful. If it hadn’t let him leave earlier, it might not now. But this time, it was important.

  Macey put on a black hoodie over her top - just to be on the safe side - and slipped on her boots. “I’m ready. Shall we go?”

  She strode out of the room, the guys’ chuckles following her. She didn’t quite understand what they found so funny, but they were guys, so she didn’t even try to. They rarely made sense; it had been the same thing underwater. The number of times she had struggled to grasp why her brothers did things... no, she didn’t want to think about her brothers. They were either victims, or evil bastards, and somehow nobody could tell her which option was correct. Maybe the dead guy could tell them. Malan.

  She waited by the door until the three men joined her. Flint was wearing a big backpack. When he saw her questioning glance, he shrugged. “Malan likes gifts, and he likely won’t talk if we don’t bring him anything.”

  “Are you all ready? We might run into trouble,” Cam said. Jared grinned and opened his jacket wide, exposing a row of throwing stars attached to the lining. Flint produced a silver lighter from his breast pocket and flicked it on, smiling at the flame.

  “Why do you need a lighter?” Macey asked, and he winked.