by Leesa Birch
“Nifty gadgets, these chips. I can find you anywhere now with this.” Griffin held up a small, handheld device. “Now him,” he motioned to Kane. The gun was the only thing stopping Kane from trying to fight our way out of here. Jerry chipped him too. Griffin walked slowly towards me, speaking in a hushed tone. “Now, you behave, Ivy, and you’ll get him back in one piece. Do I make myself clear?”
I looked over Griffin’s shoulder to see a concerned Kane. I really hoped he would just sit tight till I got back.
“Yes, Griffin,” I said quietly.
Kane was shoved back into the van. As the doors closed I was ushered to a different van full of equipment and wetsuits. Climbing inside, I took a deep breath and sighed, hoping this would be over quickly. I was given a wetsuit to change into by Jerry. Jerry sat in the front with the driver whose name I overheard as Thomas. I couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity.
A small curtain was pulled across to give me some privacy which I was thankful for. Stripping down to my underwear and struggling into the wetsuit, I hoped Kane was behaving. Man, this neoprene was itchy against the microchip.
After driving off road for a while, the van finally arrived at its destination. The wind hit us hard as we exited the van, and the skies had turned a miserable grey. We were surrounded by rocky countryside. At the top of what I thought was a hill sat a grey stone wall. It seemed to run completely around the top of it. I looked at the two guys as they unloaded ropes and welding equipment. I guess this wasn’t their first time breaking and entering.
“Right then, missy, let’s go,” said Jerry. I followed them up a small dirt path and climbed part of the hillside. It wasn’t long before we came upon an iron grate randomly situated in the ground.
Thomas assembled his welding torch and began to cut through the bars. It took a long time. I was getting colder out in these winds. There was a loud crank, followed by a splash as the grate fell into the water below.
“After you, Ivy,” said Jerry, looking down into the darkness. Walking over to the edge of the hole, I looked down into nothing. Thomas handed me a torch. Turning the torch on, I sat down and slid into the water.
I gasped as the freezing water enveloped the bottom half of my body. Maybe dry suits would have been more appropriate.
Turning to face the direction of the hill, Jerry and Thomas landed with loud splashes behind me - Thomas screaming like a girl as he hit the cold torrent. Jerry just shook his head at him.
“When do you want me to move this?” I pointed at the water.
“When it reaches above our heads,” replied Jerry.
Above our heads? I’d only practiced this once before with Grogan. It didn’t go that well.
“Move.” I was urged forward.
The tunnel was, as usual, never-ending and dark. At least this one didn’t smell, yet. Shivering as I was, I tried to move the water off my skin a little but it wasn’t working. Besides, I needed to save my strength for the ‘over the head’ stuff.
Thomas had moved ahead of me with a waterproof map and a better torch. There were more turns and junctions down here than I first thought. Trying to keep my hands above the waterline, the torrent grew deeper. Then we stopped at a dead end.
“Okay, we’re here. Ivy, there’s some steps by the wall here which lead under the water. The tunnel is about 90ft long, 2ft wide and around 4ft high. Think you can move all that water?” asked Thomas.
I shrugged my shoulders. I guessed if I wanted to see Kane alive again, I would have to. Stepping forward, I felt for the edge of the steps and carefully lowered myself further into the depths. Before it reached my neck, I turned to the guys.
“Griffin did warn you not to touch me, right? And I really need to concentrate, so no gasping or noises. I move the water, and we move quickly, I don’t know how long I can hold it. 90ft, right?” I nodded to myself. I could do this.
Removing my necklace and handing it to Thomas, I felt a surge of energy through my body and the water began to warm around me. Feeling my eyes shift to black, I held out my hands in the water and concentrated on moving it either side of us to make a small tunnel. The guys may have gasped but I could only hear a buzzing noise, almost like loud electricity; besides, if they saw my eyes it might cause more gasping.
Following the steps down into the tunnel, I made my way along, carefully watching the water on either side for signs of disobedience. Breathing heavily, I was growing weaker by the second. The power I felt was a little disturbing as memories of my fight with Luke were surfacing. I tried to shake them but they took over me. I could just see the steps at the far end when the water collapsed in on us.
“Brace yourselves!” I yelled, as I took a deep breath.
The freezing water hit us hard and I was pushed into one of the men. He held me still until the water had regained its natural flow, then I was pushed to swim forward towards the exit.
Lying on the cold ground, coughing up water, Thomas patted me on the back and handed me back my necklace.
“Could have gone worse, Jerry,” he said whilst checking the equipment.
Replacing my sea stone I thought about why I was here. Griffin said the tunnel was too small for scuba gear and it wasn’t. Was it just an excuse to hunt me down and chip me? Maybe he was doing something to Kane. I tried not to think about it for now and wondered if I could get us back through the tunnel when they had finished.
Making our way through more tunnels, which were above the water, we came to a stop in a small, underground room. Small tripods with bright lights were erected and the guys started cutting the low ceiling in the corner of the room. There wasn’t anything to do while they worked, so I sat hugging my knees and dried myself inconspicuously. The draught from the small grates in the floor was cold. Looking down, I could vaguely see the water rushing beneath us.
A loud crash as rubble hit the floor startled me. Jerry disappeared up into the room above. “You’re next,” Thomas said to me. I pulled myself off the floor and was hoisted up into the warmth.
“You’re dry!” exclaimed Jerry, shaking his head at me. Neither man had looked me in the eye since the water-filled tunnel. I figured it was because my eyes were still black. Rubbing my eyes and blinking a few times seemed to help them focus a little; I could feel them reverting back to green very slowly. Thomas handed me a bottle of water and I followed them out into the hallway.
The place seemed deserted. Huge tapestries and old, expensive looking paintings lined the walls either side. While Jerry and Thomas were picking a lock at the far end of the corridor, one of the paintings caught my eye. I stood staring at it whilst drinking my water. It depicted a battle on the edge of a body of water. It was very dark, I could barely make out some of it. The people on land were being massacred by inhumanly thin creatures coming from the water’s edge.
The people were trying to protect the small figure in the middle standing on a box, holding a stick in the air. I tried to read the writing along the bottom but it wasn’t any writing I recognised, it almost resembled runes. Then I saw it! At the edge of the battle scene, one of the figures looked familiar. It was what I’d seen in the lake, or at least I think it was. There was something about it that was sinister and cold. I shuddered, spilling some of the water.
“Ivy!” said Thomas in a loud whisper. “When you’re through sight-seeing, we need your help.”
I reluctantly pulled myself away from the picture. What if it was the thing in the lake? What if the runes explained what they were or how to stop it? It didn’t matter, I couldn’t read it and I couldn’t very well sneak a 4ft square painting out of there.
Following the guys into the room where they’d just picked the lock, I was unprepared for the sight. It was like Cowell’s secret office, but bigger. Much bigger. Statues, carved boxes, weapons and strange artefacts filled the room. Walking to stand next to the guys, they were looking at a long, vertical tube. A blue and gold ball was floating about half way down it. I frowned; it didn’t look half as importan
t as the rest of the stuff in here.
“Is that why we’re here? What is it?” I asked the men.
They both looked at me, shrugging.
“It’s an orb, that’s all we were told. Trick is to get it out without it touching either side of the tube. Your job I guess, Ivy,” Thomas explained.
So that’s why I was here. I frowned again. Too much thinking was going to give me wrinkles. I wasn’t surprised that Griffin didn’t fill them in on what it was, or what it could do. Oh, I just knew this wasn’t going to go well.
Putting my water down, I placed my hands either side of the tube and began to concentrate on pushing the water under the orb carefully. Jerry let out a sharp intake of breath as it moved. I looked at him, cursing under my breath. He fell silent. Returning my gaze to the tube, I slowly wiggled the orb upwards through the water. It was difficult as Jerry was fighting hard not to say ‘left a bit’ or ‘right a bit’. The tube started to vibrate under my concentration; I needed the water just a little higher. Thomas positioned himself with his hand near the rim, ready to grab it.
A noise out in the hall startled me and my concentration slipped.
“Oh, no!” I said, a little too loudly. The water in the tube moved suddenly, expelling the orb with force. Thomas dived out of the chair he was standing on, landing on the floor - catching the orb safely. We both let out the breaths we were holding and he laughed. I hadn’t notice Jerry leave the room. He returned, rubbing his knuckles.
“We have to leave now!” Jerry said urgently.
Making sure they had left no prints, we all ran back into the room with the hole in the floor.
I kept thinking about the painting, I was sure it would have been of help to the council. Grimacing at my lack of a good plan, I shook my head and lowered myself into the room below.
Running through the tunnels, I was hoping that the adrenaline would help my moving of the water. Not stopping to think about it, all three of us ran then jumped into the icy water.
“Just hold your breath and swim, Ivy, the torrent will help you along. We can make it. Easy,” Thomas said, buddy-punching my arm.
Jerry went first. I took a deep breath and dived under the fast-moving water. Holding my small torch out ahead of me, I could barely see Jerry. I lost sight of him but found myself being pulled aside and up the steps. Jerry helped me out, then Thomas. Wading through the last part of the tunnel, I could see daylight ahead. I was exhausted when we reached the grate.
Thomas helped Jerry up over him, then me. As I pulled myself clear onto the cold, rocky ground, Thomas was helped out behind me.
“Nice work, Ivy. Let’s not hang around, we’re wet and it’s cold,” said Thomas.
Trying to remember that they were still the bad guys, I pushed the water off me with force and offered to do the same for them. They both shook their heads. I grinned and shook my head in disbelief. They were supposed to be big, brave men.
We made good time back to the van. They threw all the equipment in the back and the orb was placed carefully in a case. I climbed inside as the doors were shut behind me. I changed back into my own clothes as I had the room to do so. Jerry turned the heating on full as they were still sat in their wetsuits. I couldn’t wait to see Kane. I hoped he was alright. I’d find out soon enough.
I couldn’t get the van door open quick enough. I didn’t even wait for Griffin’s say so. I ran over to where Kane was unceremoniously dragged out of his van and thrown to the floor.
Dropping to my knees and throwing my arms around Kane, I squeezed him a little too tightly and he let out a small grunt. Cupping his bruised face in my hands, I saw that he hadn’t sat quietly whilst I was away. I smiled, softly putting my lips on his, kissing him gently while I healed every punch he’d sustained. Pulling away, I watched his swollen eye return to normal. “You were supposed to behave while I was gone,” I grinned, knowing that he’d given as good as he’d got judging by his now-healed knuckles.
“When you two have quite finished,” Griffin interrupted.
We stood up slowly and turned to face Griffin. He seemed very happy to have his property back - if it was his property in the first place.
“Until next time then, Ivy. Remember, I’ll always know where you are,” he said, climbing into his car. Doors slammed, engines started then they drove away, leaving us there.
Kane turned me slowly to face him. “Are you alright, sweetheart? Did they hurt you?” He started checking me all over till I started to giggle.
“Shouldn’t we start walking, Kane? I think it’s going to rain,” I suggested.
Squeezing me playfully, he leant in and kissed me deeply. My body began to heat up. My eyes shifted almost instantly. I groaned with frustration as he pulled his warm lips away. Looking into me with his now dark eyes, he sighed, “You sure you’re alright?” I nodded.
Taking my hand, we headed off on a long walk to find civilisation.
“So, that was Griffin then?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said as the heavens opened up.
By the time we reached the first motel along the highway the rain had washed a lot of the blood from Kane’s shirt. To avoid questions at the front desk, he removed it anyway. I just shook my head, sighing at him, his soaking wet hair over a drenched torso. A grin slowly spread across his face when he noticed me looking. As I was already wetter than I could get, I waited outside while Kane got us a room.
Fighting to keep my eyes green as he locked the motel door behind us, I watched him turn slowly, raising his arms up over his head, wringing out his hair.
“Can you dry us, Ivy?” he asked.
I wasn’t listening as I was staring at the moisture running down his abs.
“Hmm?” I looked up to see him smiling.
“Oh, right, sorry.” I tried to compose myself.
Cracking my knuckles, I concentrated on the water covering him. There was a low buzz followed by a light mist bursting from his skin. Pleased with myself, I repeated the process for me.
Kane headed into the bathroom and began rinsing the rest of the blood from his shirt. “Maybe you should call home to let them know you’re alright, and to come and pick us up, Ivy,” he called to me.
“I’ll call them but I won’t tell them where we are,” I said.
Kane turned off the tap and came out to me.
“Why not?” he asked, looking confused.
“We can’t go back until we get these microchips out of us, Kane. Griffin will find the lake if we do,” I explained.
Kane stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door. He returned a few moments later holding out a wet shirt to me. Sighing, I took it from him, evaporated the water from it and handed it back. Putting the dry shirt on, Kane started ranting about Griffin - he was really winding himself up about him kidnapping and selling me and the fact that we couldn’t go back now we were chipped. I tried to calm him down but failed.
“Griffin isn’t too bad as far as bad guys go, Kane,” I offered.
“What! You’re defending that low life scum now? I thought you had more sense, Ivy,” His voice grew louder as he paced.
“Just a minute, Kane, Griffin is the only reason I haven’t been raped! Although it came close with Cowell,” I muttered.
Kane stopped pacing the room and turned to face me. Crap, I shouldn’t have mentioned that part. As a rule I tried not to go into detail about my kidnappings. He walked towards me slowly until the bed hit the back of my legs and I sat down.
“How close?” His voice was deep as he tried to contain his anger. It scared me a little.
“Let’s just say his intentions were clear,” I said, looking down at my hands, fiddling with them nervously. “I’m not the only one who has been hiding things, Kane,” I pointed out.
Standing with his hands on his hips, as if trying to decide what to say, he turned to me.
“Fine, you wanna know what my big secret is?” he said, taking a slow breath before continuing. “I’m part siren, Ivy. There, now you k
now.”
He took a step back and leant against the wall. A hundred things went through my head. It took a moment to try and sort them out.
“What do you mean, you’re part siren? Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t be able to touch you if you were.” I stood up waiting for an answer. “Well?” I urged him.
“It was a long time ago, Ivy. Somewhere down the family line, one of our ancestors was a siren. I don’t know where they are or I would have told you, and Blake has it too. It’s no longer in the blood, Ivy, just our voice, that’s all,” he said.
I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told me before until he continued.
“I can’t harm you with it, Ivy, just…” He was trying to soften the blow.
Since meeting with Waylena, I’d read a few folk tales about sirens. Not only could they harm you with their screams, they could manipulate you, almost hypnotise you, into doing things you wouldn’t normally do. I cut him off before he could finish.