Oculus

by S. E. Akers

  I called out to Silas telepathically. “This wetsuit isn’t magical, is it?” I asked. “I told you I didn’t want any powers other than my own giving me any help.”

  “It’s a run-of-the-mill neoprene suit,” Silas replied. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because it was a miracle I even squeezed my legs into it,” I huffed as I slipped my feet into the matching scuba booties.

  “No,” Silas assured. “That suit doesn’t contain an ounce of any magic, neither Earth nor Veil, I promise you . . . Though I won’t shun the possibility that it may hold the powers to cast an unintended spell.”

  I caught my reflection in the mirror as his last statement floated around in my head. My lips puckered out their approval, even when I turned to check my backside. As much of a pain in the ass that “conditioning” had been, suddenly I wasn’t as sore about it.

  I clipped the belt around my waist and secured my three stones inside its pouch. Not bad, I smiled, my hands propped on my hips, and then marched confidently out the door.

  I spotted Silas standing alone beside the open floor hatch as soon as I arrived at the dungeon floor. So it appeared Tanner was already down there, which would be a much better place for him to pounce, strategically speaking of course.

  “Here you are,” Silas announced, dutifully holding out the spear I’d requested. “One standard-issued whaling harpoon, complete with a diamond-dusted tip for guaranteed penetration.”

  My lips parted as I traced the length of the maritime weapon, from the bottom of its wooden shaft all the way up to its wicked-sharp silver tip, which came merely a few feet from scraping the ceiling. Surely even Moby Dick would run for cover at the sight of this monstrous thing.

  Silas twitched his brow. “How relieved you must be that it’s not an arrow in need of shooting.”

  As much as I wanted to come back at him, his words rang with too much truth. I glanced at the ladder inside the shadowy hole. “You could have at least poofed it down there for me.”

  Silas rolled his eyes and then dropped the harpoon down into the hole without the first courteous “bombs away” or anything. “Happy?” he inquired flatly.

  I peered into the darkness and breathlessly waited for any painful cries scoring the air. Thankfully none ever came. “Now I am,” I confirmed with a disbelieving glare. “He’s already pissed enough about me going back to The Darklands. Impaling him just might send his butt over the edge.”

  “Or put you out of your misery.” Silas nodded to the hole. “You might think about heading on down there. I could’ve nailed him square in his head, and he’s unable to speak.”

  Even the rare chance of that happening had me cringing. “That’s even a little too twisted for you.”

  “Perhaps, but that sort of mindset goes hand in hand with immortal beings,” Silas shrugged. “Though it’s a pity I can’t be as cavalier with everything.” He lifted his hands and began inspecting their skin like he was checking the tread on a set of worn tires. “My existence here as a Djinn is dependent upon two things . . . A healthy human vessel to inhabit and a bound master.” The swell in Silas’ eyes was unmistakably earnest. “And regardless of how harsh or twisted my sense of humor may seem at times, I would lay down this bag of bones and flesh in an instant when it comes to Professor Grey’s safety. He’s been like both a brother and son to me over the years, so don’t think for one second that I would ever allow any harm to come to him for any reason — especially from me.” Silas roused a child-like grin, his eyes ruefully washed in guilt. “Even in spite of his current irritation towards me,” he sighed.

  I glanced down into the hole. Crap… If he’s that mad at Silas, how ticked is he at me?

  Silas took a spirited step back and began scrutinizing my appearance. “You look ready enough for whatever feat you’re about to perform.”

  “Yeah . . . and thank you for the wetsuit,” I said, feeling the creep of a sneer. “It is pretty gross down there.”

  “You’re quite welcome,” he cooed. The set-in-his-ways house steward homed in on the zipper dangling under my neck right before he turned to head off. “Just be glad there aren’t any pesky buttons on that thing. I’m sure you would hate to elicit any further distractions while you’re down there,” he grinned and then strutted off down the hall.

  My lips quivered with amusement, having caught the gist of his hint. No… This wasn’t given to me out of any courtesy to what remained of my wardrobe, nor was it to knock off the nasty. My thoughts carried me back to the morning I was so pissed at Tanner over that medicinal kiss and then him trying to bliss me against my wishes. Every last drop of my anger had melted away like a stick of butter smacking a sizzling hot skillet once he’d pulled up on his motorcycle, his hair chopped and looking hotter than ever. There wasn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind that this was Silas’ idea of a little creative chaos in hopes of softening his mood over my visit to The Darklands. And if I wasn’t so eager to avoid a heated confrontation myself, I might have actually been offended.

  I pinched the tail of the zipper between my fingers, backed it down just a fuzz shy of conservative, and pressed it firmly into place. After feeling the strain that the girls were putting on this get-up, my only prayer was that the zipper stayed locked and all its teeth securely linked. Damns have buckled under a lot less pressure.

  I climbed down the ladder and landed on the floor of the swamp with the same muddy “plop” as any other time, new rubber booties or not. Tanner was standing on a rocky mound at the edge of the water. As usual, he was skipping stones in an attempt to rustle up two creatures out of the lifeless scene. I wasn’t a bit surprised that nothing was stirring; even the dumbest fish can’t be fooled by the same old worm on the same shiny hook after having been tricked so many times before. Good thing I’d thought ahead.

  I snatched the harpoon out of the sludge and started my approach. “It might help if you switched up your lure,” I suggested.

  I purposely had my gaze ready to pin to his as he turned. And despite my nonchalant expression, I couldn’t have been more delighted to see his eyes convey their surprise — flaring instantly with a spark of red-violet. Though realistically, I hadn’t expected a wardrobe change so why would he? I’m sure seeing me out of my normal denim and cotton attire and now poured into a something that looked like I’d run myself through the paint bay of an auto-body shop would come as a bolt from the blue to anyone. Of course the slight stumble he incurred stepping off the rocks after becoming aware that his stare had lingered a little too long was more telling. But in his defense, that gold zipper was awfully shiny.

  His steps carried a more controlled swagger as they closed in on me. “I couldn’t agree more,” Tanner assured, his lips gliding into a perceptive grin.

  I smiled and then breezed past him as I headed for the bank, thrilled that I was unable to detect even an ounce of pissy. Of course I had to fight back a grin after glancing back his way. Seeing his head jerk back into position was satisfying enough, but hearing the awkward “pop” cracking from his neck was full-on gravy.

  I pulled out one of the diamonds. “Good thing I brought the right kind,” I assured with an equally astute nod, despite giggling my ass off on the inside.

  “So what’s your plan for that one?” he inquired, eyeing the stone in my hand. “Weapon or parting gift?”

  All things considered, I still hailed the powers of the wetsuit as a tempering success; his reference to my Darklands souvenir could have been far more cross than cute, and I knew it. I shook my head. “Formal invitation,” I clarified. I mean it wasn’t like I hadn’t participated in this particular taboo and unsportsmanlike practice before — on Lorelei, of course.

  His head fell into a playfully objectionable tilt. “Really?” he scoffed. “Blast fishing?”

  I smiled shamelessly. “You can cuff me in tin later, warden.”

  “If either of those creatures become proud new parents today, I may be forced to,” he vowed, sounding just as cocksu
re as the grin his lips had stroked out.

  I staked the harpoon into the ground to quash his last remark before it jinxed my lucky day. “They won’t.”

  Tanner pointed to my choice of weapons curiously. “That’s how you plan on sending them back?”

  “Not hardly,” I smirked.

  Doubt clouded every inch of his face. “Then what’s your plan?”

  The agog driving his persistence tingled my lips straight into a smile. “I’m going to open its eyes,” I said irrefutably. But I purposely left out the “try” part, seeing how today was about stacking the last of my chips and going all in. Besides, some of the heftiest pots have been won at the hands of hopeful bluffs, so I wasn’t near ready to rule out this crapshoot just yet.

  I redirected my stare to the murky, stagnant scene. Once I’d settled on a promising spot, I issued the stone a wishful shake, drew back my arm, and then sailed the diamond into the swamp. It exploded upon impact, shooting a hefty spray of water into the air and fanning the billion volts along its surface in all directions. With the steadfast guide of exacting eyes, I searched for any signs of abnormal movement. It wasn’t long before I caught a current racing towards a cluster of logs that set roughly fifty yards off to my right. I yanked the harpoon out of the muck and bolted towards the spot. The startled worm-like creature was trying to barricade itself in-between the logs. I increased my speed and then sprang into the air when I ran out of bank. My hands tightened around the shaft as I arched the harpoon high over my head. I plunged the tip of its silver spearhead into its body, just shy of its center length. Then with the unstoppable determination of a hunt-obsessed Captain Ahab leading my charge, I kept driving the harpoon straight through the beast until I felt the spearhead lock snugly into the bed of the swamp.

  The skewered creature thrashed violently, wriggling both of its ends and filling the chamber with a barrage of shrill screeches. I jiggled the harpoon to make sure it had a solid enough hold and then jumped into the water. I caught Tanner’s clueless air in my peripherals as I worked my way up to the mouth of the creature. I couldn’t fault him for it; I didn’t even know if what I’d thought up would work, and it certainly wasn’t something I could practice. But the way I saw it, even the remotest of long shots was still technically a daggone shot, and I was taking it.

  Diamond claws arched, I dug my fingernails deep into the creature’s rough scales and secured a firm grip. Even after shirking from a blast of slime it had spit out, my hold remained unbroken. Then with the most wholehearted desire bubbling inside me, I beseeched my pleas to both my diamond and the golden topaz’s essences and summoned every ounce of their power that I could. I wanted this creature gone—straight to the depths of my soul—but not because this was a test I needed to pass. I wanted it out of here for the hopelessness it represented. I had suffered through enough of my own this summer, and I’d be damned before I would let this enigma exist as a reminder to me or the world for a second longer.

  My hands started shaking, and then a glittery golden light ignited my fingers, warming them with its glow. I kept my attention solely on the power I was streaming from my two stones as I stared at the creature, eyes the height of focused and my will unshakeable. Then all of a sudden, the same glistening golden light that was igniting my hands burst through the creature’s scales just above its mouth. The wider the spot stretched, the more I sensed the fervor of the golden topaz’s energy mounting. I zeroed in on the anomaly’s essence, praying that what I was seeing proved real.

  Just when I thought the anticipation was about to do me in, the slit popped open, and a tiny golden orb emerged. I watched it contract and roll around in its socket, no different than any other normal eye would. The blinding Veil light shot out of the oculus as soon as I commanded it to open. Then with a guide of my hands, I tugged on the creature and aligned its newly formed soul-connecting orb with the lure of the Veil light. The creature’s eye linked with its magic as flawlessly as if it had been a natural part of it all along. My fingers relaxed as the creature began to disappear. Then not a glorious second later, my Sy-las had gone home, back to where it and the despair it represented belonged.

  “I didn’t know you could do that,” Tanner breathed out, looking as astonished as I felt.

  “I didn’t either,” I muttered, both rapt in my own sheer amazement and the spellbound look in his eyes. “But you were the one who told me that nothing was impossible . . . not if you wanted something bad enough,” I reminded him, my sincerity blazing.

  The handsome Amethyst Talisman’s steps glided a smooth path towards me, his starry eyes never breaking their bond with mine. The impassioned look he was radiating was unmistakable; Tanner was truly proud of me, even in spite of him being a slim-second away from losing the bet we’d made.

  I was making my way towards him when something bumped my legs and knocked me onto my knees. The next thing I knew, I looked back to spy Sy-Las Number-Two rising out of the water. My head whipped back towards Tanner as soon as I felt the creature’s mouth lock onto my feet. Then with one quick and forceful “slurp”, it sucked me inside its mouth whole. Darkness now filled my cramped surroundings. My only prayer was that Tanner kept his butt dry and on the bank. I didn’t want him jumping in to help, not this time. Lest he’d forgotten, this wasn’t my first digestion, and I sure-fire knew what not to do.

  The suction cup-like muscles lining the creature’s insides squeezed on my frame, pulling me further down its pipe. Inside or outside, I didn’t give a damn. I was getting this thing to sprout an eyeball even if I had to plant one on its ass on my way out.

  Hoping to put the breaks on my one-way ride, I anchored my nails into its squishy innards and pressed my feet against the creature’s lower walls. I called upon my two stones’ powers again, more determined considering the urgency of the gut-churning situation. The glow that had lit my hands before was intensifying. Before I knew it, its luminescence had engulfed my entire body, and I was beaming as bright as a flashlight. With my eyes angled towards a slimy patch of skin in front of my chest, I started homing my energy and whispering my desires the same as before. Another slit magically appeared, even faster this time, and I soon found myself staring at my second creepy golden eyeball. The points of the oculus had barely peeled back when the creature started to fade away. Within seconds, Sy-Las Number Two was nothing more than a nauseating memory, and my body was floating unrestrained, slowly drifting towards the surface. I trawled my hands through the water and emerged from the murky depths to find Tanner like I’d hoped, standing on the bank and waiting for me. Though the relief in his eyes let me know he hadn’t done it with much patience…if any.

  I waded the rest of the way once I’d felt the scrape of the bed at my feet. “So were you worried about me?”

  He threw me a dismissive glare. “Not in the least.”

  “Sure,” I grinned after a covert glance aimed at that twitching artery of his had confirmed my suspicions. And it told no tales, despite whatever spin his mouth wheeled out.

  He took my hand and pulled me onto the rocks alongside him, close enough to where his arousing scent drowned out the skunky stench smothering the entire swamp. And I was covered in it from head to toe (and even uncomfortably in-between). Now I kind of wished I’d left that zipper where I’d originally laid it. Yep. Something squishy-gross was down there. I could feel it.

  Tanner motioned towards the exit. “Why don’t you go and get cleaned up,” he suggested.

  “So I can just get dirty again?” I posed as we made our way to the ladder. I honestly couldn’t have cared less. With the exception of whatever was clinging on to my breasts, the only thing bothering me was the smell. But who knows? The funky stench might bother all three of the chimera’s snouts even more.

  “I was prepared to sit down to a decent meal this morning until I was ambushed at breakfast,” he chided with a grin. “I just thought you might like to freshen up and get refueled before your bout. You really shouldn’t fight that thing
on an empty stomach.”

  Something started to smell a whole lot fishier than me all of a sudden. “All right,” I agreed and hurried up the ladder. I made sure I kept a tight grasp on my emotions as we made our way upstairs, happily thinking about my four straight victories in hopes of masking my growing suspicions.

  On a hunch, I called out to Tanner before I entered my room.

  He stopped with a noticeable pause midway up the stairs. “Yes?”

  I bore down on the door handle. “Thank you,” I said, my words drenched in gratitude and my eyes the picture-perfect vision of humility. “You’ll never know how much facing the chimera alone means to me.”

  “A bet’s, a bet,” he grinned. With his affirmation echoing the hall, I issued him a smile and headed into my room. Though my performance may have attempted to match the likes of an always-poised Kate Winslet, the door came to a close with me feeling just as bitter as a hairy-eyeballed Kathy Bates. I had that twitchy vascular lie-detector of his thumping to the tune of “LIAR” to thank for that. And I would have been a lot madder if I didn’t have my backup ace all ready, willing, and waiting to shove down his bet-welshing hole.

  CHAPTER 23

  I arrived at the dining room a little over an hour later, after a necessary detour down to the library. I had to snag a little extra insurance first — a “backup” for my backup plan. A girl’s got to cover all of her bases. Lunch was delicious as always, though I would have probably enjoyed my grilled chicken and Caesar salad even more if I didn’t have to stay on my emotional-toes. Keeping them muddled was about as easy as trying to balance two towering stacks of plates while riding a unicycle down a bumpy hill with a German Sheppard nipping at your tail. I managed, but it was exhausting…and I was tired of having to do it. I wasn’t sure how often Tanner dipped into my emotions or if my diamond automatically magnified them to the point where he couldn’t tune them out. I’d never asked, and now I was afraid to. Believe me, I hadn’t given up on my search for something to block them all together. My coveted emotional-condom was out there somewhere, possibly hidden amidst the leathery forest lining the shelves of Mount Everest downstairs…I could feel it.