Natalie pulled the blanket tighter around her. “Get your fish to spin a portal then."
"Are you sure? I can go.”
She let out a heavy sigh, an action that had become familiar in the Hunter's fortress—one synonymous with their rising frustration, worry, and fears. "As much as I hate saying this, you need to send the mermaids in—alone. I can’t see another way."
"Even though you don’t trust them?” He was stalling, but he had to run all the possibilities. Once he asked Selene, there was no turning back.
"I trust you. And besides, if Halen doesn’t have elixir, she’s screwed. Send the mermaids. At least then we know if she’s there." She nodded toward the screen where the cameras zoomed in on a coyote carcass. "We should have been there for her."
"We didn't know." Asair bowed his head.
"I should have known—damn it. I'm her twin sister." As her voice rose, the Hunters’ busts rattled on the marble pillars. “If I can feel her fever, why can’t I find her?”
He touched her shoulder absorbing part of her rage, until the room settled. “The curse is complicated, and then there’s Dax…” He didn’t want to think of him on the edge of Halen’s seam.
"Do what you have to do.” She glanced up, tears rimming her eyes.
"I'll speak with the mermaids after they feed," he said, though his feet wouldn't move. Asking the mermaids had been his suggestion. Why then did his gut twist with dread? Selene would indulge the favor, but not without a sacrifice. He feared what she would demand in return.
FLAMES BURST IN the coyote’s fur; its jaw split with a howl as the inferno consumed its body. Flesh curled from his bones, and with a wave of her hand, Halen snapped the canine’s neck to silence the torturous cry. Sobbing, Halen folded clutching her stomach as she tried to calm the trembling within. Dax, she shouted. Stop. Please. She heaved, waking with a start. She bolted upright, only to be pulled back by the thick cuffs pinning her to the ground. She wriggled, the straps burning her skin. What the hell? Her legs caught as well, her ankles bound by the same unforgiving material. Where am I? Her thoughts raced. The last thing she remembered was… She let her head fall back against a pile of brush. The shifter boy—the owl gliding beside her in the smoke-filled night.
Above, a candelabra hung with crimson candles; the flames flickered, casting shadows along the dirt walls. The putrid scent of rot thickened the air. When she turned her head, Halen flinched, but her magick did not rise to greet the boy with the hungry stare. She felt nothing at all with the fever consuming her brain.
“Danik, Danik, Danik…” His sharp yellow gaze darted to the ceiling, to the left, to the ground and back to Halen. “My name is Danik.” The boy crouched, crossing his arms over his feathery down chest.
This couldn’t be who bound her with these shackles, the boy could barely steady his shaking hands. “Where are we? Why am I bound?”
“Too much power, too much, too-too-too-too much.”
Of course, she was tied; she was a murderer. Chills pinched her skin and her stomach cramped. She just wanted to curl up and rest. “I’m cold. Can you please just loosen the bindings? I’m not feeling well.” She tugged the strap attached to a gold chain and followed it to the dagger stabbed in the ground. Three more ruby encrusted daggers attached to gold chains held her in place. “What is this place?” Her stomach rolled with her words. She swallowed, but the acid rising fought harder. She turned as the hot bile spewed from her lips.
Danik leapt up, gathering her puke in his hands. He sipped, swishing the contents of her stomach back and forth between his cheeks.
This alone churned her stomach once more, and she gagged, throwing up all over his feet.
He stepped back, still swishing her vomit in his mouth. He blinked casting his gaze to the candelabra and then spit. He swiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Your magick is dirty. We must cleanse.”
“Cleanse?” Her throat burned with the forced words. “I need elixir. Do you know what Coral and Bone is? There was a box in my car. If I just…” She pursed her lips to keep from throwing up again.
“No more G-g-g-gaurdian.” He shook his head and feathers sprouted along the part in his hair line. He clasped his hand to the new feathers, smoothing them out.
“What?” She yanked against the restraint, but it wouldn’t budge. “What have you done with Dax?”
“Safe. Safe, like you, and you, and you, and you.” His head jerked, bending his neck at a curiously odd angle.
Halen didn’t see anyone else in the tight alcove. Perhaps, he was confused. “Dax is here?”
“Safe.” He rubbed his dirty hands along his pants, leaving fresh stains on the muddied suede.
Closing her eyes, she breathed through the next wave of nausea. At least they didn’t leave Dax in the desert. The water stone. She turned toward him. “Where’s my car?”
“Gone, gone, gone.”
“What does that mean? Gone where?”
He pointed to the ground “Pria hid it. No one will find the stone.”
Her mind flashed with a young woman, a brown spotted feather cape draping her broad shoulders as she captured Halen with the breeze of her sparkling breath. “You hid the water stone with my car?”
“Can’t touch it-t-t-t.” He held up his hands; Danik’s right hand was bandaged and soaked in dirt and vomit.
Coming to the desert was a disaster. She should have taken her chances at the beach house. At least there, she was free. At home, she had elixir. “I’m sick. I need what was in that car. There was a box.”
“The elixir is sweet.” He licked his lips. “The money makes a comfy nest.” He knelt and padded the cushioning beneath her.
Panic twisted her aching bones. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about the money, if she didn’t have elixir—“You drank the elixir—all of it? You don’t know what you’ve done.”
“Danik is not a fool. We needed to make sure the elixir wasn’t tainted.” A woman stepped from the shadows. A garland of rubies adorned her head; her yellow stare piercing. A feather cape draped her shoulders, resting over her tan hides; an elegant leather sheath at her hip housed a small sword.
“The elixir isn’t tainted,” Halen said.
She stepped beside Danik. “If the elixir was harvested after your unfortunate binding,” she nodded to Halen’s arm, “then it wouldn’t help anyway.”
“Sister, sis—” Danik leaped up, hundred-dollar bills stuck to the grime on his pants. He brushed the money away. “Her fever is worse.”
“Can you check on the Guardian for me?” the woman asked. “I will look after her.”
“Yes, I will taste his blood.” He clapped his hands.
“That won’t be necessary, Danik. Just make sure his pulse is steady.” She tapped her wrist. “No need to draw blood.”
He scrunched his brow as if this command disappointed him, but he nodded and departed.
“My brother had an unfortunate accident with a spell last winter. He hasn’t quite been the same. But despite his speech, his magick is quite sharp.”
“You’re shifters.” Halen knew this already, but she was hoping the woman would fill in the blanks.
“Burrowing owls.” As she crouched, she swept her cape away from the vomit, and side stepped before placing her cool hand on Halen’s forehead. “We reside beneath the desert and lake. My name is Pria, and you already met my brother, Danik.”
“Yes, and he drank my elixir. Please, if you have more, I need it.”
“Let me loosen the bindings.” She unsheathed her sword and Halen gasped. The etched steel glimmered against the candle light. Pria touched the hilt of each ruby dagger with the tip of her sword and the gold chains fell to dust. She secured the sword back at her side. “We had to be sure when you woke, you didn’t kill us all.”
“I would never...”
“But you would if you had the elixir. The drive for survival is strong in you. You could have been born Etlin.”
Halen sat, rubbing he
r wrists, where the bindings pressed her bones.
“We’ll leave those on, in case you need the chains again.”
“I won’t.” Halen brought her knees up to her chest; she flinched when her hair cascaded over her shoulder. She grasped a fistful of inky black locks—her once cropped hair now curled her waist; her hands deep azure. “What’s happened to me?”
“Death changes people—inside and out,” Pria said.
Despite Halen’s shocking physical appearance, her emotions were more concerning. Away from the wand, her body trembled with a craving to be near the water stone once more; a thirst, a hunger, a meal set before her ravenous desire only to be swept away before for she fed. “Where’s the stone?”
“Safe.”
“You don’t understand.” She steadied her tone, in an attempt to not sound desperate. “No one can find it—ever. I need it.”
“The stone is buried where no one will ever find it.”
“Where the hell is it?” Her voice cut with anger, and this surprised her. She wasn’t attached to stone; she had only agreed to protect it from the Tari. Otherwise, she didn’t care about Galadia’s wand. Still, the water stone had warned her, singing into the night before the coyotes attacked.
“Calm down.” Pria blew and same sparkling dust, which had lifted Halen in the desert, floated around her body.
The dust swarmed Halen’s mouth, drifting deep into her lungs. A calmness spread over her, soothing her frantic thoughts.
“Better?” Pria brushed the dust off on her cape.
She nodded. “But I still need the coral and bone.”
“Chew this.” From the lining of her cape, she pulled out a drawstring pouch. She dug inside and brought out a disk the size of penny. She handed the purple disk to Halen.
Halen examined the disk; whatever the purplish material, it was bound with a caramel colored fiber.
“It will help with pain.”
When she touched the disk to her tongue, her mouth watered for more.
“Go on. It’s not poison. I’m not an idiot. I know if you die, Etlis will open.”
“Then you also know I can’t stay here.”
“Chew it.”
Halen popped the mysterious disk in her mouth. As she chewed, the disk dissolved with a creamy sweet center.
“Good.” Pria swept her braid off her shoulder. “I can’t give you elixir, but Danik’s potions will make the withdrawal easier.”
“What?” She swallowed the rest whole. “I need to find the others. My sister and Asair, do you know where they are?”
She shook her head. “You only need to be free of your Guardian. Otherwise your magick is useless. Look at your arm. You’ve killed many.” Her voice held no tone of accusation.
Halen studied her new birth mark; the lines no longer soft curlicues and starbursts. Now, dozens of sharp silver lines slashed across her arm, same as the one that formed when Peter died. Her breath rushed out all at once. “This is their lives—the shifters I killed?”
She nodded. “Death also never lets you forget.”
“This is not who I am.” She choked back the rising tears. “This not who I want to be.”
“You were born a warrior. Sometimes, to win battles, lives must be sacrificed. Don’t be ashamed.”
“You don’t understand. Dax harnessed my magick. He made all of this happen.”
“Then you know nothing.” She guffawed.
“No, I don’t. But I do know I need to be with my sister and Asair. They can help me.”
Pria dropped a handful of purple disks in her lap. “They will help with the pain.”
“You can’t keep me here.”
“If you want to try and find your way out, go ahead. But we can’t help you if you’re lost. The tunnels stretch for miles.”
“Now is not the time to wean me off Dax. I don’t even think it’s possible.” She held up her arm. “We’re bound.”
“We’ll see.”
“Rania is coming for me. I need my magick.”
“We are aware of the situation. For now, we’ll protect you and your Guardian. That was the deal.”
“Deal? What deal?” Halen swiped the tears away.
“The deal we made with the Elosian girl from the lake.” From her pocket, Pria withdrew a silver necklace with two interlocking loops; the parting gift from Quinn.
When Asair gave the necklace to Nelia, Halen had thought it odd, especially when Asair told Nelia she would know what to do with it. Is this what Quinn had in mind? They couldn’t have known it would all come to this. Still, Nelia didn’t hesitate when wrote the destination on the scrap paper.
“You’re protecting me for a necklace? There has to be more. What are you getting out of this?”
Pria smiled the same twisted grin as her brother’s. “Your magick.”
“What do you mean? My magick isn’t transferrable.”
“But each part of you is powerful, every single cell. Every—” she wrapped her finger around a lock of Halen’s hair, “part of your body.”
Halen’s eyes widened.
“Even those beautiful green eyes will be mine once we separate you from your Guardian.”
“Etlis will open.” Halen shrunk back from Pria.
“I don’t need your soul. I only want the parts of you. It’s a shame your heart must beat. So much power in one organ.” She turned with a sweep of her cape. “Take your medicine. You’re going to need it.” She disappeared down the tunnel stirring Halen’s rising fear.
She clasped her hands against her racing heart. Could she really cut her to bits and use her magic? Had this been part of Nelia’s revenge? Her breath quickened. No way was she staying to find out.
RESERVATION HUNG LIKE a noose around Asair's neck as he made his way to the reservoir. The mermaids were his responsibility—his abomination. Over the decades, observing the sisters from his dimension, remorse for his actions tore at his conscience. With the spell now broken, the bond hinged on Selene's black heart, and as much as he hated the bond, he needed the mermaids. They were his eyes on the outside. If they went to Pyramid Lake and Halen was near, they would sense her presence, and if he asked, they would bring her back to him.
He caught his reflection in the tinted windows as he passed the control center. Gone was the ghostlike boy with long snow white flowing hair and stark complexion. Now a rugged young man with shaved black hair stared back; his skin was a warm umber tone, not like his mother Rania, but like Quinn's human father. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and across the raised scar trailing his neck. He couldn't imagine Rania standing by while the Elosians inflicted these wounds on her son. When their souls merged, Asair understood Quinn's pain, relived each lashing and tortured cry as if he too had suffered an Elosian trial. And though Quinn no longer remained present, Asair would ensure his fight was never forgotten. He admired the boy who sacrificed his life for the realms; he wouldn’t let him down.
A damp fog enveloped him when he pushed open the heavy steel door. The water churned with choppy waves, as silver tails slipped between the crests, sending a shiver down his spine. Though the tank measured forty feet deep, restraining the mermaids this way was like keeping a whale in an aquarium. They couldn't thrive here. He approached the edge with caution, never quite knowing the mood of the girls. Selene popped up first, no doubt lurking near the surface awaiting his arrival. She swam to the edge, propping her silver scaled elbows on the concrete. Her wispy dark hair wrapped her shoulders like a cape of snakes. Still, beneath the scales, he recalled the beautiful Elosian, her skin glistening with dew, her eyes wide with life and devotion, but her petal pink lips, which once sipped his blood, were now tarnished black from the curse he once held over her.
"Where have you been?" She slapped her tail against the water.
Her two sisters, Kye and Diya surfaced, responding to her request. Out of twelve only three remained; two turned to stone at Halen's hand, which only made his request that much more difficult to ask.
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br /> "I have some good news." His skin flecked with warning sparks as he crouched to be level with Selene. She liked him close, and even though the proximity turned his stomach, he needed to appease her.
Her incisor teeth punctured her bottom lip as her smile broadened. She licked away the black blood. "You look hopeful today." Her gleaming gaze skimmed his, searching for a way into his thoughts. "Are we going somewhere?"
He glanced away, knowing already she'd seen in too far. "We may have found her." His tone remained flat. He didn’t even say her name in an attempt to not appear eager. He feared Selene’s tantrum if she read his confused emotions.
"You found the siren?" The smile slipped from her mouth.
"It took you long enough." Kye joined her sister by the ledge while Diya circled; her curious gaze trained on him.
Asair's pulse raced while they read him; each mermaid confirming every heart beat still belonged to them. "We believe she’s with the owls beneath Pyramid Lake. I need—" He paused. "We need you to go and see. If she’s there, bring her back with the Guardian."
"Oh, I do like the Guardian." Kye pushed away from the ledge, floating back and fanning her fins across the surface. "His blood is so sweet." The tips of her tail curled as she smiled.
Diya licked her lips. "I am a little hungry for something other than the dry desert birds your dragon brings us. Their organs reek of land. And the after taste…"
"You can't harm him." Asair warned, cutting her off. "We need his marrow." He rubbed his forehead where the previous headache collided with a new one. Asking them to bring Halen back safely was a horrible idea. They had been cooped up with little to feed on. They needed to hunt. He feared where this venture would lead.
"You can't drain his blood, Kye." Selene rolled her eyes. "The blue moon siren is weak without him. She's not like us."
"No, she's nothing like you." Asair spoke through gritted teeth, though he kept his tone warm.
Selene strummed the concrete ledge. Her black nails razor sharp, able to slice through his flesh with one swipe. Yet, he was sure she wouldn't harm him. At least he hoped her love for him would protect him. She wouldn't stay at the fortress otherwise. The shifters may be masters of portals, but Selene and her sisters were masters at blocking them. Already, they had blocked a dozen attempts at entering. "If she is with the owls, then they won’t give her up without a fight.”
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