“My friend, you are beyond wonderful. Please do not let me cause you discomfort. Sometimes, your direct line of questioning catches me by surprise.”
Daria seemed to have lost her appetite as well and Kyla watched with concern as she pushed her food around the plate. So, she was surprised at Daria’s next question. “I haven’t seen Ni-Cio. Will he be coming?”
Kyla glanced around but after having witnessed Daria’s reaction to Ni-Cio, she didn’t even try a mind link. “Knowing my brother, he is somewhere enjoying four plates of food. Don’t worry, I promise not to let him bother you.”
Daria’s mouth dropped open. “Your brother? Ni-Cio is your brother?”
Kyla was about to apologize for her lineage, when the Council Leader rose and raised his glass to toast their new Healer. Marik’s rich bass tones rebounded through the Hall. “Daria, I traditionally raise the first toast. As I present this glass in your honor, I wish you long life, love beyond measure and children to keep you young. Welcome to Atlantis!”
Cries of “Hear, hear!” accompanied his toast and the muscari flowed freely as others chimed in with their good wishes.
Tradition dictated that the next formal toast should come from the Most Sovereign Healer. Na-Kai rose to address her new apprentice. With her movements, streams of light flickered around and through her. She was almost transparent. The revelry quieted until a solemn hush had descended over the hall. The aging Healer raised her glass. “Daria, you are our continuance. Because of you, our lives will be lifted. Though you have doubts about your abilities, know this, in time, the full measure of the woman you are to become will unfold as surely as a flower opens its petals to the sun. With your presence, Atlantis is well and truly blessed.”
She lowered her arm and paused. Still seated, Daria moved with uncertainty. She glanced anxiously at Kyla, and Kyla squeezed her hand in reassurance. Daria looked back at her mentor.
Na-Kai’s voice filled with tenderness as she once again raised her glass. “Daria, I would take you as the child of my heart. From this moment I would be as your mother. I will teach you. I will love you. I will protect you with my very life. All that I am and all that I have will pass unto you, if you would have it so.”
Throughout the Hall, there was not a rustle of movement.
Kyla saw the doubt flash over Daria’s features. She knew that Daria was conflicted and she watched as her inner struggle played itself out over her beautiful face. The young Healer slowly pushed her chair back and approached Na-Kai. She stood before her mentor, and her beautiful contralto filled the air. “Having been alone so much of my life, the idea of becoming part of a family again is almost more than I can bear. I don’t remember my mother very well, but I do remember being surrounded by her love. From the moment I was brought into Atlantis, you have surrounded me with your love.
“Na-Kai, it would be my greatest joy to take you as the mother of my heart. I will love you as a daughter would, and I will protect you. All that I am and all that I may become will be given to my new family. I will protect them with my life.”
As Daria and Na-Kai wrapped their arms around each other in a fierce embrace, exaltation rang through every heart in the Great Hall. Their family was whole once more.
When the food had been consumed to the last crumb, the toasts had dwindled to the occasional sentimental pronouncement, and the dessert had been cleared, the celebration suddenly gained a new momentum. People jumped up and shoved tables and chairs out of the way as the musicians began a set of foot-tapping, finger-snapping tunes. The dancing was fun, frivolous and frenetic.
Daria laughed to see people grab their partners and with joyful abandon begin spinning about the floor. Entranced by the bright swirl of color and people, Daria tapped a rapid beat with her foot, but as she swayed to the music, a strange lethargy began to crawl down her spine and seep into her bones. She thought she needed to sit for a while so she walked toward a set of discarded tables. Before she could lower herself into a waiting chair, a pair of strong arms seized her waist and spun her onto the dance floor. Startled, she couldn’t hide her delight, “You’re here!”
Ni-Cio flashed such a brilliant smile that her knees almost buckled. He pulled her closer and his words teased. “I see you missed my company.”
She tried to think of a witty response, but the sound of his voice chased away all conscious thought. He guided her onto the dance floor and Daria was amazed to find how effortlessly their bodies blended. They danced as though they had known each other forever. The music climbed to a final apex and Ni-Cio began a gravity-defying spin. Daria clung to him, afraid that the g-forces would wrench her from his grasp and send her rolling, like a bowling ball, into the other dancers.
She was about to beg her handsome partner to stop so that she could catch her breath when the tempo slowed, and the music merged into a poignant number that evoked memories of lost lovers reunited. The indescribable feel of his body as it molded to hers awakened a response in her that she had never thought possible. She wanted to melt into him until she became his breath. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the feel of him as he led her in the slow, sensual dance.
With the intimate fusion of their bodies, Daria was overcome with a longing so intense she wanted to cry. She lifted her gaze. Not quite sure what she wanted to say, she stammered. “I, I…”
Strong fingers caressed her lips with a touch soft as a feather, and Ni-Cio’s whispered response was pitched for her only. “Hold, my love. Nothing must be said now. We are here. Let your senses succumb to this tenuous moment. There will be time enough for talk.”
His warm breath caressed her neck and her heart thrummed. Ni-Cio raised his head and their gazes locked. The recognition of all that would open between them was as real as the dancers that swirled about the Hall.
Ni-Cio lowered his mouth to hers. Their kiss was long and deep, filled with passion and promise. At last, Ni-Cio trailed a line of kisses to her ear and she heard his breathless whisper, choked with ardor. “We must leave before I make a complete fool of myself. By the gods, I could take you here before all the descendants of Poseidon and not care a whit who was watching.”
Daria’s passionate reply echoed his desire, “Not before I would have you.”
He took her hand and they wended their way through the remaining dancers. They crossed to one of the portals and Ni-Cio turned into the passageway that led to his chambers. As they walked, wrapped in each other’s arms, Daria began to feel lightheaded. Thinking it was the overwhelming nearness of the man next to her, she shook her head. Assailed by a violent attack of vertigo, she stumbled and nearly fell, but Ni-Cio caught her. “My love, are you all right?”
Overwhelmed by a feeling that bordered on an ether-induced need for sleep, Daria mumbled a response. “So, tired. I, don’t understand.”
Each step felt as if she were slogging through waist-deep mud. Suddenly, what little strength she had disappeared. Her arms slipped from Ni-Cio’s waist.
Ni-Cio crushed her to his chest and stroked her back. His words barely registered. “Do not trouble yourself. You have been through so much, it is a wonder you haven’t fallen asleep for an entire month.” He swung her into his arms and hurried to his chambers.
Ni-Cio laid her upon his bed but Daria didn’t stir. He pulled thick, warm covers over her shoulders and smoothed her brow. “Sleep, my dearest love.”
He wasn’t quite sure what to do. He walked to the waterwall and rinsed his face and hands, then lifted a chair and carried it over to the bed. With a quiet thump he settled into the soft cushions and propped an elbow on one of the arms. Resting his chin on one fist, he studied the topsider. Wondering at the rapidity with which this sleep had overtaken her, his lips twisted in a wry grin. “If I did not know better, I would think my male pride just took a tremendous beating.”
As certain of Daria’s feelings as his own, his thoughts took a darker turn. “Still, this behavior seems highly unusual. Perhaps it is just that events have finally c
aught up with you.” He frowned. “Even so, should I attempt to read your thoughts?”
He leaned forward. Before he could begin, Daria twitched and moaned, and Ni-Cio could see that however deep her slumber, it was not restful.
He slid from the chair and onto the bed. He lay beside her and took her carefully into his arms. He released a gentle thought-form. “I am here…rest and refresh yourself, troubles will wait for the morrow…know that you are my heart and it will always be so…”
Ni-Cio felt an immediate response as her muscles loosed some of their stiffness. He took a slow, deep breath and calmed his mind. Eventually, he allowed his eyes to close, and he followed Daria into the realm where dreams are made.
An agonizing, heart-wrenching scream brought Ni-Cio to full and abrupt consciousness. He fought the covers, trying to extricate himself from the tangle until his focus was yanked back to the woman next to him. Daria sat straight as a ramrod, staring sightlessly into the night as though all the forces of evil were coming to annihilate her very soul. Ni-Cio grabbed her and pulled her back to his chest. His heart hammered against his ribs and he felt a panic he had never known. He tried to keep his voice even, “Daria, you are having a bad dream.”
Deep into the nightmare, her body shook with fear and even though he held her, she gathered herself to scream yet again. Ni-Cio grabbed her shoulders and pushed himself to his knees. He looked at her, but there was not a glimmer of acknowledgment. Her eyes were in a trancelike state. He shook her as hard as he dared and initiated an urgent thought-form, “Daria, awaken!”
A swift inhalation of breath, and Ni-Cio knew she had disentangled herself from the grip of her terrible dreamstate. Daria blinked rapidly, her breath came in ragged gasps and she twisted and turned, wildly looking for something that was not there. At last, she threw herself into Ni-Cio’s arms as if terrified that he too would disappear into the blackness.
A sound similar to a gentle keening issued from deep within her soul, and he thought his heart would break. Ni-Cio held her like a child, rocking back and forth, until at last, she calmed. “It was terrible. They were here and I couldn’t do anything.”
“Shh, shh, there is no need to remember. It was just a bad dream. You are safe. We are together and you have nothing to fear.”
The power of the nightmare finally began to release its hold. Daria’s body started to relax. They laid back and drifted, for a time, in the comfort of each other’s arms.
Finally, without breaking the stillness, Ni-Cio initiated a thought-command and the lighting changed. He sent the whisper of a thought to Daria. “Look up…”
Overhead, the panorama of a night sky unfurled across the ceiling and a galaxy of twinkling stars spilled into the room. They danced though the dark like fireflies and chased the murky shadows away. Daria and Ni-Cio watched in wonder as shimmers of light splashed across the bed and painted their world in moonglow and starshine.
A beautiful smile lit Daria’s face and Ni-Cio gently released her from his embrace. He crooked an elbow and rested his head on his hand. He was awed by her. A smile lit her face. “Ni-Cio, it’s glorious!”
Glimmers of light flashed over the sensuous curves of her body, and a swift desire ignited within him. With her arrayed in starlight, it seemed to Ni-Cio that all light emanated from Daria. Her golden hair cascaded in loose waves over her shoulders and reflected colors like a prism dancing in the sun. With every breath, her porcelain skin sparkled with its own translucence. To Ni-Cio, she was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Had he not felt the bed holding him firmly in place, he would have thought he had entered a dream of his own making. “One from which I do not want to wake.”
He caressed the small of Daria’s back with a touch soft as down, and she shifted her gaze to look upon him. He was unable to take another breath. The moment had come. He raised his hand to trace the silken line of her cheek with the backs of his fingertips. “I would know your thoughts and I would have you know mine.”
Daria’s eyes were filled with so much love he thought his heart would burst. She reached for his hand and entwined her fingers with his, and the cadence of her voice washed over him like a gentle prayer, “Please tell me that this isn’t a dream. I don’t think I could stand having my heart broken again.”
Ni-Cio lowered her onto his chest, “I will never hurt you. I will love you and protect you with my very life. You have nothing to fear.”
They faced each other and his gaze spiraled into the aquamarine depths of her eyes. She opened her mind to the first tremolos of his thought-touch. Like a whisper of mist, he wound his way through the garden of her mind until he had encircled her very essence. The deepest core of Daria was known to him and he felt himself open to her fully and with love.
Through the exaltation of their communion, they took each other to higher peaks, higher skies. They were mixed and made one with colors dreamed through their eyes. They flew and were led to the sun. As their thoughts were softened and warmed, they awakened in each other’s arms.
Leaving Santorini was easier than Evan expected. One call and arrangements had been made for a mid-sized jet to be at his disposal. He had not inquired about a submersible, because the less anyone knew, the better. He needed to obtain the vehicle as fast as possible, and being unfamiliar with the laws regarding such acquisitions, he was prepared to circumvent certain proprieties.
After some thought, he had concluded that the closest deep water port outside of Greece was in Italy. Within easy reach of Santorini, Naples was where he had decided to begin the hunt.
The jet was on the tarmac, fueled and ready for departure. Evan left his car in the hangar and hurried over the hot asphalt. He vaulted up the steps and heard the captain greet him as he entered the fuselage. “Dr. Gaddes, welcome aboard, sir.”
“We leave at once.” Evan wanted everyone on board to know that he was not there to chit chat.
The captain’s manner stiffened. “Certainly, sir, I just need to know our destination.”
“Italy. Naples.”
“Very good, sir. We will be in the air as soon as I finish the flight check.”
Evan gave a curt nod and turned to take his seat. He was approached by a pretty, dark-haired flight attendant. “Good morning, doctor. We are fully stocked. Is there anything you would like before take-off?”
Lost in thought, he regarded her for the interruption she represented. About to decline, he changed his mind, “Scotch on the rocks and make it a double.”
Before she could attend to his drink, he stopped her. “Is there access to a computer?”
Anxious to comply with his request, she opened an overhead bin and handed a laptop to Evan. “Do you need help getting it started?”
“Just the drink.”
She left without another word. Evan booted the machine and heard the captain’s announcement. “Dr. Gaddes, our flight time to Naples will be approximately two hours forty-seven minutes. Skies are clear and we will be flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet. We have been cleared for departure, so if you will please fasten your seat belt, we can be underway.”
Evan ignored the request and didn’t look up as he was handed his drink. He absentmindedly took a sip while he scanned through the information on the Web. He knew what he wanted. So he quickly discounted the luxury submarines touted as the newest toy for the wealthy elite. He needed a workhorse with the capability of exceeding 10,000 feet.
The jet’s vibrations deepened. The plane started to roll and Evan sifted through a catalog of choices. As the wheels left the runway, he narrowed his focus to a streamlined machine called the OceanusVI. The two-man submersible had been built by a deep-ocean engineering company for an Italian television station. The unit was highly maneuverable and could exceed depths of more than 12,000 feet. He took another sip. “There you are. Now, who is your owner?”
Evan glanced out the porthole just once at a sky of merciless clarity. The uncompromising blue circled the silver jet like a globe. Left alone, he lo
wered his head back to the computer screen, tenaciously burrowing through the tangled byways of the Internet, hunting the owner of a certain OceanusVI. He never looked out the window again.
With the search over and his business about to be concluded, Evan allowed himself a brief respite. He settled back into luxurious leather seats as the driver of the limousine skirted the narrow, winding streets of Naples. The port would soon come into view. He closed his eyes and ran over everything in his mind one last time.
He had found his submersible, but he knew that persuasion had a price. Calls completed, funds transferred, he was headed to the final meeting that would transfer ownership. The Italian owner had suggested that a week would not be enough to learn all the detailed mechanics of the undersea vehicle. But when Evan had snarled, “I don’t have that much time,” the man had offered no more advice.
Evan rubbed his tired eyes and relaxed into the silence. Still, he could not quiet his mind and his thoughts circled back to Daria. “I don’t want you down there any longer than you have to be.”
That thought brought back some wonderful memories.
Evan had stood in the living room tapping his foot. With his usual impatience, he had glanced at his watch as she came from her bedroom. One look at his expression and she had strolled across the room, taken hold of his arm and unfastened his watch.
With an attitude of studied nonchalance, she had thrown it onto a nearby table and, half-jokingly, admonished him. “Tonight there are no schedules, no necessary meetings and no clocks. I intend to have your full concentration. If not, I’ll just go back into that bathroom, draw myself a hot bath and leave you to your commitments.”
He remembered being so startled that he had laughed out loud. No one ever dared speak to him in that manner, and in retrospect, that was what he loved about her. She brought out a lighter side he hadn’t even known he possessed.
He opened his eyes and sighed. “Ah, Daria, I would give everything I have just to be certain of your safety.”
Tides of Change Page 11