Fathom

by Ashley L. Knight

  “I have to,”

  “Please be careful.”

  “I will.” I shoveled an egg into my mouth and sighed, practically spitting the whole thing back out.

  “When are you leaving?”

  “After I’ve eaten,”

  Thayde’s eyes grew wide and he shifted in his seat again.

  “I have to,” I didn’t know what else to say. Admitting that he was dying, even to myself, was hard enough without saying it out loud.

  Instead of arguing, he just smiled.

  I wolfed my food down and once he finished as much as he could, Thayde allowed me to help him back upstairs to his bed. Mom and Aletheia hovered in the doorway, uncertain as to what they should do.

  I hugged him as tight as I dared and kissed him as long as I could.

  “I love you so much,” I told him. “You’re my life. Hang in there until I get this thing resolved.”

  “I love you more,” he answered.

  “Na-uh!”

  “Ya-huh!” He kissed me once more and I pulled away from him.

  I stood in the doorway for one last look and Naira took her place next to Thayde. She placed her hand on his arm as if to try and comfort him.

  “Take care of him for me Naira,” I said, blowing her a kiss.

  Mom embraced me in the hallway, saying nothing other than she loved me. She knew I was facing the biggest situation I’d ever faced and words just didn’t seem to fit. When I left, she went back into the room with Thayde and Naira. Aletheia followed me downstairs.

  “Be very careful,” Aletheia said as we walked outside. “You must listen to your heart and what you know to be true. Don’t doubt yourself for a moment or he will win.”

  We reached the beach and I planted my feet, ready for The Leap.

  “You must end this for Thayde to live,” she reminded me.

  “I know,” I said. She stepped back and smiled hesitantly.

  “Step over your fears and move toward the destiny that is only yours. Be safe.”

  “I will.” I closed my eyes.

  Lord, please be with me. A calm feeling settled over me and as the golden orb began to circle me, I held my breath.

  Chapter Twelve

  Great Power

  This time, Leaping wasn’t nearly as traumatic on my body. I felt nauseous for a brief moment before opening my eyes and taking in the devastated scene around me. I’d ended up right next to Tammer’s beloved pool in Vero Beach. Immediately, the shower of rain soaked right through me and the chilly wind beat the palm trees, bending them at odd angles, making them look as if they’d snap in two. Tammer was very angry – he’d created a hurricane.

  Darting around downed coconuts and freshly torn tree branches, I sprinted into the living room, calling for Tammer. The empty hallways echoed back my greeting. After searching the main part of the house and finding it deserted, I focused on Tammer, sending a message of my own – my very first to him. I’m here.

  Minutes later, Ezen rounded the corner. The normally laid back self-confessed “lounger” looked as if he’d been hit by a ten ton truck. The grey circles under his eyes were just the beginning. His skin color didn’t mirror the normally bronzed look I was used to seeing. His dreadlocks were gone – cut completely off. He looked angry, sad and tired all wrapped up in one.

  “Ez!” I gave him a quick hug. “What happened to your hair?”

  “That’s a long story.” Even his voice was tired. “I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you can finish this once and for all.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Tammer has Limus in a holding cell where he can’t do anyone harm.” He rubbed his eyes and I noticed that he too, had lost a lot of weight.

  “A holding cell? Where?”

  “Downstairs.”

  He pressed against the hallway wall and a small door I’d never noticed swung inward. Ezen ducked through it and I followed, creeping down a narrow twisting staircase. Once or twice we were forced to duck from spider webs draping dangerously close to our heads. I grabbed Ezen’s shoulder as we descended into the black.

  “It’s okay, Morgan. We’re here.” He reassured. He must have thought I was afraid of Limus. It struck me funny that I was more concerned about the spiders.

  When we reached the bottom, Ezen squeezed through an even smaller opening into a cavernous room. At the end, leaning against a wall, stood a surly Limus. A clear cell seemingly made of glass held him in a small area all on his own. Tammer sat facing him in an uncomfortable looking metal chair, his back to us.

  As we neared, Limus sneered and crossed his arms, standing away from the wall. Tammer turned briefly, nearly making me cry out in alarm. His eyes were black.

  “He’s pissed,” Ezen whispered and took his place on the other side of the holding cell. Taking his place on the floor, he crossed his legs, rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.

  “Hi,” I began and Tammer’s eyes changed back to the familiar pale blue I remembered.

  “Morgan, I’m sorry I startled you.” He gave me a quick embrace. “I don’t know what else to do. I hope you do.”

  “Isn’t that sweet?” Limus’ voice was sickening. “Father and daughter reunited after all this time?”

  Tammer let go, his eyes turning black again as he focused in on Limus. The hatred seemed to seethe from him. The muffled sound of lightning crackled and the house shook. I placed my hand on his forearm.

  “Let it go, Tammer,” I said. His nostrils flared and he remained focused on Limus. A snarl exposed his teeth. I’d never seen him so angry, but he took his position back in the metal chair and his eyes returned to normal.

  Changing my focus to Limus, I looked him up and down. Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was going to do next, but believed I would know when I needed. He held his ground and stared back, an evil smirk upon his lips.

  “Hello Limus,” I said. He didn’t answer. “You look like Akin.”

  At the mention of his son, the smile fell from his face and he narrowed his eyes.

  “Do you have any idea what Akin looks like now?” He spat.

  “No,” I admitted.

  “He’s destroyed. My gorgeous boy looks…” he paused, searching for the words.

  “As ugly as his insides?” I suggested and he flew forward, pounding against the glass. Ezen shifted, resituating himself.

  “How dare you! You are filth! You have no right to be alive!” Limus screamed.

  I moved forward until just the glass separated us. “Limus, you have a lot of anger in you.”

  “Yes I do!” He shouted, spittle flying and resting on the smooth surface separating us. “My whole life fell apart when Thayde joined my family. Then you come along and ruin everything that was left! You took away my happiness – both of you did!”

  I thought about what he had just said. Even though this might be true from his point of view, I knew that he alone was responsible for his actions.

  “You shouldn’t expect things and other people to assume responsibility for your happiness, Limus. No one can make us truly happy or truly unhappy.”

  He laughed out loud, taking a step back and covering his mouth chuckling in sarcasm. “You’ve learned such wisdom in the little amount of time you’ve been gone! How wise you are! Don’t kid yourself - you’ll never be The Link, Morgan. The Link is an honor only bestowed upon the truly worthy. You are not worthy enough.”

  For a brief moment, the old feelings of hopelessness and fear threatened to return. I looked down at the floor. Everyone was counting on me. I looked back to Limus who watched me with another evil grin splaying about his face.

  Don’t doubt yourself for one moment, or you’ll lose. Aletheia’s words rang in my head like a mantra.

  You are never alone. Jacob’s voice resounded and instantly, I felt stronger that I had in a long time. I could do this.

  “Let me in with him,” I ordered.

  Tammer shook his head. “He’s too dangerous, Morgan. He’ll hurt you
.”

  “Ezen’s controlling the walls isn’t he?” I asked and Ezen opened his eyes, nodding. “Let me in,” I repeated. He hesitated, looking to Tammer. I felt the energy building within me and shivered. It was so powerful my skin was vibrating. “Now, Ezen.”

  A ripping sound echoed as a slit in the glass wall appeared before me and I walked straight through it. Limus took a few steps back as I entered and held up his hand. The slit behind me closed noisily. Nothing happened. Limus seemed unsure what to do next, his eyes darting around the glass prison.

  “You hold Thayde responsible for the death of his mother,” I began. “You have been cruel to him his whole life. At his one chance of love, you try to destroy it. You have hurt many merpeople and humans in your attempt to create The Link, not understanding the true meaning of the word ‘Link’. For one so gifted, you have squandered your powers and I won’t allow you to continue to spread your evil.”

  He snorted. “Allow me? You don’t ‘allow’ me to do anything, you hear?”

  Realizing he was not going to understand my point, I shook my head. “Nothing will bring you peace but yourself, Limus. Perhaps that is your lesson for your life.”

  “Enough talk!” He spat and held up both his hands.

  “Morgan, watch out!” Tammer cried, slamming against the glass as it held him away.

  Limus’ hands glowed white as the brilliant arch of energy shot toward me. I held up both of my hands and when it hit them, I absorbed it, feeling the energy wash over me, trying to pull me apart. Closing my eyes, my life began to play as if I was watching a video. Images of my childhood flew through my mind – growing up with my father, riding horses in the mountains, the trip to Florida, falling in love with Thayde, marrying him. My life was just beginning.

  I could hear Limus chanting out loud, trying to summon other powers. Tammer screamed as he pounded on the glass. My body felt consumed but not out of control. I didn’t feel the need to push back, rather, I wanted to accept the powers from Limus. Instead of feeling depleted and weak, I was filling with energy and I knew I could certainly handle a lot more.

  I opened my eyes to the look of fear in Limus’ face. As I walked toward him, his eyes grew wide and he broke his stare. The arch shrank as I neared and I closed the arch off by linking my fingers through his and holding both of his hands. A smile crept upon my face as I realized that this was the extent of Limus’ powers and they in no way could rival mine.

  The look of anger and horror on his face was hideous and Limus tried to pull away. I held on tight, forcing him to look into my eyes. I felt connected to him, as if we were briefly one, and I knew what I had to do.

  “I forgive you,” I whispered, only, my voice sounded magnified.

  His mouth dropped open in surprise and disgust. Seconds later, he fell to his knees, mouth agape and eyes wide as if he were being electrocuted. When I released my grip, he fell back, unconscious.

  The energy continued to vibrate in my body and I felt myself being lifted into the air. The golden glow had turned amber and then a deep red. I barely noticed Ezen and Tammer standing in front of me, in pure confusion as to what to do. Slowly, my arms raised themselves from my sides and stretched outward as if trying to embrace the world. Strange words escaped my lips and I listened as my voice, now unrecognizable even to me, repeated a phrase:

  “Elentha bac tol. Sanala rapt oft. Sanala rapt lept.”

  The phrase kept repeating until I relaxed into the power and moments later, it burst through me, bowling Ezen and Tammer over in its wake.

  As quickly as it happened, it stopped and I was lowered to the ground. Tammer was back on his feet in no time and rushed to me, his voice filled with panic.

  “Are you all right? Is he dead? How do you feel? Are you hurt?”

  No, I feel at peace, I thought.

  “Is he dead?”

  No, I’ve taken away his powers. He has nothing now. He won’t even be able to phase.

  Rubbing the back of his head, Ezen looked me up and down in awe. “Guess you’ve passed the test then, huh?”

  Test?

  Tammer coughed lightly. “Each Link has a final test to master. Aletheia told me yours was to decide whether he should live or die. You chose life and forgiveness for him. You passed the test. What just happened was that your body finally accepted the powers and welcomed them.”

  “What was I saying?”

  “You were speaking Sanserian,” Ezen said.

  “How? I don’t know the language!”

  Tammer grinned. “There are many things you’ll discover you can now do. Welcome to being The Link.”

  “But what did I say?”

  “You said: The Blessing is complete. The power be with me. The power be one.”

  None of us said a word for a moment. It was done and now I was truly The Link. I felt whole, strong and in control.

  “Now what happens?” I asked.

  “Now? Now the real work begins.” His arms were around me, pulling me close in a fatherly embrace. “I’m proud of you. You’re ready now to reign over our kind. You will know everything when you want to know it. The amount of power you possess is awesome. And remember the quote ‘With great power comes great responsibility’.”

  I’d heard that line before. “Where did it come from?”

  He stifled a smile. “Spiderman.”

  Ezen prodded Limus’s arm with the toes of his boot. “What should we do with Limus?” The arm looked like a drowned worm in a puddle. “I mean, we can’t exactly leave him here.”

  “Morgan?” Tammer looked to me for direction.

  “Take him home. His servants will take care of him.” I bent down and laid my hand on his forehead. His memories flooded my mind and I began to pull all of them that involved merpeople. I left him with a life filled with his family and the limited amount of kindness he had encountered and shown to others. When I was finished, he had no recollection of merpeople in any way. Sadly, it left a lot of holes in his memory. However, for the protection of our species and to guard against any type of revenge, it was a sacrifice I had to make.

  Ezen pulled Limus in a fireman’s lift over his shoulder, a strained look upon his face. The time Tammer, Ezen, and Thayde had taken to track, fight, and contain Limus had been a trial for them all. I was indebted to them for taking so much responsibility upon themselves.

  “Thank you both,” I said, “for everything you’ve done. I’m very fortunate to have you as my family.”

  Ezen nodded and moved past us to the stairs. Tammer watched him disappear and sighed.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’ll live.” He joked and put his arm around me. “Let’s get upstairs and see what the damages are.” We ascended the tiny stairway into the house and as we shut the door, were blinded from the sunlight flooding the windows.

  “I guess you’re feeling better now?” My hand wasn’t enough to block the sun’s intensity and I squinted up at Tammer. He was doing the same thing.

  “Yes, everything should be a lot better now.”

  I wasn’t so sure. This was the first time I’d felt so in control of my life and I knew I was a different person, but I also knew this wasn’t over. Someone else had to be a part of what had happened. Who had removed Limus’ memories of The Shadow? Why would they have done such a thing?

  I followed Tammer outside and we stood together at the edge of the pool, surveying the destruction about the house. The hurricane Tammer created had destroyed the gazebo.

  “Nice, Tammer,” I said in as sarcastic a voice as I could. “Who the heck’s going to clean all this up?”

  He winced and picked up a branch. “I’ll have to hire some men to take care of all of this. There’s no way we can do all this.”

  “We? What’s this ‘we’?” I fished a bobbing coconut out of the pool. “This place is a mess. You need a bulldozer just to get to my room!”

  Tammer laughed and chucked the branch to the side. “I think we should get back to
the others, don’t you?”

  My hesitation was apparent and he put his hand on my shoulder. “I’ve been through much worse, believe me. A little pain for a few moments won’t be the death of me.”

  “Okay,” I grasped his forearms. “This might feel weird.” Instead of gold, a red orb circled us and I felt The Leap tugging at my back. “Here we go,” I warned and we were jerked away from Vero.

  When the red glow from my powers dissipated, we were back on the beach in McCall. Tammer shook from head to toe and his breath caught in his throat when I let go of his arms.

  “Does it hurt?” I knew it was a dumb question, but I had to ask.

  “Yeah,” he breathed, touching his forehead with his hand. When he opened his eyes, he smiled. “It’s gone now. I don’t think you’re supposed to take people with you when you Leap.”

  “It’s easier than flying,” I suggested and he laughed.

  “Yes, for you. It’s very painful for others.” He looked up at the house. “Wow, that’s a beautiful house. Your Mom certainly has good taste, doesn’t she?”

  Before I could respond, there was a cry of joy. We turned around to see Mom emerge from the forest. Her hands covered her mouth and she raced toward Tammer.

  “Elan,” he shouted and jogged toward her. They wrapped around each other in such a passionate kiss, it made me look away. I knew how they felt about each other. It was the same for Thayde and me. Thayde, where was he?

  “Morgan!” Naira’s little arms wound around my waist. I turned and gave her a big hug.

  “Have you been taking care of Thayde for me?” I asked and she nodded.

  “He’s much happier with me in the room. He told me.”

  “Did you help him and Mama?”

  “Yes.”

  I hugged her again. “Thank you Naira.”

  As I let go of her, she took off towards our parents, who pulled her into their embrace. The three of them just held each other.

  I made my way up to the cabin and when I reached the patio doors, I stepped into the living room. Aletheia and Lars held hands as they sat on the couch. Lars grinned at me.