All that remains are part of a male torso and arm. The flesh is pale and engorged from the water but I can still make out the dark lines of tribal markings similar to Kai’s marks. I’m instantly transported back to my last night with Acelin. The night I lost her to the Ael.
***
Acelin reached out her hand to give me something. The smooth object barely had time enough to settle in my palm when from out of the twisting kelp, a dark force charged into my sister. The two of them quickly sank, and I could no longer see Acelin outside of my circle of light. I had to act quickly.
I began my descent into the trench as swiftly as caution would allow. There would be no moonlight to light my way down there, at the ocean’s deep bottom, and my sister made no sound for me to follow. There were many creatures whose brilliance I could call to me should I need it but I told myself I would not do so unless it was absolutely necessary. The light would only give me away. I was shaking, fear coursing through my body but with the flick of my tail I propel myself forward and down, knowing that if I stopped, I might never move again for fear of what I would find. I made my way through the inky darkness, weaving my way through strand after strand of kelp, for what felt like forever, coming to an abrupt stop at the startling sight of two silvery white eyes staring back at me in the distance.
I could see the outline of a being much like myself in that she had a head and a torso joined by a powerful tail but that’s where the similarities ended. Little light emitting organs dotted the line of her forehead, and, from where I floated, I could see more follow the outer length of her tail curling up and around her spine. Her tail, in its length and muscular structure, resembled that of an eel. Long dark hair floated in tendrils around her face, pale and stark in the darkness, blinking out the glow from her eyes in rhythm with the current. She watched me as I gaped at her, neither of us moving. That’s when I heard Acelin scream my name.
“Acelin! I’m here!”
“Don’t… come…” her voice sounded choked, close, just below where her dark torturer kept guard. If I could just get past her…
“Hide!” The explosion of sound from Acelin set us both into simultaneous motion. The creature darted toward me and I fled, driven by a fierce instinct to survive. What good would I be if I perished in this moment? I felt as fragile and vulnerable as a small fry and every bit as young as my twelve years of experience in this world dictated. My sister had always been there to protect me from danger, and now, when I needed her most, she needed me equally so. I had never felt so powerless. So afraid.
***
“Avelessa!” Kai has a grasp of my shoulders and is shaking me none too gently. “Snap out of it! You’re safe; no one is going to harm you.” I hear him say the words, only I’m finding it hard to focus on them.
“Why did you let her come here in the first place?” Ethan says. “Don’t you think she’s been traumatized enough for one day?”
“I didn’t see you protesting back at the wharenui. Besides, I needed to see her reaction. I wanted to be sure she didn’t have anything to do with this,” Kai replies.
You and your stupid superstitions! Of course, she didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“Enough, Ethan. This isn’t helping the situation, and I can’t undo what’s been done. Help me get her up onto the beach,” Kai says.
“She’s no monster. Why can’t you see that?”
“Right. Well I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Kai says, stiffening, shoulders back. “What more do you need me to say? I’m going to help Ahi Kauri wrap up the remains. If Avelessa doesn’t wake up soon, take the canoe and find a tohunga, expert healer.”
“What about you and Ahi Kauri? You’re going to need the canoe to get back with the body,” says Ethan.
“We’ll figure it out,” Kai says.
“I’m awake,” I say quietly. “I’m okay. I’m sorry I frightened everyone.”
Kai pauses in stride. He appears to be assessing the truth of this, nods, and turns to walk away.
“What a relief. I’m sorry we let you come here,” says Ethan. “It was unthinkable, and there’s no excuse. Kai can’t really be blamed, as he’s still a bit uncivilized.”
Behind Ethan, Kai stops what he’s doing and peers back at us. His lips smirk up to one side as he rolls his eyes at Ethan before going back to the gruesome business of wrapping the body. I almost laugh out loud; it’s the first sign of humor I’ve witnessed from the stoic young man. It helps to lighten the mood.
Ethan glances back to see what I’m laughing at and sighs. “Ruffian.” Directing his attention back at me, Ethan says, “Can you make it back?”
Before I can answer, Kai interjects, “She can ride back in the canoe with me.”
“With that?” Ethan asks pointing to the covered remains of the poor soul whose misfortune it was to have been targeted by some inhabitant of the sea. If it was who I think it was, he never had a chance.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll leave Ahi Kauri to keep watch until I can return with the canoe.” Kai says. Ahi Kauri gives him a dirty look but he gives no notice.
“What? Not room enough for the three of us?” Ethan asks. His words sound snide and I wonder at the emotion behind it. Is Ethan mad at being dictated to or is there another reason for it? Kai doesn’t reply right away.
“I thought you could take the mainland to get home quicker. If Avelessa is going to stay at your place tonight, your parents ought to be told. That conversation, I say, has been put off long enough; don’t you think?”
“Sure, Kai. You always know what’s best. Just don’t drown her or anything before I get back.”
The two of them toss plans for my future back and forth, never thinking to ask me what I would wish, as if it were second nature to them. Is this how females in this world are treated by the males? Yet, they remind me of Acelin.
Acelin was always bossing me around, and I remember that I couldn’t wait for the day I was old enough to do things my way. What I wouldn’t give to have her here with me now, telling me to, “Watch your fins! You almost cut yourself on that coral,” or “That’s a stonefish. Don’t touch that!”
The boys finally agree on what’s to be done and Ethan lends me his hand while I climb into the canoe. On the canoe ride back, Kai and I sit across from one another. We sit in silence for some time and my thoughts begin to wander.
Before I fainted, I saw the bite marks on that man’s body, the same marks I found on Acelin when, at last, I found her. Poor unfortunate man that he would find himself face-to-face with one of them. One of the Ael. How I got away that night, I’ll never know.
***
After the initial shock of finding myself the target of a creature I had not known to exist, I made the desperate decision to swim back toward the island. I ventured to glance over my shoulder only once. The sight of her so close nearly stopped my heart.
I could see her grin, wide like a gulper eel, with sharp, pointed teeth. Her ribbon-like tail creating body waves that propelled her forward at uncanny speed. My only hope was that island.
The island harbored an active volcano, and I hoped the heat from the steam would hide me from detection. A creature so well adapted to the dark was bound to have weak eyes but enhanced senses of an altogether different nature than my own. I was betting on her ability to target heat. I wasn’t going to take any chances though.
I found an eel pit, in the side of a large lava rock, large enough to fit my slender form. I dove in without thought, for, should any unhappy eel be inside, I would gladly take my chances with it rather than the demon outside. There was a network of tunnels and I could sense the presence of a most displeased female longfin eel in a nearby tunnel. She would tolerate me. I waited… and waited…
There in the dark, I could feel the fear like a dark mass slowly enveloping me from my tail up, until I was sure I would suffocate from it. When I thought I could take no more, I began to hear music.
It started out distant, as though from a far-off l
and, and grew stronger until it reverberated around the small cavern, having found me where I lay hiding. It became part of me, a soothing lullaby, both foreign and oddly familiar. There, in that dark tunnel, both composition and eel became my stalwart companions, easing me through the worst of the night.
I must have fallen asleep for dawn was breaking, enhancing the orange glow of molten lava, forming in rivulets, all around the island. I hated to leave my small sanctuary but I had to know the truth. I had to try. If Acelin were somehow still alive and I didn’t at least try, I could never forgive myself.
I found her where I knew I would. The light was still weak down on the sandy bottom where the sun’s ray struggled to reach. Her pale form lay moving with the current in a gentle swaying motion, almost as though she were being rocked to sleep.
The surrounding area was sparse except for the long stalks of kelp, and I knew we were alone. As I drew nearer, I could see the teeth marks that marred her ethereal body and a wound near the base her neck that would have been fatal. I took her head and placed it gently on my lap. I did not make any noise for fear the Ael would return. I choked on my sobs, my tears consumed by the ocean.
Revenge was foremost in my thoughts. I knew I could never rest until I found Acelin’s killer. Then there was the secret behind my parent’s deaths and the importance of Sol Fyre. The object Acelin thrust into my hand right before she was attacked was a fire opal. What significance did it have in the whole scheme of things? My life had been greatly altered. My new path as uncertain as fate’s choice in the thread of my destiny.
Chapter 9
I stare out at the smooth surface of the ocean where the ripples from Kai’s paddle don’t reach.
“You okay?” Kai asks me.
“I will be,” I say.
“You don’t say much, do you?”
“I like to observe. I notice more things other people tend to take for granted.”
“Hmm...” After a long pause, he says, “I know I don’t have Ethan’s way with words, but I’m sorry for what happened back there. Only, is that all that was bothering you? You looked like you had seen a wairua, ghost.”
“First, let me ask you a question. What do you think did that to that man back there?”
“Let me tell you a story,” Kai began. “When my ancestors first came to this island they were fleeing danger from both land and sea. The voyage was led by a man named Kupe. On the same waka, canoe, were his younger sister and brother who were twins. The sister was a Tohunga matakite, foreteller of the future. The brother also had strange powers. It is told, that as they neared Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud, they were attacked by the taniwha. They tried to capsize several of the waka and succeeded. Many men and women died.
“The point is that when my people arrived on shore and bodies began to appear, it is said that they had bite marks like that of a shark but smaller. These beings have plagued my people for as long as we have lived here. In the past, sacrifices were offered in the hope of pleasing them. The taniwha can take human form and walk among us, and it’s nearly impossible to distinguish them from our kind.”
“Has this happened in your lifetime?”
“What? You’re not going to tell me I’m crazy or that it’s just some made up story?”
“I’m not one to judge,” I say, leaving it at that.
“To answer your question, no, this isn’t something I share from personal experience. My great grandmother spoke of it to my mother but only on rare occasions. It seems it was something she didn’t like to talk about.”
“What if it’s these taniwha who are responsible? What defense do you have against such creatures?” I ask.
Kai holds my gaze for a moment longer than necessary. “Are you asking out of curiosity or could you have an ulterior motive?”
My heart skips a beat. “I thought we were past this.” I hear the start of low chuckle and look up to see Kai laughing. Before I can think to stop myself, my hand sinks to take a scoop of salty water, from over the side of the canoe, sending it his way in a spray of droplets.
“I think the lady doth protest too much,” he says still laughing. His smile is infectious and I find myself smiling back at him. “Now are you going to answer my question?” he asks, sobering.
“It reminded me of something I had seen a long time ago. I lost someone close to me.” I couldn’t tell him about the bite marks. If I affirmed what he only imagined to be true, then nothing would be impossible. When he looked at me, would he still be convinced I was human?
“Are you in some kind of trouble? If you were honest with me, then maybe I could help.”
“I am being honest with you. You haven’t told me your whole life’s story, why must I do so?
“It’s just that everything is a mystery with you. Never mind. Forget I even asked,” Kai says gruffly, distancing himself once more.
We continue, gliding parallel to the long stretch of beach we took by foot. I look back out at the open ocean, going over the day’s events. An island, I hadn’t noticed earlier, dots the horizon like a lone barnacle refusing to budge. That’s when I feel it.
It begins as a low thrumming noise and I can feel an invisible almost magnetic pull that’s linked somehow to that island. I look for anything that might stand out, give me a clue. But from where we float, it’s hard to make out more than the exterior of the island which is barren and grey except for patches of green like algae dotting the ocean’s surface.
It doesn’t take me long to recognize that it’s the same melodious reverberation that comforted me that night all those years ago. Same sound, different song. The connection between me and what’s on that island cannot be ignored.
“Have you ever been there?” I ask Kai, directing his attention toward the mysterious island.
“Whakaari? Yes, a couple of times. It’s an active volcano. The name means “White Island.” Ethan and I go there from time to time. My people consider it to be tapu, sacred, so you won’t find many visitors out that way.”
“But you don’t? Consider it sacred, that is?” I ask.
“I respect the island,” says Kai. “I don’t tread needlessly.”
I think quickly. I need to get there and the best way I know, with my tail, is not an option for me.
“Could you take me there in a canoe?” I ask.
“Not today. The wind is picking up again, and it takes most of the day to get there and back. Why the sudden interest?” Of course, he would ask me that.
“I enjoy learning. Mostly about the healing properties of plants but I’ve read minerals have restorative uses too. I might find something that could help my…” Too close. I must stick to the story or all my carefully laid plans will start to unravel. “If you must know, I have a friend who’s very sick. I need to find something that can heal him, and I’m running out of time.”
Kai studies me closely. “Why all the secrecy?” He looks as if he’s about to speak again when his gaze is suddenly drawn upward. Something behind me has caught his attention. I turn to see what has him so distracted and am greeted by the sight of men, women and children alike, skin like umber lava rock, congregating on the beach, waiting for our small canoe.
Many of them bear tribal markings on their limbs and faces, a spectacle of intimidating proportions. White sand blinks in and out as the crowd makes way for newcomers. My senses are reeling from the sights and sounds.
I long for the quiet, cool solitude of the ocean. The soft touch of seaweed across my arms and face, a place of refuge. I would settle for Kai turning this canoe around. But it’s not to be.
As we reach the shore, many hands seize the side of the canoe dragging it across the sand to its final resting spot. Before I have a chance to stand, multiple hands lift me out of the canoe and I’m forced to the side. Several men standing about press Kai for details.
All around me are men, women and children pressing forward in an attempt to get a closer look. The men glance at me from time to time as Kai relays my s
tory to them. I catch bits and pieces of their conversation before their words are drowned out by a cacophony of sound, the cry of a baby, women chattering, shouting, until it all fades into the background.
I’m shoulder to shoulder with people staring at me who believe a being similar to the Aureate, are responsible for the multiple killings that have tormented this village. Will they see me for what I really am? Can they read the truth on my face? I don’t exactly blend in. I had hoped to keep the knowledge of my presence on this island to a minimum.
My palms feel warm and moist, a sensation that’s new to me if not uncomfortable. I can feel the quick drumming of my heart. I sense I’m on a precipice and if I don’t act now, I may do something rash. I catch Kai’s eye, sending a silent plea for help. Get me out of here! Though why I should expect him to come to my rescue, I don’t know.
But he does, much to my surprise. He makes a couple of quick hand gestures to the men he’s talking to, pointing in the direction of the canoe and presses forward through the throng of people, heading directly for where I’m standing.
“All right, iti ika, come with me,” says Kai grabbing my hand.
Little fish. How well the epithet suits me. “Where are we going,” I ask.
“Do you care? Anywhere but here, right?” He asks, lifting an eyebrow in challenge.
“No, you’re right, anywhere but here,” I say. “You won’t be missed?”
“No. I sent them back for the body. It’s out of my hands now.”
We turn to leave, neither of us looking back. I’m not prepared for the sense of giddiness that washes over me. I’m famished and not use to the heat. Kai is unaffected and I don’t want to slow our momentum. I just need to get away.
Kai lead us up and off the beach. I look back to see if anyone has taken an interest in our getaway, but they’re all too preoccupied with the mystery of the dead man’s identity. We reach the tree line, and I breathe a sigh of relief. The bush provides cover. Their stares cannot reach me here.
Chapter 10
Lady of the Sea: The Aureate Chronicles, Book One Page 4