by S. K Munt
‘Ta da! I practically flew up here! Isn’t this great?’
Tristan was astounded. ‘Ivyanne, that’s incredible! When did you figure it out?’
Ivyanne glanced at Lincoln. ‘When I was trying to work out how to get off the roof without anyone downstairs hearing me. I was staring and staring at that tree over there, and then bang-I was on it. It freaked me out and I scraped my knee trying not to fall off, but I’ve spent the last hour practicing. Works underwater too, only slower.’
‘Hence your good mood.’ Tristan commented.
‘Great mood!’ Ivyanne corrected him. ‘If I was a T. V girl, I’d never have to look for the remote again! It works with fish too-can you imagine that? I caught like, five.’ She blushed. ‘Okay I was so surprised every time that they slipped out, but it still worked.’
‘I can’t believe this!’ Lincoln exploded, breaking the gaiety of the moment. ‘How could you keep such a big secret from everyone but him?’
‘Tristan saw it happen, and Garridan and Camus have known for a few days now.’ Ivyanne frowned. ‘I didn’t say much before then because I didn’t know there was anything to tell. It only happened twice before tonight-the objects I wanted just came to me. I’ve tried exercising it, but that’s been uneventful until tonight. Obviously, desperation is the key.’
You know you’re desperate to get on this! Tristan thought smartly, happy to be referenced as an object she wanted-even if she didn’t enlighten Lincoln on that fact.
‘This will make it harder for Ardhi to get you now, I suppose...’ Lincoln said, though his tone was still resentful. ‘You know, if you can fly.’
‘Not fly. I lose control pretty quickly. But it should make it real easy for me to catch him.’ Ivyanne smiled serenely. ‘I may have to knight myself! Maybe I don’t need a man to do anything for me!’
Tristan chuckled, glancing up and down her lithe curtain-shrouded figure, appreciating the view before he wrecked it. ‘Well right now, you need a man to remind you that that curtain is transparent, Sir Court.’
Ivyanne glanced down at herself, then shrieked, twisting away. The curtains fell closed, moving slightly, allowing Tristan and Lincoln to watch her silhouette scramble for the robe on the back of the door-which they both did without attempting to hide it.
‘Get out of here you guys!’ she yelped.
A fist pounded on the door. ‘Ivyanne Court!’ A man’s voice bellowed. ‘Let me in-this minute young lady!’
Ivyanne froze in the middle of the room, then glanced back at them, belting the robe. ‘Either of you willing to swear that I was here the whole time?’ She hissed.
‘Too late. Tristan sold us both out to Price when he found me.’ Lincoln said with mirth. ‘And considering that you just mind-fucked me, I’m sort of happy about it!’
Tristan blew her a kiss. ‘Besides, you don’t need a man’s help, your highness, remember?’ With that, he pulled the window shut, dropping the exterior lock for good measure. Ivyanne was really and truly in for it, and the only thing he was sorry for, was the fact that he couldn’t stick around to watch. After all, he was officially on duty now, and had a dock to guard.
‘She won’t be trying that again any time soon, not once Garridan’s done with her,’ he said to his rival. ‘So don’t worry-this is her bad, not yours.’
Lincoln looked up at him and grinned. And for one harmonious moment- they were back on the same side as two mermen ought to be.
*
Garridan slammed the bedroom door shut behind him and Ivyanne leapt back in surprise. The older man’s face was mottled with anger. Of course he almost always looked serious, but this was a much more extreme reaction than Ivyanne had anticipated.
‘Garridan…’ Ivyanne wet her lips. ‘I know what you’re going to say-’
‘Which is meaningless unless you understand why I am going to say it.’ Garridan leaned against the door, crossing his arms. ‘What you just did was thoughtless and dangerous, Ivyanne. I’m disgusted by your behavior.’
‘Disgusted?’ Ivyanne felt a flash of annoyance. ‘I appreciate the measures you’re taking to protect my life, but-’
‘But it’s not just your life!’ Garridan thundered. He pushed off the wall. ‘It is the life of anyone who has ever been born from you, or your mother, or her mother, or Anna! You are the only surviving descendant of the Court line you silly little girl! You no longer have the luxury of doing what you want, when you want to! I’m embarrassed for you that I need to remind you of that! This is precisely the reason why the women before you waited until they were hundreds of years old to rule this kingdom! You are far too wet behind the ears to compute what is required of you by your people!’
Ivyanne shrank back, wondering if it was international: ‘Tell Ivyanne how much she sucks, Day.’
Oh well. She reasoned silently, finding her grip on a bedrail and clinging to it for support. They’re right aren’t they? Maybe once everyone sees what a waste of space I am, they’ll stop going at each other’s throats on my behalf!
But it was one thing for a Court woman to know she was failing-quite another to be told off by a man with delusions of power. ‘Be that as it may, Garridan, I didn’t ask for this-’
‘None of us did! But here we are! All we’re asking is that you don’t get yourself or another one of us killed in the process because you felt the need to slip out the window like a rebellious human teen!’
Ivyanne glared at him. ‘Well if I’m too much of a handful for you, then go. I asked you to do this for me, and I can release you of any obligations if you wish!’
Garridan crossed the room to her, unfolding a piece of paper. ‘You didn’t ask me to do this, Ivyanne. I was ordered to.’ He thrust the piece of paper at her. ‘Here-read this.’
Ivyanne took it. ‘What is it?’
‘An e-mail. From your mother.’
Ivyanne looked down at the page, her mouth falling open as she read the small print.
Dear Garridan,
I am writing to beseech you to come and assist me with a security issue. Ardhi Kayu-Api returned this week, and although he is vowing to make amends for the things he has done to hurt my daughter, I find myself doubting his sincerity.
Ivyanne has a habit of drawing people to her, and I believe Ardhi’s heart is too invested within her to see past his infatuation, or be trusted. Stabbing Tristan was an unspeakable thing, something most mers are not capable of, and I fear of what else is lurking in his darkened psyche, and what measures he will take to win her hand. Perhaps Lincoln is already in danger, perhaps even Ivyanne.
I know you will be hesitant to come and live among us again, and there is probably nothing I can say to offer you comfort or ease your duress. And although I do not wish to play such a stern hand, we need your skills and your watchful eye, so I am afraid that I must order you here, as promptly as possible, to watch over my daughter, at least until she has born an heir. Even Ash is in agreement with me, despite his own reservations, which I’m sure you’d understand-
Ivyanne looked up from the paper. ‘Until I bear an heir?’
Garridan nodded grimly. ‘And obviously, there is no way Vana can retract that now. I have my orders, and I will meet my obligations, even if it means locking you in this room until this mess is resolved.’
Ivyanne furrowed her brow, holding the paper under the lamplight, straining to read the last paragraph. When Garridan had shown up the day after her engagement party, she’d assumed it had been only to pay respects to his nephew. And when he’d taken over the situation, she’d allowed it, knowing that protecting people was his forte and being too heartsick herself over losing her parents to plan anything beyond drawing consecutive breaths.
And the whole time, he’d been commandeered by her mother! Ivyanne sighed, feeling foolish and guilty for Garridan having uprooted his life for her.
‘I’m sorry if you feel duty-bound to be here, but my mother is gone, and I am queen now-’
A knife suddenly sliced into
the paper and drove it into the wall behind her. Ivyanne jumped, whirling on Garridan incredulously. His hand was still hovering in the air, his expression grim.
‘Are you trying to kill me?!’ Ivyanne demanded.
‘I am too good a shot, to miss, your majesty.’ Garridan lowered his hand and walked towards her, tanking the curved blade out of the wall. ‘Which is precisely why she wanted me here. If you wish yourself to be rid of me and my rules, I am more than happy to escalate our measures for dealing with Ardhi. But in the meantime, I suggest that you get on with the breeding element. When you bear a child, which even Ardhi would not be able to harm, I imagine, I will be released from my contract.’
‘Well it’s not that simple…’
‘Make it that simple.’ Garridan said calmly, sheathing the throwing knife in his belt and retrieving the piece of paper.
‘Can I read the rest of it first?’ Ivyanne asked.
But Garridan shook his head. ‘No. It is mine, and I am keeping it.’
Ivyanne raised an eyebrow. ‘Garridan it’s just a piece of paper. Surely when you get home, you can print another-’
‘It’s mine,’ Garridan repeated firmly, folding it carefully and placing it back in his pocket.
Ivyanne stared at him, at a loss for his unusual behavior. ‘She said that you would be hesitant to come. She said she’d need to order you here…. why?’
Garridan shrugged. ‘That is irrelevant.’
Ivyanne’s frown deepened. ‘I don’t think so. Why would my dad need to be convinced to have you here? He was the overprotective one! Is it because you’re a Loveridge?’
Garridan stared at her feet, conflicting emotions on his face. After a tense minute-he sighed and said softly: ‘Not because I was a Loveridge, Ivyanne, but because I was The Loveridge.’ He shifted his gaze to the window. ‘The thorn in his side which he bore quietly it seems, until the prospect of my family marrying into his arose.’
Ivyanne blinked. ‘Thorn in his side? My mother wanted you around but my father didn’t…?’ Her heart skipped a beat as her brain filtered the cryptic message quickly. Division in mer marriages was rare, and if a man was a source for that, then it could only mean...
Garridan’s eyes finally met hers, but he said nothing. Ivyanne’s heart sank. She knew that look-she had seen it on Link, Ardhi and Tristan’s faces respectively. Heartbreak.
‘Oh god…. no. Don’t tell me-you and my mum!?’ Anger flared inside her. ‘Did you have an affair?’
‘No! Ivyanne no-’ Garridan stepped forward, eyes wide. ‘Vana and I...what we had...it predated their marriage, okay?’
His earnest tone gave her pause, and allowed her to hear him before hysteria could deafen her. She searched his gaze for signs that he was lying but found none. Still, she had to turn away, tugging on her hair, adding it all up and weighing the new information against her mother’s odd obsession with the Loveridge family-the scales balanced. Everything suddenly made perfect sense.
‘What did you two have?’ She asked quietly, knowing it must have been something significant and clearly, too painful for her father to be spoken of.
‘Obviously not enough, Miss Court.’
Ivyanne cringed, hearing the pain in his voice. She had so many questions but was terrified of the answers. ‘That’s why she favored Tristan, isn’t it? Why she pushed me to marry a century younger than she had to? Because she was trying to right a wrong she’d done by your bloodline and handing over my hand as penance?’
‘No. She favored Tristan for the same reason everyone else does,’ Garridan said quickly, some of the animation returning to his voice. ‘Your father judged my nephews by my involvement with your mother-to carry that sentiment into your future is unfair, regardless of which path you choose to take.’ He hesitated before adding: ‘She was a smart woman and a tremendous ruler, but if you allow me to keep you alive long enough, I have faith that your rule will surpass hers, and that the husband you choose will be the best man for the job. Even if it’s not my nephew.’
‘How could you know that?’ She asked, tears coming to her eyes. His kind words had caught her off-guard, contrasting with his tirade of mere minutes before.
‘Because I see how you influence people.’ His hand was on her shoulder. ‘You make people strive to be their best selves. It doesn’t matter how deserving either man is for the job right now-because they will become who we need them to be, in their desire to please and support you. Follow your heart, and a king will emerge in your wake.’
‘And the loser?’ She asked, a tear rolling down her cheek. ‘What will become of them?’
‘Whatever fate intends them to be. And that is fate’s burden to bear, not your own. It never has been. Nor was it your mother’s choice, or your dad’s-you gave them your will Ivyanne, for it’s not something that can be taken. Now, you have to claim it back.’
Ivyanne felt the tremble of his hand on her shoulder. She looked down at it and frowned. ‘You’re shaking.’ She raised her eyes to his. ‘Did I scare you that much?’
‘Yes,’ he said softly. ‘But the shaking is part withdrawals, Ivyanne. Since I retired a few years ago, I’ve been spending fourteen hours plus in the water a day. So this is quite the adjustment for me too.’ His face softened. ‘I know that none of us are getting enough time in the water-I’m sorry and I’ll try and think of a solution…’ His hand fell away. ‘Later. But for now, I need to get down to the surveillance room and relieve Camus. Can I trust that you will not go out the window again, or must I bunk in here for the night?’
‘I’ll stay,’ Ivyanne said softly, sitting down on her bed to prove her point, wiping at her tears. ‘I’ll behave. For mum, as well as you.’
‘Thank you.’ Garridan opened her bedroom door. ‘Goodnight Ivyanne.’
‘Goodnight.’
Ivyanne sat on the bed for several minutes after he left, staring out at the black ocean through the curtains and wondering if fate had just dropped another blockade between her and happiness-or offered her a hand towards it.
*
Ardhi and Sherri waited until dark before making the harrowing journey from the concealment of the mangroves on Monday night and across the car park to the freedom of the water.
Ardhi felt uncomfortable being in town at night, yet again, especially in a Marina, where he knew of one or two mers who stayed there in houseboats. But they’d needed more humans, and he and Sherri had been scouring the town all day for good candidates to no avail.
They moved from row to row of cars, sometimes crouching, their breathing panting in the still night air, sometimes racing three lanes at a time. They were careful not to touch or rest against any cars as they went-the last thing they needed was to set off an alarm.
Suddenly Sherri sucked in her breath. ‘Oh my god….’
Ardhi saw instantly that Sherri was staring over his shoulder. ‘What?’ he asked.
‘That’s Lincoln’s car!’
Ardhi spun around still in a crouch, not sure exactly what it was he was looking for. ‘What?’ he asked again, his heart racing. ‘Which one?’
‘That shiny black one there with the sun roof!’
Ardhi spotted the one she was talking about. ‘How do you know that’s Lincoln’s? I’ve seen two or three just like it.’
‘Not just like it,’ Sherri said. ‘See that bulky thing on the hood? See how it’s painted red inside? He had that scoop custom made. He told me himself-he loves that car.’
Without waiting for him, Sherri took off across the lane, straightening as she did so. Irritated by her brazen actions, but intrigued by her discovery, he followed her. Soon enough, they were both standing at the window, peering through.
‘It’s his!’ Sherri squealed. ‘Look-there are some catering supplier catalogues on the passenger seat. He had those on him all the time!’
Ardhi felt a thrill go through him. ‘If Link’s here-’
‘Then Ivyanne hasn’t gone anywhere,’ Sherri finished triumphantly.
Sherri lifted her hand to the window and peered in. ‘Look at that parking ticket-he got here on Wednesday night, and he’s paid up until this Friday.’ She tapped on the glass. ‘And see the faded one next to it? He was here on Sunday night too, but only stayed for one night.’
Ardhi thought back to the weekend, when Sherri had called the restaurant line at The Seaview to see if Lincoln answered. But instead, a recorded message had come on, announcing that the resort was closed for the weekend for annual fumigation.
‘They’re all here,’ he said. ‘Together-bunkering down. We need to comb every property, especially the waterfront ones-the bigger, the better. There are too many complicated relationships going on for them to be squashed into a penthouse like sardines.’ He leaned over and impulsively kissed her on the cheek. ‘Which means the crown is here too! It has to be!’
Sherri smiled. ‘I assume one of us will be staking this place out on Friday to see if a certain man comes this way?’
Ardhi gave her a sidelong look. ‘Why just one of us?’
‘Because the hole you’ve dug is deep enough without the sight of Lincoln having you reaching for the shovel again, and burying us all.’
Ardhi had to smile despite himself. His protégé was absolutely right.
12.
It took almost a week for things in the house to return back to normal. Garridan and Ivyanne were stiff with each other for days, speaking in clipped polite tones only when necessary. Lincoln still didn’t know what had been said-but Ivyanne hadn’t snuck out again, nor had Lincoln been held accountable for it. At least that was a small mercy.
Ivyanne spent her days out in the yard practicing her new skill-similar to how people did target practice with beer cans, except she had a saw horse loaded with objects of various weights and sizes and practiced pulling them towards her. It became apparent very quickly that she truly was a mystic. Once she had mastered pulling things into her hand, she concentrated on dropping them at different points, like flexing a muscle. It was interesting for the guards to watch-they shouted out encouragements and found various things for her to levitate. By Wednesday, she could pull Sahori ten feet. Garridan she could move only two. Once, when Tristan had jeered if she could pull on a specific area of his from his perch on the roof, Ivyanne had yanked him clean into the pool below by said area. Lincoln still laughed every time he remembered the look on Tristan’s face. Apparently, it hadn’t been the pleasant experience Tristan had hoped for.