“I’m worried for him. He can be a bit impulsive, and will drive himself to the point of injury to get what he wants,” Gwen said, biting her lip and bringing her hand to her belly.
“Is the babe well?” Amynta asked, concern wreathing her pretty features.
“Yes, she’s a strong one.” Gwen dimpled at Amynta’s smile. “And yes, I feel she is a girl.”
“Aww, congratulations,” Neala said. “That’s fantastic news. We’ll have to throw a baby shower when we get out. I make the best cakes for those types of parties.”
“Yes, let’s. Perfect – something to think about as we wait. Mother, is there no way for us to leave? Can you not take us out the way you came in?” Gwen asked, her eyes going to where the water line edged closer to their feet.
“Alas, I cannot,” Amynta said, sadness crossing her pretty features. “There is strong magick that even I cannot break through. I could bring her in, but I can’t take you out.”
“Can you go back out? Warn the others?” Neala asked.
“I shall try. Please do your best to stay back from the water line and keep warm. I don’t want you to be ill,” Amynta admonished Gwen, who nodded. With a flip of Amynta’s magnificent tail, she was gone.
“That’s seriously amazing,” Neala said, shaking her head at where the mermaid had just been.
“Don’t I just know it? I about lost it when I found out that I was descended from sirens,” Gwen gushed, moving closer to the fire. “I mean, I love comic books, and to find out that basically I had some of the powers that a comic book character does? It was so cool. Now I get to live in this world of magick and fae and mermaids… it’s beyond.”
“I can imagine. I’m still kind of coming to terms with all this,” Neala admitted.
“Tell me what’s happened,” Gwen insisted.
Neala filled her in as quickly as possible, trying very much to ignore the rising sea levels in their cavern. Leaving nothing out, she brought Gwen up to the point at which she’d dove into the water.
“Do you love Dagda?” Gwen asked.
“I… I don’t know if I can answer that yet,” Neala admitted, turning to face the fire, trying to warm her front side now.
“That’s fair. How about this… do you think you could love him?” Gwen changed the question slightly.
“I think that, given some time and the chance, yes, I could,” Neala admitted. “I think he’s incredibly attractive, he can be funny when he wants, and he has a deeply developed sense of honor. I also admire his willingness to go out on his own and create the life he wants to live, instead of following his family’s expectations of him.”
“Do you think he loves you?” Gwen asked, holding her hands closer to the fire.
“No, he’s made that abundantly clear. I’ll admit there was a part of me that was hoping he would just give it a chance, to see… but, ah well.” Neala shrugged.
“If you’ve had to overcome two other lessons, what makes you think this isn’t the third lesson? Like baby Grace said – maybe you need to believe that you’re worthy of love. It’s something I had to work on,” Gwen said, meeting Neala’s eyes. “I never thought I was all that pretty. I was always in the friend zone. When I met Lochlain, wow, did I think he was so handsome. Like a superhero.”
“He does look like a brooding superhero,” Neala admitted and Gwen laughed, her face lighting with love as she spoke of Loch.
“But I was convinced no girl like myself would ever be of interest to a man like Loch. I wasn’t some lusty sophisticated woman, you know? I’m kind of a geek and wear baggy t-shirts and spill things on myself.”
Neala laughed. “I can see what you mean. I’m like that as well.”
“But then I met my mother and learned what I was, and I had to claim my own power. Really claim it – and believe that I was this badass siren of a woman. Maybe you need to do that, too, in order to unlock this portion of the spell,” Gwen said. “It would make sense if it was in my comic books.”
“But I kind of tried that already,” Neala protested. “I was willing to give it a shot with Dagda – even admitting how much I’d already grown to care for him. I do think I’m worthy of love, and I’ve already told myself that if not with Dagda – well, then, perhaps with someone else. But I’m not scared of it. It’s more about my willingness to let it interrupt or complicate the life I’ve built for myself.”
“Deep down, you truly believe that you are worthy of love? And that you are this beautiful, amazing, strong woman who has created an awesome life for herself?” Gwen asked, peering at Neala with a wisdom in her eyes that spoke of centuries of knowledge.
Neala paused and searched herself, testing how the words felt, before she answered.
“You know what? I really do. I’m proud of myself for what I’ve created and I think I have a lot to offer a partner. I’m definitely worthy of love,” Neala decided.
Gwen turned and looked toward where the water continued to rise.
“Nothing’s changed. I don’t think that’s going to be the key to solving this part of the curse,” Gwen said, nibbling her lip in concern as she eyed the water.
Dagda. Believe. Love.
Neala smacked herself in the head with her palm.
“It’s not me who needs to believe,” Neala said, replaying baby Grace’s words. “It’s Dagda. We’re doomed unless he figures this out.”
“Shite,” Gwen said, fear creeping across her face for the first time. “Bianca is out there, though. I believe in Bianca, and I believe in Loch. Together they’ll figure out a way. We just have to hope it’s in time, before this water rises too far.”
“Um, and before the Domnua get us. Because if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, I think I just saw a flash of silver,” Neala said, grasping Gwen’s arm and pulling her behind her body, conscious of the baby she carried. Gwen peeked over Neala’s shoulder.
“Damn it,” Gwen complained. She stepped forward, the spear raised, as Domnua began to pour from the water, an unending gush of evil.
Neala stepped forward, sword raised.
“Let’s show these bad boys what we’re made of,” Gwen said, smiling sweetly at one that ventured forth.
In seconds, battle cries filled the room and Neala knew nothing else but pivot, kick, and thrust with the sword. Over and over they came, filling the room endlessly while she and Gwen battled, never faltering, taking each fresh wave of Domnua with grit and determination.
Neala wasn’t sure when she’d ever been more proud of herself or anyone else. In the face of the rising water – now at their knees – and an uncertain future, they fought on, refusing to surrender. Instead, they tackled every Domnua attack as if they’d been born for this battle. And perhaps they had been.
When Gwen slipped, Neala gasped, crying out as a Domnua kicked her full in the stomach. Gwen doubled over in pain. Screaming in rage, Neala raised her sword and finished the room off, Domnua falling left and right, dissolving in silvery puddles that the water quickly absorbed. When she was finished, Neala crouched around a huddled Gwen and pulled her as far from the water as she could go, cuddling the sobbing Gwen to her chest.
“I’ve got you. Just hang on a little longer. Loch will be here. I know he will.” Neala looked over Gwen’s shoulder, her gaze steely as she watched for more Domnua in the water and prayed that Dagda would come to his senses.
Every second counted.
Chapter Forty-Four
Dagda ran the shoreline, looking for any glimpse of Neala he could catch. Panic raced through him, but for once in his life he didn’t know what to do. He’d not seen where she’d gone in, and it would be a death wish for him to dive in the water knowing full well this could be a trap set by the Domnua.
“Does anyone see anything? Hear anything?” Dagda raged, adrenaline coursing through him as he continued to run, slipping on the damp rocks, his eyes scanning for anything that would indicate where Neala had disappeared.
“Nothing,” Bianca shouted and the others ech
oed the same. They’d all split up along the beach and the cliff line, looking for any sign of Neala.
Dagda’s heart thundered in his chest, and his mind refused to believe that she was gone. There was no way they’d take her from him – not now, not when he’d finally had a taste of her. From the moment they’d kissed, she’d burned her way into his bloodstream, into his mind, and into his heart. He didn’t know if he’d ever be capable of giving her what she deserved in a partner or what she wanted in life. But last night he’d been given just a moment in time, and he’d done everything in his power to make her feel as loved and as safe as he could. It was all he could do, Dagda thought, all he was really capable of giving to her. He’d wanted her to feel cherished, as she deserved to be.
His anger ratcheted up as he scanned the empty waters. She’d said today that they could be friends and she’d move on to the next man. Which was exactly what he’d wanted, and why he’d pulled back from her this morning. Dagda had tried his best to keep it casual, and there she’d been throwing the word ‘love’ around.
Love, Dagda scoffed; like he could really offer that. He didn’t know how to love someone, at least not in the way Neala deserved. As his parents delighted in reminding him, he wasn’t good enough. How would he be good enough for a woman as amazing as Neala? If he gave her his love, she’d end up moving on – like everyone in his life did eventually. The risk was just too great.
No, it was best to set her free and give her a chance at life and love in a way that she deserved.
When Loch shouted from above, Dagda’s heart jumped in his throat.
“Amynta!” Loch yelled, racing down the cliffside, all but tumbling his way to the shore where a woman – and if Dagda’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, a mermaid at that – now swam.
“Amynta! Do you have Neala?” Bianca shouted and Dagda raced to where she crouched at the shoreline, waving Amynta closer to them. They huddled as a group at the beach, waiting for Amynta to approach.
“Neala and Gwen are safe,” Amynta said without preamble and Dagda felt the air rush out of him in relief. “But they are in trouble. Time is of the essence.”
“Where are they? What can we do?” Loch demanded.
“They are in an underwater cavern. Only accessible from the far side of this sheer cliff. The tide is rising and the Domnua are near,” Amynta said, flipping her tail in agitation as she swam rapidly back and forth in front of them. Dagda couldn’t be entirely sure, but it felt like she was shooting mean looks at him.
“How can we reach them?” Loch asked.
“Can you get to them?” Bianca asked.
“Can you bring us to them?” Dagda asked.
“I can get inside, but I cannot bring them out. The magick is too strong, stronger than I am capable of breaking,” Amynta said, staring pointedly at Dagda again.
“The clue!” Bianca exclaimed. “We need to solve the clue.”
“Doesn’t Neala need to do that?” Dagda argued, suddenly nervous as he recalled the contents of the clue. “Isn’t that the Seeker’s job?”
“Domnu may have switched things up this time,” Bianca argued. “I bet she’s angry that we are kicking butt.”
“But…” Dagda paused and looked at Amynta again. “Why do you keep shooting me nasty looks?”
“I believe you’re the one who can break the magick that prevents me from bringing my daughter to safety. Perhaps if you’d stop arguing your fate and start opening your heart, we could move forward,” Amynta said, her words like knives to his gut.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Dagda said, but then recalled Neala, fiercely standing her ground and imploring him to listen to what baby Grace had said. Believe in love.
Thinking back over the clue, he turned and cursed, long and low, and strode a few feet away down the beach as realization ripped a hole in his gut. The clue was for him. One of the biggest hang-ups he had in this life was the shame of being disowned by his parents. It made him feel unworthy of love – of giving or receiving it.
But that wasn’t true, Dagda sucked in a breath as he looked out at where the water met the horizon. He had nothing to be ashamed of. He’d been a good son, and he was a strong and honorable man. Even respected enough to be picked to be a protector by the goddess Danu herself. He was worthy of – and even capable of – giving love. If he could believe it.
Baby Grace had been right.
Dagda jumped as Loch clasped a hand on his shoulder.
“Listen, mate, I know grappling with your emotions is a tough thing to do – especially at a high adrenaline point like this. I had to do the same with Gwen. But I promise you, it’s not so scary on the other side. Once I believed in Gwen, and that I could have a life filled with love and laughter with her, my life really began. It was like I’d been living in black and white before she’d arrived and she brought color and light into my life. Give it a chance.”
With those words, Loch stepped back and gave Dagda a moment to collect himself.
Dagda thought about a life with Neala, one filled with her laughter, her curling into his arms to sleep each night, having a glass of wine while they made dinner together. He could help her with her bakery, or steal her away, if they found a store manager, and show her some of the world she wanted to explore. And she could show him what it meant to have a home, a real home, and family. Together they’d be their own little unit of light and love. Aye, he could see it.
If she’d have him. And after the way he’d acted this morning, she had every right to never give him a chance again. Dagda swore. But wasn’t that what love was? Understanding when someone was scared, forgiving when they screwed up?
“I believe,” Dagda whispered. “I believe I can love you in ways you’ve never been loved before, and that I can make a family with you. I believe we can give this a go – us two outsiders – we can build our own home together. I believe in us. I know we can give love a chance.”
At his words, a shimmer seemed to flutter across the water.
Amynta cheered, barely pausing before she dove under the water, her tail disappearing.
“I hope that was enough, mate,” Loch said, his face drawn in concern as they all waited in silence by the shoreline. Even Dagda hoped it was enough, for there was nothing else he could say or do. He didn’t even know if he fully loved Neala, but he knew he would give it his all.
When Amynta surfaced, what felt like eons later, shouting, Dagda’s heart shot into his throat. Neala swam next to her, pulling herself powerfully toward shore and he dragged her from the water. But it wasn’t Neala that Amynta had been shouting for.
Gwen was cradled in her arms, her face slack, her skin white against the blue of the water.
“The Domnua came,” Neala sobbed. “They kicked her in the stomach.”
“The pouch Fiona gave you!” Bianca screamed at Loch who had momentarily frozen in shock. Coming to, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pouch, dropping a vial of liquid into his hand. Wading into the water, he took Gwen from Amynta’s arms and ripped the stopper from the vial with his teeth. Letting Gwen’s head hang back over his arm, he poured the contents of the vial into her mouth and then brought his head down to her chest and prayed.
They waited, silence stretching out, until Dagda wanted to scream.
When Gwen coughed, wriggling in Loch’s arms, they all cheered. Bianca began to cry, and so did Neala.
Dagda wrapped his arms around Neala, bringing her close so he could wipe her tears.
“I’m sorry,” Dagda said, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I’m stubborn, and difficult, and often closed off. I’ll do my best not to be in the future. I want to try for this, I really do. I will give you my all.”
“That’s all any of us can do,” Neala said.
Chapter Forty-Five
It didn’t take them long to hustle back to the boat, Lochlain carrying Gwen the entire way despite her protests. There was no need to linger on Dead Man’s Island, especially when Neala repo
rted that the Domnua were close and described the attack they had weathered in the cave. Amynta followed by water, and Neala couldn’t help but delight in the way she zipped along the surface of the water, her magnificent tail sparkling like jewels in the sunlight that filtered through the clouds. It felt like a dream, this moment, and Neala wondered if she was going into a bit of shock from the cold water and the battle, or if her life really was this surreal.
She and Dagda hadn’t spoken since he’d first pulled her from the water, but he stayed close, always touching her in one manner or another. Neala found herself feeling a bit shy as she shot him glances. It wasn’t that he’d said he loved her, she reminded herself as they scaled the hill and raced down the path that led to the dock where Flynn was moored with the boat. It was that he would give them – as in, them as a couple – a real chance.
Wasn’t that all anyone could do, really? Have hope? Give love a chance? It never really started out as love, Neala thought. Instead it was like baking. You had to put the right ingredients in, then give it some time to bake before you were rewarded with a beautiful cake. Love was much the same. It started with ingredients like hope, trust, admiration, and respect. With time, that could grow into something so much more, she mused. “Just need to sprinkle some hope in,” she said.
Dagda shot her a confused look that immediately turned to concern. Stopping in his tracks, he lifted Neala into his arms, cuddling her close to his chest as her teeth began to chatter.
“I think she’s going hypothermic,” Dagda shouted, and Flynn ducked below a hatch, pulling out blankets and an emergency kit, while Bianca began to unlace Neala’s sodden shoes. In a matter of moments they had stripped her of her wet clothes and wrapped her in emergency blankets and tons of heavy wool fisherman’s blankets. Bianca was opening hand-held warmers and slipping them beneath Neala’s blankets as soon as they warmed up. Neala just wanted to close her eyes and sleep, so massive was the wave of exhaustion that threatened overtake her.
04 Sphere Song - The Isle of Destiny Page 17