Mythos

by Heather McLaren

  “I can’t stay here,” Faren whispered as softly as she could. “David needs me.”

  “If the High Council finds out you snuck out of the city to be with a human, who knows what they’ll do to you,” Luna shot back. “Come on, Faren, you shouldn’t press the issue. At least wait until this mess is behind us.”

  Tristan swam up and threw his arm around Faren’s shoulders. “What are you ladies talking about?”

  Luna gave her brother an annoyed look. “Tristan, we were in the middle of something.”

  “All right, all right,” he gave in, throwing his hands up. “I just came to see if you wanted to go to Shelter Cove with me.”

  Luna huffed. “We’re busy.”

  “Oh, come on, it’ll give us something to do.”

  “Something to do?” Luna laughed. “What’s so special about Shelter Cove anyway? It’s just another patch of sand that’s off limits, or weren’t you listening to Servio?”

  “I know it’s off limits. That’s what makes it dangerous… and fun.” When Luna gave him a dirty look, he relented. “Suit yourself, but don’t say you weren’t invited.”

  “Do you think he heard us?” Harmony asked after he’d gone.

  “No,” Luna said. “We weren’t talking loud enough. Besides, I know my brother. Even if he did hear us, he’d never say anything.”

  Harmony relaxed. “You’re right.” She looked back at Faren with a goofy grin. “So, what are you going to do? Are you going to meet your prince?”

  Luna sighed in frustration. “Don’t encourage her.”

  “I love David, and I’d like to know that both of my friends are behind me no matter what I decide to do.” Faren folded her arms across her chest and dug her flukes in the sand. She watched the powder waft up like a beige cloud before settling again.

  “I’m behind you, and Harmony’s obviously behind you, but I’m thinking of the bigger picture. If the High Council finds out... well, I don’t need to bring that up again. You already know what could happen to you.”

  “I know but David’s worth it. I’ve never felt this way ab–”

  “Listen,” Luna broke down, closing her eyes as if she were in pain, “if you do go, be careful. The last thing you need is for someone to find out you’re with a human. With everything else going on right now, they’ll be watching us closer than ever.”

  “I will,” Faren said with a smile. “Wish me luck.”

  The girls parted ways, and Faren started home when Tristan swam up. “Faren, can you believe this is happening?”

  Faren forced a smile. “I know. It’s crazy.”

  “As far back as I can remember we’ve never had a mer break into the temple.” He tagged along like an obedient dolphin. “I was serious about you coming with us to Shelter Cove.”

  “I believe you, but what’s going on at Shelter Cove?”

  “Nothing,” Tristan said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m just meeting some other kids from school. Faren, please think about it.”

  “No, I’m sorry. I can’t.”

  Tristan stopped swimming and glared at her. “I see how you are,” he said. “I just wanted to spend some time with you, maybe keep you out of trouble. Don’t worry… I won’t bother you again.”

  Keep me out of trouble?

  “Tristan, come back. I’m sorry, Tristan… what did you mean by that?”

  He disappeared around a nearby house, never looking back.

  * * *

  Faren peered through the glass doors into David’s bedroom and knocked a second time, but the house stayed quiet. From all outside appearances everything seemed normal. The villa was vacant, as if the occupants were out enjoying the island’s amenities, but she knew better.

  Faren waited another minute and knocked again. When David still didn’t appear, she snuck inside and down the hallway. She crept up the stairs, past the decorative fish pictures, keeping her back pressed up against the wall. Faren could hear a woman speaking, but she couldn’t see anyone yet. Little by little, inch by inch, the living room revealed… it was empty.

  “Yes, that’s right, Jeanie. The authorities have identified the deceased to be seventy-one-year-old Isadora Crumpet,” the TV reporter said without emotion. “She was horribly mutilated, and her home was ransacked.”

  The macabre details drew Faren in like a moth to a flame. She walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch, watching the events unfold on the north island in shock.

  “Do the police have any leads?” the blonde anchor asked, shuffling through the papers on her desk.

  The reporter put her hand to her headset and paused another five seconds before answering. “The local police have taken the victim’s son into custody. Fifty-four-year-old Alfred Crumpet has been hospitalized for schizoaffective disorder in the past, and he had been living with the victim for…”

  Faren pulled herself from the gruesome images of Isadora’s bloody sheet-covered corpse plastered across the news and gazed around the room, searching for anything out of the ordinary. A cup of dark liquid sat on a nearby end table, and a pair of green pajama bottoms lay in a crumpled heap on the other end of the couch. An overturned dining room chair lay up against a far wall, the seat cover dragged into the middle of the floor.

  “David,” Faren called out. “Are you here?”

  Dead silence.

  She walked into the kitchen and let out a small groan when she saw the room in shambles. The cabinets were hanging off the hinges, and drinking glasses and mugs were shattered across the counter tops and thrown into the sink. Smaller pieces of ceramic littered the tile floor.

  “David!” Faren ran back into the living room, taking the stairs to the loft two at a time. “David!” she screamed again.

  The room was a mess. The mattress was half off the bed, and the sheets and blankets were in a pile on the floor. The dresser lay on its side, and t-shirts and shorts spilled from the open drawers. But the loft was empty.

  As she started to leave, a noise coming from the closet caught Faren’s attention. She walked over to the closed doors and slid them open to see David slumped in the back corner. He struggled against the duct tape wrapped around his face and the strips of cloth binding his hands and feet.

  “I’ll get you out of here,” Faren cried, doing her best to pull the tape off as painlessly as she could. “Just hold on.”

  David screamed behind his adhesive gag, but Faren couldn’t understand a single word. He stared behind her, kicking the walls and growing more hysterical.

  Faren heard the deep, menacing growl sneak up on her, but she didn’t see her attacker until it was too late.

  Suri hauled her away from the open closet by her armpits and threw her up against the wall. “Where is the Ring of the Ancients?” she hissed. “I know you have it, and I want it.”

  “I don’t care what you want.”

  “Oh, you will,” Suri whispered. “Look at him.” She grabbed Faren’s face and forced her to look at David’s bruised and battered form still struggling to get free. “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll kill him… painfully,”“ she added inches from her face. She dug her fingernails in Faren’s arms, piercing her skin as she clasped her tighter.

  “You won’t touch him!”

  Faren punched Suri in the face. The demon dropped her and stumbled back, oozing clear liquid from her busted nose. Before Faren could get to her feet, Suri hauled her from the floor by her hair; it felt like the monster was ripping it from her scalp. She threw her against the wall again and held her arms down at her sides.

  “You’re pathetic,” Suri said through clenched teeth. “You have no idea who I am, do you? Do you?” she screamed at Faren when she refused to answer.

  “You’re a bully with evil in your heart.”

  Suri laughed. “Oh, you poor pathetic mer. I’ve been here since the beginning. I am the first of my kind.”

  Faren’s mind spun. She suddenly felt light-headed; it was hard to speak. “That isn’t possible,�
�� she whispered. “That would make you–”

  “Immortal?” Suri laughed. “It seems you’re finally catching on.”

  Faren tried to break free. “That’s impossible, no... that can’t be...”

  “Tell me something.” Suri lifted Faren high in the air, avoiding her kicking legs. “Can you fly?” She hurled her over the bed.

  Her head smashed into the nightstand, sending a bright light showering down around her like rain. Then everything went black. Faren felt trapped in a world suspended between awake and asleep. She could hear what was happening around her, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn’t move at all.

  “The ring,” she heard Suri say in awe. “I don’t believe it. The little wench was wearing it the whole time.” Faren felt the creature rip it from her finger. Then she heard someone shout from downstairs.

  “Hold on!” Suri screamed back.

  “I need you!”

  The demon groaned in frustration. “Can’t you do anything on your own?” she mumbled. She tore from the room, knocking furniture out of the way. When the voice shouted again, she huffed loudly. “I’m coming! Hold on!” Suri made quite a racket on her way through the living room.

  In short spurts, Faren could hear David calling out to her, but most of the time, she lingered in a dark, silent place.

  “Hold on…” David’s voice cut out. “Faren, can you he…” Each time his voice broke through her mental barrier, he sounded closer. “Oh, God, hold on Fare…”

  Faren opened her eyes, but the pitch black still held her in a tight grip. Then, like a strobe light, her sight came and went. She saw David leaning over her, his face bright red from the tape. He was talking to her, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. She fell into a dark abyss, afraid she might never wake up again.

  Before she came to, Faren saw red and blue streaks of light flying by on either side of her. The pain hit her all at once, and the room came into focus. When David brought the t-shirt up to dab the blood from her forehead, she noticed the strips of cloth still dangling from his wrist.

  “Baby,” he exclaimed when she began to stir. “Thank God.”

  Faren looked up at him, still disoriented. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?” She put her hand to her forehead and winced when her fingers grazed the goose egg forming over her right eye. “How long have I been unconscious?”

  “Just a few minutes, and don’t worry about me. Are you okay?”

  “I think so.”

  “Careful now,” David said, helping her to her feet. “You probably have a concussion.”

  They started down the stairs to the living room. Faren held onto David as they descended, still shaky and a bit queasy. She snuggled his side, thankful they had made it through the attack alive.

  “She took it… the ring,” she whimpered. “How could I let this happen? I should have fought harder.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now. It’ll be all right,” David tried to comfort her. “We’ll get it back and everything–” A noise coming from one of the bedrooms quieted him.

  David helped Faren down the last step. “Did you hear that?” He nudged her behind him and started toward the other staircase.

  Faren could feel the panic welling up inside of her. “David, no….”

  Suri came up the steps like a hideous aftertaste. She squinted, reducing her piercing eyes to mere slits, and curled her lips in disgust.

  “It’s you,” she hissed at Faren. “Tell me how to use the ring’s power.”

  Faren and David walked backwards, never taking their eyes of the beast. It was a standoff of wills–good against evil.

  “I can’t do that.” Faren could see the ring crammed onto the sea demon’s fat pinky finger.

  Suri slammed her hand against the wall, leaving a hole twice the size of her fist. “Yes, you will! Tell me what I want to know or I’ll kill you where you stand!”

  “No!”

  Suri raced toward them with outstretched arms. They ran around the other side of the couch, but she cut them off. When they tried to backtrack, she leaped over the coffee table and pinned David to the floor.

  “Get out of here. Run and don’t look back. Run!” he shouted again, when Faren refused to move.

  She ignored David’s commands and bolted for the kitchen, searching for anything she could use to overpower the creature. After rummaging through countless drawers, she grabbed a butcher’s knife and ran to his aid.

  “No!” Faren screamed. She ran up behind Suri and plunged the twelve-inch steel blade between her shoulder blades; clear goo oozed from the wound and dripped onto the floor. The monster howled in pain as she tried to pull the knife out.

  Faren’s sudden attack gave David the chance he needed to fight back. He grabbed the oriental vase sitting on the coffee table and smashed Suri in the face. The sound of the ceramic ornament breaking her jaw was sickening–like an egg cracking. She slumped to the floor in a heap and didn’t move.

  David wriggled out from under her, and Faren helped him up off the floor. He tried to pull her away from the creature’s limp body, but she stopped him.

  “Hold on,” she said, bending over her. “I need to get the ring.” She never had the chance.

  Suri’s eyes popped open, and she glared up at her. Faren fell back on her hands, and David pulled her to her feet before Suri could grab her. When they tried to flee, the monster hauled David back to the floor and swung him around to face her again.

  “Do you need some help?”

  The other voice!

  Faren whirled around to see Mineane at the top of the stairs. The beast inched closer, staring her down. Saliva ran down her chin, and a slimy spittle rope dangled from her lip, swaying when she moved.

  “Don’t kill her yet,” Suri said, pinning David’s arms to the floor. “She hasn’t told me what we need to know.” When she spoke, her bruised jaw popped and cracked, and blood seeped from her broken nose. Then, before their eyes, her wounds were gone.

  David squirmed under her heavy frame. “Leave her alone, you bitc… oomph.”

  “Shut up!” Suri shouted in his face. She punched him in the ribs again.

  Faren felt more helpless than ever. She looked up at Mineane’s seven-foot frame and back to David. He was getting tired and could barely fight back.

  “How do you use the ring?” Mineane asked, stalking Faren. When she didn’t answer, she shook her head and tsked. “You’re only making things worse for yourself.”

  Faren remained steadfast. “Go to hell.”

  Mineane hunched low to the floor and lunged at her, missing her by mere inches. She stood and shot her an icy stare.

  “You might as well give up,” the monster said through gritted teeth. “You’ll never win.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Faren reared back and kicked Mineane with everything she had. The demon’s eyes popped open, and she flew off her feet, crashing headlong into the television screen. There was a loud crunch, and Mineane grew still. Her body turned to dust, leaving her tentacles behind as the only evidence she was ever there.

  Suri looked up but she didn’t seem to care about her dead partner. She continued to strangle David without blinking an eye.

  Faren ran up and ripped the knife from her back, but Suri knocked her to the floor before she could stab her again. The weapon flew from Faren’s hand and skidded across the tile out of reach. She crawled toward it, grunting and groaning. Suri grabbed her leg, and Faren fell flat on her face.

  “No!” Faren screamed.

  So close, so close.

  She reached for the knife again; her hand grazed the handle, knocking it even farther away. As a last minute decision, Faren attacked Suri, pounding her in the head with her tiny fists. The monster let go of David’s throat and grabbed Faren’s hair again, yanking her to the floor.

  “Let me go!” Faren cried, latching onto the demon’s wrists. She tried to twist her way free, but Suri’s strength outweighed hers by ten. �
��No, stop!”

  David punched Suri in the back of the head once, twice. She fell to her side, but kept a good grip on Faren’s hair. David managed to crawl out from underneath her, and he punched her in the head again.

  As soon as Suri released Faren, the couple took off for the stairway leading to the bedrooms. They didn’t get far. A pair of the most enraged eyes they had ever seen met them halfway.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Suri croaked.

  Faren couldn’t think straight. The hefty demon blocking their path no longer existed. All she could see was the stairway, their only lifeline to the outside world, across the room. But it seemed a million light years away.

  “You’re trapped,” Suri said, shoving a chair out of the way.

  “Come on!” David rushed Faren to the glass patio door, slid it open, and pushed her out onto the balcony. “We have to jump!”

  Faren didn’t have time to argue. Suri rushed toward them with a look of pure evil etched into her bloody, twisted features. Faren grabbed the railing and jumped over the side. She was weightless, watching the ground get closer and closer. She landed feet first.

  Faren forced herself to ignore the pain shooting up her legs, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that she was alone. She looked up and saw David dangling from the railing. Faren could hear the bones in his hand cracking as the demon ground his fingers into the metal barricade.

  “Leave him alone!” Faren searched frantically for another way up. She could still hear David fighting with the sea demon; his cries of pain echoed in her head, pushing her past the point of reason.

  When Faren pulled the patio furniture over and began climbing on top of it, David said through gritted teeth, “No, Faren, get away… run!”

  “No, I’m not leaving you here.”

  David reared back and head-butted Suri as hard as he could. He dropped to the ground when she fell back on the concrete, plowing over the table and chairs scattered around the balcony.