by Renee Field
Bringing her body closer to his, he said, “Kassandra, your father is a pup compared to mine. Picture a king used to having his way and having his orders followed. A king who believes in the sea law more than his own family. Picture a man who wouldn’t bat an eye at following those rules even if it meant destroying his own son. That’s my father,” grumbled Darius, moving past her.
She glided past him and turned her head to look at him. “Is that what happened to you?”
“It’s a long, complicated story but let me say that if my mother hadn’t interfered, than I wouldn’t be here,” replied Darius, a grin lifting the corners of his mouth.
“Somehow that doesn’t comfort me. So, let me guess, big commanding men...I mean, Titans, run in your family. Great, that’s just great,” she mumbled, more to herself than to him.
He knew she was analyzing her options, which weren’t many. She huffed out a long breath and then bravely said. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
This was the Kassandra he liked. She had mustered her courage to face the unknown, and he was proud of her... more than proud of her. He admired her. Together they glided through the waters to his father’s Palace. He wished he could bottle her confidence and take a shot of it himself.
Chapter Nineteen
“You did the right thing. I am proud of you, son” said King Sadok, speaking the words to Darius but looking solely at Kassandra. She gulped. Before her was the Titan who had tried to kill her. And he embodied everything she had read or seen in the ancient textbooks she had studied. He was handsome, muscular, regal and the ancient knowledge she saw in his green eyes terrified her. Immortality and wisdom oozed out of every pore of his being making her feel unconsciously small and mortal.
“He is not immortal, Kassandra. We just live longer than your average human lifespan,” said Darius, interrupting her wayward thoughts.
“I must say I like what your mate thinks of me,” replied King Sadok, his eyebrow lifting in a small salute.
Kassandra watched as Darius huffed. She noticed how the tick in his jaw had resumed. “Stop reading her thoughts,” he commanded.
“You will need to teach her how to shield them. But, first come, have a seat,” said the King, ushering them both forward.
Kassandra tried hard to stop looking around the palatial throne room. It was like nothing she had expected. A large round marble table held most of the King’s works. The floor was black granite, as were the walls. The dwelling only had walls, no ceiling. There were two round windows on each side of the room which made it appear even bigger than it was. The centerpiece of the room was a large fountain with massive Titans arching their Tritons in the middle. Water gurgled neatly up to sprinkle into the surrounding pool. Kassandra wondered absentmindedly how water could bubble up when they were fathoms of leagues underwater. Then again, if it was like her being able to breathe water like it was oxygen, it made sense in a weird sort of messed up logical way.
“You are a true delight. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you, Kassandra Lily Delong, daughter of Ivan, direct descendant of Sangerious, River God of the Balta.”
“What!” bellowed Darius, flying out of his chair.
Kassandra was stunned. Then she started to laugh. Really laugh. After all, what else did they expect her to believe? When she was finally able to compose herself, she noted the patient look on King Sadok’s face and the hard set of Darius’.
“That was funny. Really funny. Next you’ll be saying I’m a princess,” she said, smartly.
“Actually, you are,” replied King Sadok as his clear, emerald eyes bore into her.
“You could have told me,” complained Darius.
Kassandra watched the King cross his arms over his chest. “Why? What would it have mattered?”
“I could have let...you know what I mean,” said Darius, darting his eyes from her to his father.
King Sadok shook his head.
Kassandra felt she was missing important parts of the conversation. “Look, King Sadok, really, my father’s name is Ivan, but we’re not royalty of any kind. He’s not a Titan or a god or anything like that.”
“He was,” said King Sadok, softly.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Darius snapped, glaring at King Sadok. “I’m going out for a while. When you’ve sorted all this out, let me know...after all it would appear that I am just your humble servant doing your bidding, Father. For now, I’m out of here.”
Darius brushed past her like there was no tomorrow. Without as much as a goodbye, see you later, he was gone. And she was left alone with his father, King Sadok, ruler of the north seas, who was assessing her like she was a specimen. She didn’t like it one bit. Then again, she didn’t like what he’d made Darius do to her.
“I didn’t make him do it. The choice was always his,” said the King, obviously reading her thoughts.
“What choice? You were going to let me drown. He did what he thought was the right thing to do.” Kassandra gulped. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with Darius’ father and that he was treating her like an equal.
“There you are wrong, Kassandra. He always had the choice. And well he knew it. Darius knows more about our sea laws than he has let on. But that is his tale to tell. I did what was right. If the Fates wanted you to be who you are now, then I had to play my part, as did my son.
“I will admit to being surprised to discover you were a descendant of my good friend, Ivan, but even that would not have been enough for me to turn my back on our tradition. It has been what has kept all our kingdoms safe from prying humans,” said the King as he rose and moved towards the marble table.
“Do you recognize this?” he asked, holding a gold heart in his hand. The words, “For Military Merit,” shined at her.
“Yes. It’s given to our soldiers when they are injured in the line of duty or for their heroic deeds,” she answered.
“I know. The only thing I know about this solider is his name. This is from your World War I era. His ship was blasted by one of those human weapons that shook our kingdom. There weren’t many survivors but this man, this soldier, was alive when I discovered him. When I gave him the choice of life or death he chose death. Everyone has the choice, Kassandra. This man knew his. As did Darius. He wouldn’t have given you the brek’ah unless he knew, deep within his soul, that you were his true mate.”
“You’re wrong. Darius’ sense of integrity and his ties to his family are what made him save me,” she said, fingering the medal. The knowledge that Darius’ father had offered to save this soldier touched her in a strange way. “You really would have saved this man?”
“Yes, I would have commanded one of the Sirens to give him the brek’ah.”
The words didn’t sit well with her. “See, that’s what I mean. You would have commanded someone else to do it, just as you commanded Darius to. The act was not yours to give.” She couldn’t believe she was standing up to the formidable King, who appeared to be considering her words.
“You are so much like your father it hurts,” he said sadly.
Wow, talk about changing the topic. ”My father really isn’t royalty, you know.”
“Actually, he is. Once you have settled in, I will send Jamie, Seth’s wife, to take you to the reflection pool. That will help you learn more about who you are. For now, I must go check on my Sokhan, Helem. I will have Mercka escort you to Darius’ dwelling.” There was genuine concern in his eyes.
“Thank you,” replied Kassandra. “What’s a Sokhan?”
“There is no comparable term in the human language, but Helem would say she is my wife. The word means much more than that, though. She is my…Sokhan. She is the other half of my soul, as you are the other half of Darius’ soul. We will talk more later.”
The King reached out and took the medal from her. Gently, almost reverently, placed it back inside a cubby-hole in his marble table. Kassandra knew she was dismissed.
“I do hope your wife...I mean,
your Sokhan, will be okay. Please let me know if I can do anything,” she said, on her way out.
The King’s response left her all but gasping at the sheer intensity. “I am counting on you, too,” he said.
What did that mean? She passed four guards on the way out. Not one paid her any attention. They were obviously in a hurry to talk with the King.
“Kassandra, I will show you Darius’ dwelling. It’s not much to look at, I’m afraid. Mother would say it needs a Siren’s touch,” said Mercka, materializing in front of a towering warrior who didn’t even blink when she swayed by him.
They twisted and turned throughout the kingdom. Kassandra noted that very few Titans and Sirens roamed the area, and so far she hadn’t spotted any that looked like children.
As if she had read her thoughts, Mercka answered her. “All the freshlings, the young Titans and Sirens are either in their various schools, or working on the play they are soon going to perform. Most everyone else has been assigned to their task and many, I’m sad to say, are sick and recovering in the crèche.”
“Crèche?” asked Kassandra, trying to keep pace with Mercka.
“This is Darius’ place,” said Mercka, moving to glide in front of a non-descript dwelling. Like the rest she had seen, it had walls but no ceilings. Unlike the rest it had a lightweight marble door.
Mercka motioned for her to move inside. “The crèche used to be the daycare and academic school for the Titans but it’s now used as a makeshift hospital for our sick. My mother and brother and many of my friends are now there.”
The emotion that poured from Mercka into Kassandra caused her to gasp. Then as quickly as it came the intense pulse vibrated away.
“Sorry about that. If I think about what’s happening to our kingdom, I tend to forget to shield my emotions. That won’t happen again. I really am happy that you’ve joined our family. I’m not sure what’s happened to Darius, but he needs you.”
“The last person your brother needs is me. Trust me on that score. But, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help in the crèche. I didn’t realize the sickness was so widespread,” said Kassandra, cautiously entering Darius’ dwelling. She felt like an intruder and wished he was the one showing her his place.
Then she realized sadly that maybe this was better after all. It was hard for her to think rationally when he was around. All that naked, polished skin called to her.
“See, you’re thinking of my brother. That’s good,” chimed Mercka, causing Kassandra to blush deep red. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re his mate. That’s to be expected.”
Moving to the center of the large living area, Kassandra said, “Thanks, I think.”
“Okay, I’ve got to go. I promised I’d help Jamie in the crèche. Once she’s finished she’ll come to take you to the reflection pool. In the meantime, poke around. I know I would,” joked Mercka, darting away.
The last thing Kassandra wanted to do was poke around, not that there was much to poke into. The place was beyond sparse. It was empty.
The living area was large and there were a number of beautifully carved stones placed around it. A large ledge ran around the perimeter of the room.
Making her way to the back, she found what had to be Darius’ bedroom. Heat pooled to her core. A large scallop-shaped bed rested dead center in the room. It called up a number of fantasies that made her hastily exit. The living room was safe so she’d sit there until he found her. In the meantime, she tried to recall every single thing she’d read about merpeople and the legends of the gods. There was no way she was going to sit idly and not try to find an opportunity to free herself and Darius from what he’d done to them.
A few minutes later a knock on the door on the outside of the framed house interrupted her thoughts.
“It’s me, Jamie. Darius’ sister-in-law. May I come in?”
Kassandra welcomed the beautiful siren whose black hair was neatly arranged in a long braid that ran down the length of her back.
“Yes, please. I’m Kassandra. It’s a pleasure to meet you,”
“I bet you’re feeling completely overwhelmed. I know I did when it happened to me,” replied Jamie.
Instantly Kassandra knew that she and Jamie were going to get along famously. If anyone could understand how she felt about being a siren it had to be Jamie who’d also spent the first part of her life as a woman.
After all the niceties had passed, Kassandra asked what had been on her mind since Mercka mentioned the sickness. “What’s wrong with Seth?”
That stopped Jamie cold. “Didn’t Darius tell you? Of course he didn’t. These Titans like to keep everything bottled up inside them. Seth has been afflicted with the plague. We’ve been trying for over a decade to find a cure. If we don’t I’m afraid...”
Kassandra realized Jamie couldn’t continue. “I didn’t mean to pry,” she said, swiping at her long hair that kept billowing into her face from the undersea currents.
“No, you have a right to know. I hoped Darius had told you,” she said sadly.
“Is this the same thing that is affecting the King’s wife?” asked Kassandra, wanting to switch the conversation away from Darius.
“Yes, it’s affecting all the royal blood Titans and Sirens, some more so than others. That’s why we sent Reece to find Darius. Now I’m not sure we did the right thing.”
Gliding forward, Jamie stopped. Turning to face Kassandra she said, “Kassandra, it isn’t easy learning who you really are. And it can be especially hard to realize that all your human notions and ideas have to be discarded if you’re ever going to be happy here.”
“And are you?”
“Happy, you mean? Yes. I love Seth with every cell in my body and my son, Reece, is a true wonder,” Kassandra noted Jamie’s worried expression.
“He will be okay. He’s a very handsome young man,” replied Kassandra, trying to alleviate Jamie’s motherly concerns. After all, they were valid. Not every mother could claim to let her ten-year-old son leave the safety of what he’d always known to venture to land, only to somehow go through an exceedingly painful process and transform from a boy into a full grown Titan.
“Thank you. I trust he will be, but until I see him with my own eyes, I won’t be able to stop thinking about him. I thought, we thought...” Jamie, gulped, a tear trickling down unheeded down her cheek.
Kassandra watched Jamie fight to regain her composure to continue. “We thought that sending him from the north seas would keep him safe from the plague, and when Seth realized his first awakening could happen at any moment, we realized our options were limited. When Darius finally made contact with us, we viewed that as a sign and proceeded with our plans. Now, I’m wondering if we did the right thing.”
“You did what you thought was best. I should tell you, Jamie, Darius never left his side. He sat with him through that long night and used his healing powers to help him. Even when they didn’t seem to work, he wouldn’t budge. If he could have he would have traded places with your son in a heartbeat. That’s how much he loves him,” said Kassandra, awed at her own speech.
“He stayed with him through the awakening?” Jamie asked, clearly confused.
Kassandra nodded.
“But, Seth said... it doesn’t matter, thank you, once again. It seems, Darius is constantly surprising us with his actions,” said Jamie, a small fleeting smile awakening her weary face.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to wait until tomorrow or maybe even another day to go to the reflection pool. I’m not up to anymore surprises,” Kassandra admitted sheepishly.
Jamie nodded sympathetically. “Actually, I think that’s best. I should be going anyway. I don’t like to leave Seth too long, and I’d like to share with him what you told me Darius did to help our son. It will mean a lot to him,” said Jamie, making her way to the door.
“Ahh, Jamie, before you go…I was wondering, do you happen to know if there’s a way for Darius to reverse what he did to me?”
Jamie slowly thought about it. “The only thing I can think of is the ritual blood oath but that might not work since he gave you the kiss of life. To be truthful I don’t think it can be reversed.”
“Thanks anyway,” replied Kassandra as Jamie closed the door behind her.
Left alone with much to think about Kassandra realized she felt exhausted. She wandered back into Darius’ bedroom. Eyeing the strange bed, she approached it warily. Then, overcome with fatigue, she swam into it only to discover it was surprisingly soft and comfortable. Her tail curled up alongside her, and in no time she was asleep. Since she’d always done some of her best thinking during REM sleep she prayed that would be the case now. Nothing would make her happier than to wake up knowing she’d found a way to break free from Darius for once and all. She hoped it turned out to be an easy, uncomplicated formula.
Chapter Twenty
Sweat poured off him. He wielded the large double-edged Triton and plunged in again into the hot coals of the underground fissure. The heat almost blinded his sensitive infra-rayed eyesight. Once heated, he then pounded the sharp edges into sharp points and then dipped them into a pile of crystallized oblats that would reinforce the specialized metal. Then he grabbed a large piece of dead reef he could use to carefully sand the sharp edge of the triton until they gleamed. Two down, only twenty more to go. He eyed the large rusted Triton pile and grimaced.
“Thought I’d find you here, son.”
Darius didn’t even bother to turn his head to acknowledge his father. His father looked at the Tritons.
“I hadn’t realized they weren’t being taken care of,” King Sadok admitted.
“Well, you should have,” snapped Darius, picking up a third triton to repeat the task.
His father’s large hand on his shoulder stopped him. “When you disappeared, we searched for you. It wasn’t easy. I knew you weren’t dead but your mother couldn’t find a trace of you. We had no idea you were involved with Zeus’ half-nephew. If we had…well, let’s just say things would have been different. Now, that you’re back I can rest assured you will make everything right,” said King Sadok.