Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3)

by Rauscher, Meaghan

  “Oh,” I said, trying to think of something to explain it. “Sometime at home. He had taught me how to carve…” my voice drifted off and I shrugged, wincing at the movement. I had to stop doing that.

  “Right,” Kryssa said, catching my meaning of who I spoke of, but still appearing wary.

  I sighed and straightened my back a little bit more. If I was going to make any progress with her, I was going to have to be the one to make the first move.

  “Actually, that’s not true,” I admitted and was rewarded with a look which made me think I had stated the obvious. I almost laughed at her expression. “Do you remember when I left? When I said I couldn’t tell you everything?” She nodded, “Well, I need to know how much Elik has told you while I’ve been gone.”

  “Why?” She snapped, and I wondered if she already knew the truth. It wouldn’t be ridiculous for Elik and Tunder to have told her what had happened, not to mention the rest of the Lathmorians. Thinking back to the baleful glares I had received in the throne room, I wondered if it was in connection to my relationship with Zale.

  “Because I need to know how much I can say,” I said the words quietly but they rang with truth. As much as I wanted her to know everything, I was afraid of what she might think if she knew it all.

  “What do you want me to tell you, Lissie?” She said, the words spilling out of her with a sudden harshness, “That all I know is you were at your home and then suddenly appeared on the night we were attacked, that you stayed on the island and when I last saw you, you were uninjured, and then I find out I can’t visit you for weeks? Then when I do get to see you, you kept yourself distant from me and wouldn’t tell me the truth? And now my father has been murdered and you show up here demanding to know what has happened? As far as I’m concerned it should be me that’s demanding answers.” Her words ran together in a jumble, while her eyes burned with a fire I had only seen once before.

  “You know,” she continued, “this isn’t the first time you’ve lied straight to my face.”

  “That’s only because at the time the truth could have killed you!” I said, referring back to when I hadn’t known she was a mermaid and was trying to hide my own identity.

  “I’m not talking about that,” she spit, “I’m talking about you lying to me when I came to your house in Coveside. Something happened there that changed you.”

  “Oh really?” I said, trying to hide my surprise at how observant she was.

  “Yes,” she stated, “I could see it when I came to warn you about Zale. You were so careless it scared me, but now I wonder if it was something more.” Her eyes slid down to the dagger on my arm and I blanched.

  “What did Elik tell you?” I demanded, my anger rising to match hers. We glared at each other for a moment until she finally broke our gaze and looked at the walls. There were tears in her eyes she was trying to fight back, but one escaped and ran down her cheek before she could catch it.

  “Nothing,” she admitted. Another angry tear pooled over, but she swiped this one away with her hand before it could slip down her cheek. “He told me nothing.”

  “Oh,” was all I could say and I waited for her to speak again; afraid to see her cry.

  It surprised me Tunder and Elik had kept to their word and not told anyone about Zale. Of course they were probably still hunting for him, but that was different than actually telling the Lathmorians who he was. Kryssa sniffed and turned her green eyes back on me.

  “That’s just it, no one will tell me anything and now my father is dead,” her voice broke on the last word and she crumpled over to put her face in her hands as a sob choked through her lips.

  Her body shook as the sadness poured out of her. Before I knew what I was doing, I was hugging her, trying to calm her down as the tears kept coming.

  I moved her gently and urged her to sit down on the bed. I put my good arm around her as she continued to cry into her hands. My own heart broke for her and for the first time since I had been told the news, I let myself mourn the king’s death.

  Together we sat for a long time on the edge of the bed. The sun was just beginning to descend behind the tops of the trees, when her sobs began to still, and she looked up from her hands.

  A silence filled the room that was at once awkward and perfect. For months I had felt the distance between the two of us. She had at one time been my closest confidant when Patrick and I were together. Just thinking back to the times we had spent here or on the island, made me mourn for the past.

  All of this, the war, the fighting, Morven’s endless pursuit had to stop. And yet, at the same time I knew he wouldn’t until he got what he was searching for.

  A familiar feeling of guilt filled my stomach. Was I the reason for all of this?

  “Sorry,” Kryssa said, and wiped her hands over her cheeks repeatedly to clear away any evidence of crying. The trails were already gone.

  “No need to apologize,” I said, and squeezed her shoulders as she pulled her hands away from her face. “But I still don’t know if I can tell you.”

  “And why not?” she scoffed and kept her eyes focused on the wall. “Do you think I would betray you?”

  “It’s not that,” I said and tried to think of a way to explain my reluctance. I had already lost Tunder’s trust, I didn’t want to lose hers too. But as it stood right now, she didn’t trust me anyway.

  “If I tell you everything, will you tell me all that you know?” I asked the question hoping it didn’t sound as backhanded as it felt. In a way, it seemed our friendship had boiled down to negotiations, while each side held back what they really thought. I knew we couldn’t stand as it was.

  Kryssa shook her head beside me and my arm slipped from her shoulders, “Even if I wanted to tell you everything, I couldn’t. Tunder commanded me not to.”

  “He seems like quite the ruler these days,” I said more to myself as my heart fell at her words.

  “How can you say that?” Kryssa turned to face me. “After everything that’s happened, you can really accuse him?”

  “Yes,” I said, not unaware of how childish I sounded. I had been considering telling her everything, but with the way she was acting there was no chance I would do it now. The prideful part of me reared up and refused to back down from what she was condemning me of.

  “You’re unbelievable,” Kryssa stood up and I followed suit. “You know, when Elik said you weren’t in the right mind to help the war effort, I defended you. I said there was nothing that would sway you from our side, but apparently I was wrong. You’re the spitting image of what he described to me.” Her voice grew sharp, taking bites out of my pride.

  “Why?” I demanded, “Because I can see more than the black and white of good versus bad?” She scoffed again and folded her arms across her chest. “You know what? I don’t need to take this from you. You already have this nice little prison set up for me, so why don’t you just leave me alone in my cell.”

  “And here I thought you would prefer a bedroom to an actual cell,” she said and I tried to hide the surprise at her casual mentioning of me being placed in the dungeon. “Guess I was wrong on that part.” Her face had hardened. “So here’s the deal, you start telling me what in the world is going on and then I’ll let you stay in this room.”

  “No,” I said, half-laughing at her supposed negotiation and trying to dispel the anger bubbling up inside me. Earlier I had pitied her, now I was just furious.

  “Fine,” she said, and began to walk out of the room. “You might reconsider it when you see the dungeon.”

  “Nothing I haven’t seen before,” I retorted, and her hand froze reaching out for the door.

  “Oh, that’s right,” she said, eyes narrowed, “you were a prisoner in Hyvar too. So much for black and white, you’re just doing whatever suits you best.”

  “What is wrong with you?!” I yelled all of the sudden and she flinched in response. “After what I did to save all of you when the Hyven attacked? You would be dead now, if it
wasn’t for me!”

  “Or would we?” she questioned and let the words hang in the air.

  My hopes fell quickly and I realized I had lost the last person who still believed I was on the Lathmorians’ side. Though she tried to hide it, I could see the doubt behind her eyes even though she wanted to believe me. I shook my head, trying to dispel the crippling feeling inside. My earlier joy of being in the merfolk world again, subsided and dissolved the hopes I had had of being protected and useful to the Lathmorians. I was infuriated, defeated and wanted so desperately for everyone to understand my plight.

  If only there was some way to make her see.

  No sooner had the thought passed through my mind, when a surge of strength and overpowering desire flowed through every part of my body. It was an instinct, I could barely resist. The beginnings of a tune formed in the back of my throat, ready to be brought into existence.

  You shouldn’t force her, the thought ran through my mind but was overcome by the song.

  A darkness spread into my soul. The overpowering need to make Kryssa understand took hold. The thought of the soft song swirling around her, as if in a cloud, and forcing her to see things my way was intoxicating.

  I lifted my eyes to her green ones and smiled subtly.

  The wariness in her gaze lightened, but only slightly.

  Reaching deep within, I grasped at the voice I knew I would have to use to make her understand, and as though a guiding hand were taking over, the power in the voice began to grow inside me. It was all I could think about, and all I could feel. In that fraction of a second, nothing existed but her eyes and my will.

  Just as my lips opened and the song made its way to my mouth, I snapped my jaw shut and closed my eyes.

  It had all taken less than a second, but seemed like hours. The heaving of my chest suggested extreme exertion. Never before had I felt such a rush of anticipation and desire to bend someone to my will.

  It seemed an eternity before I was able to control my breath once more. When I looked back up at Kryssa, I did so carefully; afraid of the overpowering urge which could take hold again. One of her eyebrows was lifted on her pale face, and though she could have no idea of what just happened, she was most assuredly aware something had passed between us.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly and then she turned to leave the room once more, the creak of the door filled the now silent room.

  “You know,” I said, having finally caught my breath, “your father believed in me.” The following silence was heavy and weighted.

  “That’s the only reason I’ve believed in you for so long,” she said, “But now he’s dead.” The door slammed with finality behind her, leaving me alone in the sunlit chamber.

  For a long time, I paced the room, crossing back and forth between the two stubborn walls until my anger began to subside. When it did, I was surprised to find tears around the edges of my eyes.

  Tears that would get me nowhere and nothing.

  With a cry of frustration, I whipped my dagger out of its sheath and threw it at the door, only to hear the satisfying thump of the blade hitting the solid wood. Bracing my hands on my hips, I tried to breathe in and out slowly to calm myself.

  Underneath everything I had found out in the past two days, was a fear I didn’t wish to explore. What had happened mere moments before Kryssa left the room was something I couldn’t ignore. It was enough to make me shiver in fear.

  Having no better reaction or understanding of what to do, I threw my dagger at the wooden door over and over again.

  It was going to be a long night.

  6. Summons

  The night and following day passed with deliberate steadiness making me more agitated by the second. Throughout the achingly slow minutes I had carved a path along the room walking in a cross shape from the far wall to beside the bed, to the door, then to the window and back again. Over and over I paced, too anxious to sit down and far beyond being able to sleep. At times my eyes grew weary and I tried to sleep, all to no avail. The pounding thoughts in my head kept me from being able to relax in my quiet confinement.

  In some ways this was much worse than being at home in Coveside. While I was in Lathmor—and the center of the merfolk world I had so longed for—I still knew nothing more about what was going on than when I had been home. All details were kept from me and I lost myself in thought, as I paced back and forth.

  It was apparent Tunder was going to stay true to his word and keep me concealed. I wasn’t going anywhere unless accompanied by Kryssa or Elik. However, I hadn’t seen the middle princess after our argument the day before and I had the feeling she was going to keep it as such. She was disgusted with me and rightly so.

  It was a young mermaid, one I had never seen before, who brought my plate of food to me in the morning, afternoon and again in the evening. If it wasn’t for all the walking, I surely wouldn’t have been hungry. I ate the proffered food, hoping it would be a sign I was inclined to obey their requests. Every time the girl came in, her red hair shining, I tried to speak with her but she said nothing and wouldn’t look at me. By the time she delivered my third meal, I remained by the back wall to give her some space to put the food-laden plate on the small table near the door. Outside in the hall, I could hear the shuffling feet of an escort.

  Just how dangerous do they think I am? It wasn’t the first time the thought had taken hold of me.

  More than anything, my mind often returned to thoughts of Zale, wondering where he was and what he was doing. I fancied imagining him in a place far away from here and out of Morven’s reach on the other side of the world. But I knew he was somewhere nearby. His warning in Coveside had been all too clear.

  I had a confidence in him that was maybe foolhardy, but founded on the grounds of his continued protection. In the past I had disbelieved his motives, even doubted his actions. He had fought bodily and strategically to keep me from harm, and for it, I felt connected to him in a way I never thought possible.

  As Patrick, he had been my friend and I had fallen in love with him, only to have it ripped away quite suddenly. Then I met Zale, and the warrior which had always been in him had come to life before my very eyes, until I was once again tried and tested to trust him. Somehow, we had come to an understanding, and because of his desperate effort to keep me safe, I found myself falling for him again.

  The sudden conclusion swept over me once more. I hadn’t moved on. My affections were simply combined, joining what I had felt for Patrick with what I now had with Zale. I knew, even though Patrick was never coming back, I loved what had become of him for who he was. Each time I thought of him, his past or present self, my heart lurched with something akin to pain and reminiscent of pleasure.

  Setting aside the half-eaten meal, I began to pace once more. The mere threat of waiting another night in this room made me groan internally. No matter how hard I tried to ignore it, the feelings of helplessness and unknowing were creeping back into me. They had been my companions in Hyvar and were beckoning to me once more with open arms.

  A soft knock patted on the door. “May we come in?” Nixie’s musical lilt reached me.

  “Yes,” I said, the desperation in my voice was quite obvious.

  The lock clicked and as the wood door opened a crack, the youngest princess slipped into the room, her husband right behind her. I tried not to notice how she fumbled with the key between her fingers, before pocketing it.

  Her red hair shimmered in the dim light of the room and when she gave me a quick hug, I remained stunned for the moment, uncertain of how to move. Her one small gesture had me reeling.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as she stepped away, her piercing green eyes taking in my appearance. I could only imagine how I looked. After hours of pacing and worrying my way around the room, I was far from presentable.

  “You look so tired,” she cocked her head to the side. “You should try and rest.”

  “If only I could,” I said, giving a small attempt at humor.

&
nbsp; “Oh,” her mouth made a perfect little circle of pity, “would you like me to send Daggin down to the kitchen? He can get you a glass of warm milk or something to make you sleepy.”

  “No, no, I’m fine,” I shook my head quickly.

  “If you say so,” she shrugged and nudged Daggin’s side. They shared a look and I had a sudden feeling they were trying to communicate something without my knowledge.

  “Would you care to sit?” I asked, feeling much too proper and gesturing toward the rumpled bed. Its haggard appearance was a sight to behold.

  “Sure,” she swooped forward, her ringlets bouncing. She was fire and light in a room covered with midnight curtains and weeping veils. Even in her black pants and simple dark blouse, she was brighter than anything in the room. With a little hop, she crawled onto the bed and sat in the middle of the mattress with her feet tucked in delicately. I shifted, uncertain of where I should sit when Daggin crossed the room and shoved some of Kryssa’s things aside on a table. He made himself comfortable on the flat wood-top, his legs swinging beneath him. He was so tall, he had to sit all the way back until his knees hit the edge of the table to keep his feet from grazing the floor. Even so, there was hardly any space for him to swing his feet.

  “Come sit,” Nixie patted the bed and I moved her way.

  “Does Tunder know you’re here?” I asked.

  “Does it matter?” She laughed at my shocked expression. “Yes, he knows we’re here. He didn’t really seem to care.”

  “That’s surprising,” I mumbled and she giggled.

  “So,” she said, growing serious all of the sudden, “How have you been?” I glanced between her and her husband, he shrugged as though he was just as uncertain as to why they were here as I was.

  “All right, I guess.”

  “That’s good,” she nodded, her ringlets bouncing. “How was your journey here?”

  “A little tiring,” I met her eyes and then turned to her husband. “Thank you for doing that by the way.”

  “It was nothing.” Daggin’s deep baritone reverberated around the room, once again making his young face seem older somehow.