“I mean it,” he said and pulled me to him, his warm skin seeming to seep through the fabric of the black shirt I wore. “I’ll protect you.” He tucked my head beneath his chin, and though his hand was sliding up and down my shoulder, I knew his eyes were continuing to search the waters before us.
“That’s not why I’m worried,” I said, and he glanced down at me with a look of disbelief. “Okay, maybe a little.” I leaned closer into him. I didn’t know how to explain what I was feeling right now. Impending doom pressed upon me, and I felt as if the words were voiced, it would all come true.
His back straightened suddenly and I looked up just as a rustling reached my ears. Jonco was running up the hill, gliding steps bringing him to the top, where he didn’t pause to look our way, before ducking under the rock enclosure. Only the murmur of voices drifted on the breeze, but by the concentration on Zale’s face, I knew he could hear them. I waited until he relaxed before prodding him for information.
“What was it?” I asked.
“Everyone’s in place and we’re to remain here,” he sounded a little disgruntled by the last statement.
“That’s a good thing, right?” I asked already knowing the answer. I could feel the restraint in the muscles of his arm, which lay across my shoulder and down my side. He was here for me, but part of him didn’t want to be.
“Yes,” he said and turned to me with a hint of a smile on his lips, “and no.”
“I prefer having you here,” I said and tucked my head back under his chin.
“So do I,” he replied with a sigh and I almost laughed at his attempt to fool me.
His hand returned to brushing my shoulder and I smiled to myself, even as the bubble of doubt gripped my stomach. I was worried, not only for what would happen if I was caught, but what would happen if I wasn’t. The Lathmorians were putting their lives on the line to protect me and I wanted to be there to help them. I had tried to explain as much to Zale and Tunder the previous day, but had been turned down immediately. Of course, I saw the logic in it all. They had said I would be more of a distraction than a help. If all the Lathmorians had to rally to protect me, then it was more likely they would be killed. Logic had won out, but it was still a bitter pill to swallow.
“How’s your shoulder?”
“What?” I asked lifting my head, not following his line of thought.
“This one,” he reached around with his other arm and gently poked my left shoulder. “I never asked you how it healed.”
“Oh,” I said realizing what he meant. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to remind me of Bolrock’s attack, not now when I was expecting a similar ambush in the very near future. “It’s fine, a bit stiff from training.”
He nodded beside me, I liked the way his hair seemed to shimmer in the dull moonlight. “Mine does that every now and then too.” He shifted his shoulders. I wondered if he was speaking of Nerissa’s blade which rested beneath the black scar, or some other battle wound he carried. His back had enough cuts and healed scars to inform anyone of his past without a word.
“It healed well enough,” I said and sat up straight to tug the collar of my shirt past my shoulder. My pale flesh glimmered in the dim light and the dark trail of the scar stood out sharply, running along my skin to where it disappeared once more beneath my shirt.
Raising my eyes, I watched him take it in and when he lifted his hand to brush his thumb along my skin, a different type of shiver ran along my spine. Ducking his head, he leaned forward and placed his lips where the scar began, right where Bolrock’s blades had first made contact with my flesh. Grabbing a handful of his hair in my free hand, I gently pulled his head up to mine and gave him a passionate kiss.
“I’m still sorry you have it,” he said, a moment later, his breath swirling around my lips after we broke apart.
“Have what?” I asked, completely forgetting what we had been speaking of.
“This,” his hand brushed over the healed skin once more. “I should’ve been there.”
“You were,” I said and shrugged, ignoring the small stir of pain in the very joint he now touched.
“Just not soon enough,” he admitted and then looked out over the ocean.
I sighed and watched the waves too, thinking back to the relief I felt the moment he had stepped into the clearing and challenged Bolrock’s men. He had been my only hope, my only way of making it out alive. Even as I remained crumpled on the ground, he had stayed calm, never looking directly my way until it was all over.
“You know you never told me what you focus on,” I mumbled, thinking out loud.
“What?” he sounded perplexed, as he interlaced the fingers of my left hand with his own.
“You said you had an image in your mind, of me, that helped you control your anger.” I shrugged once more as though it was a simple statement, when in reality my curiosity was heightened. The concentration and control he had used that night was something I could scarcely comprehend. “What is it?”
He sighed and remained silent for a long time. It was as though I could hear the thoughts in his mind working, and for a moment, I thought he would tell me until he sighed.
“I’ll tell you sometime,” he said and kissed the top of my head.
“That’s what you said before,” I pointed out.
“I know,” there was a smile in his voice. “It’s still not the right time.”
I sighed dramatically, but remained quiet on the matter, not wanting to push it. He pulled me closer to him and I closed my eyes, falling into the rhythm of his breathing. Between the waves below, their steady pounding surging forward and back again, along with the rise and fall of his chest. I found myself beginning to relax.
My hands lay open on my lap and just as my head was drifting forward, Zale suddenly stirred. A jolt of fear shot through my chest as he moved to stand, leaving me alone on the edge of the cliff. I scrambled to my feet just in time to see a Lathmorian soldier break through the trees.
Her hair drifted behind her and by the wideness of her eyes, I already knew what was happening. It’s time.
Calmric and Jonco, along with the rest of the Outpost soldiers, surged onto the cliff’s edge. Some of the mermen shifted from foot to foot, eager to get going, but others remained silent and still. The warrior beside me was a statue of concentrated power.
“They’re here,” Evna gasped for breath. “Tunder needs reinforcements, now.”
“Did they take the bait?” Calmric asked.
“Yes,” she said and some of the Lathmorian soldiers smiled. “But Gendra’s trapped. We thought they all passed by us, but there’s another legion of Hyven descending upon them. The valley won’t be closed off in time. Gendra’s stuck near the surf.”
My eyes widened as the girl’s words poured out of her mouth. The plan was already ruined. If the Hyven weren’t trapped on the island, then they could escape and only come back again. There was also the issue of being overrun and by these reports, it sounded as though it was a possibility.
In my mind, I pictured the maps the king had on his desk. Just yesterday, he had lined out where each command would wait until the trap could be launched, but it seemed the Hyven had anticipated and broken the trap. With one surge of Hyven already making their way to the valley, and another taking over Gendra’s command on the inner perimeter, just along the shore, the Lathmorian’s would be hard pressed to win. Unless…
“All right,” Calmric said his voice stronger than it had been. “Let’s move.”
“Wait,” I butted in, and Zale glanced my way. “If you go to the valley then you won’t be able to get to Gendra before it’s too late.”
“What?” Jonco said, and the faces behind him mirrored his concern.
“Loop in behind the Hyven attacking Gendra’s soldiers,” I said calmly, as though the idea had been in my mind from the start.
“Yes,” Zale confirmed, his mind moving quicker than the others. He understood what I was saying. “To me.”
; He spoke with such authority that even when he shifted to the cliff’s edge, the Lathmorians moved with him. The wind seemed to pick up and tug at his shirt, though his hair stirred gently.
“We’ll loop around the island and close in behind the Hyven,” without another word he turned to look down at the pounding waves. “Get ready,” he said and took a few steps back preparing to launch himself off the precipice.
My heart seemed to be in my throat as I watched him prepare, and just before he left he turned to me. His eyes met mine and I knew what he wanted. I nodded and whispered, “I’ll stay.” The words carried on the breeze and reached him as though I had spoken in his ear. He nodded back and without another word dashed forward into the open air only to disappear.
The others followed, each one running as fast as possible toward the edge and arching into the plunge. I sprinted forward and watched them contort in midair—their bodies at once human and then merfolk—before landing in the white sea foam. They disappeared into the darkness of the ocean depths with only a flashing shimmer, and the splash of flicking tails.
A sudden stillness and quiet began to press upon my body. My breaths became uneven and I worried, my hands tingling as anticipation coursed through my veins. On shaky limbs, I paced the cliff’s edge passing back and forth three times, and then four times, before sitting down to rest my back against one of the rock caves. The open nothingness of the ocean surrounded me and the whistling wind pulled at my hair, rippling the strands in a wave.
My fingers trembled and though I wanted to follow Zale into the ocean depths and around the island to battle, I had given him my word. I would stay, even though the thought of having to wait until it was all over sickened my stomach. There was nothing else I could do.
Seconds turned into minutes and I wanted to do something to calm myself. Glancing out over the ocean, I watched the moonlight reflect off the water. The waves moving in pale ripples, flashing one moment and disappearing the next. I stared at them in a trance, distracted by the beauty, until it all seemed to grow brighter. Glancing up, the moon hadn’t fully come out from the clouds. Then why… I thought and then broke off in horror.
The shimmering light wasn’t the reflection of the moon, but merfolk tails headed this way. My heart thundered inside my chest, and for a moment, I remained frozen against the rock wall. The hoard of shimmering tails only came closer as I lay flat onto the ground, crawling to the edge of the cliff. Thinking quickly, I twisted my blonde hair back and stuffed it into the neck of my shirt to keep it from drawing attention. I followed the flickering tails as they surged forward and shot out of the depths of the water to latch onto the cliff wall beneath me.
Heart in my throat, I struggled to my feet and grasped two of the lead balls, one in each arm. Leaning out as far as I dared, I dropped them. One missed, but the other connected with a shoulder and I cringed at the sound. I grabbed more of the balls and was about to plunge them over the side when I saw how close the Hyven had ascended in the past few seconds. With a shove, I sent the remaining balls over the edge and only one of the soldiers fell back to the water.
This won’t work, I thought. There were too many of them and they continued to climb higher and higher, the waves crashing beneath them, splattering the lower soldiers’ legs with sea foam.
Swallowing heavily, my mind began to work ahead of the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I knew the location of each group of soldiers taking a stance around the island, but no one knew this Hyven legion was on its way. If everything was going according to plan, Tunder’s command had drawn the first surge of Hyven into the valley, which was partly closed off by Voon and his soldiers. Gendra was fighting the second legion of Hyven along the surf on the front of Lathmor. I only hoped Zale and the others had already reached her by now. If they had, then the fighting was condensed to the valley, but this new group of Hyven was unexpected and could take the Lathmorians in the valley from the rear.
Fear mounted in my veins as I tried to press myself closer to the cliff’s edge, all the while watching the Hyven continue to grasp onto the wall, their arms and legs straining as they climbed with precision toward the top. For only a moment longer, I remained, desperately hoping they wouldn’t make it, but when one was only ten feet below me, I knew my hopes were futile.
Creeping away from the edge, I dashed down the hill and waited in the trees. My heart seemed to be pushing outside of my chest as I paused, moving from one foot to the other. As though confirming my worst fears, a white hand followed by another reached the top. For only a moment longer did I wait, until a head appeared along with six more hands across the edge of the cliff. Without another moment’s hesitation, I shot down the hill stumbling now and again as I tried to run faster than I ever had before.
I gained the bottom of the hill and where the ground leveled out the muscles in my legs began to throb. I pushed forward knowing the Hyven weren’t far behind. Dashing around trees and ducking under branches, I ran headlong hoping Zale was in the valley. It was only when I began to hear the sounds of battle, I slowed down and started to really think of what lay ahead.
Grunts and cries pierced the night, the slash of blades and yells of attack clear to my ears. These weren’t the familiar sounds of training taking place in the valley, this was the real thing. Horrors of the last Lathmorian attack reverberated in my mind, but there was nothing I could do to leave it behind.
Up ahead, I passed the last trees obstructing my view and met the horrifying sight. Hundreds of bodies collided with one another, blades flashing in the moonlight as mermaids and mermen alike, fought with a ferocity I had scarcely seen before. It was the same moves I had seen in training, the same cries of effort, but it was the desperate screams of pain and the crippling bodies that made my stomach tighten with fear.
Hiding behind the trunk of a large tree, I peeked around the side, searching.
Tunder and his soldiers had their backs to me, their blades shimmering and slicing at the Hyven who were now trapped in the valley. My mouth fell open and it was all I could do to avoid seeing the blood as I searched for Zale.
For a long time I sought him, roving over the faces and dark bodies shifting back and forth, until I finally found him. What fear I had left, gripped my stomach as I watched him fight his way through the Hyven soldiers. He was facing me, Gendra and Elik near him, all fighting through the back line of the Hyven, who were now trapped in the valley.
As though forgetting what I had come for, a sudden reminder pricked my brain, and I struggled to figure out a way to tell them more soldiers were coming. Biting my lip, I wanted to cry out and let them know more were on their way.
You are to remain out of sight, those were the words Tunder had said to me earlier. I had given him my word, but he didn’t know what was coming.
Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I felt as though I could hear the new intruders thundering down the hill. It was only my imagination, but I knew they weren’t far behind. It was only as the Lathmorians rallied around their king, leaving more and more backs open to attack from behind, I finally made my decision.
Without another thought, I hurtled away from the tree trunk and plunged through the forestry. Keeping the valley to my right, I swung around the side, my hair streaming behind me. My breaths came in short gasps as I pushed on, knowing time was of the essence.
I was lithe and stealth, moving along the outskirts of the battle, my focus on one figure alone, his large body throwing those nearby away from him. All attacks were brought in his direction, the Hyven seemed more focused on him than any other, but I noted the hesitation in their attacks. Hesitations from fear, which ultimately caused their deaths.
Pulling up short again, I gathered my thoughts and waited for the right moment. Lifting the words in my siren voice, I let the tune pass through my lips, barely a whisper. They’re coming, down the hill behind the king.
It was soft, a mere humming, as though to myself and still I knew he heard me; somehow I had always known he would.
I watched as the words drifted toward him. He finished one Hyven and another was about to attack, he only paused for a second before flipping the merman over his back. He stiffened and he nodded, refusing to turn in the direction of my voice and giveaway my position.
A command rang throughout the valley and the Lathmorians from the Outpost rallied around him. Together they formed a group and ran around the outside of the battle toward the other side of the valley. As they fought off oncoming Hyven, I let my worries drift on the breeze.
Stay safe, I pleaded in a whisper and saw him nod from across the way.
It was as though everything happened in slow motion. No sooner had the words passed through my lips and reached Zale, when a Hyven mermaid stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes resting on me. My heart jolted and I waited for her to turn in my direction, a Lathmorian merman attacked her, she fought off the blows by skirting around him quickly. Her body seeming to move faster than I could see, until the Lathmorian soldier was on the ground. I remained frozen, my mind stunned and I watched desperately as she stared back at me.
I was just about to cry for help when she suddenly leapt away from the battle and dashed beneath the trees across from me. For only a moment did I remain hidden. Everything around me seemed to come alive.
The legion of Hyven from the Outpost descended into the valley, their blades ready for blood, only to be met by Zale and the soldiers behind him. Tunder was fighting his way through the battle, and I thought I caught a glimpse of Kryssa’s black hair, but couldn’t be certain.
For only a split second longer I remained where I was standing, then I launched myself through the wreckage of the battle and into the trees, in direct pursuit of the blonde mermaid.
Her footsteps were light, and she ran fast, but I could hear each step like I never had before. They called out to me as though it was my destiny to hunt her down. My energy had returned and I was moving faster in the woods, dashing around the tree trunks and over roots with a grace I’d never possessed. My steps were gaining on her and with each bounding leap, I tried to think of what I would do once I caught her.
Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) Page 23