“Where does it mention Callie?” He asks, taking the prophecy from the hands of an engrossed Atlas. Saturnus is suddenly, with just one flick of his glittering tailfin, behind Orion who cannot help but look slightly boyish in comparison.
“See this line here?” Saturnus points to the prophecy, which from the angle I am imprisoned in, I cannot see the content clearly.
“The modern mer it refers to is Callie; there isn’t anyone else it could be. It says here that her arrival will set into motion a chain of events that leads to the sacrifice of this ‘vessel’, whatever it is.” He explains seriously. The contrast of his red hair against the clear water reminds me of blood pluming outward in thick tendrils.
“And the psirens? Where do they fit in?” Atlas asks eventually, looking tired.
“This ritual they are going to perform … I still have no idea as to the purpose or the location.” Saturnus admits, placing his hand to his chin with a scowl on his face.
“Well whatever ‘the vessel’ is, we need to find it and protect it, if we want to use it in order to stop this war. I think we can safely assume it will take part in this ritual. Which we ideally want to stop occurring to begin with. We are not ready for war.” Orion thinks aloud.
“Yes Orion, but you must vow you will not tell Callie of this. We have no idea what this ‘vessel’ is, if it is a living person, Callie may feel responsible for their sacrifice if she learns of her role in setting this prophecy into motion.” Saturnus scolds and Orion opens his mouth to argue back in disbelief but Atlas gets there first.
“Surely you can’t want to sacrifice a person, Saturnus? It is not our place to end one life in order to save another, it is not our place to decide who should live or die and neither do I believe should it be the Goddess’.” He seems startled and it looks frightening on his wise face.
“The Goddess has mysterious ways, Atlas, but we must trust that they are for the good of us all.” His words sound harsh and cruel considering he has such a close bond with a loving Goddess.
“I don’t want to lie to Callie. How do we even know this prophecy is legitimate? I mean, we have seen fake prophecies before.” Orion asks with a confused look marring his beautiful face.
“It is not your place to question my relationship with the Goddess, Orion. It is a gift that I am given this guidance and anything that prevents this from coming to pass, including you, will pursue this path at great personal cost. The ‘vessel’ must be found, and we must sacrifice it for the good of our people. We have the weight of this world’s magical security on our shoulders; we cannot justify sending the world to hell for one life, whether that be human, mer, or animal.” His words are final and as I see an argument break free between the three of them, the fog rolls back, hiding them from view.
It takes me back to the sandy floor of the abandoned cathedral and Orion’s worried stare, with the knowledge I was in fact ‘the vessel’.
When I open my eyes, my veil of innocence has been lifted. Clarity overcomes my mind, crashing down violently like the wave of a stormy sea, drenching me, chilling me instantly to the bone. The air has been knocked from me with the impact of the fall and I draw in a shallow, sudden and painful breath as I feel familiar arms around me.
“Callie! What happened? Are you okay?” Orion’s voice reaches me but I find myself no longer receptive.
“No!” I snap. I pull myself upright violently and Starlet’s crumpled form enters my blurry rage fuelled vision. Starlet, upon hearing my movement in the water surrounding her, looks up, eyes terrified and shocked. She squirms onto her back in the sand, tiny particles of it spraying up into the water as she begs for distance from me with every struggling pull against the ground.
“What are you looking at?!” I growl through gritted teeth. Orion places his hand on my shoulder and I turn viciously with a slash of my tailfin.
“Don’t.” I spit. This is all I can manage and he looks hurt and confused. I am about to let my love for him neutralise my anger, but before I can reach out to touch him, I hear a stutter from behind me.
“You … You stole my vision! How?! Why would you do this?” Starlet sputters, looking scared and unnerved. Her white blonde hair makes her look even paler and the magenta tail more vivacious as she lies in the sand, stupefied. Her blue eyes are cold and wide with surprise. I notice the crowd that has gathered, hairs standing to attention on the back of my neck, the silence they emit and their eyes falling on my face and back of my head. The eyes hold varying looks, some frightened, some full of pity, and some just confused. Sensing the unrest among them, I turn and do the only thing I can think of, swimming up rapidly and out into the open ocean.
I am too involved in my thoughts to even hear the voice that is following me until I reach a large portion of coral reef. Nudibranch undulate, making the coral vibrant with bioluminescent neon. I turn around in the cool night ocean, only to see Orion swimming quickly after me in desperate confusion.
“Callie!” His voice finally reaches through my inner monologue and it registers that I cannot beat him in a test of speed, so conversation is probably my best option.
In seconds he is floating, blocking my path in the dark water looking frustrated.
“What’s wrong, can you just talk to me please? I don’t understand!” His confusion pulls at my heartstrings, but the anger returns and bursts forth like venom.
“I saw it! You, and Saturnus, and Atlas reading that prophecy about me! You lied to me! How could you not tell me?” I yell, not feeling the cathartic release I had expected. I am panting and I watch Orion’s face as it becomes both guilty and curious, he runs his fingers through his thick mahogany hair nervously and the expressions that pass over his features are sad and guilty, making me go limp.
I sink through the early morning waters to the centre of the reef. Normal human eyes would not have noticed the teeming nightlife, but my mer eyesight doesn’t miss a single sea slug. The crescent moon hangs above, casting a cold and melancholy mood.
“So it’s true? You did steal Starlet’s vision?” Orion whispers, sinking down to my level. His eyes are blazing inquisitively.
“That’s really not the point.” I sigh.
“Okay look, Callie, I didn’t tell you about the prophecy because it doesn’t really have anything to do with you.”
“I should have been told.” I retort, folding my arms.
“Okay, well you becoming mer is supposedly the catalyst for events that start a war. There, I told you.” He replies.
“That’s it?” I ask, and then I realise, he doesn’t know I’m the vessel; he doesn’t know it is me that is to be sacrificed.
“Yes, Callie. You see the thing is: prophecies are tricky. They’re difficult to interpret and we rarely take notice of them. We don’t want to know the future, and it won’t do any good even if we do.” Orion places his hand in mine and squeezes. “I just want to protect you.” He whispers and places a kiss on my forehead.
“Well stop it. I’m not a little kid.” I complain at him. All the while, my mind takes me to dark places, wondering how it will happen, how I will die. After all, if visions, mermaids, and psirens all exist, then what’s to say that prophecies don’t come true? Now that I think about it, everything that has happened so far has been destined, even my mother falling in love with a merman. It seems obvious that someone had this great design written down in riddle. I look into Orion’s hurt expression and think of his destiny, with me dead he will spend eternity alone.
“I love you though.” Orion mumbles, his hand rubbing the back of his neck uneasily and with self-consciousness. The silence between us is thick, each moment feels like I’m wading through syrup. He is stuck in his ways and I’m immovable in my longing for him to see me as more than just a china doll.
“I know, but look around, Orion. We live in the ocean and we’re both immortal, what exactly are you afraid of?” I ask, forcing the images that he revealed of monsters and demons back into the recesses of my psyche.
“And how exactly am I going to get killed, Orion? I can’t join the Guardians, I’m not strong enough or disciplined enough to be a Knight, and I don’t even have any powers, other than beating the crap out of Ghazi in some freak adrenaline spike!” I rant and his eyes widen.
“You did what?”
“Didn’t Saturnus tell you?” I query and he shakes his head. The sea life surrounding us is rhythmically thrumming with the tide-wave connection.
“You know, Callie, I can’t beat Ghazi in a fight. So even full of adrenaline, I doubt a mer of your size could without some serious mystical help.” He explains, rubbing his forehead.
“Two things. One, I take offence at you calling me small! And two, I think you would notice if I had super strength, Orion!” I argue and his forehead creases again. He paces, swimming lengths of about two meters over and over again, ignoring my rage at the small comment. Then he looks up, eyes wide.
“You’re right, Callie, you don’t have mystical powers of strength … but Ghazi does.” He looks at me with awe in his pastel blue stare and his implication finally clicks inside my mind. He floats immovable as a statue.
“So let me get this straight … you are saying, Ghazi gave me his power?” My eyebrows are sky high with scepticism.
“No, Callie, I’m saying you TOOK his power. Did anything else happen while you were fighting with him?” His icy stare bears into me and I swallow hard, remembering the events.
“I heard him. Ghazi I mean.” I admit, looking at the surrounding reef and I realise it isn’t only Orion who hasn’t been totally forthcoming.
“Well that makes sense I suppose, we knew he and his soul mate were communicating somehow, telepathy seems as good a way as any.” He reasons with a sigh, still looking concerned.
“That’s how I got Starlet’s vision.” I realise, feeling the shock hit me. The coral beneath my scales feeling less present than ever. My mind is racing. Then another thought hits me. I have to borrow powers? How lame is that? Disappointment enfolds me. I didn’t feel power hungry, but maybe if I had been blessed with a cool ability Orion wouldn’t be so over protective. I wished in that moment that he saw me as strong, rather than fragile. More than that, I wish he saw how he makes me strong.
“Take my power.” Orion orders and I fall back through the water from him.
“No, Orion. You didn’t see Ghazi after I took his strength, I could hurt you. Besides, I don’t even know how. It’s not exactly something I can control.” I watch him frown as I explain and begin to feel scared. What if this means I can’t touch him anymore?
“Maybe we should go and see the experts?” He says and I think about what Saturnus and Atlas may say. Will they think I’m a threat? Banish me like they did my father? Orion notices my alarm and as I collapse onto the closest bed of white and orange coral, he comes close and cups my face with his hands.
“It’ll be okay. Don’t be scared.” He kisses me softly. Shoals of fish sensing our presence move away sleepily.
“You may want to keep your hands to yourself.” I say, expelling an oily and cloudy tear, which crystallises and falls away sparkling. He does the exact opposite and sits down beside me, the crying mermaid of the deep.
“You may have my power if you want it, but you should know by now that you have greater power over me than any I can give you.” He smiles and I look up at him. I can’t help but laugh.
“Promise you won’t let Saturnus banish me?” I ask.
“Of course not, besides if they banish you, I’d follow. We come as a pair now remember?” He looks down through besotted blue eyes and I turn to face him, melting into his softening chest. We sit in silence amid a moonlit bathed field of bright coral and Orion speaks as if relaying his thoughts mid dream.
“You know, Callie, I always knew you would be extraordinary, but I know now, you aren’t just extraordinary, you are blessed, and I honestly believe the Goddess has a plan for you.” He looks into my eyes and I turn away, looking into the darkness, unable to tell him the truth of what is to come.
SOLUSTUS
“TITUS!” I bellow. The sound reverberates crisply from the bleached white walls of the cavern, constituting the main chamber of the Cryptopolis vent construction. I suppose you could call it a castle, or a palace, but none of us ever do. Azure is lying in my arms, motionless except for the slight open and close of the slashes around the pale skin of her neck that allow for breath. She rests, pale and stiff against my seal skin waistcoat. Titus slinks from the shadows that encase the passages leading into the other chambers of this most chill filled lair in which we reside. He moves slowly and without normal angry flare, I can tell he has been entrancing again, communing with the Necrimad.
“Yessss …” he hisses, with a most snakelike slither of his lips. He slides through the water towards me, with a wide and deeply unnatural smile.
“She’s had another vision … something different than I’ve ever seen before. It was like she was fighting off someone who wasn’t really there to stay present.” I say. I may as well be talking to a drunk for all the good it is doing me. Titus has been spending far too much time communicating with the Necrimad recently. We all know how it’s done, the deepest layers of this cave have deep undersea vents that release a steam infused with a dark magic, seeping in from its holding dimension. Titus would lock himself in that cave for hours, with just a flick of his tail, by covering the entrance to the dungeon with a large boulder, encasing him and his torment inside.
“You know, Titus, I don’t know if you should be …” I begin as I place Azure onto the large, white slab in the centre of the room. Suddenly, the figure that has been slowly drifting through the water away from me is before my eyes in just a fraction of a second. If I was a young creature I would have been impressed, but the fact I could easily beat him but was choosing to appear weaker for the now, is what gives me power.
“What was that Solustus?” He bites, and I begin to feel the slight tingle of the neurons within my body, he is testing the waters. A sobered Titus would have me writhing on the floor like the pitiful human bastard I once was, but in this trance like high state, he simply toys with the boundaries of my body’s central nervous system before backing off and circling the body of Azure. We stare at each other for a few moments and within the black pupils, I see the white lightning bolts that only strike when the electrical manipulation of his mind by the Necrimad is in progress. I stare into those black pits of abyss as his black tail and my swordfish-like, sharp, lower body tense and relax, gambling with each second that passes, analysing who will make the first move. I feel my beloved rapier, Scarlette, pressing against the flesh of my hip below my sealskin waistcoat, and I know that if he should attempt to harm me, I could do little. As I am determining whether or not to back down to the creature, drunk on primal power before me, when I hear a cough that makes both me and Titus lose focus on each other.
“Azure?” I ask, glad she is awake as I am eager to hear what she saw. To make her faint, it was clearly no normal vision. Azure stirs for a few moments before she opens her electric blue-rimmed eyes, her large black pupils dilated beyond the norm. The large black and azure tail connected to her at the waist, the design of which I could only describe as eel like, twitches as her eyes open and within a few minutes she is alert and talking to us both as though nothing ever happened. I can’t help but admire her a little, I mean she has these visions put there by that stupid Goddess and they take over her mind. It is an invasion of her privacy, a perversion of nature.
“I … I don’t know what happened. It was like there was something invading the field of my vision, someone that shouldn’t have been there.” She explains, not her normal impatient and angry self, she is confused and from what I can tell, more rattled than she should be.
“Was it Starlet?” Titus muses, knowing full well the link between the two sisters.
“No, she can’t stop me from seei
ng, that’s the deal with sharing our visions. Neither one can hide from the other.” Azure shakes her head, takes her two long nailed fingers and begins to rub her temples.
“What about the Goddess?” I ask cuttingly, wondering whether she may be becoming cured of her so called ‘blessing’.
“No. Not now, not after all this time of being estranged. Once the Goddess gives, she never takes away. Not only that, but if I was going to have lost my ability, it would have been when you first found me.” I nod curtly at her response, taking her wisdom as sound. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the rune covered torso of Titus circling Azure as though this is more of an interrogation than anything else.
“So what did you actually see?” He demands, getting up close to her body. It glows white and anyone can see her nakedness hums with the closeness of his presence, tantalised and terrorised.
“Well, from what I actually could see wasn’t much. But it was to do with the prophecy. The same one that told us the new girl, Callie, would be the signal that the time for the ritual is nearing. The prophecy referred to the sacrifice of something known as ‘the vessel’. It would appear we cannot just use anyone as the sacrifice in this ritual, but rather need to find this ‘vessel’ for it to begin the war of which the prophecy speaks. Which we already knew.” she words this concisely and exactly, knowing that anything less will cause the paranoid Titus to question whether she is being fully forthcoming. She sits wide-eyed, staring at him directly. Knowing as well as I how you handle a man like Titus, by showing no fear of his power. Of course me and Regus both know that Titus can not only bring pain, but pleasure, as we hear Azure calling out in ecstasy from his chambers as he whips and tantalises her alabaster flesh and onyx scales without mercy. The thought makes my skin crawl and I flinch for a fraction of a second within the chill water of the room.
The Kiss That Killed Me (The Tidal Kiss Trilogy Book 1) Page 35