Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2)

by Elizabeth Rain

  True to her word, during the next several moments, she cited the city’s need for a change. “I speak for all of Tarus Council when I say that it has been an honor to serve the city of Tarus all these years. We’ve had the privilege of watching this city develop into a thriving town where we can watch our children grow into respectable and happy Mer-folk, secure under our protection.” She paused for effect, her mouth giving a tremble only those of us on the parapet beside her could see. “But more changes are coming, and we grow weary. Most of us have seen a century come and go. It’s time for us to step aside and make room for fresh ideas and modern influences. It is with great sadness that I announce that Tarus Council is stepping down. We will remain in an advisory capacity to lend wisdom and insight to upcoming laws and policy, but we will no longer be your leader. Instead, it is my ultimate honor as chief councilwoman to announce that Dael has agreed to assume the throne, and he has chosen his bride and your future queen. May I present them now…Mirra and Dael.”

  She took a step back and away, disappearing from their view. In her place Mirra and Dael stepped forward, raising clasped hands to present a united front.

  There was dead silence for a space of seconds, and then there wasn’t. The volume of the crowd started: small hoots, hollers, and a few catcalls that weren’t in the least bit kind. They were quickly drowned out by the overwhelming roar of approval as most of the crowd jumped on board to have both Seascrill and Sylvan sit on the throne.

  Dael and Mirra stood silently, waiting for several moments before the crowd finally grew quiet. And then together they spoke. “Mer-folk of Deep Lake, we are honored…”

  They spoke for close to a half hour before bowing out and away. The crowd was still calling for them as they joined us when we slipped down the back stairs to join Liia. She waited with the rest of the guard on the practice field. Everyone that could, gathered there, armed to the teeth, and united in what they were about to do.

  “I still say you shouldn’t be here,” I protested to Mirra and Dael, but both stood adamant and heavily armed before us.

  “I explained already. I won’t stand on the sidelines and let my people fight alone. We are in this together, all of us.”

  “But if you are killed? What will they do then? Who will lead them?”

  Mirra spoke up before he could. “Someone else. Do you think we are the only ones that can? They’d survive. Now, we are wasting time. I want this done and over with. I’m sick of living in fear, bowing to the whim of the Draco Rebellion. The threat they pose to all of Deep Lake has to end now, tonight.”

  It was clear neither of them was going to listen to reason. Liia raised a hand to get everyone’s attention.

  “They won’t know we’re coming. And even if they did, they’d expect us to come from the west, from Misen Caverns where Addius Cave is well known. Instead, the plan is to circle around and come at them from the south. There’s quite a storm going on at the surface tonight. The currents have kicked up a wall of muddied water, creating a heavy dark cloud over the lakebed of most of Deep Lake. I plan to use that to our advantage to get as close as possible without us being seen. If we’re lucky, they will never see us coming.

  Liia was still talking when we looked up in surprise. A small army of Seascrill, close to thirty strong, had joined. They were led by a young man of about twenty. He advanced on the first lieutenant and they spoke at length, though they were too far away from us to hear. All at once, Liia turned and addressed us. “This is Jaen. He and his troops have asked to join us. You’d best hear what he has to say. Let him speak.”

  He stepped forward, and we could see how nervous he was from where we stood. “If we are to cease being separate, Sylvan and Seascrill, then we must stand together as one. That means we fight together for what we want: better education for our children, higher paying jobs and equal rights in making the laws we live and abide by. We want those things, too. It’s not fair that we expect you to have all the fun in making sure that happens. If we fight, we should do it together. We are here to join with you and squash the Draco Rebellion once and for all. They don’t hold our best interests at heart any more than they do yours. Please, we want to help.”

  Dead silence followed his impassioned plea until I began to worry. And then someone, somewhere, clapped. First one, and then more, until we all were. And then we were an army of eighty as we advanced on the west side of the lake where Addius Cave was waiting.

  The storm above had created heavy rollers, the waves rocking deep furrows in the lake above and creating a wicked current that buffeted us like corks in a bottle if we weren’t careful. We were still close to a half-mile out when Liia dove into the thick murkiness of the bottom, and we followed in the thick syrupy muck, visibility cut to near absolute darkness. Several members of the troop grabbed onto those of us without tails and a fin and pulled them along. Those of us that could, used our sonar and echo location, to glide along the rocky wall that formed the basin of the lake without running into the lake floor.

  The murky water was so dark with debris we nearly plowed into the back of the guards when they all halted. We sifted swirls of leafy vegetation and roiling eddies of mud out of our way as we moved towards the front to join Liia. My eyes burned, and for the first time I wished I had the goggles that Fern had provided to the rest of our Onlander group.

  Liia addressed Mirra. “I sent two troops in for a closer look at the wall that runs along the back of Addius Cave to spot that entrance you were talking about. I don’t suppose there is more than a single way in?”

  Mirra shook her head. “Not that I know of. I wish we had a diversion. You know, something to bring them out to us instead.”

  I felt a nudge then, a whisper in my ear that had nothing to do with hearing. I turned to stare at Fern, her eyes bright and shining.

  “Maybe there is a way.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense. What do you have in mind?” I sent back.

  “We can use the storm and a little nudge from your ‘friends’. And me.”

  She sent me an image then, and I couldn’t prevent a small smile. I turned to Liia and filled her in on Fern’s idea.

  Though we were too far away to feel the direct impact of the storm, my skin tingled with the tiny ripples of electricity that traveled like lightening, following the waterways available wherever a lightning strike touched down in a nearby lake or river. Water was a natural conduit for electricity. I thought back to how I had made use of the long dormant genes of the rock pool goby to conceal my presence. I used another ancient gene to help conjure my magic, and in particular the cerulean orbs that I was learning to use so effectively. That part of me I pulled from another species of fish, the moray eel. They didn’t exist in Deep Lake. They lived their lives in the salt water oceans of the world. But I thought of their lesser known cousin, the freshwater anguillidae. In a storm like this with all the electric sparks free floating in the lakes and rivers, they’d be eating those up like a ten-year-old and salt-water taffy. Anguillidae spawned in the salty ocean, but lived their adult lives in the freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams that connected them. On their own, anguillidae were harmless, no more dangerous than a static shock resulting from traipsing about on a shaggy carpet. But in large enough numbers…

  Now, we all watched, Niel’s eyes filling with concern, as Fern spread her arms wide, her eyes taking on a dark cobalt blue glow. Her lips parted, a trail of bubbles exploding from her mouth and rising over her head. Blue trails of electricity sizzled and danced along her arms, spreading over her palms and vanishing off the ends of her fingertips. But I felt the heat, the tingle like a hundred static zaps that rolled through the water and past us, making us jump as the tiny pricks of electricity nipped at our skin. She was calling the eels, providing a sizzling buffet they couldn’t resist.

  I couldn’t prevent the shudder of alarm that moved through me when they first arrived, weaving in and out of us, slithering against our skin and tangling in our hair. They came by t
ens, and then hundreds, all shapes and sizes. They were scaled, unlike their distant cousin, the moray eel. Though not packing much of a charge on their own, having fed on an overload of electrical energy, the voltage went up a lot.

  They’d come for the electric current that dribbled off the ends of Fern’s fingers, sipping at the trailing tendrils we could barely see, as if they were pigeons feeding in a park, looking for scraps. Fern ignored them, rolling the electric threads until she had a substantial ball of energy cupped in each fist. And then almost like a pitcher getting ready to throw down a line of strikes for the last inning of an all-star game, she drew back and let them fly straight towards the entrance to the small opening at the back side of Addius Cave. Twin gleaming orbs of electricity raced through the water, the light they gave off blinking out in an instant as they disappeared down the dark tunnel in the side of Deep Lake. In a second, the eels were right behind them, racing for that delectable fix of electricity, and hungry for their promised treat.

  We waited in silence, forever grateful the eels had decided we were of no interest and had followed Fern’s bait.

  Within moments, there was a sudden flurry of desperate movement as members of the Rebellion came tumbling from the mouth of the cave, desperate to escape the deadly, writhing mass of squirming eels that had joined them in search of what had been promised. Even as one escaped the confines of the small opening, we watched as he stiffened suddenly and gave several jerks before he stopped moving and slowly floated towards the bottom of the lake. Twined about his torso were a half-dozen three foot eels. When he stopped moving, they released him and swam back towards the opening.

  We got the message. No way were we going near that. Instead, we continued to wait until the Rebellion was in the open and well away from that cave. Obviously, the anguillidae didn’t appreciate frantic movements unless it was them. After that, it was a walk in the park as we gathered up the panicked and half unconscious members of the Draco Rebellion. The repeated electrical shocks had literally rendered them unable to muster a shot, providing they hadn’t already dropped their weapons in their desperation to escape.

  Still, I wondered who was leading them because no one we’d taken prisoner seemed to operate in that capacity.

  Several minutes passed. We continued to wait, the captive rebels passive in their restraints with all the fight gone out of them.

  Liia caught Dael and Mirra’s eyes. “Perhaps that’s it. Maybe we should go.”

  “Should someone check the cavern to make sure no one else is in there?” I asked.

  Dael and Mirra looked at me incredulously. “You first,” they said together. Eels were still trickling from the opening.

  Just when I figured maybe they were right and no one else was coming, several shadows came into view, drifting with the current and moving quietly in the wake of the last of the eels. Their lack of motion had allowed them to travel undeterred side-by-side with the anguillidae.

  There were three of them. Two were Sylvan. I gasped, my eyes flying to Mirra and Dael as they gave a jerk of comprehension. The leader was large and lean and muscular. He moved with a familiar economy of movement we all recognized despite the mask he wore.

  Liia, her eyes blazing with rage, gave an abrupt flick of her hand. Twenty guards moved in, surrounding them before they could react. Considering such overwhelming forces, they froze in shock and indecision, but they didn’t fight back. There was no point against so many.

  At least we now knew where Shade had disappeared to. I swallowed against the stab of betrayal, knowing it was nothing compared to what Dael must have felt at that moment. After all, they’d grown up together, and now his friend had betrayed them all.

  Dael stared at his old buddy standing before him contained by heavy restraints, in puzzled disbelief. “Why? I deserve that at least.”

  Shade’s chin jutted out, and his eyes grew dark with self-righteousness. “Because they needed a proper leader, not the Council and their antiquated laws. I would have provided that for them. You didn’t want the throne. I’ve worked my entire life for the betterment of Tarus. I would have done what you refused to. Taken responsibility.”

  Dael shook his head. “To what end? Trade one tyranny for another?”

  Shade looked so earnest, but I knew it was an illusion. “Goldfish, placid and weak, without direction. They needed the shark.”

  “Don’t delude yourself. You wanted to control them, allow them choice only when it matched up with what you deemed suitable. You should have waited, Shade. I am taking the throne, with Mirra as my bride. The Council is disbanding. An elected council, with members from both sides, will take its place. With our guidance, the people will elect those they want to sit there. I’m putting it in their hands.”

  “Foolish lunacy. They’ll destroy each other,” he protested bitterly.

  Mirra smiled sadly. “Perhaps, but then, Deep Lake and Tarus belong to us all, not just a few who sit in their ivory towers and make all the decisions. I think they will surprise you, though.”

  Shade’s face reddened, his lips thin with anger as he looked away.

  Dael gave a nod, and the guards hauled him off to be with the others.

  “What will happen to them?” I asked.

  “It’s not up to me,” he murmured. “The people will be the ones to decide.”

  Following Liia’s lead, we all headed back towards Tarus.

  #

  “They need to be put to death publicly. A point needs to be made so this never happens again!” Leta stated, her fist coming down on the table and making it vibrate with her passion.

  Dael and Mirra sat at the head of the table silently as the Council members debated and decided as they always had. I had been allowed to sit in at Dael and Mirra’s behest.

  Dael waited patiently for the Council’s anger to run its course before he finally gave a sigh, offering Mirra’s shoulder a light squeeze, and stood up. “Nobody is going to be put to death. I think you forget you are merely figureheads waiting for the elections that will replace you and relieve you of most of your duties. Mirra and I talked well into last night, trying to decide the best way to handle things. In lieu of having an elected council, the decision falls to us. Shade and his two lieutenants were the primary force behind the Draco Rebellion. The rest were largely followers.

  “We’ve decided that Shade and his lieutenants will face banishment from Deep Lake, permanently. The others will await a trial by their peers after the wedding and once the new council is in place to better inform those decisions.”

  We could practically hear several Council members, their teeth grinding in frustration and unused to having their authority questioned, but they remained silent.

  I stood then, and Dael and Mirra turned to stare at me in patient amusement. “Now that that is out of the way, I think it’s time we make plans for something a little less serious. We have a coronation and a wedding to plan and we only have three days to do it.”

  #

  The coronation went off without a hitch. The streets of Tarus were filled to bursting for the event. Despite concerns voiced loud and long by the Council, no instances of violence were reported between the Sylvans or Seascrill as they all joined ranks en masse for the first time and took part in the festivities. I only wished Sadie and Nick could have been there to enjoy it with me. But they’d both been called away during the festivities to Wyndoor.

  Mirra had asked for her cousin Sian’s help in putting together an assembly of Seascrill who were well respected in the community to fill the six empty seats reserved for them on the newly forming council. But that would take time, and in the meantime, Dael and Mirra would lead them together. Overall, the response had been encouraging, although there was always going to be a few who protested the new proposals. Change, no matter how necessary, was never easy.

  #

  I sighed, leaning back against a warm arm and gave a happy sigh. Warm steam formed puddles of swirling mist above our heads near the roof, causin
g cool crystal droplets to land on our heads from time to time. Thomas and I weren’t the only ones enjoying a much needed break in the hot springs. When Dael and Mirra heard of our plans to visit before we left Tarus, they’d immediately invited themselves.

  “We won’t have time for a proper, what is it you call it, honeymoon, after we get married for some time. But I think they can get on without us for one night.”

  My friends and family were there, too, including Sadie and Nick, who had pronounced that all was “safe” once more in Wyndoor, and that the vampires there were cured of the horrible affliction that had caused them to munch on the hired help.

  I sent Sadie a quiet look after that cryptic little statement. Details. Later I would be asking for them.

  “What about the laws that govern visitors to Tarus? Are they changing?” she asked.

  Mirra grinned, including us all in her smile. “You can all visit us there. I have so much to show you that you couldn’t see before. And now, with those masks that Jerry created, it’s possible. Better yet? We can also leave Tarus and Deep Lake to go up top when we want. There will be rules, of course, to protect the human civilians’ sensibilities. To them we are still a myth, and it’s best to keep it that way. We’ll probably stick close and come in through Bitterroot Lake as you suggested earlier. We are, what do you call those of us that shift forms, Other? So visiting a place where nobody blinks at tails and a fin sounds wonderful.”

  “You’ll stay with us when you come, of course,” Jerry added.

  I glanced over at Fern and Niel. Of all of us, they looked the most perturbed. Fern was still putting as much space as possible between her and Niel, and he still looked equally unhappy about the situation. I figured Fern gave a whole new meaning to the term “hard to get.”

  “Are you staying in town then, Fern, or going back to Greylock Mountain?”

  She slanted him a dark stare. “I’ve agreed to return with Niel. Temporarily, of course. Just until I solve his little problem.” She tacked the dig on at the end—for his benefit, we knew.