by Eden Winter
“Look!” shouted Delilah. About two feet away from the right side of her head was an arrow that was moving ever so slowly toward her. It was another thing that was different. Eli pushed himself between Delilah and the arrow in an attempt to knock her over, but that was when time went back to normal.
Eli howled as the arrow plunged into his back. He crumbled to the ground.
Delilah screamed and fell on the ground beside him.
“You saved me,” she said. She was terrified, but there was a look of gratitude on her face too. Eli half smiled, but then he winced with pain.
“There… there’s something on the tip of the arrow,” Eli winced.
“Poison,” Baylee said. “We have to get him back. One of the cars can go, and the other can wait here.”
Eli jerked backward and his eyes rolled while dark foam began to pour out of his mouth.
“Baylee and Delilah take him back. You can fly. It won’t take as long!” I shouted. It wasn’t Delilah that I needed to worry about. It was Eli. He had been hurt because of me.
“What about you?” Delilah asked.
“We’ll be fine. Just get him out of here,” I said. I could sense another arrow coming, and I shouted for everyone to duck. Another arrow whizzed by and lodged itself into a nearby tree.
Baylee and Delilah took flight then, trying to be mindful of Eli and his wounds. I hoped they would make it in time to save him.
Peter and I crawled closer toward the lake. We made attempts to hide behind the shrubs.
“I need you to stay here,” I said. Peter was about to protest, but I hissed at him.
“I’m not getting you hurt too!”
He kissed me then. It was short because there wasn’t much time, but it was the most urgent and heartfelt kiss I had ever gotten. It almost felt like a goodbye. If we weren’t going to make it out of this together, then there was at least a final kiss between us. I tried not to cry. I needed to be brave now.
I was going to slip into the water, even though I didn’t know what kinds of creatures were in there. If my dream implied anything, I knew that the fish of Cesar was below the surface. If there was a connection between us, then there was a chance that he could show me to my sister and figure out a way to stop all of this.
I crawled to the lake and felt the mud and the cold water seeping through my clothes. It didn’t matter now. I slipped into the lake. I hadn’t heard or seen any arrows. The attacker must have moved to a different location to get the proper vantage point.
It baffled me as to why they would have used arrows. I wasn’t sure why there was poison on the tip if it was going to be aimed at our heads. All I could think of was that the poison was meant to keep us alive. Even if it was a possibly fatal wound, the poison would prevent us from dying, but we would be subject to the most excruciating pain. It made me worry all the more for Eli. I hoped that Delilah and Baylee had taken him to the cars safely.
I put my head under the water and looked around. I could see nothing. It was murky water. Any movement or change of color or temperature terrified me. Who knew what lurked at the bottom of this lake?
And then there it was. I could see a streak of gold from the murky blue depths. I jumped back, not expecting the gold to be as bright as it was. In my dream, it had been so beautiful, but that couldn’t even compare to what I was seeing now. The gold was like a long ray of sunlight floating and undulating through the water. I was transfixed when I saw it.
I went to the surface to take a few silent breaths, and I dived back down. The streak of gold had gotten closer to me, and instead of being afraid, I was now full of calm. I felt brave for being where I was. I swam down closer to the gold streak.
‘Samantha,’ I heard the bright gold streak whisper. I could hear! It should have surprised me more, but I had dreamt this before. I noticed that I could also breathe. It was the strangest thing to breathe underwater. I wasn’t taking any breaths, but my lungs never longed for air.
The gold streak was massive now that it was closer to me. It was at least ten feet long. The fish of Cesar was starting to take form in the murky water. He turned to the side and was gliding alongside me. He was royal blue, just like in my dream, with sparkling gold around each scale. I wanted to touch him. I was so mystified. This was what everyone had meant when they claimed to have seen it; it made you feel warm and whole and like you just wanted to be a part of it.
“Yes,” I whispered. I was so transfixed that I didn’t even question the fact that I could hear my own voice under the water. I couldn’t pull myself out of the trance I was currently in.
‘Have you come to rescue me?’ the fish of Cesar asked.
“You?” I was suddenly jolted out of my bewitched state. Water got into my mouth and that was when my lungs felt like they would burst. I had been under the water for so long. I thrashed about, forgetting that someone was above the water who was trying to kill us. I broke the surface and tried to get air as quietly as I could. I looked below me, and I could no longer see the gold. I was frantic. I was sure I had seen the fish. What did he need rescuing from? Was the same person who had my sister the one that put the fish of Cesar in danger?
I swallowed as much air as I could and I went back under the water. I was shocked to see that the fish was still swimming in front of me, as clear as before. It didn’t occur to me that I might have been the only one who could see him.
“No,” I started, remembering I was running out of time. “I’m here to save my sister. If you help me, I know that I can help you. But we have to move quickly. There’s someone outside trying to kill us.”
‘No,’ the fish of Cesar said in a dull voice, ‘only you.’
“I don’t understand.”
‘There is someone who has been searching for me. They have been searching for generations. They have found me through you. They are using you to lead to me. Their clan has a prophecy. They knew that you had the gift,’ he said.
“What clan?” I asked, realizing I could once again breathe and speak though I was completely submersed, but I had to keep calm in order to maintain the ability.
‘There is a clan that consists of three creatures. They have been seeking the ultimate power. It is their clan that drove me away from where I came from.’ The fish looked lazy as it swam around me. Time felt like it had stopped now that we were underwater, but I knew the time for my sister could very well be running out.
“The emperor was part of a clan?” I asked. I remembered hearing that it was an emperor who was so hungry for power that he had tried to capture and enslave the fish of Cesar.
‘He is called the king now.’
My heart stopped. I couldn’t afford to panic now. It was something I had suspected. The king, I thought, like Alex King. Alex was back. It was all beginning to make sense to me. That clan had known about my powers before I did, but they didn’t know that I would be the one to possess the powers. They could have tried to harm my great-grandmother and failed, and then waited for the next in line. Alex thought that my sister was going to be the one who would be clairvoyant, but it had been me. He had tried to charm us both only to trap us, force us to do his bidding, and then kill us when he was finished with us.
‘He is desperate. He is the last of his clan. He is three, but you are two with a unique power not possessed by many humans,’ the fish of Cesar continued.
“He is three. I’m not sure I know what that means.”
‘He is a fairy, a warlock, and a human. It is the human side of him that has always made the members of his clan hungry for power. The warlock in him has made them all diligent. And the fairy part of him has made him clever. But that is no substitute for desperation. The members of his clan have lost their faith and their way. Many have given up their quest and continued their own lives. The ones who are like him have all died out. He needs me for power, but he also needs you to continue his bloodline.’
That meant Alex had returned. I needed to find him before he found me. He had to be destr
oyed. He had caused my family too much pain for him to be allowed to live any longer.
“My sister. I have to hurry,” I said.
‘I have let your time move slowly so that we are able to speak together in peace. I am unable to leave this place. There is a power in this lake that has bound me here. I have been dormant for centuries. The awakening of your power is what has awakened me. The prophecy has been true. And with your aid, I will be able to return to my home.’
This was so much to take in. I had so many questions to ask, and even though the fish of Cesar said he had slowed down the time around us, I was still overcome by a sense of urgency. I wouldn’t feel like I was out of the clear until I had a chance to save my sister.
“I will do anything that I can to save you,” I promised. It wasn’t just something I said in exchange for him helping me with my sister. If Isabelle wasn’t in danger, I certainly would have offered the same thing.
‘And I will help you. Let me take you to your sister.’
Before I could say another word or even pause to think, I had moved. I was dripping wet, but I wasn’t in the water anymore. I looked around and saw I was on the other side of the lake. Had I just teleported? There was only a moment of darkness and then I was in a place I know I had not been to that evening.
I heard a rustling sound and spun around. I had to keep my wits about me if I was going to stand up to Alex—and if I was going to find my sister.
There was another muffled sound somewhere close. There were bushes and shrubs all around. We had not encountered any creatures on our way into the woods, but that could have been due to the potions we drank. I didn’t think to ask Eli how long the potions would last on each of us. I hoped he had gotten help and he was okay. I didn’t want someone to be seriously injured or worse because they trusted my word and wanted to help.
The muffled sound continued.
“Isabelle?” I said. My voice was soft. If it was my sister, I wanted her to alert me. I didn’t know how I would react if it was anything else.
“Mmmmm.”
It was Isabelle! It had to be. I could hear her distinct voice even though it wasn’t clear. When I saw her in my vision, she had a gag over her mouth.
“Mmmm,” she said again. It was more forceful this time. I followed the sound as best as I could, and then I saw her. She was hunched over and squirming, and she was leaning against a tree. Just as I had seen in my premonition, she was bound and gagged.
I ran toward her not caring if I got cut or bruised by the brambles that were around us. I was still wet, and I was starting to feel chilly in the night air, but I didn’t care about any of that. What was on my mind was getting to my sister and making sure that she was okay and safe.
I reached her and struggled to get the gag off her mouth. It had been put on so tight that I could see there were red marks and small cuts on the corners of her mouth and all along her cheeks to her ear.
I grabbed her and pulled her close. I knew I had to get her out of her binds so that we could escape, but it felt so good to know that she was alive and safe.
“How did you find me?” Isabelle asked. Her bright grey eyes were filling with tears.
“I saw you in one of my visions. I can’t talk now. I have to get you out of here,” I answered.
“I can’t move. I can’t teleport or anything. My wrists and ankles are bound by something that’s mixed with silver,” Isabelle said. It was difficult enough for a fairy to touch silver, but whatever it was that had her totally immobile could have been the same kind of spell kept the fish of Cesar trapped in the lake. I tried to touch the silver around her ankles, but it stung my fingers so much that I was scared they could start bleeding.
“I’m going to get help,” I said to her. She started shaking her head rapidly. I could see that Isabelle was crying now. I didn’t want to leave her again. I had no options. I was too far away from…
Peter. Where was Peter? If he was here, he would be able to get Isabelle out of the silver chains.
“Peter’s here with me. He can fix this. I promise I won’t leave you for long. I promise,” I said. It was the second promise I’d made that night and I intended to keep both of them. I hugged my sister again and stood up to leave.
“Samantha!” I was only a few steps away when I heard my sister squeal from behind me. I turned around and the scene became immediately familiar to me. My sister wasn’t looking at me, but she had a terrified look on her face.
She opened her mouth and then Isabelle screamed.
Chapter Ten
Staying Alive
“Now?” I said looking out into the lake. “Now we start over.” Isabelle’s screams pierced through the dark night air and rose above the trees.
I was too scared to turn around and face what she was seeing, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time. I peered over my shoulder and gasped.
I had been right all along.
“Malcolm,” I said. He had a menacing smile on his face. His hair was disheveled, and he didn’t look like himself. I didn’t understand how Malcolm was Alex. Did Alex recruit Malcolm as a new partner? Was Alex somewhere lying in wait so that he could use me to find the fish of Cesar and then later kill Isabelle and me?
“I knew you had the gift,” was all Malcolm said.
I had to think fast. I needed a way to stall him. I couldn’t guarantee that there would be a plan beyond finding a weapon and using it to hurt him, but it was worth a shot. He had the bow slung across one shoulder and a large bag of some kind on the other. There were more than likely more arrows in the bag, but it was big enough for me to realize that there was definitely something else in there as well. I didn’t want to use my imagination, and I didn’t want to find out what it was. I made the decision right then and there that I wasn’t going to die that night… and neither was my sister. Everyone was going to be safe and saved.
But I was going to deal with Malcolm.
I was glad I’d followed my intuition after that day when his pickup truck had hit something and spun itself around. I had a feeling that was actually what saved us. He could have taken us somewhere to torture us so that we could locate the fish of Cesar for him. I still couldn’t piece together where Alex was and what Malcolm was doing in all of this.
“Why are you doing this Malcolm?” I asked feigning ignorance. I figured he didn’t know about my short discussion with the fish of Cesar—that and I wanted to hear it from him. I wanted him to tell me to my face that he was betraying my family.
“I’m trying to take back what has been mine for centuries, what my family and I have lost. But we couldn’t just take it back. It took us years to find it, and then we had to wait for the right moment and the right time. And it was you… I knew that it was one of you who would bring me to Cesar,” Malcolm said. His movements were slow. He was taking the both the bow and the bag from off his shoulders. He was revealing so much because he planned to kill us. We were not going to live to be able to get the secret out, or so Malcolm thought. I already decided that this day was not my day to die, and Malcolm was not going to be the one to kill me.
“Malcolm, you don’t have to do this.” I could hear Isabelle crying behind me, and that was when my fear became mixed with something else—rage and heartbreak. My sister had fallen for Malcom. She really loved him and trusted him, and it was the first relationship she had gotten into since Alex. But it was all a lie. How was she ever going to trust someone? She was naturally such a caring and trusting person, but I knew that even people like her had their limits. She could be afraid to love for the rest of her life, and I knew that my sister had so much love to give to anyone and everyone around her. She was hurt, afraid, and confused. It was that truth that made me all the more upset.
“This won’t kill you. It will just hurt for a very, very long time. I’ll kill you both when I get what I came for,” Malcolm said.
“That won’t happen,” I said as I shook my head. “I’m not going to help you, Malcolm.”
“He’s lying,” Isabelle called out. “Malcolm wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Izzy, this isn’t the Malcolm you know,” I said. My voice wasn’t loud, but I knew that she could hear me.
“But it is. He’s there. I know that he’s still there,” Isabelle was no longer crying, but she was pleading with me. Whatever plan she thought I had, she didn’t want me to go through with it. Even through all of this, she wanted Malcolm to live. She didn’t even know what was happening.
I didn’t take my eyes off Malcolm, not even when Isabelle spoke. I knew better than to do that.
“Malcolm, let her go. You’ve hurt her enough. Just let her go. I’ll do anything you want. Just please let Isabelle go,” I said. I spoke my words slowly. I wanted him to know that I meant them. I would give in if it meant protecting my family. If he hurt Isabelle, he could find and hurt my mother and father as well. I couldn’t let my family die because of me. I would do anything if it meant keeping them safe.
“No, Samantha. I know what you’re trying to do. Don’t! Malcolm won’t let him hurt me,” Isabelle said. I could hear her squirming as if she was trying to set herself free.
“Him?” I asked.
“Alex!” Isabelle yelped. She sounded more surprised that I didn’t know who she was talking about than the fact that person she had grown to love was now planning to kill her and me.
“Where is he?”
“He’s in there too. Alex is inside Malcolm.”
“Shut up! Both of you,” Malcolm roared. He was no longer moving slowly. He had his bow ready, and he was reaching into the bag to pull out an arrow. I stood my ground. I was in the direct line of sight between him and my sister. He could shoot me. I didn’t care. I was the one he wanted anyway.