My heart raced in panic.
There was no way I was going to leave Marin without Marko.
Marko checked his daggers and looked set to leave Kraja’s room but I wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “You can’t go alone out there. I won’t let you.”
Marko gave me a fierce look, a look that said he wasn’t going to budge on his decision. But I shook my head.
“No. You’re crazy to go on your own. Who knows what’s happening? Damir’s men could have overpowered the only guards you’ve got. It’s not safe.”
Marko swallowed thickly and stared morosely at the etchings of the beautiful ancient city on the wall. The ancients seemed to mock him with their happiness.
He sighed. It was heartbreaking to see him like this—losing hope.
“It’s the only way to save my city. If the king can’t face up to Damir, then who can? And don’t even think of volunteering to come.”
He stared at me and then around the room.
“I mean all of you. Damir will simply capture you and use you for bait to get his hands on me. Then he will have us all. So, as your king, I am ordering you all to stay here.”
I sighed. Though I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. It made sense not to give Damir something or someone to bargain with.
“Just come back, please,” I said, trying to muster up as much confidence as I could.
“I’ll try my best, Miranda,” he said, a soft smile curving the corners of his mouth. “But don’t worry about me. Just stay strong for the others.”
“He’s right, love,” said Pop, gently patting my back. “You’ve got to stay strong. We all do.”
“But what if—” I couldn’t even say it. “We need to set a plan in place if you...” my voice trailed off.
“Wait for a few hours, maybe a good four hours, until you open the wall to my rooms. If the coast is clear, then I want you to carry out my plan. Get everyone out of here. Everyone in this room, especially the baby, needs to be safely sent to land. You’ll have to put me out of your mind while you do this. I’ll come when I can.”
“Right now there’s got to be an army of Damir’s men running through the castle searching for us. It may take time for me to deal with them. But if distracting them all means getting you off to safety then I’m going to take my time doing it.”
I nodded my head like I understood. But I didn’t. Not seeing Marko again, and leaving for land without him, didn’t make any sense at all.
“We’ll listen and wait,” I said, my throat thick with emotion. “After four hours, if the coast is clear, we’ll make our way to the shuttle room and leave Marin.”
Marko nodded and drew me into his arms. He kissed my forehead and held my head against his chest. “Good. I love you, Miranda. Always.”
I raised my head and stared up into his intense blue eyes. “I love you too. Just come back to us.”
He nodded, tore himself away, and left, just like that—alone.
* * *
I must have fallen asleep because I woke to Marko’s hand on my shoulder.
“Wait,” I mumbled, rubbing my face with the palms of my hands. “Am I dreaming?”
“Shhhh, no, you’re not.” He cocked his head to one side. “Listen. Can you hear them?”
Footsteps. Muffled voices. Things getting smashed.
“Sounds like a hundred people running through your room and trashing it.”
He put a finger to his lips and nodded.
Everyone was asleep, Rob on the bed and the others resting their backs against the walls. Little Angelina slept in Nana’s snug embrace. I was surprised that they, that I, hadn’t woken to all the chaos coming from Marko’s room.
“They’re Damir’s men, all heading to the shuttle room. Damir’s decided to leave Marin. When everyone jumped into the Colosseum earlier, his mermaids fell back in and drowned in the crowded tank, along with many others. Too many citizens dived in at once, hoping they’d be the first to experience the magical powers of the moon water in the tank. But they couldn’t get to the ladders in time when they needed to come up for air.’ Marko sighed. ‘Damir’s taking his men with him.”
He cradled my face in his hands. They were ice cold, but I relished his touch all the same.
“Do you realise what this means, Miranda? It means that you won’t have to leave. And with Damir and his men gone I can restore Marin to its former glory, or even better, create a newer, safer and happier city.” He smiled and pressed his lips to mine before drawing back to meet my eyes. “We’ll raise the moon from the tank and place it where it belongs, back in Kraja’s arms.”
Noises coming from the dungeons drew our attention and I followed Marko down the corridor where we put our ears to the secret wall so that we could listen.
“Who did it?” Damir’s voice growled.
“I don’t know.”
“Never mind, they obviously got her out.”
“Seems strange, though. She was nothing but a nasty bitch to them,” someone said.
Damir laughed bitterly. “Fucking Marko and his soft heart.” He muttered something that I couldn’t hear before he coughed and cleared his throat.
“So where do you think they’re at?” someone with a gruff voice asked.
No one responded for a while.
“They haven’t left through the shuttles. That I know. I’ve got men all over the shuttle room. They’ve got to be hiding somewhere.”
“How about we check the mouse’s cottage or the greenhouses?”
“Too obvious.” Damir released a throaty chuckled. “But they are friends with that idiot at that cursed mansion in the underworld. What’s it called? Howard House?”
Someone clapped their hands together. “Let’s pay the weirdo a visit.”
“Blake,” I whispered to Marko, putting my hand over his. “Oh God, they’ll hurt him.”
Marko shushed me.
“Ay, Damir... do you think? Well, my brother’s already gone to land and I was hoping—”
“You want to leave already? Before we get our hands on my brother? Bunch of deserters you all are.”
Silence.
“Well, fuck off then. Go.”
“Sorry, I... there’s no real point in going after Marko, is there?”
A rumbling sound vibrated through the walls.
Marko met my gaze. “The shuttles. They’re leaving already.”
“Idiots,” shouted Damir. “I told them to wait for me. Now who knows where they’ll end up getting spat out. Probably stupid enough to send themselves back here.”
Another deeper rumble followed. The ground trembled beneath our feet.
“Quick. We’d better visit Howard House and get back here before these fools use all the shuttles and leave us stranded.”
“What if I decide to stay?” the gruff voiced one said. “I don’t know how I’d go on land with the compulsion and everything. I’d rather stay here.”
“You don’t get a say. We leave today. On land we’ll get stronger, build an army and if the compulsion proves too strong, we return and take back what’s mine.”
The ground trembled again.
“Sounds like they’ve crammed everyone into the industrial carriers,” Marko whispered. “The ones we use to bring merchandise into the city.”
“Can they all fit?”
“I don’t know how many men Damir has, but most likely they’ll fit. There are a few smaller shuttles, too, the ones we travelled in.”
We listened until the rumbling died away. Marko tugged my wrist, encouraging me away from the wall.
“I have to get to Blake before Damir does,” said Marko.
I wanted that too, but it was a huge risk.
“I want to get him too, but I don’t know. Maybe we should talk it over with the others first.”
We returned to Kraja’s room to find everyone awake, even Robbie.
He was sitting up in bed, a smile of surprise on his face. Lily and my grandparents wore the exact same smi
les.
“Oh my God, you’re eyes,” I said. They were no longer bleeding.
Marko knelt down in front of Robbie and put a hand on each shoulder while he studied his friend’s dark, shining eyes. Robbie’s gaze was fixed on Marko, as though he could actually see him.
“There isn’t a sign of any bleeding or an injury for that matter,” mumbled Marko as he peered into Robbie’s eyes. “At least the green crystals took care of that. Is the blurriness worse?” Marko’s chest rose and puffed out, like he was holding his breath for the answer.
Robbie shook his head. “The blurriness is gone, Marko. I can see clearly. One hundred percent.”
“I don’t believe it.” Marko cracked a wide smile. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
Robbie punched Marko in the arm. “Just one. The middle finger.”
Marko shoved him lightly and stood up. He relayed what we’d heard in the corridor to the others and it was unanimous. Everyone decided that we needed to get to Blake before Damir did.
“I’ll go,” said Pop. “I’ve got nothing to lose but a few more hairs on my head.”
Nan frowned. “Nothing to lose but hairs, hey?”
His wrinkled cheeks blushed as he took Nana into his arms, careful of the gurgling baby between them. He pecked the baby on the forehead.
“What I mean is, is that I’m old. I don’t have many years ahead of me. These kids have a lot more years to lose than I have.”
Nana’s chin started to wobble and I had to step in, putting my hands on both their shoulders.
“No, Nan. Don’t cry, please. I’m not going to let Pop go out there. It’s too dangerous and he’s got way too much to lose in you.”
Pop shrugged, as though he was suddenly tired of playing a would-be hero. He glanced at Marko and then Robbie.
“I suppose you young fellas will have to go because I’m not letting a single one of these young ladies go out there for this Blake character.”
“He’s a good guy, Pop,” I said. “He’s helped me out more than once.”
Robbie stood up, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Kraja’s etchings.
“I still can’t believe how clearly I can see now. I keep waiting for my vision to blur.” He shook his head and put an arm around Lily. “Maybe I’m speaking too soon. Maybe it’ll only last a few minutes.” He frowned and his face darkened with disappointment. “That’d be right.”
“Enough with the negative speak,” said Marko. “We need to go. Now.”
“I’ll come,” said Lily coming to stand. “We can’t trust Robbie’s eyes yet.”
Pop put his hands on his hips.
“No you’re not, young lady. The boys can handle this and besides,” he cracked a toothy smile, “we need your muscles here to protect us.” He winked at me as if he was joking, but I knew he was telling the truth. Lily made a pretty intimidating sight in her guard gear and dagger boots.
“I’ll go with Marko,” said Robbie. “Two is enough.”
I didn’t even bother to argue about going along. I knew Marko and Robbie and Pop would all jump up and down at the suggestion. And anyway, it made sense that I stayed. We needed a way out of the rooms if an emergency called for it and so far only Marko and I knew for certain that we could open the secret doors.
Marko took my hand and squeezed it before bending down to press his lips to mine.
“See you soon. I’ll return. Just like last time, okay? Don’t worry.”
“I’ll try not to,” I said, but my empty stomach swirled sickly at the prospect.
Marko’s stomach grumbled too and it made me wonder how much longer we could all last without food. Luckily, Nana had brought along two large baby bottles filled with milk, but Angelina would soon drain them and begin crying for more.
“We’re going to need food soon.”
Marko thought for a moment.
“We’ll take the kitchen tunnel to the outskirts of the underworld and grab some food on our way back. Now if we don’t return in two hours...” he glanced at the bedside clock we’d brought in with us, then back at me, “then I want you to—”
“Don’t. Please. You and Robbie will return safely, with Blake.”
I pressed my lips to his and hid my fears behind a brave face, and watched them disappear.
31
Robbie
The city was eerily silent. A few people stood around in small groups, staring at their surroundings as though in a daze. As though they weren’t sure they’d woken up in the same city they’d gone to sleep in. There was food and rubbish strewn around. Empty wine goblets littered the streets.
“Looks like everyone celebrated hard last night.”
Marko grunted and continued to stare at the mess that was his city.
On the way to Blake’s mansion we learned that rubbish was the least of our problems. As we passed the Colosseum, we saw pale bodies floating in the tank. When I cast my gaze away from the sight, my eyes fell on the body of a man who’d had his throat slit. His blood pooled around him, mixing with spilled wine.
“The work of Damir’s men, no doubt,” I said, spotting several more bodies in a similar state. It was eerie to see my home like this, the beautiful underwater city in ruins.
It must have been harder still for Marko to see it. He hadn’t said a word.
“You alright?”
He exhaled deeply, as though he’d been holding his breath the entire time.
“I saw all of this earlier. The city is dead.” His eyes were shiny with tears as he stared around. “I’ve ruined Kraja’s city, my city. I failed to protect my citizens.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “Damir did this, not you. And we can fix this. We can—”
“We can’t fix the dead, Robbie. We’re not gods.”
We passed what I thought was another dead body until the woman coughed and sat up. She blinked rapidly, trying to come to terms with the disarray around her.
“We can’t fix them, no. But we can give them an honourable burial and move forward so that we can rebuild this city for the living. And there are plenty living. I can see them. Most are hiding out in their homes.”
Marko sighed and stared ahead as we entered the darker streets of the underworld. These streets were surprisingly still populated, but not by half. A few called out, asking who their king was, but Marko didn’t bother to respond.
By the time we got to Blake’s house, Marko was a bubbling pot of bitterness and self-loathing. Though I’d warned him not to risk his life by entering the house without first scouting the area, he didn’t seem to care and just walked through the unlocked front door without checking for signs of Damir.
“Blake?” he called.
There was no answer. Much louder calls were met with silence. So Damir had been here.
I put a hand on Marko’s shoulder.
“Come on, we’re wasting valuable time.”
“I have to save him for Miranda,” Marko said, as he disappeared further into the dark shadows of the house.
My stomach clenched in fear as the darkness consumed us. I’d just spent the past year unable to see, and was in no hurry to return to that state. But with relief, a small dot of light appeared and we followed it until we found the back of the house.
“Up here,” came a low, melancholic voice.
“Blake?” Marko asked.
“At your service, King,” he said, peering down at us. “How’s Miranda?”
“Damir is after you. You need to come with us. Miranda is worried you’ll be hurt.”
Blake stared down at us, with eyes the colour of moonbeams.
“Okay,” he said after a while. “I’d like to see Miranda once more before I die.”
“You’re planning on dying soon?” Marko asked as Blake climbed down the ladder.
Blake nodded. “I can feel it in my old bones. My time is coming and it’ll be a good one. The brink is nigh.”
Marko and I shared a glance.
We hurried back to th
e castle, through the underground tunnel, stopping in the kitchen to stuff our pockets and arms with as much food as we could carry before heading back to Marko’s room and opening the secret wall.
We burst in, waving the treats we’d brought, but dropped them as soon as we saw Lily, Sylvia, Nana, Pop, the baby and Miranda, all being held at knifepoint by Damir and half a dozen of his men.
They were standing outside of Kraja’s sealed room. They must have tried to sneak out and got caught while retreating.
“Open it!” Damir shouted. “I know this room must have a secret door like the other one.”
“No,” Miranda said, her entire body trembling.
“It’s okay,” said Marko, coming to stand beside Damir.
I put a hand to Marko’s arm but he shrugged me off. I wanted to warn him not to get so close to his brother. A strange feeling stirred my guts. Like all hell was about to break loose.
“Let them all go—” Marko met my eyes. “Let them all go to the shuttle room, and then I’ll open this door for you,” Marko said, turning back to Damir. “Your men cannot enter. Just you. And you’re not allowed to touch anything.”
Damir considered this and then nodded.
He ordered his guards to set down their knives and Sylvia began to usher Nana, who still held the baby, as well as Pop, Lily and a loudly protesting Miranda to the shuttle rooms.
“Robbie?” Lily called.
I nodded. Though I wasn’t sure what Marko was planning, I trusted him. He most likely wanted them out of harm’s way while we dealt with Damir for good.
“I’ll stay with Marko,” I told her. “You go with the others. Please.”
She nodded.
Miranda was resisting Sylvia’s gentle shoving.
“No. Marko. I’m not leaving you.”
Marko came to her side and whispered something into her ear. She protested at first, with words I couldn’t hear, but eventually nodded, despite the tears brimming in her eyes.
Blake put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll stay with Marko and Robbie. I’ll keep them safe.” His unsettling silvery eyes bored into Miranda’s. “Just let go and trust me, Miranda. Trust in the universe.” He pecked her cheek and did a strange little bow before turning back around.
“So, what’s next?” he asked nobody in particular.
Release (The Submerged Sun, #3) Page 21