by Wendi Wilson
“Adrian, how did you think you were going to help us escape when you brought it up to me and Bryce on the trip here?”
“I… I do not know. I can see now that it was only a dream, a wish that will never come true. I must go.”
“Adrian, he knows.”
Those words halt his movement like a brick wall. He turns, his movements slow and calculated, his eyebrows drawn low. He drifts back toward me, coming so close our chests nearly touch. I feel a rush of water against my back and see my parents on either side of me in my peripheral vision.
“What does he know?” Adrian asks with a clenched jaw, choosing to ignore Mom and Dad.
“He knows you’re a sympathizer, Adrian.”
He jerks back, the anger on his face replaced by hurt. “You told him?”
“No. Yes. Sort of,” I stutter. “Please, let me explain.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and nods. “Explain, then.”
“I asked him, hypothetically, about getting a Mer to help us, just like I told you. It would keep him out of it and stop a revolt. He listened to my idea and asked it this hypothetical Mer was you. I tried to cover for you, but I’m a terrible liar.”
“You lied to the king?” he asks, his face almost comical with shock.
“I tried to lie,” I confirmed, “but, Adrian, he already knew. He’s noticed how you never say anything bad about humans and punish your battalion when they say mean things about my mom. He knows about the cave and-”
“What?” Adrian yells, cutting me off. “He has been there?”
I nod. “He saw you sneaking off one night and followed you.” I dart forward and grab his hand, hoping my touch will calm him down enough to let me finish. “Adrian, he’s proud of you. Your tolerance has given him hope for the future of all the Mer. He said he sent you to get me because he knew you’d never hurt me. Unlike the others, you would deliver me safely.”
The tension drains from his body. “Really? The king said that about me?”
“Yes,” I say, releasing my grip on him. “He really said that. You’re our only hope, Adrian. King Merric is trying to come up with a plan, but you’re the key. We need you. Please say you’ll help us.”
“If I agree, I would become human? Never to return to Delmare?”
“That’s entirely up to you, Adrian,” my mom says, drifting forward. “According to my daughter, the witches will agree to cast the spell on us all. They sound like reasonable people, unlike Coraline, so I’m sure they’d be willing to reverse it later if you change your mind.”
“That would mean certain death,” he says, slouching his shoulders.
“Not if my father has anything to do with it,” she says. I can almost feel her conviction. “He wants change, Adrian. He can’t start with us. It would look too much like favoritism. However, after we’re gone, when we’re safe, he can do it. It will take some time, but the Mer will learn tolerance. Maybe even acceptance.”
“That is a nice dream.”
“It’s not just a dream, Adrian,” I say. “Grandad is determined. He caused all this hate. He can undo it.”
“When you say it, I almost believe it,” he says, something akin to hope shining in his eyes. “Okay. I agree. I shall help you escape to the surface.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Adrian, have you been on patrol since I got here?”
I barely let him set down the breakfast tray before I hit him with the question. He stares at me, a blank look on his face. I swim forward and grasp his shoulders.
“Patrol, Adrian. Have you had duty? Have you seen Bryce?”
I can almost see the light bulb blink on over his head as realization dawns on him. His face contorts from one emotion to another before settling on one that looks suspiciously like pity. Shaking his head, he backs out of my grip before speaking.
“I am sorry, Kai. I had patrol last evening. I did not feel his presence at any point in my rounds.”
“Okay.”
The word comes out sounding sullen, but I can’t help it. I had hoped that Adrian would have seen or felt something. Something that would reassure me that Bryce is okay.
“Hey,” Mom says, wrapping her arms around me from behind. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding, “I’m sure he is, too.”
I hope I sound more convinced than I am. I don’t need everyone else worried along with me. We need to concentrate on getting out of here. We need a plan.
“Adrian,” I say, pulling away from my mom and stiffening my spine, “does anyone know you’re here?”
“Only the kitchen staff. They know I was bringing this food to you.”
“Is there any way you could stay here until lunch? Would you be missed?”
“I am sorry, Kai, but I cannot. I have training in the arena with my battalion this morning. Besides, the kitchen staff are prone to gossip, so I must return this tray within a reasonable timeframe.”
“What about after? Do you think you could sneak here to meet with us and the king? He said he would try to come up with a plan and we’re running out of time.”
“I understand your urgency, and I shall try.”
“Thank you, Adrian. Now,” I say, turning to the breakfast laid out on the table and motioning my parents toward it, “let’s eat so he can get out of here.”
“Hello, Kailani. All is well, I hope?”
Merric glides in with a flourish and as I push the door closed, something on the other side blocks its path. I pull it toward me and Adrian swims through the opening. I poke my head out to make sure no one else is out there before closing it and turning.
“Adrian, you made it.”
“And you, my dear, have a penchant for stating the obvious,” Grandad cuts in. “I summoned him to my chambers earlier to speak to him privately about our plan and to get his agreement to be a part of it. But, apparently, he already knew and planned to meet us here today.”
“I had to tell him the truth, Grandad. It was the only way to get him to agree.”
“I know, Kai, I know. I am actually quite proud of you. You are not one to wait around to be saved, are you?”
“Maybe I used to be,” I say, “but a lot has happened to me over the last couple of months. I’ve learned to adapt and solve problems on my own. I’ve had to.”
“Oh, honey,” my mom says, her face dropping.
“It’s not your fault, Mom.”
“But I left you there-”
“No,” I cut her off. “Coraline did that. You had to leave, or you’d be dead. If you need to blame someone, blame her.”
“Oh, I do,” she says, wiping the sad look from her face. “She’s gone and we’re here. So, let’s fix this.”
“That’s my girl,” Dad says.
He wraps one arm around her shoulders and I realize, for the first time, it doesn’t totally weird me out. I’m getting used to him and used to them, together. When we get home, things are going to be different. No more slaving away for Ms. Coraline. No more disappointment. No more sadness. I want that, bad. And I’m going to get it.
“Ok, Grandad,” I say turning to him, “tell us what you got.”
“I put much thought into this last night,” he says, clasping his hands behind his back. “If Adrian is willing to aid us, it just may work. He has the key to this suite. His battalion has patrol tonight and he can schedule himself to guard this area.”
“Wait. Tonight? That soon?”
“Yes, Kai. It has to be tonight. Your execution is scheduled for tomorrow.”
I rub my hands up and down my arms, attempting to smooth away the goosebumps that popped up at his words. Tonight. I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.
“Yes, of course. You’re right. I just didn’t think it would happen this quickly,” I say, coming back to the present.
“Adrian,” he continues when my words trail off, “you will come release them, then take them straight through your own patrol area to the border of Delmare. No one w
ill realize you are missing until tomorrow.”
“Pardon me, Your Highness,” Adrian says, “but what of my battalion? Our patrol ends at dawn and I must be there to release them from their duty.”
“I shall take your place,” Merric says.
“Won’t they find that suspicious?” I ask.
“Not at all, my dear. It is not uncommon for me to check in with my guard, personally.”
“But… and I’m not trying to be negative, but what about after we’re gone and everyone realizes Adrian helped us escape? Won’t the people find it very convenient,” I stress the word, using air quotes, “that you took over his duty on the very night he planned to betray you? It makes you look guilty, Grandad.”
He smiles at me, his white teeth gleaming. He places one hand against his chest, right over his heart and inclines his head slightly.
“Thank you for your concern, Granddaughter. It touches my heart, you have no idea. But I will be fine. The people will not question my word, for I have never lied to them.”
His face falls a little, making me feel extremely guilty for putting him in this position. “Grandad, I’m sorry.”
“Nonsense,” he says, shaking off his melancholy. “Your life is more precious to me than my honor.”
I can’t help it. I zip forward and he throws his arms open just in time to catch me. His warm arms cocoon me, a safe haven where I’ll always be cherished. My eyes burn with emotion as I realize I will probably never see him again after this meeting.
“Come with us,” I say, my words muffled against his chest.
“Oh, Kailani,” he says, pulling away to look into my eyes, “I wish it were that easy. I have obligations here, a duty to lead the Mer of this city.”
“But, I just found you.” I know I sound like a whiny brat and I don’t care.
“And I, you. But we shall carry each other in our hearts forever more. And who knows what the future shall bring, eh?”
He chucks me under the chin, making me smile with the old-fashioned gesture. I nod and back out of his arms. Pulling myself together, I look at my parents, then at Adrian. He hasn’t said much and frankly, he looks like he’s about to puke.
“Adrian? Are you okay?”
“Yes, Kai,” he says, stiffening his spine. “I am fine.”
“What do you think of the plan? Are you in?”
He sucks in water and holds it for a second before releasing it in a long, slow stream. He squares his shoulders and lets his eyes trail over everyone before settling them on me.
“I am in.”
“Excellent,” Grandad says, rubbing his hands together.
“There is one problem, though,” Adrian says.
“What is it?” I ask.
His silver eyes bore into mine. “Do you remember what I told you when we got close to the city, about Mer sensing each other?”
“Yes, you said Bryce should stay back so the patrol won’t sense him.”
“Exactly. Am I to assume you will not be leaving this part of the ocean without him?”
“Yes, of course I’m not leaving him,” I say like that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Because it is.
He smiles. He’s finally catching on to my sarcastic wit. The smile drops when he starts to speak again.
“We should have no problem leaving the city if we swim straight through my patrol area. That is not the problem, but if your soul mate is not waiting for us there, in that one area, we will have to search for him. It will be difficult to evade the other guards while searching.”
“Well, that’s a risk we’re going to have to take.”
Adrian makes his excuses and leaves, mumbling something about not wanting to be caught here with the king. Mom and Dad drift into the other room, but I barely notice. My eyes are eating up the sight of my grandfather, trying to memorize his every feature.
He seems to be doing the same to me, a soft smile playing about his lips. It must be hard for him to look at me, my face a blatant reminder of the love he lost. But he doesn’t show it. He’s shown me nothing but kindness and support. Just like a real grandfather. And now I have to leave him behind.
He speaks, making some joke about the stilted silence and I laugh, just to be polite. He swims forward and hugs me before spinning me around and holding me at arm’s length.
“Enough of this sadness,” he says. “Let’s talk for a while and get to know each other better.”
So, we talk. We laugh. My heart swells with affection. We say goodbye.
Chapter Fourteen
“How’s mom doing?”
It’s been a few hours since Grandad left after lunch. After coming out to say goodbye, she told us she was tired and went back into the other room. I haven’t seen her since. Dad checked on her a couple of times, but she hasn’t emerged from the bedroom.
“She’ll be okay, sweetheart. She’s just a little sad about leaving her father. She already went through this once. To do it again is just… hard for her.”
“I understand. I know what it feels like to live without your father.”
“I’m so sorry, Kai-”
“No,” I say, cutting him off. “Don’t apologize again, please. I don’t blame you for your choices. I know you did it for me.”
He seems to shake off his guilt and smiles. “Tell me about your life. I know about the bad stuff with Coraline. Your mom told me all about that. I want to know the good things.”
The good things? There’s not much to tell. The look on his face is so hopeful, though, that I have to come up with something.
“Well,” I say, “my best friend Ana is amazing. She always has my back and she’s hilarious. We met in second grade and, as Mom always says, have been attached at the hip ever since.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’ve had someone to lean on, other than your mother. Any other friends?”
“Um, not really,” I respond, my voice quiet. “I had Mom, though. And I had the beach behind the house. Swimming has always been my saving grace. Whenever I was lonely, or sad, or mad at Mom, I could jump in the sea. It always made me feel better.”
I close my eyes and pinch my lips together. How could I be so insensitive? My greatest joy has been his prison for the last fifteen years. Here I am, going on and on about how amazing the ocean is, when he probably can’t wait until the day he never has to touch its salty waves again.
“Tell me about Bryce,” he says.
“Okay,” I say, grateful he’s changing the subject. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. How did you meet? What’s he like? I need to know if he’s good enough for my little girl.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. Most girls my age would be annoyed with a meddling parent, especially one that thinks no boy is good enough for their daughter. But not me. I’ve wanted this my whole life. A dad that would be there. A dad that would care enough to vet out my boyfriend. A dad. Period.
“Well, things didn’t start out too smooth.”
“They rarely do,” he says with a smile.
“He was so cocky. He thought the world revolved around him and all the other girls at school proved him right. You should have seen them, Dad, falling all over themselves to get his attention. It was disgusting.”
He laughs. “You didn’t like him?”
“Not at all. I mean, I’m not blind. He’s very handsome, but his attitude from the first moment I met him turned me off. He was a jerk.”
“What changed?”
“I don’t know. At first, I think my non-response to his charms intrigued him. He started acting like a normal person, well, as normal as he could be and I started to warm up to him. The problem was, I could never control my emotions around him and he knew everything I felt.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t tell you? Bryce has a kind of extra-sensory perception. He can sense what the people around him are feeling. He knew I was… attracted to him when we first met.” This is so weird, talking to my dad abou
t this. “His parents had ingrained in him the importance of never letting anyone get close. They couldn’t take the chance that someone would find out about them being witches. That’s why he treated me to his arrogance. He wanted to keep me at arm’s length, to make me hate him, because underneath it all, he was attracted to me, too.”
“So, you fell for his act and hated him. What changed your mind?”
I laugh. Bryce made me feel a great many things when we met, but hatred was never one of them.
“Oh, I never really hated him. He annoyed me, but something about him kept drawing me in. I couldn’t get him out of my head. We ended up spending some time together, getting to know each other for real, then Ms. Coraline found out and forbade me to see him. That only spurred me into seeing him more.”
“Why would she do that? Just to keep you isolated and unhappy?”
His face twists with anger. He left to protect me, resulting in him not being there to protect me from Coraline. I wish I could take his guilt away.
“That’s what I thought, but no.” I say, answering his question. “Apparently, she’d heard a prophecy. A witch called a diviner saw a vision that a boy and I would be synergetic and would destroy her. That’s why she wanted to keep us apart. She realized Bryce was a witch and that he was that boy. When I didn’t obey her and stay away from him, she removed the spell that made us both human and, well, you know the rest.”
He nods, his eyes slightly glassy. Shaking his head, he refocuses on me and his lips tug up at the corners.
“You love him?” he asks, his voice quiet.
“Yes, Dad, I do. Our connection is, literally, electric. We are tied together by the whole synergetic soul mate thing, but I think I loved him before I even knew it. I think I loved him from that first day, even though he was such an ass.”
Dad laughs. “Well, I’m happy for you. I’m glad that, even though your home life was less than desirable, you had Ana and Bryce. Things will be different now. Once we’re home, we’ll make up for lost time. You’ll see.”
“Uh, did I tell you Bryce’s parents bought your old house?” I ask, feeling nervous. I don’t want him to be disappointed.