by Maira Dawn
"Ian is not the only one hunting. There has been progress. They are close to finding him,” said Akami.
"And if they do not find him, then that solves the human problem. We don't even have to think about it. It will be impossible to help them. Then we can wash our hands of this thing.” More dissension from the other side of the table.
"We must do all we can! We have vowed to do so,” someone said.
"A foolish vow, made when we were innocent of human’s deceit and treachery."
"What some of them were like! Not all of them are evil, many are good,” said Anahita of the Aequorea Clan, her skin turning a deep blue-green the more emotional she became.
“We all know you have a fascination with them. Don't let your sentiment ruin our people!"
Jorah shook his head as someone fired back at Anahita. Her color flushed stronger as she clamped her lips. The Aequorea’s bioluminescence was greater than other clans.
"Don't let your rush to judgment be your undoing!"
Unable to listen to angry voices any longer, Jorah stood. “Council members! Stop!" He slammed a flat hand on the table until they quieted. "We need to come to order."
Once everyone was quiet, he began, "All will hear and be heard, as is our custom. All of you have expressed an opinion, but I have not. I will now do so."
"Look around you and see what we have here. Look at the beauty of this room, the riches we carry on our persons and the brotherhood among ourselves. We are favored. But of all these things, the brotherhood is the most valuable because with this unity we can replenish everything else.” Jorah swept his arm outward.
"It is with this brotherhood in mind we took on our commission of helping the humans. Not because they already were our brothers, but because they were helpless, and our people have always aided those in need. And that one day, they might become our brothers."
A low murmuring began, but Jorah ignored it.
"You may feel they still deserve our mercy or you may not, but that is not of any concern in this matter. The charge was for us to save them, it was not if they deserved our act of saving.
"Are they less than us? Yes, but that does not make them evil. Have our people died at their hands? Yes, but none of you can sit here and tell me that no human has ever died at the hands of an Atlantian."
Someone protested. "That was one Atlantian."
Jorah leaned toward him. "Who killed hundreds of humans. How are we to know that this is not one human, yet you will condemn entire races of people to death? Where is your brotherhood? Where is your vow?
Turning, Jorah let his gaze sweep the council members. "You may feel our forefathers made our vow in haste to a man we barely knew. I have, at times, thought the same myself. But then, I sit at this table…” Jorah punched his finger toward the wood surface, “this table which marks the beginning our people, and I read what is carefully carved into every inch of its hard surface.
"Justice and brotherhood, Love and Compassion.
"What justice is there to blame an entire race for the evils of a few? What brotherhood if we are ready to—no—eagerly await their destruction? How long will love and compassion last amongst ourselves if we refuse to offer it to others?”
"It is our duty to do everything we can to find the Artifact and use it. It is our burden to find the killer of our people and punish him. And it is our legacy to carry on our motto within our own world and the humans."
Jorah sat back down in his chair. Silence rang in his ears. Then slowly, one council member after another rose and left the room. Some nodded to him, in what Jorah hoped was agreement. Others scowled as they made their way out. All were quiet.
Jorah wasn't sure if there were more who agreed or disagreed, and he didn't know if it mattered. If they didn't find the Artifact, there would be nothing they could do. All humans would die.
And though he fought for the Atlantian code, Jorah wondered if that just might be the best thing that could happen.
Your Sister?
Chapter Twenty
Sonora's mother, Azurine, hummed to herself as she chopped vegetables for dinner. She glanced at the clock; it was almost time to eat, and Sunny hadn't shown up yet. She shook her head.
"Sierra!" Azurine called out to her oldest daughter.
Sierra laid down the bridal magazine she'd been browsing, gave her fiancé a pat on the leg, and walked to the door of the kitchen. "Yeah, mom?"
"Have you heard from your sister? She promised to be at dinner tonight. Your dad's almost finished with the car, and I'm about ready here. I tried her cell, but the call didn't go through." Azurine murmured, "I really need to get on her case to get a new cell phone."
Sierra huffed. "Mom, you know she doesn't have the budget for a new cell phone. And you only have yourselves to blame for that. If you'd ease up on her and give her a little money…"
Azurine looked everywhere but at her daughter. "Sierra, you just don't understand."
"I understand that you gave me every penny I needed for college, and now a big wedding. But nothing's left for Sunny? I told you I‘ll cut back on the wedding. It’s not right—"
"Sierra, that's enough. I said you don't understand!"
Sierra folded her arms. "Well, I don't buy it for a minute."
"It will all be fine in the end." Azurine set plates on the table. "Now, do you know where your sister is?"
"At Kelly's? She said something about going there one day." Sierra reached into the cutlery drawer for silverware.
"Oh, that's right, she was going there one day this week. Go ask your dad, he may know." As Sierra walked out of the room, her mother called after her, "And tell your dad dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
In the garage, Mike tinkered with the family car. "Dad, did you know what Sunny was up to today?"
He grunted as he tightened a bolt before saying, "Ain't she goin' to the beach?"
"Well, I dunno. I thought Sunny was going to Kelly's."
Mike straightened and scratched his already grease-marked face adding another dark line. "Go ask your grandpa, she was talking to him this morning at breakfast."
Sierra heaved a sigh. "Well, this is ridiculous. We need to keep tabs better than this."
Sierra stepped out of the house onto the front porch and breathed in the salty air. A lingering look at the rolling ocean calmed her nerves. Living here since her birth, it was second nature to Sierra. More than that, the sea was in her blood.
Her grandfather had been a fisherman and come from a long line of fishermen, though he retired by the time Sierra was born. He was the one who bought this large tract of land the day before he married. On it, he built a house for his wife, and once his two daughters settled, a home for both of them.
Sierra's family home sat between her grandpa's and her Aunt Claire's. All three houses lined up in a row snug against the ocean with only a country lane and a small beach between them and the water.
The housing arrangement led to an incredibly tight-knit family, which Sierra sometimes felt worked against her. But the advantage was that if one of them didn't know where someone was, you asked someone else. Eventually, you would find the answer.
Sierra found her grandfather on his front porch, rocking back and forth and staring out to the sea as he talked to Aunt Claire and her husband, Devon Shade. She nodded hello to them all. "Grandpa, we're looking for Sunny. Her calls aren't going through. One of us thinks she went to the beach, the other to Kelly's. How do you weigh in on this?"
"Well now, young one, she did say she was going to the beach. And, if memory serves me right, she also said something about Kelly this morning. But I don't remember if visiting was today or tomorrow. Maybe someone should give Kelly a call."
Aunt Claire leaned forward. "You know this would be a lot easier if you girls would use this beach in front of you instead of running twenty minutes away."
Devon chimed in, "Why both of you want to hang out in the water so much is beyond me."
Sierra laughed. "U
ncle Devon, you're a marine biologist!"
"Yes, among other things, and I learned early on, it isn't all playtime out there, and that is why I switched into research. You could take a lesson in that." Devon gave her a nod to emphasize his point.
Still amused, Sierra smiled at him. "Well, I don't get much ocean time in now that I work in accounting. So you don't have to worry about me. It's Sunny who's going to become a marine biologist like the two of you."
The three of them clammed up, avoiding Sierra's stare. She turned away from them and looked at the sea as she leaned against the porch railing.
This whole college thing was crazy. Her aunt had money, and grandpa retired early but never seemed to have a shortage of funds. They couldn’t help Sunny out? Instead, when brought up, all she and Sunny got were guilty glances. They were holding back.
Sierra smirked. It was a good thing she'd been working on the problem. She had some news for Sunny. The local college had a last-minute change in professors, and when Sierra asked him, the professor said there was plenty of room in the class Sunny wanted to take.
Sierra couldn't wait to tell her sister. She'd be so excited! And for money, Sierra would swing this class for Sunny so she would be able to keep it a secret from the rest of the family. One way or another, Sierra was determined to see her sister fulfill her dreams.
Stay Tomorrow
Chapter Twenty-one
Wide-eyed, Sonora looked at Ian as her stomach tied into a knot. She couldn't back down now. "Who says that I'm going home? I do." She swallowed hard as Ian continued to stare at her. Her voice gentled. "It's obvious bringing me here like this isn't something you'd ordinarily do."
Ian leaned against the window frame as he looked back at the water and sighed. "Sunny, you don't know me or what I would do."
“I’ve figured out you don’t normally take helpless women against their will. I see the way you respect your mother. The way you have taken care of me since I've gotten here. You don't want to hurt me."
"Keeping you here will not hurt you."
"It will, and you know it."
Another sigh from Ian, deep and long, as he tried to change the subject. "Tomorrow we will look around the city."
Sonora frowned at him. "Tomorrow you are taking me home."
Ian looked back at her. "I can't take you home yet. You have to stay tomorrow."
Sonora flapped her arms. "I can't. My family will wonder where I am. I can explain one night somehow but not longer than that. They'll be out there looking for me, worried about me. If they find my car just sitting in the parking lot, I don't know what they'll think."
"I'll take care of it."
Her voice rose. "I don't want you to--" Sonora let out a huff. "I don't want you to take care of it. I want to go home!"
Ian laid a hand on Sonora's shoulder, which she unsuccessfully tried to shrug off. For a moment, he closed his eyes. When he opened them, Ian tightened his jaw. "I give you my word that when you can go home, if you want to, I will take you there."
"When I can? If I want to? Of course, I will want to. What are you talking about?"
Sonora shook his hand from her with a jerk of her body. "You do realize your communication skills are sorely lacking." She took a moment to glare at him before stomping toward the room where he had laid her borrowed clothing.
"Sunny." When she didn't stop, Ian called again, this time his voice sharp. "Sunny!"
Sonora stopped and glanced back at him.
"Come," Ian demanded as he beckoned her with a wave of his hand.
Though still steaming, Sonora could not ignore the picture of the man before her. One muscled arm supported him as he leaned against the side of the picture window. Her gaze trailed his long, still half-dressed, body up to his handsome face. She let her gaze play along it, the cheekbones, the sleek dark hair. A muscle in his solid jaw twitched, and Sonora brought her eyes to his grey ones. Once Ian captured them, he refused to let go.
Seconds seemed to be minutes, and something kindled in Sonora. A feeling deeper than desire, more like a pull to belong.
A bolt of shock shot through Sonora as she realized she wanted nothing more than to rush to him. A gleam of recognition rose in his eyes as she tore her gaze from his. Sonora gave her head a little shake. Geez, put a cute guy in front of her, and she lost all sense.
When Ian beckoned Sonora again, she walked over but kept her distance. She kept her eyes on the ocean as Ian stared at her. And when he attempted to lay a hand on her back, she moved away. Sonora frowned at him. "What? What do you want?"
Ian sagged but pointed out the window. "You see that grid out there?"
"I'm not in the mood for another lesson in your superior underwater technology. Or any of your superior anything. In fact-,"
Ian cut her off. "Will you listen?"
Sonora huffed and crossed her arms.
"That grid is to keep our existence secret. For centuries, building our cities in rocky areas was enough. The seafarers naturally avoided them, but as the human's technology grew, ours needed to do as well. So we created the grid. It distorts your echo sounders, so people avoid this area.
"We have it not because we are hostile toward humans but because they are not ready to learn about us. Can you imagine what would happen if they found out we were down here?"
Sonora knew precisely what would happen. News, media, fascination, suspicion, chaos, sadness, and terror. And that was if everything went well. Nothing here would ever be the same again. Murder had already been committed by someone aware of them.
“The day will come when we need to approach them, but now is not the time." Ian looked at her. "There are things about us, about me, that you haven’t learned yet. Not because they will hurt you, but because the time is not right." A small smile curved one side of his lips. "I am your grid."
"Oh, ha, ha," Sonora said with a fake laugh.
"You will stay tomorrow."
"And the day after that?"
"Let each day decide for itself."
"No! I'm not--"
"Sunny, you can rail against this all you want, but it will change nothing."
Her anger ignited at his high-handed words, and she struck out at him. Her small fists pounded against him even though she knew she was no more than a gnat he could easily swat away. Still, he stood there and took everything she had to give.
More furious than ever, Sonora stopped and glared up at him, hissing. "I hate you!"
The words did what the blows could not. Ian stumbled back from her with a stricken expression. Sonora's heart clenched. She reached for him. They both looked at her outstretched arms. Sheer happiness covered Ian's face. Bewilderment came over Sonora's.
She pulled her arms back, wrapping them around herself as tight as she could. What was happening? She needed to make him understand she didn't want to stay here even if it did hurt him. Why had she reached out to him?
Sonora rushed to the chairs and lowered herself to teeter on the edge of one. Ian followed her and sank into the chair across from her, looking confused. He pulled a hand through his dark hair, further disturbing it. "I didn't want this."
"I didn't want this. You most certainly did, or I wouldn't be here."
Ian lowered head. "No, not like this."
Sonora covered her face with her hand and rested elbows on knees. After a moment, she sat up. "Okay so, now what?"
"Tomorrow, I will show you around."
Sonora rolled her eyes. They were right back where they started. "And that will magically do what?"
"Not magically. But the more you cooperate, the faster this will go."
Of course, it would. Sonora shook her head, then sighed and sat back in her seat. "And I'm not allowed to know what "this" is?"
Ian raised an eyebrow and grinned. In that moment, it was clear he was aware he'd won. He pulled his fingers through his hair again, this time to fix it. The gesture caused Ian to bow his head and look up at Sonora as his shoulders rolled. "The grid, remember?"
Sonora blew out a puff of air, stirring the hair around her face. "Don't try to be cute. It doesn't help your case at all."
She winced. That was totally not true.
Better Than Human
Chapter Twenty-two
Aleena paced back and forth in her high tower bedroom, her son on her mind. Stopping, she faced her husband, the weight of every bad scenario showing on her face. It made her numb. Most upsetting was the inevitable heartbreak Ian would face. Aleena’s heart twisted at the thought of seeing her strong, warrior of a son crushed. Ian had handled his share of danger, and Aleena had learned long ago she needn't worry about his skills in handling it, but a broken heart was another thing entirely. A broken heart often ended an Atlantian.
Of course, there was still the possibility Ian had lost his senses. "It must have been all the time he's spent in the air. All that oxygen must have addled his mind." Aleena started wringing her hands.
Jorah shook his head in disbelief. "You are sure you understood him correctly? He really feels this way about her? I’d hoped it only an infatuation."
Aleena's voice rose as she threw up her hands, "That's what he said. Informed me of his asinine decision and told me it was none of my affair. The news shocked me so much I didn't question him further." Her voice turned to despair. "What is our son doing? He is going to get hurt! This will ruin his life. A human!" Aleena brought one of her hands to her face. "A human."
“Perhaps it will be okay. Ian has always swum a straight line."
"He seemed just as shocked saying it as I was hearing it," Aleena uttered a small wail. "You are aware how these things turn out, Jorah. You know!"
Jorah sought to calm his wife. "There was that one girl. It seemed to turn out fine for her."
"How do we know that? She went off with that sailor and was never heard from again! He could have done anything to her. And her poor family, to go through that!" Aleena broke down. In between sobs, she whispered, "And look at Argos."