Journey into the Realm: The Stolen Child (Journey into the Realm Series) (8 page)

***

My escort to the prison was unlike any mermaid I had laid eyes on since my arrival in Atlantis. Instead of a tail, she had gangly legs and webbed feet. Her hands were the same way and she had thin, barely noticeable wings on her back. Her skin was more green than blue, unlike the other mermaids I had encountered. And her eyes were glowing white. I didn’t know if I could even call her a mermaid. But even with every disturbing feature, all together she was beautiful. A shocking, scary, shiver-inducing beautiful, but still….

Her hair fell in wisps around her shoulders, a brilliant blue I couldn’t remember ever seeing before. With one webbed hand she brushed back tendrils and nodded to me curtly. “My name is Kelby. I am to take you to the prison, yes?” Her accent was even harder to understand than Orrin’s, thick and deep like the world was in slow motion. The sound was haunting and lovely, though, and it reminded me of Halloween.

I glanced uncertainly at Elvina, but once again she was ignoring me in favor of Prince Orrin. I scowled even though she wasn’t paying attention and hesitantly returned my gaze to the creature waiting for me to respond. I still didn’t think I could call her a mermaid.

“What are you?” I blurted, rather impolitely but unable to help myself.

Puzzled by my question, she floated silently in the water for what seemed like minutes before she finally understood. “I am sea fae, do you not know?”

I wondered if part of being a sea fairy required one to always reply with a question. I decided to keep that comment to myself. It sounded snarky in my head and would probably be worse said aloud.

“I didn’t know sea fairies existed. I thought there were only water fairies,” I admitted.

She smiled, showing some severely pointy teeth. I held back a gasp. “Water fairies are Element fae. They bend water to their will but do not dwell in the sea as I do. Now, the prison, yes?”

I nodded, still feeling uncomfortable. Sea fae were strange. Strange looking, strange sounding, strange…everything. And those pointy teeth weren’t helpful to their image either.

She reached for my hand, then saw my uncertainty and thought better of it. With a wave, she beckoned for me to follow her through the levels of the palace until we reached the bottom. I kept my eyes downcast, fearful that someone would stop us. But I guess what Elvina said about mermaids and self-preservation applied to every situation. The mermaids were too busy paying attention to themselves to care about Kelby and me as we made our way to the prison.

Nathan was waiting at the coral bars when we arrived. I wondered how long he had been standing there. Since Elvina and I were taken to meet the council? That seemed like ages ago.

He smiled when he saw me, but it didn’t reach his eyes, which were clouded with apprehension. I moved to greet him. Kelby remained a few feet away, graciously giving us privacy. She was strange, yes, but at least she was considerate.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking my hands through the bars.

I could feel my lips begin to tremble again. I couldn’t let him see how shaky I was. He already knew about my nightmares. What would he say if he knew about my intrusive flashbacks? He would only see me as more unstable, and right now I had to convince him that we were getting out of here.

I bit my bottom lip and nodded, hoping he wouldn’t notice the fear coursing through me. “Are you?”

“We’ve just been waiting for news. What did the council say?” Nathan wondered.

Aimee and Tavis joined him at the bars. “Are they going to let us go?” Tavis asked.

I briefly explained the meeting and the council’s decision to keep us here. I quickly moved on to Prince Orrin and his plan, hoping that would reassure them. But even with my added bits of faith and encouragement, the escape plan still sounded just as lame as the first time I had heard it.

When I was finished, Nathan gripped my fingers tighter. “Did Orrin say anything about us?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Did he mention how
we
were going to escape?” Tavis added.

“The same way Elvina and I will. Princess Teslyn will create the distraction and then…”

“And then we magically get past these prison bars?” Tavis remarked sarcastically.

He had a good point. Orrin hadn’t said anything about how my friends would reach us. Whether or not it was on purpose was a completely different story.

“I think Orrin means to help you and Elvina escape…and leave us here,” Aimee said quietly.

Irritation building, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter what Orrin intends. I’m getting you out of here.”

“How?” Nathan asked.

I sighed. What I was about to do could either ensure our escape or get us all killed. “Wait here,” I said, deciding to take my chances.

I swam over to Kelby and shook away any lingering doubts. “Are sea fairies loyal to the High Queen?”

She seemed startled by my random question, but she didn’t hesitate in her response. “Of course. As all fairies are. Why do you ask?”

“The High Queen is my aunt,” I told her without giving her time to react. “I have to reach her, which means I have to get out of here. You know this.” I assumed Orrin had filled her in; otherwise, why would she be my escort?

“Yes, I do,” Kelby confirmed.

“But to get to the Golden Fairy Realm, I have to travel through the other Realms first. I can’t do that alone. I need my friends. I know Prince Orrin only cares that Elvina and I escape, but I can’t leave without them.”

Kelby watched me, her bright eyes narrowed as she processed my request. Her gaze darted between me and my friends. Finally, she nodded. “When Princess Teslyn creates the disturbance, I will release your friends.”

Relieved, I smiled and urged her to follow me over to my friends. She complied without a word. “Kelby’s going to help us.”

“What is
that
?” Tavis asked rudely, his eyes wide.

Aimee hit him on the shoulder. “She’s a sea fairy, more fairy than mermaid but more fish than fairy. That’s why they live here rather than in a Fairy Realm. We learned about them in ability school.”

“I don’t remember learning about sea fairies,” I mentioned.

The elfen healer smiled knowingly. “I think it was one of the days you didn’t show up for Lord Asher’s class,” Aimee explained.

Tavis gave me a pointed look, and I returned with an angry one of my own. “Back off. I was dealing with stuff. Assassins and secrets and whatnot. School obviously wasn’t my first priority.”

“Can we get back on task?” Nathan wondered. “How will Kelby know when to release us?”

Kelby removed a tiny shell from her tangled hair. “Use this,” she said, placing the shell in my open palm. “All you must do is sing to activate it. My other shells will glow, and I will know it is time.”

Impressed by sea fairy magic, I gripped the shell and felt a surge of hope. Maybe Prince Orrin wasn’t the ally I had expected, but we had another.

“We must return to Prince Orrin if you hope for your plan to work,” Kelby advised.

I nodded. “Just…give me one more minute, please.” My eyes found Nathan’s as Kelby retreated. Aimee, sensing my intentions, tugged on Tavis’s arm until he moved to the back of the cell with her.

“You always find a way,” Nathan praised, looking past me at Kelby for a moment.

“Nathan, when Naida took Elvina and me to the council, I should have…well, before I left I should have said….” Frustrated tears reached the surface. Why couldn’t I say it? Had Stellan’s death and Ellie’s betrayal changed me this much? Why was I fine one moment and falling apart the next? They were just words, words I had said countless times before. Why couldn’t I voice them now?

His fingers wrapped around the coral bars as he leaned in to me. “Let me say it for you. You love me. I love you. No matter what happens, we have that.”

I pressed my forehead against his, hoping to feel like I used to with him, when everything was light and colorful and full of promise. His lips were so close. A little farther and they would connect with mine. Guilt, regret, and hunger came together to form a pain I couldn’t rid myself of. I wanted him so badly, needed him so much it hurt – but I couldn’t have him. Not while the war continued, not with so many deaths so fresh in my mind and heart.

I backed away, keeping my eyes closed to avoid witnessing Nathan’s disappointment. “When the time comes, swim as fast as you can.”

I turned my back on Nathan, refusing to let him see me break down. I kept my body rigid and straight until Kelby and I were out of view. Then I allowed myself to cry. Maybe Kelby didn’t comment because she couldn’t tell. We were immersed in water after all. Or maybe she could sense that I wouldn’t be comforted by simple words. Either way, I was grateful for her silence.

The level I was sharing with Elvina was also occupied by Orrin when we returned. He swam to meet us at the entrance and spoke to Kelby briefly before the sea fairy was dismissed. I hoped she would stick to our plan; my friends’ safety depended on her.

“Elvina and I have finished making tonight’s arrangements. I will leave you now and alert you when it is time to leave.” Prince Orrin bowed slightly and disappeared before I could voice any reply.

“He is a merman of very few words,” I commented drily, swimming to the window of our level to gaze upon the wondrous spectacle of Atlantis. The shimmering city seemed inviting and perfect, but after today I would never think of its inhabitants that way. I admired their sense of unity, but the lengths mermaids went to ensure self-preservation made them ignorant and selfish.

Elvina joined me at the window. “How were the others?”

“Fine,” I said. “Until I informed them of Orrin’s escape plan and they realized they were left out.”

The Woodland fairy nodded. “I had hoped you would realize that. Have you figured out a way to include them?”

“Yeah, the sea fairy is going to get them out. But why didn’t you say anything before? I wouldn’t have realized the holes in Orrin’s plan if Tavis hadn’t noticed them.”

Elvina sighed. “I was told not to interfere in matters you could handle on your own. For now, at least….”

Immediately I stiffened. I turned my head to watch her expression closely. “Who told you that?”

“Who do you think?” she wondered curiously, meeting my eyes.

“Brielle? Eder?” I guessed.

She smiled wryly. “Both of them.”

I leaned against the wall, my feet only lightly touching the sandy floor. Still unused to the effects of being underwater, this unnerved me. I kept my eyes focused on Elvina. “Look, I understand that Brielle is the Queen, so you sort of have to listen to her. But Eder’s just a guard – an ex-guard, actually. What makes him so special?” I asked.

“You shouldn’t have to ask that, after what he did for you that night on the bridge,” she said. “He saved your life.”

I swallowed slowly, mulling over her words before I replied. “So he told you about that night?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“I thought it was supposed to be a secret,” I retorted.

Elvina turned away from me as she said, “Only while Queen Taryn was still alive did Eder have to be careful.”

I couldn’t believe how boldly she was speaking, as if Queen Taryn’s death was in some way a heavy burden lifted. What had happened to the sweet-natured Elvina I met during my first trip to Tarlore? Who was this steely, stoic fae in her place?

“I’m not going to pretend to understand what’s going on with you, Eder, and Brielle,” I said, trying to contain myself so it wouldn’t sound like I was berating her. “But I’m tired of being told what I should and shouldn’t do without knowing why.”

Elvina gave my hand a light squeeze, allowing her usual warmth to slip through the cracks of her newly guarded exterior. “I apologize for keeping you in the dark. It was never my intention. But I’m one of the lowest in a line fated to assist you, Ramsey. I have little power. I’ve only been told what I need to know in order to accompany you on this journey.”

“But you must know more than me,” I insisted.

“Even if I told you what little I have, it wouldn’t satisfy you. It would only frustrate you more,” she said earnestly.

“Just give me something,” I pleaded. “Tell me what Eder has to do with my journey. Why did he come here to alert Prince Orrin?”

Elvina’s eyes closed briefly, like it was possible to end my torrent of questions by refusing to meet my gaze. But that wouldn’t work. I was determined to get at least one answer.

“I can’t trust him blindly. Tell me why I can trust him, Elvina,” I cried, so desperate I had reduced myself to tears. “Tell me, please.”

Elvina grabbed my wrists and pulled me forward, the movement so abrupt that I stopped begging at once, focused only on the sudden iciness in her usually warm brown eyes. I was breathing heavily, a complete mess. Her expression was cold and hidden. She gripped my wrists tighter, and her fairy strength made me wince.

“I have lived long in the Elf Realm, long enough to mimic the emotions, actions, and general attitudes of the elves. But underneath, down deep, is a Woodland fairy. Do not for one second think I will ruin everything Eder has worked for just to satisfy your curiosity. I am not as sympathetic as you believe me to be.”