Oceanborne (13 page)

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Authors: Katherine Irons

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy

BOOK: Oceanborne
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She remembered the way Caddoc had behaved when he'd come upon her and Danu in the palace. He was always rude, but his behavior had been disturbing, even for Caddoc. She wondered if he was losing his mind. With a mother like his, she didn't doubt that it was possible. But Caddoc wasn't stupid. He must know that his place here at court hung by a thread. More than that, his existence hung by a thread. If he had commanded Tora to snatch her and hold her against her will, Alexandros would not wait for a trial. Half-brother or not, he would kill Caddoc.
She had summoned all the skills of illusion she had learned at the temple to try to take control of Tora's mind, but either she was too scared to carry out the process or the magic didn't work on underwater Samoans. They were an ancient race, as were the Atlanteans, but the Samoans who made their home beneath the waves were much more primitive. The only result that she could see was that she'd made his head itchy because he kept scratching his closecropped skull.
There was a noise at the door. The stone slid open noiselessly, and Morwena turned to see who was there. She expected Caddoc, but instead, it was Lady Halimeda who appeared.
“Greetings,” she said. And then to Tora, “You've done well and shall have your reward.” She motioned toward the doorway. “Now, leave us.”
He inclined his head, picked up his war club, and walked out of the room.
Morwena tried not to stare. It was Caddoc's mother, and yet, how could it be? This woman seemed years younger and so beautiful that she couldn't be real. Morwena wondered if Halimeda had thrown an illusion over herself.
“Why have you done this?” Morwena asked her. Instantly, pain shot through her midsection and she doubled up, biting her lip to keep from crying aloud.
“Hold your tongue until I ask you to speak,” the sorceress said.
“I'm not afraid of you.”
“No? Perhaps you should be.”
Halimeda extended her hand and flames shot from her fingers and scorched Morwena's face, burning her skin and eyes. Liquid ran from her clenched lids, and blisters rose on her cheeks and forehead. Morwena could not suppress a groan.
“I told you to be still! Shall I cut out your tongue? I've no need of it, and you might find yourself much in common with Tora if I did.”
“Why?” Morwena cried. Her face was in agony, and knives were tearing her stomach apart. “Why? What have I ever done to you?”
Halimeda laughed.
 
“I'd hoped you might be able to tell us something about her absence,” Alexandros said. He and Lord Mikhail had drawn apart from Rhiannon and Alexandros's aunt, retreating to the older man's private library.
“I will ask, certainly, but none of my people would have seen hurt come to the Princess Morwena without interfering or coming directly to me. Are you sure she isn't in the palace?”
“If she is, we've not been able to find her,” Alexandros answered. “I sent word to Morgan to meet us here. I expect him at any moment.”
“Your sister is a young woman and very beautiful, if I may say so without causing offense.”
“None taken.”
“Have you considered that she may have a lover?”
“Morwena?” He was taken aback by the question, but quickly made the adjustment in his mind. His little sister was beautiful, and somehow, without his realizing it, she'd transformed from a mischievous hoyden to a desirable woman. Atlanteans lived a long time, and their youthful years extended far longer than those of a human, but Morwena was no child. “She's never said anything to any of us, if she has.”
Mikhail raised a dark brow. “I know that royalty is a breed apart, but yours is a very different family if you would expect your sister to tell you about her lover.” He poured two goblets of wine and handed one to Alexandros. “Let me see what I can find out. Meanwhile, we'll begin a quiet search for her.”
“She may be with Orion.”
“Ah.”
“May I take it that whatever I tell you will remain in confidence?”
Mikhail nodded. “The human female he's involved with. I've already had reports. One of my mermen told me that your brother was seen leaving the sea and taking on human form. He's in Crete, or he was as of last night.” He took a sip of the wine. “And you believe that Princess Morwena may be involved?”
“You know Poseidon's position on human contact? And he's already warned Orion.”
“It's worse than you know. This woman is one of those who are excavating Melqart's tribute ship. She's already taken something of value from the wreck.”
“Melqart will show her no mercy.”
“Or Orion if he finds them together. This is serious business, Prince Alexandros. More so because of the military call up tomorrow.”
“You say he left the sea. My brother has the ability to remain on land and breathe air much longer than the rest of us. He may still be there.”
“He may. He wasn't seen going back into the water.”
“Then I can only hope that wherever he is, he has Morwena with him and that they are both safe.”
Mikhail nodded. “Hope is a good thing, my prince. So long as it doesn't cloud reason. Melqart is a worthy foe, but when he turns the full force of his anger on a man, it may take more than a brave heart and a keen sword to best him.”
CHAPTER 13
S
omething struck Elena hard, whipping her back against the sea floor. She felt the burning lash of the suckers, but the death blow she'd expected didn't come. Instead, when she opened her eyes, a storm of black ink swirled around the thrashing creature. She scrambled up and backed away, bleeding in a dozen places, but more from being scraped by shells than the damage done by the squid's tentacles. Her bones ached and she wanted to run—or swim. Every instinct told her to get away. Get away! But she couldn't tear her gaze from the nightmare.
Her father's words came loud and clearly in her head. “Face whatever frightens you most.” And the thought followed that—if she fled from this monster—it would hunt her down and destroy her.
“You bitch!” she screamed. “Why didn't you kill me?” She'd known it was coming for her … felt the malice in its cold body. She'd been helpless prey, and still the thing had broken off the attack at the last possible second. And then, almost before the words were out of her mouth, she had her answer.
As the squid thrashed and bucked, there was a gap in the black clouds of ink that surrounded it. There, wrapped in the cephalopod's writhing tentacle, she saw Orion only an arm's length from the snapping head and beak.
“Orion!” she cried. He hadn't left her. She'd been spared, but now, he was going to be devoured before her eyes. “No! No!” Between one heartbeat and another, she realized how much she cared if he lived or died. The urge to protect him overwhelmed her, but she had no weapon, nothing to use against the squid.
Desperate, she shouted and waved her arms. “Here! Here!'
The movement caught the creature's attention and its head swiveled toward her. And as it did, Orion brought the point of his sword up and drove it into the squid's right eye.
The water around Elena vibrated with the force of the monster's unearthly shriek. It snapped at Orion with its beak and beat at him with multiple arms. Ignoring the pain from the rows of suckers, Orion yanked the blade free and when the squid's mouth opened to tear him apart, he stabbed again, deep and hard.
Convulsing, the squid released its grip on Orion, but instead of swimming out of its reach, he flung himself at the great head and put out the remaining eye with a downward stroke. The flailing tentacle brushed him from his perch. Still clutching the hilt of his sword, Orion fell, hit the sand, and rolled.
A fog of ink, acrid and choking, filled Elena's lungs. She struggled to breathe as she rushed to where Orion lay motionless and bleeding. The dying squid swayed and flopped, before sagging back against the entrance to the cave. One tentacle quivered and the ten-foot long arms went limp, one by one.
A large ominous shape surged silently through the murky water, followed quickly by a second. In what seemed like seconds, a third circled and glided over Elena's head.
Of course. This is a nightmare
, she thought.
Volcanic eruption coming next.
“Sharks,” Orion said. “We've got to find cover. I can't fight them.”
“Where?”
He pointed toward the squid. “Over there. We've got to get inside the tunnel.”
“We've got to get past that thing?”
“I'm afraid so.”
“All right. Lean on me,” she urged.
“Take this.” He shoved the sword into her hands. “Don't drop it, no matter what happens.”
The weapon was so heavy that she could hardly lift it. There was no way that she could swing it to defend them against sharks or anything else. “Can't we leave it?”
“No! We can't leave it.”
He could barely stand. Blood seeped from his wounds. Elena knew the blood would attract the predators. She could hear the sounds of teeth and jaws ripping at the squid's body in the black water.
“You're badly hurt.”
“We need to get … inside that tunnel. In minutes, this will be a feeding frenzy! More … more sharks will come.”
Elena's knees locked. “You mean we have to go toward them and not away?” She knew the answer. Safety, or what Orion perceived as safety, lay beyond the giant squid and the swarming sharks. “But …”
“Don't think about it. Keep moving,” he said.
Elena could feel the strength leaving his body.
“I'll do what I can, but … it's hard to concentrate.”
“Concentrate on what? That we're going to be shark appetizers?”
“That we're not edible.” He leaned his head against hers. “I can't explain. It's all a mind game.”
“That makes no sense,” she argued. “Maybe we'd better try a new solution.”
“The tunnel is the only one,” he said. “There's no cover on the sea floor around here.”
Not seeing the sharks was worse than seeing them. Her skin literally crawled as they covered the few yards between them and the ravaged squid. Visibility was zero. What light the ink hadn't blotted out was now tinted red with blood, whose blood she wasn't sure. Did a squid have blood? Or had the gathering sharks turned on each other?
When Elena's hand connected with something spongy and sticky, she thought she would scream. At any second, she expected to feel a shark rip into her flesh. Once a section of tentacle drifted past, bumping into her and making her shudder. She could almost feel sorry for the squid. Almost, but not quite. All she could think was how close she and Orion had already come to being the main course of the feast.
Soft mushy things brushed against her ankles. She held her breath, and somehow, impossibly, they passed over the remains of the squid and into the cavern.
“We can't stay here either,” Orion said. His voice was growing weaker.
“We have to get you medical attention,” she said. Her own injuries were painful, but not as serious as his. He'd lost a lot of blood, and the thought that he could still die made her insides clench. Somehow, Orion had become very dear to her. She wasn't sure how or why. She wasn't even certain where they were or how any of this was possible, but it seemed real, and all she could do was to continue to try to keep them both alive.
“That can wait,” he said. “I'll be all right, but you can't let me lose consciousness. Where we're going …”
The unfinished part was scarier than what he'd said. “It can't be worse than what's just happened,” she said.
He coughed. “It could be, but if it is, it won't be nearly as quick.”
“Is this a dream?” she asked him. So many things were going round and round in her head. Crazy memories of a flipped Zodiac, of a cave, and tablets covered with ancient inscriptions. Everything was tied up with this man.
Who and what he was, she didn't know, but she had the feeling that she'd been waiting all her life for him. Every adventure she'd ever experienced palled before what had just happened. “You risked your life for me,” she said. “You could have run away, but you fought that squid … with a sword. Who the hell uses a sword anymore?”
He made a sound that might have been a chuckle if he hadn't been in so much pain. “You'd … you'd be surprised.”
“I don't know what's going on here. If I'm crazy or you are … if I've been run down by a motorbike and I have a concussion … or if I'm already dead. But whatever this is, I've never felt so alive.”
“Don't try and sort it out,” he said. “Not now. Not yet. We've got to tackle the seraphim first.”
“The what?”
“Hard to explain. Let's just say it's our fastest way out of here. I'm taking you to somewhere safe.”
“You won't be taking me far if you bleed to death in the next few minutes. You need rest. I need to tie up some of your wounds.”
“I'm a quick healer.”
They had reached what appeared to be a leather or canvas curtain, illuminated by a glowing arc of light. The walls here were rough and rubbery, and from beyond the portal, she could hear a rushing sound almost like a wind tunnel.
“Give me back the sword,” Orion said. “Stand behind me and wrap your arms around my waist. Close your eyes, and don't let go. No matter how frightened you are, hold on to me.”
“Okay, you're scaring me now. What is this?”
“Transportation. We're going to leap into a kind of force field. We'll be propelled along at a great speed. But the passages divide, and I have to open the right hatchways at the right time.”
“I can open them for you, if you tell me where and when.”
“No, you can't. It's a little trickier than that. Trust me, Elena. I won't mess this up. I haven't brought you this far to lose you.”
 
“Are you still a virgin?” Halimeda demanded.
Morwena opened her eyes. “It's none of your business.” Pain throbbed in her head and belly. Her scales were flaking away. Blisters rose on her arms and legs, and her face was an agony. So much blood ran in her eyes that Halimeda was only a vague shadow standing over her.
“I asked you a question!”
Morwena's throat tightened until she couldn't breathe.
I'm dying
, she thought. Fear, greater than the pain, clutched at her, but she gritted her teeth and would not answer, although blackness filled her consciousness and her lungs seemed ready to explode.
“Baah.” Halimeda turned away in disgust. “What my son sees in you, I don't know. You're as stupid as your father.”
The pressure on her throat eased, and it seemed to Morwena that the pain in her body dulled.
“A priestess is supposed to remain pure until she reaches her initiation day, isn't she?” Halimeda asked. “Be stubborn. I have other ways of learning what I want to know.” She laughed, a sound that made Morwena grow cold inside. “If you are a virgin, you may make the perfect gift for the one I serve. Would you like that, daughter of Poseidon? It must be a thousand years since he's enjoyed a proper sacrifice.”
Morwena wanted to curse her. She wanted to tell Halimeda that her father and brothers would not let her go unavenged, but it took all her strength just to keep from screaming.
“Oh, very well. Be as you were.” Halimeda muttered an incantation, and Morwena felt the pain drain away. She could feel her blisters receding, skin healing, flesh becoming whole.
“Don't think you'll ever be as beautiful as me,” Halimeda warned. “No one is as beautiful as I am, but you're of no use to me ugly.” She clapped her hands and one wall of the cell became a shining glass mirror.
Morwena summoned all her strength to stand, and when she looked, she found that she was restored to health. Her dark hair shone; her eyes were bright, and her cheeks glowed pink. The tiny pattern of scales that covered her arms and legs glistened silver-blue. She raised her head and looked directly into the witch's black eyes. “Why have you done this?” she asked. “What have I ever done to make you hate me?”
Halimeda shrugged. “You're not important enough for me to hate you,” she said. “It's Poseidon's pride that I would strike down. He could have made me high queen of Atlantis. If he had, the future would be very different.” She stepped past Morwena to admire herself in the mirror. “But he was too stupid. And now he must pay.”
Morwena glanced at the mirror again and almost recoiled from the image reflected there—not hers but Halimeda's. When she looked at the witch directly, she saw perfection. But in the mirror, her father's former concubine was little more than a skeleton draped with bits of hanging skin and scales. Her eyes and mouth were black holes; her magnificent head of raven hair was a thin and tangled mass of putrid flesh, rotting fish, and crawling worms.
Morwena suppressed a shudder. The sight was enough to give her nightmares, if she survived to ever sleep again.
Halimeda preened, turning this way and that, clearly pleased at what she saw in the mirror. “What better way to shame Poseidon than that his precious daughter should be body slave to my son? To serve him … in all ways.” Which could be interesting, considering Caddoc's creativity and sense of humor. Or … She tucked a curl behind her ear. “Perhaps I will send you to Melqart's fires. We shall see.” She began to hum a tune that made Morwena's blood turn to ice.
Morwena eyed the door.
“Don't even think of it,” Halimeda warned. “And don't suppose that dolphin of yours will come to save you. It's shark bait. I had Tora put a spike through its head outside the library where he found you.” She trailed fingers down the triple string of pink pearls she wore around her neck. “It wasn't very clever of you to travel without your bodyguards. It proves what a child you still are. Do you believe that you can protect yourself against me and my master?”
Freyja? Freyja was dead
? Morwena choked back a sob. The dolphin had been more than a companion for the last three decades; she'd been as dear as any sister, faithful and intelligent and brave. If Tora had murdered Freyja, it was one more reason to survive and see him brought to justice. Morwena's throat constricted, this time with emotion.

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