Of Neptune (The Syrena Legacy) (27 page)

He shuts the hatch to the SUV and turns toward the picnic tables where everyone is gathered. “You coming?” he asks Rayna.

Slowly, she shakes her head. She walks around to the side of vehicle and opens the rear passenger door. “I’m going to keep an eye on him.”

Galen is about to tell her that their hostage is not to be toyed with, but he sees the hard look in her eyes and thinks better of it. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “If he moves I’m going to beat the smell out of him,” she says. Then she hops in and shuts the door behind her.

Maybe it’s best that it is Rayna standing guard over Tyrden. Out of all of them, Rayna might be the only one who wouldn’t hesitate if the situation called for it. His sister has always been fond of asking for forgiveness rather than permission. And her temper is unmatched in all the kingdoms.

Which is exactly the kind of vigilance Tyrden deserves.

Galen walks to the picnic tables and takes the seat next to Emma and across from Grom and Nalia. Toraf stands against a tree behind them, watching Rayna watch Tyrden. Antonis sits at the picnic table beside them, waiting expectantly.

Galen and Emma have much to tell about their individual experiences in Neptune. Emma starts by telling them about the town itself, how it came to be, how Reder wants peace and unity between the ocean dwellers and the land dwellers, and how Tyrden was involved in Jagen and Paca’s conspiracy to overtake the Triton territory. And a fact which shocks everyone: Jagen has a Half-Breed son. “We have to make sure he’s going to be okay,” she says.

“We’ll do the best we can,” Grom says. “I would say that right now he’s safe, since Tyrden is tied up in the back of a vehicle.”

Galen tells them of his captivity with Tyrden, then with Kennedy. He nods toward the SUV. “We’ve got other problems besides him,” he tells Grom. “Dr. Milligan is on his way here to help us deal with the Kennedy situation.”

“What exactly is the situation?” Nalia folds her hands in front of her. “You escaped.”

Galen tells them about Kennedy shooting Reed and his intention to run experiments on him. “I have to go back for him,” he says with finality. “He helped me escape and I owe him that. We can’t leave him there.”

“And we can’t let Kennedy run experiments on him,” Nalia interjects. “All of us are at stake. Though I’m not sure I understand how Dr. Milligan can help us.”

“Maybe he can talk some sense into Kennedy,” Galen says. “Maybe we can buy him off.” But Galen knows the unlikelihood of that. Still, he believes Dr. Milligan can help. He’s just not sure how.

“But the whole town has been looking for him,” Emma says. “If they can’t find him, how can we?”

“He told me he purposely threw them off his trail,” Galen says. “I need to get to the river. Then I’ll be able to find my way back to the embankment where I escaped. From there, we’ll find the cabin.”
And hopefully Reed.

“Then what?” Grom says. “Then we have two captives from Neptune, and a human scientist and no plan. I think that’s a little more than we can handle.”

“Tyrden isn’t just a captive,” Nalia corrects. “He’s coming back with us to the ocean for his own tribunal. His crimes against the kingdoms are too great to ignore.”

“Neptune won’t like that,” Grom says. “He’s their citizen, after all.”

“Ask me if I care,” Nalia says. “And why do
you
care? Neptune shouldn’t exist. We don’t have to recognize their authority over anything. He screwed with my family. He’s not getting away with it.”

“But Neptune does exist,” Antonis says gently. “And Grom is right—a little diplomacy goes a long way. I’ll go back to the kingdoms and recruit some backup for us.” He hops up from his seat and places a hand on Grom’s shoulder. “The town of Neptune can no longer be ignored by the kingdoms. We must begin talks with them.”

Grom shakes his head. “You put us in this position. You and your secrets.”

“It’s a secret that has been kept for thousands of years. It would be unfair to call it
my
secret.” Antonis crosses his arms. “And they want peace. They always have. I think now might be the time to pursue it. The Archives accepted Emma, after all.”

“Emma is one exception. One,” Grom says. “This is asking too much too soon.”

“Then maybe we shouldn’t ask the council just yet,” Antonis says. “Maybe we should limit the discussion to those present. Allow the Archives to ease into the idea over time.”

“You’ve been thinking much about this,” Grom says irritably. “You have this all worked out in your mind, haven’t you?”

“Of course not,” Antonis says. “Well, maybe a little. That being said, maybe recruiting backup isn’t a good idea. We don’t want to involve more than is necessary for—”

Nalia buries her face in her hands. “Unbelievable. All this time—”

“Look,” Galen says. “I know this is an important discussion to have, but we’re wasting time where Reed is concerned. I don’t want to give Kennedy the chance to move him somewhere else.” Everyone nods in silent agreement. “I think Grom and Toraf and I should go.”

“I’m not leaving Rayna here with that lunatic,” Toraf says.

“You would trade one lunatic for another?” Galen says, though he knows Toraf’s mind is made up. Toraf is overprotective of his sister, which can be good and bad.

“Nalia, Emma, and Antonis can handle Tyrden. He’s bound and gagged. There’s no reason Rayna can’t go with us.”

Galen doesn’t like the idea of leaving Emma behind with Tyrden either—especially since he just got her back. But the fact is, Tyrden is tied up, and Nalia is practically an expert at shooting a gun—three of which she happens to be in possession of right now. And since Emma can’t shape a fin, she’ll be slowing the group down in the river.

He and Emma exchange looks of understanding. She nods slightly, giving him her acceptance of what can’t be helped.

“Okay,” Galen says. “We’ll take Rayna. Let’s go. We can’t wait for daylight. And watch for traps.”

*   *   *

They wade from the river onto shore in the moonlight. The trees and bushes around them are black and blue shapes, barely discernible in places where the canopy of the forest blocks the night sky. Barefoot, Toraf, Rayna, Galen, and Grom make their way to the tree line.

“How far is it from here?” Rayna whispers.

“Not far,” Galen says, taking the lead into the woods.

“How are we going to overtake him if he has a gun?” Grom says.

“We outnumber him,” Galen says. “And there are trees to hide behind. Plus, he’s not a great shot.”

“Perfect,” Toraf grumbles.

“You’re the one who wanted to bring Rayna,” Galen says.

“Can I change my mind?”

“No,” the twins say in unison.

“All of you, quiet,” Grom says. “Galen, stay focused.”

Galen squints into the distance. The outline of a cabin shapes itself against the trees behind it. “We’re here,” he whispers, pointing ahead of them. He motions for them to come closer to him. “We’re going to surround him and go from there.”

“What if he won’t come out?” Rayna says.

“He will once he knows we’re armed.”

“We’re not armed,” Toraf says.

Galen picks up a stick from the ground and breaks off a few twigs. He points the end of it at Toraf. “In the dark, we are armed.”

Toraf nods and finds his own stick, then for effect, he makes a shooting sound. Galen rolls his eyes.

As a group, they creep toward the cabin, sticks at the ready. Every time they break a sprig or crunch leaves under their feet, Galen cringes.
There is no way Kennedy doesn’t know we’re coming.
He takes off into a light jog, motioning for the others to circle the rest of the cabin. Galen claims a tree directly in front of the door.

When everyone is in place, Galen yells. “Kennedy, we’ve got you surrounded. Come out and we won’t hurt you.”

But Kennedy doesn’t answer. In fact, there don’t seem to be any sounds or movements coming from inside. Galen finds a rock and throws it at the lone window in the front, smashing out the bottom corner of it.

Still nothing.

There are no lights on within. Slowly Galen eases toward the steps, feeling a bit childish as he raises his stick like a gun. In the patch of moonlight, he can make out the padlock hanging from the door, locking it shut.
Kennedy is not here
.

“Reed?” Galen calls. “Reed, are you in there?” He peers in through the busted window. Reed’s shackles lay sprawled out on the floor under the window on the other side. Kennedy has already moved him.

Toraf and Grom meet him around front, and Rayna is not far behind. “They could still be close,” Galen tells them. “If he’s smart, he’ll be moving farther south. We should start—”

“Shhhh!” Rayna hisses. “Do you hear that sound?”

They all hold still. For a moment, the only noise that can be heard is the rustle of the windblown canopy above. Then a very distinct buzzing hits them from the direction of the river.

“A boat,” Galen says. “It has to be them.”

They sprint back to the embankment, not caring about the low-hanging limbs and branches whipping at their faces. In the distance, they see a small yellow light skitting across the river—heading south.

“They’re moving fast,” Grom says.

“Maybe I can catch them,” Galen says, wading in. Rayna grabs his arm. “We all saw your fin, Galen. You need to rest it. Let me handle this.”

“You’ll never catch them,” Galen says as Toraf huffs. “Absolutely not.”

Without so much as a word of warning, Rayna opens her mouth. And the Gift of Triton moves down the river in a giant wave.

43

GRANDFATHER TAKES
the seat next to me at the picnic table. He clears his throat and makes a show of smoothing out the wrinkles in his T-shirt. Finally he says, “Well?”

“Um. Well, what?” It sounds a tad disrespectful, so I make up for it with, “I mean, I’m not sure what you’re asking me, Grandfather.”

“Are you upset with me that I sent you to Neptune?”

“You could have told me what I’d find there.”

“But you know why I didn’t.”

“Galen.”

Grandfather sighs. “I find that Galen and Grom are of similar disposition, though neither would care to admit it. They both seek safety first, pleasure later. Sometimes this can be a good thing. Most times, in fact. But other times, this can be an inhibition to experiencing a full life.”

I wonder if he’s thinking about Grom forbidding Mom to go on land all those years ago, and thus starting the fight that separated them for decades. I’d like to think I’ve cured Galen of forbidding me to do things, but there are still times when I can see hesitation lurking in his eyes, a fight he doesn’t quite let bubble to the surface. He doesn’t like when I do certain things, but at least he doesn’t tell me not to.

But with Neptune, I think Grandfather was right. I think Galen might have put his foot down, had he known what we’d find in city limits. “I’m not upset with you,” I decide as I say it. “I know why you couldn’t warn me beyond what you did.” Our experience in Neptune wasn’t the stuff of my wildest dreams, especially after what happened to Galen while we were there. But learning about the existence of other Half-Breeds, of a town that accepts both species and lives in unity? It gave me hope. A blossoming kind of hope that might be dead-headed after the events of tonight.

“And how do you feel about the peace Neptune wants with the kingdoms?” He lowers his voice then, probably to avoid the reach of Mom’s hearing.

“I want it to happen.” Period.

“Then let’s work on it together, shall we?”

I’m about to ask him how he proposes to do that, but suddenly Galen and Toraf appear at the edge of the woods, hauling Reed between them, helping him walk. Grom and Rayna materialize behind them, Kennedy thrown over Grom’s shoulder like a sleeping child. His arms sway back and forth like dangling banana peels.

Galen helps Reed sit at one of the tables and ushers for Mom. “His hand is injured.” There’s a cloth tied tightly around Reed’s palm, and from the looks of Galen’s tattered shirt, he was the donor of it.

Rayna cheerfully trades places with Mom, who’s been standing guard at the SUV. Tyrden only woke up once, briefly—until Mom knocked him unconscious again with the butt of her handgun like some sort of gangster.

Mom brings a bottle of water to the table where Galen, Grom, and Reed sit. Toraf joins Rayna at the SUV, helping to bind up Kennedy the same way Tyrden is. I suddenly have an out-of-body experience, taking in the scene out of context.

If someone were to decide to have a picnic here right now, we’d be screwed.

I keep my seat next to Grandfather, adjusting on the bench to hide my nervousness. Right now, anything we do seems like a duty. This picnic table feels like my post for now, and I stand aside until I feel useful. This family-friendly picnic area has turned into a basecamp for mermaid gypsies.

Carefully removing the wrapping, Mom examines Reed’s wound. He’s a good sport, only grimacing here and there, but never verbally relaying the pain he’s in. “You have several broken bones,” she says after a few minutes. “I’ll have to make a run to a drugstore and get some bandages and antibiotic ointment. You’ll need a cast, so the bones can set correctly. You … Does the town of Neptune have a hospital?”

He shakes his head. “We have a doctor. We try to avoid the hospital. For obvious reasons.”

Mom nods. I notice that she doesn’t tell him we’ll get him to the doctor right away; apparently we won’t. “This is going to hurt,” she says, holding up the water bottle. Reed looks away as she pours it onto his palm. I look away, too. I don’t have the stomach for open flesh. After she’s done cleaning it, Mom walks back to the SUV and retrieves a clean shirt, tearing it into usable strips, all but ignoring the two men tied up in the back. She rewraps Reed’s wound and gives him some Tylenol. “It’s all I have,” she says.

Reed accepts it and takes a swig of the bottled water offered to him. He looks at Galen, then at Grom. “Are you going to take me home? Or did I go from one captor to the other?”

Galen folds his hands behind his head and lets out a breath. “I guess it’s time to talk about our next move. My vote is to let the kings handle it.”