Promises (Book One of The Syrenka Series) (12 page)

Nine

The darkened skies and quiet streets
did little to ease my apprehension as I pulled my suitcase down the
road to meet Brendan. The wheels screeched and chirped over every
piece of gravel; giving me a panic attack each time I thought that
someone might see me. It had been relatively easy to sneak out of
my house, especially since it had not been the first time I’d done
it. My parents and my sister were sound asleep thanks to the day’s
exhausting events. Since my bags were already packed, I only had
one more task before leaving. I wrote a note to Kain. It was short
and simple, and probably didn’t do him any justice, but I didn’t
want everyone thinking the worst had happened. He needed to know
that I was safe and that I wasn’t coming back. I left it on the
middle of my bed beside my cell phone that could no longer be used
to contact me.

The hum of Brendan’s car made my heart
flutter. He was at the end of the road waiting for me just like
he’d promised. The old Honda purred, seeming to approve of our
escape. Brendan walked around the front of the car and grabbed my
bag, but not before stealing a kiss.

“
You made it,” he said with
an air of relief.

“
Of course I did. I
wouldn’t miss this for the world.” My smile stretched from ear to
ear as I climbed into the front seat. With one more kiss, we were
off; leaving California forever and starting our wonderful new life
together.

We drove through the night and nearly
the entire next day, stopping only for gas and food when absolutely
necessary. Brendan would drive for a couple of hours while I slept
and then we would switch. By early Sunday evening, we had finally
made it across the mighty Mississippi and into Tennessee. Driving
through the mountains was peaceful and breathtaking. Although we
were used to forests and trees at home, this was a different type
of scenery all together. I lowered my window to take in the scents
of wet ground, cool fog, and crisp mountain air. There seemed to be
more conservation areas around than people, so when we pulled into
the parking lot of a secluded mountain lodge, I was rather
surprised to see as many cars and campers as we did.

“
Do we have reservations?”
I asked. I didn’t think that Brendan had made any concrete plans
since we never knew how far we would travel each day.

“
Just stay here,” he said
with a mischievous grin and jumped out of the car. I watched him
walk into the main office and then began to look around. The hotel
was built like a large cabin with giant tree trunks making up the
walls. It was two stories high and boasted a large deck with a
railing made out of smaller tree branches running along the edge.
There seemed to be a little restaurant on the far end of the first
floor and I would have guessed there to be no more than fifty
rooms.

Brendan jogged back to the car with a
piece of paper in his hand. He opened my door and bowed with a wave
of his hand. “Right this way,” he said. I followed him up the
outdoor stairway to a room at the end of the second floor. He used
the key to open the wooden door and then effortlessly lifted our
suitcases inside. The room was exactly what I would picture the
interior of a cabin to look like. Light wood planks that smelled
like cedar lined the walls and ceiling. A king sized four poster
bed encompassed most of the opened space, allowing just enough of a
footprint for two bedside tables and one dresser along the opposite
wall.

Brendan was already digging through
his large suitcase that he’d thrown on top of the bed. I, on the
other hand, kept staring at the bed realizing that this would be
the first night he and I ever spent alone together. Butterflies
twisted in my stomach at that thought. We had always been close,
but our relationship had not yet gone to the next and final step.
Would tonight be the night? Was I ready for this?

Brendan’s laugh startled me. “Come on.
Get changed. I have something I want to show you.”

“
Changed? What kind of
change? Where are we going?”

“
For a swim,” he replied
nonchalantly.

I looked back out the open door and
into the never-ending landscape of trees, rocks, and mountains.
“And just where are we supposed to go swimming?”

He unlocked a compartment hidden at
the bottom of his suitcase and pulled out his seal skin. Holding up
in the air he peeked around it and grinned at me. “It’s a
surprise.”

Pointing to his furry suit I asked,
“Aren’t people going to suspect something when they see a seal
swimming in the middle of Tennessee?”

“
Not when it’s dark. Now
come on, let’s go.”

I rolled my eyes and shrugged my
shoulders while closing the door behind me. Apparently Brendan had
a plan and I trusted him completely. I found my swim suit and robe,
even though both were completely unnecessary for me. But it helped
to keep up appearances should someone see us. It took me only a few
minutes into our hike before I wondered again what this plan was.
It was nearly dark at the hotel, but in these massive wooded lands,
nighttime has already settled in. I was not dressed, nor did I have
the proper shoes for the thirty minute adventure into the forest.
There was a beaten path, but it was covered in fresh mud and
puddles making it difficult to navigate. Especially in a pair of
sandals.

I was just about to ask how much
further, when Brendan suddenly stopped and sighed. My foot slipped
and I reached out to grab his shoulder before landing in a pile of
mud. When I looked up, I could see what he was staring at. In front
of us was a tranquil mountain lake surrounding by a sharp rock
cliff on one side and endless forests on the others. The pine tree
branches made an archway for us to pass through and the moon
highlighted the water’s surface like a mirror.

“
Wow,” I breathed. Brendan
grabbed my hand and we walked the remaining few steps to the edge
of the bank. Large pieces of rock were scattered along the beach
area and we carefully balanced on the mini boulders as we made our
way to the water. Without saying a word, we stripped out of our
clothes. I dove into the water to encourage my change while Brendan
became his seal. The cool water was more akin to our California
stomping grounds, but it was much calmer and clearer. Sharp rays of
moonlight danced around just under the surface and the depths of
the lake reflected back a dark abyss. There were very few animals
to see, but it didn’t matter. I had never been here before, so the
exploration alone was enough to keep me occupied.

Brendan and I swam together,
investigating the lake’s perimeter. When he is a seal, human
communication is obviously impossible, but we were so attuned to
each other that words were no longer necessary. Large underwater
outcroppings and the animals sleeping beneath soon became our
biggest curiosity. We dove and leapt around at the surface not
really feeling the need to explore the deeper, darker waters in the
center of the lake. It was as if something was telling us to stay
away.

I don’t know how long we were in the
water until he signaled for us to head back to shore. We changed
and moved several of the small rocks out of the way so that we
could lie on the beach with some type of comfort. Nestled in his
arms, Brendan used his seal skin to wrap around our naked bodies.
Neither of us wanted to leave yet, so we stayed there, content with
exhaustion and the elation of being next to each other. We had
found a new sanctuary.

I think that I had nearly drifted off
to sleep when Brendan suddenly tensed. I sat up and pulled the fur
tighter around my body. “What is it?”

“
I don’t know,” he replied
while scanning the lake back and forth with his eyes. I followed
his lead but didn’t see anything. I was just about to say that when
I noticed the water rippling slightly in the center of the
lake.

“
Do you see that?” I
whispered. He nodded and pulled me closer to him. The ripples
became larger and larger until it almost appeared as though the
lake was bubbling from underneath. A dense fog began to form around
the water’s edges and moved like smoky tendrils reaching out
towards the area of disturbance. We watched in awe as the fog
swirled around in a circle, almost like a slow tornado, until it
began moving in our direction. The forest was suddenly silent and I
no longer felt as welcomed as before. But we couldn’t move. The
sight was too amazing.

From the boiling center of the lake,
water droplets began to rise and move together in a pattern like
millions of tiny synchronized swimmers. In a few moments, a human
shape appeared as the water particles molded with each other to
become one. The figure floated towards us on the water’s surface
waving its arms around and controlling the fog. Colors began to
materialize in and out of the being until her body appeared almost
corporal. Long blonde hair that disappeared into the depths of the
lake seemed to have a mind of its own as each piece ebbed and
flowed throughout the air and fog.

“
He was telling the truth,”
Brendan whispered in awe and I whipped my head towards
him.

“
What?”

But he didn’t have a chance to answer.
The beautiful women in front of us made a noise that was almost
like a hiss and a growl rolled in one. She was still on the water’s
surface and now I could see that her body was at least ten feet
tall. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she said, “Who are
you?”

We didn’t move and we didn’t speak. I
think that we were still admiring this creature but it may also
have been due to fear. She breathed in again and then reached
forward to touch my chin. Her watery hands dripped down into my lap
as she turned my head from side to side. A piece of her hair
reached towards me from around her shoulder and grabbed a lock of
mine, lifting it out from underneath the seal skin and letting it
fall to my back. Suddenly, she pulled away from me with a look of
horror on her face.

“
A mermaid.” Her voice came
out in a breath and washed over my mind like a warm blanket. I
thought that she was intrigued, but her eyes seemed to be wide with
fear.

“
And you,” she turned
towards Brendan. “I have not seen one of your kind in quite some
time.” She stood back up and looked beyond us into the forest. The
dancing hair continued to move with a mind of its own while she
stayed silent. “Yes, it has been many years.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her
even though I wanted to ask Brendan what she was. I had never
encountered a creature like this. “I am a naiad, little mermaid,
and I am the protector of this lake.” It was as though she heard my
thoughts. “I did,” she answered abruptly and I swear that I saw her
face change into something dark and nightmarish. “Now tell me what
you want.”

“
We…we don’t want
anything,” I stuttered, thinking that it would be better to say it
out loud instead of having her pick it from my brain. A ghost of a
smile played at the corners of her mouth as she listened to my
inner analysis.

“
Are you sure?” She was
answering me but looking at Brendan. Snakelike arms of fog and hair
continued to float around her face and body. I followed her focus
and was surprised to see Brendan looking bashful.

“
Forgive us for the
intrusion, but we are seeking guidance.” What was he talking
about?

“
I would like to know that
myself, mermaid,” she said while answering my unspoken
question.

“
My father told me about
you a long time ago. We are embarking on a great journey and I
would like to know if all will be well.”

The naiad swooped down and plucked the
seal skin from around us. We dropped to the stones and stared up at
her in utter disbelief and in complete nakedness. She rubbed the
fur all around her face and body in an almost sensual manner. I
turned away for fear that I was interrupting a private
moment.

“
Yes, I remember him.” She
hissed while continuing to sniff and caress the seal skin. “I
remember him well.” Her head snapped down and she stared at
Brendan. It was then that I noticed her eyes. They were almost an
iridescent lavender color and I swear that they were glowing. She
gently placed the skin back over the top of us while wisps of her
hair embraced us like a hug. Water dripped onto the skin making
small plopping noises. She looked directly at me again and I saw
another hint of fear playing behind those large shiny
eyes.

“
You have much to learn
little mermaid. Your journey will not be long.” It was all she said
before turning away in a spray of water droplets. Her body began to
disappear in a mirage of tiny bubbles and endless fog.

“
What do you mean?” Brendan
called after her, but it was too late. I think that I heard her
laugh as the last of her figure disappeared beneath the surface.
Instantly, the sky cleared and the forest became alive again with a
cacophony of chirping crickets and peeping frogs. I was momentarily
stunned at what had just occurred, until I remembered Brendan’s
question.

“
You knew about her? About
naiads?”

“
Kind of. My dad used to
tell me a bedtime story, and I thought that was all it was until I
found this lake on a map. I figured that it couldn’t hurt to check
for sure.”

“
But naiads are supposed to
be extinct.” At least that was what we had always been taught. Once
they inhabited all types of bodies of water, but increased
pollution and a growing human population made it difficult for them
to survive. In fact all of the water sprite lines had supposedly
disappeared.