Proven (Daughters of the Sea #1) (22 page)

I glared up at the maiden who happily ignored me completely. Carmen, on the other hand, only had eyes for the golden liquid tempting her with its buttery smell. She all but snatched it out of the maiden's hand and downed it in one gulp. The maiden followed it up by securing a long tube full of the same elixir around her neck for later. If it made it that long. Within moments, Carmen's posture straightened and a sloppy grin climbed from her mouth northward to her suddenly shining eyes.

"What does it taste like?" I pressed.

"Sunshine and unicorns." She licked her lips in an attempt to get every last drop. "You want some?" She puckered up her mouth, leaned forward clumsily, and collapsed into a fit of hysterical laughter. Apparently extra essence was a little intoxicating.

"Next time I'm going to help her crush your essence," I threw at Carmen over my shoulder, making her giggle even more. I returned to Maera's side just as the third maiden gestured for Phoebe to step forward. She followed the instructions, but still couldn't hide her anxiety. She set to biting her lip with a fury, which I was certain would draw blood any second. She directed a worried glance at Carmen, but received a dilapidated grin and a less than effective wave in return.

The torture Carmen had been exposed to was painstakingly repeated on Phoebe's tiny frame. After several more strained moments, she was placed back on solid ground. The maiden presented Phoebe with her own vial of elixir and she was able to join Carmen on the bench without assistance.

Summoned next was Avery. She stepped forward and her crystal blue eyes became tinged with fear as the blood drained from her face. She pushed through the bushes and approached the maiden with shaking hands. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she anticipated what would happen next.

Her eyes widened as the maiden's slim arm disappeared amidst her chest cavity. Her skin turned a nice shade of pea green as she turned away in disgust. Wasting no time, the maiden twisted her arm slightly and lifted Avery up off the ground.

O
LIVIA

The waterfall of Avery's blonde hair fluttered in the wind as her head fell back and her body went slack. We held our breaths, unable to tear our eyes away. Her head jolted forward abruptly and her bloodshot eyes snapped open, bulging from the pressure. Her jaw dropped open, either to scream or projectile vomit, neither of which happened. The only thing holding me where I stood was Maera's hands, which had returned to my shoulders. Otherwise, I had every intention of snatching Avery up and taking her back to the safety of the castle. A collective gasp washed over the garden as Avery's body seized from an unknown force, racking her body with jolts of pain. Unmarred by the agony she was inflicting, the maiden remained eerily still as Avery struggled.

"Come on, Avery," I urged her under my breath. Although my voice didn't rise above a murmur, her terror-filled eyes locked onto mine with silent desperation. I wanted to help somehow, send her strength, but I was left to watch uselessly while her essence failed her. I pressed a closed fist to my heart and mouthed, 'You can do it' in the hopes of inspiring something inside her.

To my horror, her eyes rolled back into her head and her head flopped sideways, void of life. Unlike the others which had been placed gently back onto their feet, the maiden dropped Avery like a sack of potatoes; cradling her body in her arms. She wasn't moving. She had passed out. Her essence wasn't strong enough.

I rushed forward to make sure she was still breathing. To my relief, her chest rose and fell with heavy gasps and I brushed the hair back from her face before glancing up at the maiden. Her bright green eyes were sympathetic, but barren of empathy. She transferred Avery's weight to me and I tried to reach her in vain as the others crowded around.

"Avery," I called out to her. "Wake up! Come on, open your eyes!"

At my frantic tone, her eyelids fluttered and her arms twitched. Her breathing hitched suddenly as bloodshot eyes slowly cracked open and focused on mine. I watched as her delicate features hardened from a frail teenager into a determined fighter.

"Do it again," she demanded, her voice cracking.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Carmen tried to soothe her, but it only succeeded in enraging her.

"Do it again!" she stormed and fought to sit up. I supported her back while she crawled to her hands and knees and then finally stood upright on shaking legs. She drug her feet over to the maiden and stared her down with a fierceness I'd never seen from her.

"Do it again," she charged for a third time. Maera stepped forward with concern.

"I wouldn't suggest doing it again. Another testing so soon could kill you, Avery," she advised, but Avery wasn't listening. She continued to challenge the maiden with steady resolve and a wobbly stance. After they stared each other down for what felt like an eternity, the maiden finally nodded ever so slightly. Avery readied herself once more and squared her shoulders. Her slender jaw flexed as she concentrated and I found myself caught between the dread of watching this battle a second time and the heartwarming pride at her unwavering conviction and bravery.

Before I was able to prepare myself, the maiden's hand penetrated Avery's weak body again, lifting her from the trusty support of solid ground. Phoebe buried her face into Carmen's shoulder, unable to watch. With the exception of Blythe, the Captains looked on intently; worry and fear marring their features. Blythe, on the other hand, was watching me. Her relaxed mouth and curious gaze stood out amidst the turmoil unfolding around the fountain. Normally it would have bothered me to be stalked so intensely, but my mind was fixed on Avery's well-being.

The oppressive weight of uncertainty hung in the air alongside Avery's slight frame; kick-starting my pulse and sending adrenaline and electric essence darting through my body. Although her head tilted back at an odd angle and her body remained limp, I knew the true fight was playing out within her; a war between her essence and the weight of her physical body.

I stepped forward stiffly, my legs donning a mind of their own, deciding they wanted to protect Avery at all costs. Luckily, my warrior instincts convinced me to stand back and allow her this fight. This was something she must do on her own. She knew the risks. She also knew the reward. I just hoped neither would take her life.

Without warning, the maiden's startling emerald gaze disappeared behind her eyelids and she began to lower Avery back to the ground. With an aching slowness that gave me hope, she gently retracted her hand and left Avery to collapse on the grassy earth waiting beneath her. Tears burned in my eyes as her lips curved up into a tired smile. She peered up wearily to see me leaning over her.

"Nailed it," she croaked and I couldn't help but laugh. Deciding the maiden was taking too long to collect Avery's vial of elixir, I uncorked one of my own and poured a couple drops into her mouth. She swallowed it with a happy sigh and the color returned to her face within seconds.

I helped her stand on timid feet and limp to the bench Carmen had abandoned. As she sat down gingerly, the first of the Captains came to stand before the Maiden to begin their testing. Vette was the first victim, and I had to admit it was somewhat disarming to see the maiden lift his monstrous frame into the air with little effort. Not surprisingly, he passed with flying colors, as did Oliver, Trevon, Blythe, and Tanis. But Ruby's strength was similar to Avery's; quiet and steady. I wrung my hands nervously as she stepped up to the plate.

With a plastered-on face of bravery that fooled no one, she met the gaze of the maiden with guarded eyes. The maiden embraced her heart without a word and wrenched her body into the air. In a matter of seconds, her head collapsed backward and she let out an agonized scream that rattled my soul. A single tear trickled down her cheek and fell to its death down in the thick grass far below. The maiden closed her eyes and discarded her to the ground; releasing her into a heap of pain. The Captains scrambled towards her, but somehow Avery made it there first.

"Give me room!" she blocked them with her body, leaving them to look on helplessly instead. She placed her hands on either side of Ruby's head and concentrated with closed eyes. I looked on with quiet wonder as the color slowly returned to Ruby's face and her legs began to move. Avery let out a breath she'd been holding and Ruby's tear-filled eyes slowly cracked open.

"I failed," Ruby croaked softly, blinking as the tears overflowed onto her cheeks.

"Take her to the castle," Maera instructed me. "I will follow shortly with extra vials of elixir for the trip."

"Thank you." I nodded to her respectfully and then again solemnly to the three maidens.

With Avery's blessing, Vette gathered Ruby into his strong arms and carried her over the ring of bushes and towards the castle. Avery matched his step, her healing hand in Ruby's slender fingers. By the time we made it back to the veranda Ruby was able to walk on her own, but collapsed onto one of the filigree lawn chairs in a cloud of defeat. A waterfall of tears wet the smattering of freckles on her cheeks as I gestured for Avery to lead everyone else inside to prepare for the trip. I approached the swim Captain gingerly; taking a seat next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her dejected shoulders.

"I'm so sorry," she managed, despair heavy in her tone. "I failed you."

"You did nothing of the sort," I scolded her lightly.

"Will you replace me?" 

"Replace you?" I twisted towards her on the bench in shock. "With what?"

"Someone stronger," she met my gaze with confusion swimming in her eyes. "Since I failed the test."

"If failure was the requirement for being replaced, I would have been demoted to bottom feeder a long time ago," I crowed, spotting a hint of renewed hope sparkling amidst her shamed expression. "You're the strongest swimmer we have, and between you and me, you're definitely the most level-headed. Somebody has to keep those yahoos in line."

"Really?" A smile blossomed on her face. "So...I still get to go?"

"Of course." I climbed to my feet and extended my hand, immediately creating a new position that I was pretty sure didn't exist. "I'm appointing you Captain of the Captains. You'll be my right hand woman and I'll ensure they understand yours is the voice of authority."

"Are you sure?" She tilted her head, trying to read my expression in case I was kidding.

"First rule of being Captain of the Captains," I grasped her hand and yanked her up, "states that if the Paladin believes in you, you have to believe in you. Got it?"

"Got it," she repeated joyfully, her features radiating with pride. Acting as her crutch, I slowly helped her to the veranda door.

Twin screams from inside the castle walls cast us into silence only seconds before every organ in my body hitched violently and contorted in pain. My knees exploded with pain as they hit the stone of the veranda; my body immediately curling into a ball of writhing misery.

F
ALLON

The twisting had stopped, although the coiling in my stomach had not. Nausea welled up inside my throat as I suppressed the overwhelming urge to throw up. I squeezed my eyes shut in the hopes of forcing the walls around me to stop spinning at an unnatural speed. Fortunately, that's exactly what Selene and her army of witches were working to do. Unfortunately for my gag reflex, they had not yet succeeded in doing so. The massive turbine of the whirlpool was churning at full speed, roaring as loud as a jet engine and sending bout after bout of vertigo across my existence.

I hadn't felt the refreshing shower of moonlight in days and I ached to wrap myself in its strength. The witch's binds around my body had been removed, but now I was immersed in an even more sinister prison.

Like a dangling carrot I'd never reach, a tiny cobalt circle high above me hinted at the promise of blue sky. It could have been in a separate universe for all the good it did me. Beneath my dangling feet the watery walls stretched far below, eventually disappearing into an infinite void of blackness. Then there was me; suspended somewhere between a slow, painful death shackled by abandonment and an equally slow, painful life shackled by witches and blonde she-devils.