Ripples (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 2) (2 page)

     He took a step forward, “If you think you can get us there quickly then let’s go. We aren’t going to have another chance like this.”

     I nodded and thanked him silently. Together we moved up the stairs and began the long trek from the dungeon to the old room. I worried my way around corners, hoping that I was going the right way. My fear spread as I realized if we were met by any soldiers then the whole castle would be brought down upon us. With this maze of corridors it would be impossible to get out. All of the hallways were similar and I could tell Elik was getting as worried as I was.

     Finally we reached the passage with the small window that I had escaped out of last time. Confidence spread inside me and I walked faster.

     We turned the last corner quickly and flitted to the wooden door. Elik’s hand reached out for the handle to see if it was unlocked. I knew it wouldn’t be, but didn’t say anything. I would let him try first.

    The knob turned easily in his hand and a small click reached our ears. I was stunned for a moment, and so was Elik, before a crashing defeat filled me. If Patrick was in that room they would never have left it unlocked. He couldn’t be in there; they would have had him locked down securely. I looked up at Elik and saw that he was just as disappointed as I was.

     “It wouldn’t hurt to check though,” he whispered and shrugged.

     “Sure,” my voice sounded hollow even to my ears. “But be careful, the door squeaks.” Elik nodded at my warning and pushed the door in gently. A reproachful squeal did emit from the hinges, but it wasn’t loud enough to cause worry.

     Elik entered the room first. His blades shined in the firelight from the torches in the hall, but I noted the doubt on his face. I followed his back into the dark room and came up standing beside him. Streams of dim light from the window streaked the floor near our feet.  The room was cold and dank. Any remnants of a fire in the hearth had long since been quenched and no scraps of food covered the table. The room was empty just like it had been on the night I escaped.

     “He’s not here,” I said, defeated and Elik nodded silently. He was taking this loss as hard as I was. Patrick was his friend; somehow I always forgot that I wasn’t the only person who cared for his safety.

     We turned to leave, but when Elik was out the door I couldn’t make my feet follow him. All the panic that had flooded my veins turned into an aching sorrow and my heart felt as though there was a part missing. Instead, I stepped into the light that poured in through the small window pane and looked around the room. I was so sure that he would have been here; it was awful to admit that I had no idea where he was. Tears threatened my eyes and I bit my lip to keep from crying.
Why wasn’t he here?

     Thoughts of death filled my mind. I remembered his cold fingers the night we spent near each other in the dungeon. I could feel the sticky blood on my fingers and hear his wracking cough. Worst of all, I reverted back to my last memory of him, the moment when I heard the words that had been keeping me from sleep for the last month.

    
Lissie
, he had said as Morven took me away blindfolded,
I’m sorry
.

     A sob gathered in my throat, but I pressed a hand to my mouth. He wasn’t here, and I didn’t know what to do. My promise to him was dead.

     Blinking quickly, I moved to exit the room where Elik stood just inside the doorway looking out into the hall as he waited for me. But just as I was about to join him, I noticed a solid shadow against the back wall next to the large bed. Peering carefully, I stared at it wondering what it could be when it moved slightly.

     “Who’s there?” Fear spiked my voice and I pointed the dagger directly at the shadow. No reply. I was sure that I had seen it move, that there was someone standing in this room with me right now.

     “Lissie?” Elik whispered sharply. I didn’t dare to glance at him; this thing that was in the room was too strange. My hands were shaking slightly on the dagger, but I was happy to see that it wasn’t visible enough to shake the blade.

     Elik appeared at my side, his blades still drawn. His presence gave me some comfort as he drew near, and he stood slightly in front of me just outside of the thin strips of light on the stone floor.

     “Who’s there?” Elik repeated my words, but he sounded much more threatening than I had. The solid shadow that stood near the wall moved slightly again. It had taken a step forward. Elik and I watched as it took two more moderate strides until a solid silhouette became visible. He was tall and lanky, his hair a shaggy length, and it looked like he had muscles but they were very lean compared to other Hyven I had seen. His broad shoulders brought haughtiness in his stature, but the thinness of his arms suggested otherwise. Without a word, the merman took another step forward.

     “Take one more step and your dead,” Eilk threatened by my side.

     A deep throaty laugh came from the stranger. “Of course,” he said, his voice scratchy as though worn out. He spoke calmly but the tension in the room was palpable and I had the sudden feeling he wanted Elik to attack him. I remembered the night of my transformation and the way Morven had egged my brothers on. Peering more deeply into the shadows, I tried to see if it was Morven, but I knew it couldn’t be. This person was thinner than Morven and his voice was unlike any I had ever heard before.

     Elik was about to challenge the merman and I knew where it would lead. “Stop,” I hissed at him even though my dagger was still pointed directly at the stranger. Elik looked at me curiously. I turned my gaze back to the silhouetted man.

     “Where is Patrick?” I asked, but no response came. “The human prisoner?” I added, remembering that the Hyven had referred to him as such.

     “There’s no one here by that name.” The merman spoke calmly, but it felt like a blow to my hopes. I wondered if he was lying. 

     “He was here a month ago,” my voice was getting desperate. “He was a prisoner and I escaped and now I have to—” I broke off when my hand holding the dagger started to shake violently in desperation. No one moved.

     “Go stand outside,” Elik commanded. I looked up at him totally confused.

     “Why?” I asked.

     “Because I said so,” he snapped, his eyes staring the shadowy merman down. I realized what he was going to do. For some reason I didn’t see the point. I knew I should be furious, that I should want the death of this Hyven soldier. He was part of the group that had taken Patrick from me. It had to be true. Patrick was gone, and felt the desperation in my heart begin to spread to the rest of my body.
Where else could he be?

     Looking at Elik, I refused to move from where I stood. I was done with this. Done with killing, the fear, and the danger.

     “No, I’m not leaving unless you come with me,” I said, stubbornly. The merman in the shadows shifted, his stance still tense, ready for an attack.

     “You would rather he alerted the entire castle?” Elik asked, furious with me. I knew it was dangerous, but no longer cared.

     “There isn’t a point anymore. He’s not here, that was the reason for us coming. He isn’t here, and he never will be. Don’t you see that?” My voice broke suddenly. “We came here for him, not for murder.” Elik’s eyebrows rose at my choice of words and he shook his head.

     He tore his gaze from the shadow and gave me a look that said, “I hope you’re right” as he strode to the door to leave.

    I gazed back at the merman and had the feeling that we had made eye contact even though I couldn’t see his eyes. Without a further glance, I lowered the dagger and headed for the door, but just before I disappeared he spoke.

     “I don’t know who Patrick is,” the scratchy words came from the dark corner. “I arrived two weeks ago and there was no human.”

     All hope shattered. It was like watching a glass slip from your fingers in slow motion. That moment in between breaths where the world becomes completely silent and then shatters with a tremendous crash where pieces of glass scatter over bare feet. You can’t move for a moment. All you can do is stand and stare at the remains of what had once been so beautiful and now sliced into your flesh, drawing blood.

     Without a word, I started to move as though part of a different body. Slowly, I exited the room and stepped out into the corridor beside Elik. Anger was rolling off of him, but I hardly noticed as I led the way back toward the small room we had entered. I knew that he was furious at me for not letting him finish his job, but I didn’t care. Patrick was dead. He was gone. I wanted to hurt someone, lash out and hit something. All the time we spent planning had been for nothing. All the lies that I had heard about Patrick being okay, all the reunions I had imagined in my head. All of it was gone. It was gone when that merman said those simple words, “there was no human.”

     How long had it been since he had died? Did he die because he thought I was dead too? Would he still be alive if I had somehow shown my face to him? I felt the tears spill over and roll down my cheeks.
Why have you left me here?

     Unaware of where we were going, I followed Elik. I felt the world closing down on me and sniffled in the darkness. I tried to do it quietly, but knew that he heard. He sighed heavily and took my hand.

     “Now’s not the time,” his voice was gentle but urgent. I nodded and picked up my speed.

     We made it to the small room with the hidden door easily and out onto on the grounds in no time at all. Again I noted how easy everything was and my fear returned; something wasn’t right about this. We had been in the castle for at least fifteen minutes and yet, no one had noticed our presence.  Even now, the alarm from the castle had not been raised and the merman in the room knew we were here.

     My senses heightened and I swept the grounds with my gaze. The moon was brighter now than before and we were going to have to make a mad dash for the trees. Throwing my feelings aside I tried to focus on what needed to be done. We had to get out of here. That was the most important thing.

     We darted across the sloping lawn. And the sound of padding feet reached our ears at the same time. We ran faster, but I could hear more than one pair of feet and knew that we were doomed. Elik could take on one merman, maybe two, but he would also be trying to protect me and that would be his weakness.

     I cursed myself for coming on this fools errand. I was only a threat to all the Lathmorians; I endangered them more than the Hyven.
All for nothing
, I thought and the words of the Hyven soldier ran through my mind again.

     The feet behind us got slightly closer and we ran faster; the trees hiding us, but our feet giving us away. Up ahead, I could hear the ocean crashing and for some reason I felt that the water would offer some protection. Maybe it was the desire to mingle my salty tears in the liquid embrace of the waves, or maybe it was to feel smaller in this world that suddenly was too personal.

      Something up ahead moved and it was too late to register that I should stop. I whizzed right past when I realized that it was Tunder. Relief filled me as I saw the other Lathmorians rally behind their leader and run toward our chasers. I slowed my pace but didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see the blood that accompanied the cries of pain coming from the Hyven. Death was all around me and it was all I could do to reach the water.

     We raced across the beach and darted into the crashing surges of foam. Plunging into a wave, we took off into the night and it wasn’t until we reached the caves of Lathmor that I realized my hand was still glued to the hunting dagger. With shaking sobs, I laid in the water as two warm arms wrapped around me. I heard Kryssa’s whispers of comfort, but I could only focus my eyes on the dagger.

     It was all I had left of Patrick.

Sun filtered in through the gauzy white curtains that draped the windows in the throne room of Lathmor. The familiar columns stretched from the ceiling and in between these pillars of strength were the decorative marble statues of men, women, and merfolk. The heads of the statues were turned in respect to the end of the room, looking at the throne where the Lathmorian king was seated. All around the room were the scattered remains of the Lathmorians who had made the journey to Hyvar; their shoulders hung in defeat.

     All my emotions were numb and I couldn’t think correctly. My body was exhausted and my energy absent. A steady mantra had taken over my mind the whole way back to Lathmor. Even though I’d fallen behind there was only one thing that ran through my brain.
He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.

     Elik had dropped back with me and I felt a sort of kinship with him. Even though he was still angry with me for defying him against that merman, I could tell he pitied me now more than anything.

     Tunder too was having a hard time grasping the idea that his friend was gone. When he and his men had rescued us in the forest, he had simply thought something had gone wrong. He thought we had been following the evacuation plan, which we were, only there was a bigger problem than he ever could’ve imagined. Once we were on our way in the water, Elik had sped up to Tunder and given him a detailed report of what had happened. The rigid set of his jaw and the sinking of his shoulders was enough to make me look away when he heard the terrible news. 

     I now waited patiently in the throne room for Tunder to finish explaining what had happened on the mission. My legs felt as though they would give way beneath me, but I focused my attention on anything that was outside of my body. All that was within me seemed to be shattering into a million pieces.

     “That’s not possible,” the king stood up from his throne, drawing my attention. He shook his head and a look a solemn disbelief passed over his face.

     “It is, sir,” Tunder said and his voice, though low, reached the corners of the otherwise silent room.

     “He wouldn’t kill him,” the king spoke again, this time more clearly. “He spent so many years searching for him.”

     “But he wasn’t there,” Tunder inclined his head and pointed in my direction, “Lissie saw him in the dungeon before she escaped. He was beaten, it’s possible he died from his wounds.”

     I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away as though he had slapped me across the cheek. Tunder’s ease with speaking of Patrick’s death was a wound of its own that I wouldn’t forget and my stomach churned over threatening to release what was inside it.

     It remained silent in the throne room and when I looked back at the king he had returned to his seat but his shoulders hung in a similar manner to that of his captain. With his head hanging low, he rubbed a hand across his chin and pain filled his eyes in a way that I never would have expected. His pain reflected the loss of his wife Cordelia, who had given her life to save Patrick. I tore my eyes from his face and the deep silence of all the soldiers remained still as if frozen for a moment in time.

     “Get rid of her,” Voon’s furious voice suddenly boomed through the room. The other mermen, including King Oberon, turned to look at him. “She’s been nothing but a problem ever since she stepped foot on this island.” Voon jabbed his finger in my direction. For a moment I wondered if he was really angry at me or the fact that our mission had failed.

     “And getting rid of her would prove what, exactly?” the king asked, his voice grave.

     “It would put Lathmor back to the way it used to be.” Voon was defiant. “She’s a mutant, and doesn’t deserve our protection. She should go, I don’t care where, but she had better get away from us.” His words echoed in the large chamber and when Kryssa opened her mouth for a retort, King Oberon held up his hand. She closed her jaw firmly and gritted her teeth.

     “Does anyone else feel this way?” The king asked his eyes roving over the tired soldiers. There were mumbled agreements and soft nods by almost all the heads. Tunder and Elik looked disgusted, as did the king. His green eyes met mine and for the first time there was sympathy in his gaze. Before, whenever the king had looked at me, he had seen me as another problem, nothing more. Now his eyes showed a deep concern, one that I didn’t understand.

     “I had something else to add,” Tunder snapped, visibly irritated with his soldiers.

     “That is not a matter to be settled right now,” King Oberon spoke with authority. “If our merfolk feel that it’s better to live without Lissie, then live without her we will. And if that is the case, she will not be privy to the ins and outs of this meeting.”

     The words were final and I found myself wondering what was going to happen. Where was I going to go? I knew that the Lathmorians wouldn’t kill me, they weren’t vicious. But where would I go. I didn’t want to go back to the island, I hadn’t been back since before Nixie’s wedding and now I would never go back. I couldn’t bear the thought of being in the one place that spoke Patrick’s name everywhere I looked.

     “But what I have to tell is about her,” Tunder’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I could see that he now had the curiosity of everyone in the throne room. “If you will permit me, I will speak of it in her presence.”

     Tunder raised his eyebrows in question and the king nodded. “When my men and I scaled the sides of the castle we knocked out all the guards without causing any disruption. We then split up to take out anyone who might be patrolling the hallways.” I thought back to how it had been so easy to get in and out of the castle. I realized now that it was because of the skillful mermen that stood in this room.

     “When I was on my own I took down two mermen and a mermaid. Then I came across something unusual.” Tunder’s voice got very serious. “There was a girl in the hallway headed in my direction. I hid in the shadows and she never saw me, but her shirt was short enough that I was able to see a cut on her right hip.” It grew quiet in the throne room.

     “What does that have to do with anything?” I recognized the voice of one of the Lathmorian soldiers. I thought his name was Folock.

     “Because it’s been years,” he looked at me and said, “many merfolk years, since we have seen the Hyven transform a human. Aside from Lissie, this girl is the first in over eleven years.” According to what Kryssa had told me about merfolk years, that meant over five hundred in human standards. I staggered at the sum.

     “So what?” Voon pushed his way into the argument, once more.

     “I think Morven has given up on using Lissie.” Tunder’s simple statement was met with silence and I wondered where he could have gotten the idea.

     “How so?” King Oberon asked.

     “This girl was singing softly to herself as she walked by. And I couldn’t help but notice that she looked very similar to Lissie. Her hair was the same color and length. She was slightly taller but not by much and had the same body build. Don’t you think it’s possible that after Lissie escaped Morven moved onto a different plan? I never dreamed that he would have Patrick killed, but this might be the reason.” Tunder spoke with conviction.

     No one moved or spoke and Tunder pressed on, “Think about it, it’s the only thing that makes sense. Lissie escaped and I’m sure Morven was furious. He either killed Patrick or Patrick died on his own. But what was Morven left with? A shattered plan. So instead of trying to break through our defenses again to find Lissie, he decided to substitute her with another human.

     “And then there was the strange merman that Lissie and Elik met,” he added. “He had mentioned that there was no human in the castle and that he had arrived two weeks ago. He was a smaller build than all the Hyven and he didn’t warn the castle of our whereabouts. Wouldn’t it make sense that while we are distracted and trying to rescue Patrick, Morven has already moved on and created a new warrior? It’s the perfect cover. This soldier was the new warrior just like the girl is Morven’s new siren.” Tunder ended with finality.

     Like a rock thrown through a stain glass window, I watched this new life crumble away and I closed my eyes not wanting to accept the words he was speaking. The truth was too much to bare even though I knew it in my heart. Everything was over and I was free to go.

     King Oberon cleared his throat. “Lissie,” he addressed me in a formal manner. “It seems that you are no longer needed here, nor will Lathmor harbor you as a fugitive anymore. That said,” he held up his hand to ward off Tunder’s objections. “I now ask you to leave Lathmor and to never come back.” I could see that the king was only doing what was right for his people. He did not find me as a threat and I tried to show him that I understood.

     “Yes sir,” I said nodding in his direction. A sob collected in my throat, but I held it back. “I thank you and your merfolk for your hospitality and help.” Without another word, I turned on my heel and left the throne room. I couldn’t help but feel as though I was walking away from my real life and returning to a fake one instead.

_______________

“I don’t see how you can just leave us,” Nixie said softly and I wondered if I would ever see her again after today. The girls, Tunder, Elik, Daggin, and I were in Kryssa’s room.

     “I don’t have a choice in the matter.” I said and she made a face. “Besides I probably would’ve done this on my own anyway.” The tears that I had held back in the throne room were beginning to build up within my chest. I needed to get out of here.

     “Why?” There was pain in Kryssa’s voice that I didn’t want to address.

     “All of it,” I waved a hand around the room, “all of you are just a reminder of what I could’ve had.” I smiled pitifully and shook my head from such thoughts. I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Do you have one of the those packs on hand?”

     “You’re leaving now?” Daggin’s deep voice questioned and I nodded without looking at him.

     “Makes no sense to wait,” I knew I sounded foolish but didn’t care.

     “Don’t do anything rash.” Tunder was sitting next to his wife on the edge of the bed. His eyes were tired and his face more solemn than I had ever seen it. In one instant everything that I had been feeling since the moment I knew Patrick was gone, seemed to coalesce into a raging fear that was cloaked in unrestrained anger.

     “Don’t do anything rash?” I snapped. “Oh, let’s not do that again. The last time I did something rash I escaped Hyvar without showing Patrick I was still alive.” Tunder tried to butt in, but I pressed on, knowing the guilt was all mine. “I could have let him know that I was okay, instead I ran. I was a coward, and now he’s gone. He’s gone because of me!” I stabbed a finger into my chest and let the built up tears roll down my cheeks. No one would look me in the eye and it made me feel even worse, but for a moment I reveled in the pain.

     “Listen,” Elik tried to speak but I yelled.

     “No, you listen! Morven didn’t kill him! He never would have. I killed him! I killed him by falling in love with him! I killed him by showing up on that island! I did it. I did it. I—I—” I broke down into wracking sobs. Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders to stifle my cries.

     Waves of sorrow rushed over me, crashing into my heart with a power that I’d never thought possible. There was burning pain where light used to be, a desperate loss where comfort and happiness had once resided. But it was all lost now. There were no more walks on the island, swims at the waterfall, or dances in the trees. No more laughter at sunset, or talks by the warm fire. All of it was washed away in the tide like a carefully built sandcastle.

     My breath stilled and I raised my head and wiped at my eyes, of course the tears were already gone and my eyes weren’t even puffy, but I could still feel the bulginess behind them. Elik cleared his throat and dropped his arms from around me to take a step back.

     “Kryssa said that she told you about Wyeth,” he said, and I thought back to Kryssa’s lost love. “What she didn’t tell you was that he was my younger brother.” Glancing quickly, I saw Kryssa wrap her arms around herself and look out the window.

      “He was killed on a mission and it was my fault that he died,” he said and took a deep breath before continuing. “I made a mistake and he covered for me, by the time I got to him he was fatally injured.” His voice broke and water filled his eyes, but he shook it away. “I’ve never been able to forget that moment, but you have to get past this. It wasn’t your fault.” His words were fierce. “Morven not only imprisoned and tortured him within an inch of his life, but he also took the one thing that mattered to him most. He stole you from him.”

     I tried to speak around the massive lump in my throat and my voice came out in a croak, “But if I hadn’t fallen in love with him he’d still be alive.” Elik shook his head.

     “He was hooked the moment he saw you, he told Tunder that.” I looked to the captain to see if it was true and he nodded. “I know Patrick; he would’ve wanted you to save yourself instead of him.”

     The words that Patrick had spoken in the dungeon came back to me. I hadn’t told the others what he had said to me because I had wanted to hold them in my heart, and now I would hold onto them forever. The last gift that I could give to him would be to live the life he wanted me to have.