Siren's Surrender (36 page)

Jake moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. “The real estate is great,” he deadpanned. “But it’s not much to look at.” The remnants of the temple guarding the sea-gate were among the ruins. The monolithic stones were tilted at odd angles. Only the single rear wall had survived the devastation of the quake Tessa had summoned. A mass of color and light, the sea-gate itself swirled, a blind, unblinking eye that would never close.

Giving him a tolerant half smile, Magaera said, “Behold the power of Atargatis.” Slamming the heel of the trident against the ground, she chanted, “I charge thee to obey all commands named by me. At my word, so let it be!” Her intuitive knowledge of the mystical force she wielded was driven by the deft sureness and skill gleaned from centuries spent studying the ancient knowledge.

Thunder rumbled loudly above their heads. Triple-pronged lightning descended from nowhere, striking the seabed with an electrifying jolt. A ball of light flashed out around the scepter in her hand.

Magaera continued, issuing her commands in a clarion voice, her arms held out at her sides and her face tilted to the scepter’s caressing glow. “The powers of wind, earth, water, and fire . . . join with the goddess and grant me my desire. From the north, the south, the east, and the west . . . I call upon all forces to come at my behest. Rebuild, renew, and reclaim this place in the name of she who gave us life.”

Thunder rumbled more ominously above them. Static electricity crackled, producing brushlike discharges in the air around them.

The ground beneath his feet began to shift, a great section of the earth peeling away from the bottom of the sea. Several miles wide and just as long, the newly forming landmass rose upward, breaking through the protective barrier of the shield. Tons of water fell away and they were suddenly under a clear blue sky. Gradually, the rumbling quieted. In the space of seconds an island had appeared, where before there had been nothing but mile after mile of water.

But it was far from over.

The scepter commenced to vibrate with a whining intensity. Then it screeched, and the deafening sound increased tenfold until the illumination emanating from the crystals exploded, stretching out into tentacles of multicolored light.

From all directions, Jake felt energy feeding into the atmosphere, causing it to expand. He scooted back several feet, stopping alongside a crumbling pillar as the luminous whirlwind drifted all around him.

The tendrils of light circled throughout the ruins. As the light brushed the crusted marble and pitted stone, a strange glowing vapor materialized, wiping away the decay of centuries within seconds.

Jake was awestruck by the vision, and dazzled by the sheer force of power Queen Magaera had unleashed. As the illumination and mist dissipated, his eyes widened. The restoration was complete.

As though taking a step through a rip in the fabric of time, the haven of Ishaldi stretched out around them. A series of temples and other buildings were surrounded by wide, perfectly paved pathways, green enclosed gardens, and tall, elaborately wrought fountains. Decorative statues and other ornamental items were perched among banks of flowering shrubs.

They stood in silence for some minutes, before anyone dared to interrupt the majesty of the moment.

“My God,” Jake breathed. “It’s like Eden.”

Scepter in hand, Queen Magaera dispassionately surveyed the world her people had been a part from for almost two thousand years. She moved to a rocky outcropping that overlooked the nearby shore. Below, the sea crashed into the newly formed impediment, relentless and insistent.

“There was a time when this great metropolis teemed with life,” she said, more to herself than anyone listening. “Our world is dying, but this one—” She made a wide gesture with her arm. “Given its resources, we can rebuild Ishaldi, make it even stronger.”

Jake trailed her toward the edge. Instead of thinking like a human, he had to think like a Mer. Had to be cold, hard, and impassive toward the lesser species, the humans. Nothing less would suit Queen Magaera’s megalomaniacal visions.

He made an imperative gesture. “We still need Tessa to gain control of the sea-gate,” he reminded her.

Queen Magaera spared him a brief glance. Her facial muscles were stiff, betraying no emotion. “I will have her soon enough.” A self-satisfied smile parted her lips. “There’s no place she can hide now on the face of this earth.”

T
he barred door slid shut, lock clanging into place with a curious finality. She was alone.

Silence. The beating of her heart. Her thoughts were her own, images stealing through the dark corridors of her brain, distant voices calling in whispers, each vying for attention.

Gwen had poked at every nook and cranny of her cell, searching for a way out.

There wasn’t one.

She wondered how her sisters were doing, if they felt just as afraid and panicked as she did.

She tried to think of something comforting. Blake. Right behind her sisters, she wanted him to be all right.

She sat and leaned back against the wall. Her eyelids lowered. She felt a blur floating in front of her vision.

Her eyes snapped back open. She didn’t want to go to sleep. Not now.

But her exhausted body had other ideas.

She was on the verge of drifting off into a doze when heavy footsteps hurrying down the hall broke into her thoughts.

She had no idea how many hours she’d sat there. At least two, maybe more.

The cell door slid open.

Blake stepped into her cell. He nodded to the woman accompanying him. “Thank you, Agent Doyle,” he said briskly.

Doyle nodded. “Of course. Anything else I can do for you, sir?”

Blake raised a single brow. “If we could have a moment’s privacy, I would appreciate it.”

Agent Doyle glanced toward Gwen, then back toward Blake. She wavered a moment, then finally shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a wise idea, sir.”

Blake’s face turned to stone. “If you won’t allow it as a courtesy, then I will make it an order,” he spat with a grimace of displeasure.

Doyle snapped to attention. “Of course. Let me know when you’re ready to go.” She quickly stepped out of the cell, shutting the door behind her.

Gwen watched the brief exchange with some curiosity. She’d never seen Blake throw his weight around or give a single order. As he’d explained it, he was simply assigned to act as a liaison between the Mer and the compound’s scientists. If he had any rank, he’d never pulled it before.

There was something different about him, though, a subtle change in his bearing. He was standing ramrod straight and had spoken to the female agent with a brisk, snappy voice. It was a tone that said people had better listen up. He clearly wasn’t taking any bullshit from anyone. She liked it.

Gwen tried to smile. “I don’t guess you’ve come to tell me we’re going to get out of here.” Her voice quavered ever so slightly.

Frowning, Blake shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “So?”

Irritation twisted his features. “The compound is on total lockdown,” he informed her. “No one gets in. Or out.”

She glanced around the small cell. “I think I’ve figured out that much.”

He tried to explain. “When people get scared they lash out in the wrong ways. I’m afraid government and intelligence don’t go together.”

The last ember of hope burning in her heart faded. Damn. “That’s something I’ve suspected for a long time.” With an unexpected move, Blake crossed the brief distance separating them. Gathering her up in his arms, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “You know I couldn’t stay away.”

She recoiled. “Please, don’t touch me.”

Blake pulled back, giving a hollow-eyed, grim frown. “You don’t trust me.”

Gwen’s nostrils flared. “No. Every time I think I trust you, something worse happens.”

“I’ve done everything I can,” he started to say in his own defense.

Gwen shook her head in regret. She desperately wanted to believe him, but felt he’d always give his allegiance to the government he served. “It’s not enough,” she countered angrily. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

He gazed back at her in consternation, as if the future had suddenly turned into a black hole. “You’re angry,” he said. “I understand.”

“Anger doesn’t begin to describe how I feel right now, Blake.”

Lifting her leg, she showed him her ankle. “Look here.” She stared straight into his eyes. “If they think we’re going to get aggressive, they can shock us.”

Blake swore as he examined the hateful device. Anger stormed his expressive face. “This is a travesty.” It was clearly an obstacle he hadn’t been expecting. “You don’t deserve to be treated like an animal.”

Stomach churning, Gwen tugged her cuff back down. “They don’t see us as human.”

Blake rose to his feet. “They’re wrong.”

She shrugged. “Nothing you can do to change their minds.”

Blake shook his head, bringing a tumble of hair onto his pale forehead. He flicked the strands to move them out of his eyes as walked to the cell door. “Yeah. Well, we’ll see.” He rapped a fist against the metal. “Agent Doyle, could you come in here, please?”

The cell door immediately slid open. Doyle slipped under the threshold. “Yes, sir?” she inquired, with no small suggestions of annoyance.

Blake nodded toward Gwen. “Take that goddamned thing off her leg.” His teeth were clenched so tightly with anger that he could barely get the words out.

Doyle wavered. “I’m sorry, sir,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “We’re under strict orders to make sure she is confined and controlled at all times.”

Blake didn’t hesitate. He gave the recalcitrant agent another glare. “Maybe this will help change your mind.” His voice had the sound of metal scraping stone. Hand snaking under his jacket, he slid his weapon out of its holster.

Doyle made a quick lunge for the security panel embedded near the door.

Blake smoothly caught her arm and slammed her back against the wall. He pointed his weapon directly at her head. “Don’t move, don’t scream, or it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

Hardly able to believe her eyes, Gwen immediately froze in her place. It looked like the man had just lost every marble in his head. Surely he didn’t really believe he could break her out of a high-security facility all by himself. “What are you d-doing?”

Blake snagged Doyle’s weapon, disarming her. Pulling her away from the wall, he shoved her toward Gwen. “We’ve got less than ten minutes before they figure out something’s gone wrong and cut off my access.” He pulled his startled colleague away from the wall, shoving her toward Gwen. “Get that thing off her ankle,” he ordered.

Doyle stumbled, dropping to her knees. “It’ll never work,” she spat. “This place is already on lockdown.”

Blake gave her a little prod. “That’s why we’re going to need a little Mercraft.”

Gwen shook off her lethargy. Blake was going to give her the chance to run. It was totally insane, maybe even a suicidal choice.

She decided to take it.

She stuck out her ankle. “Let’s go,” she urged.

Doyle unlocked the device. “It’s done.”

Gwen gave Blake a hard look. “No going back now.”

“Not likely.” Snagging Doyle’s cuffs off her utility belt, Blake tossed them toward Gwen. “Put those on, but make sure you can get your wrists out.”

Gwen slid the cuffs on, locking them loosely. “What are we going to do?”

Blake yanked Agent Doyle to her feet. “We’re going to take a little walk to the other side of the guard’s station.” He turned to Gwen. “When we reach it, can you give them enough of a blast to knock them out?”

Gwen nodded. “I think so.” At least she hoped she could.

Doyle dug in her heels. “You won’t make me a part of this.”

Blake prodded her with the barrel of his gun. “I’ll use it if I have to,” he warned. “And at this point I don’t think I’ve got anything to lose.”

They hustled out into the corridor.

An elevator stood a few strides beyond the door of the cell. Security cameras recorded activity from every angle.

Everything seemed to move with glacial slowness as the metal doors clanged shut.

Gwen flexed her fingers, readying herself for the confrontation. She wished she had a few big crystals to power up on. Since she didn’t, she’d have to make do with her soul-stone and her own inner energies.

The doors slid open.

Doyle saw her chance, bolting ahead of them with lightning speed. “Whittaker’s turned!” she screamed at the agents manning the monitors. “They’re trying to escape!”

The startled men jumped to their feet, reaching for their weapons.

In a split second, Gwen tossed off the cuffs to free her hands. Without even stopping to think about what she was doing, she threw up her hands, sending out a blaze of energy that sizzled all the way up her fingers.

Zapped by an invisible force, the men went flying backward. Hitting the wall behind them, the two half-conscious agents slid to the floor like sacks full of potatoes.

The effort of sending out so much energy so fast nearly made her knees buckle. She struggled to stay on her feet.

In her dazed state, it seemed others were passing her by, a wild mass of lights and voices. She vaguely realized it was Whittaker tussling with Agent Doyle.

Grabbing Doyle’s right wrist, Blake twisted it with the intent of taking her to the floor in a hammerlock.

Trained in hand-to-hand combat herself, Doyle pivoted. Her left hand swung out with the intent of delivering a forward punch.

Blake blocked the blow coming toward his face. He was equally skilled, and much bigger and stronger than Doyle.

“Sorry I have to do this,” he panted, smacking the hapless agent upside the head with the butt of his gun.