Torrents (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 3) (15 page)

     “How will we know when an attack is happening?” I whispered, my voice carrying louder than I would have liked. Kryssa opened her mouth to answer, but a voice from behind got there first.

     “You’ll know,” Tunder said and I felt the topic was dismissed.

     Part of me wondered how they ever got anything done. All of their answers were open to interpretation, but then again, that was mainly because the soon-to-be king was against trusting me with the truth. 

    
I’ll show him
, I thought. If the Hyven attacked tonight, I would do everything I could to keep Verna from leaving Lathmor or die trying. I wasn’t going to be thought of as a traitor again, after only two days ago beginning to gain some sort of respect from the Lathmorians.

     In a group, we rounded the last corner which brought us into the throne room. As though we had rehearsed it, we parted and allowed Tunder to pass in front of us, before walking into the vaulted-room of marble. As we stepped inside, my breath was forced from my lungs, as I gazed upon the freshly-cleaned pillars and throne; their whiteness almost blinding. The marble floor declared its presence and the statues all seemed to stand with more dignity than before; their faces were cast in the glow of the setting sun, turned toward the now empty throne.

      The new leader’s strides were hesitant as he climbed up the set of stairs to where the throne stood resolute. The princesses followed him and as they moved forward I pulled away to mingle with the crowd, knowing my place was far from the risen floor. Some of the Lathmorians shifted as I joined their ranks, but I was able to see the goings on by looking between the arms of two mermen and over the shoulders of some mermaids.

      Along both walls the Lathmorians lined the room, leaving the center open. The white marble was blinding, in comparison to when I had last seen it. The bodies all around me were haggard shoulders and dodging eyes. There was a desperation in the room, so close, I felt I could somehow reach out and touch it, as though it were a shrouded veil covering the crowd.

     Each face was turned to the end of the room and feet shifted every now and again as the new leader placed his hand on the throne. The tension was palpable, and I was certain every ear was waiting for a cry to break the sudden stillness of the moment. I half-expected a guard to come running in the room and dissipate what little semblance of calm the island held. Gendra’s reports ran through my mind once more, and I felt prickling-tingles in my fingers, as anticipation built within me.

     The captain’s hand slid over the back of the throne and down the armrest, the sound soft, but the room quiet enough we could all hear it. As a whole, the Lathmorians held their breath and waited as Tunder turned to gaze out over them. His eyes ran along the many faces looking to him, and when he spoke, it was with a loud voice which echoed throughout the hall.

     “Will you take me as your king?” He looked from one side of the room to the other and no one moved. “If there is any objection speak now.” He paused and no other sound was made. His eyes closed and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. When he reopened them, his gaze found Shaylee’s and she nodded as a silent tear slipped down her cheek.

     “Then,” he said, with a clogged throat, “I will serve you as king.”

     Suddenly, the blades on his right arm flashed in their brilliance and I flinched in surprise. One merman glanced my way, but I ignored him as I watched Tunder place his blades over his left forearm. I was captivated.

     I had seen the movement before and felt my breath catch in my throat as I watched him slice his flesh. The blood dripped down his arm as though part of a river and fell to the floor, red against white, the colors startling in their contrast.

     His bloodied arm rose into the air and as it clenched into a fist, his head looked up once more. “I give you my blood, that I may die before I ever see Lathmor come to its end.”

     As though of one mind, a cheer went up, reminding me of a war chant, and then as though a command had been given, the clapping began. All around me, hands pounded together and bodies seemed to sidle closer to the throne. The mermen in front of me shifted and I could no longer see what was going on at the front of the room.

     The Lathmorian soldier, who had looked at me earlier, did so again. I gave him a half-smile before looking away quickly. I could feel his gaze on me as I tried to see over or through the cheering crowd to where Tunder now stood as king. Realizing I would have to get past the group in front of me to join Kryssa and Elik at the front of the room, I began to squeeze through the closely pressed bodies.

     Near the throne, a great call of victory rang across the room, bouncing off the ceiling, and as it faded, the crowd instantly transformed. All around me, the Lathmorians stirred, no longer stiff but moving in a fluid wave as they scrambled to assemble a line in the middle of the hall. Each eye was upon the king and they smiled at one another as the line shuffled forward. At the front, each mermaid or merman would get on one knee and pledge his loyalty to the new king. After each Lathmorian rose, the crowd would cheer and I couldn’t help but smile at their new found joy. For too long, it had seemed as though Lathmor was in a descent toward darkness. To have this moment with a glimpse at the sun was enough to lighten the worries in my own heart.

     It seemed to go on for hours, the shifting of the line as each soldier knelt before the king, and somewhere along the way, the wine cellars were opened. To me, it was all a great surprise. I had seen the wine before, but only at quiet meal times, to see the drink passed from hand to hand and poured in glasses of all sorts, was a different experience for me. Even at Nixie’s wedding last year, the wine had not been so easily drunk.

     I watched the festivities from the sidelines, my back braced against the leg of one of the statues near the wall. This particular merman statue was a stout, chiseled man with curled hairs along his forehead. His chest stuck out as though to attract attention, and his feet were pointed to the center of the room; his eyes focused on the throne. His scantily clad figure made me avert my gaze, but his leg made a good back rest and I leaned against it while watching the goings-on.

     The last man knelt to make his pledge and as soon as he stood, a louder cry rose throughout the hall. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were still concerned about a possible attack from the Hyven. From the way they were behaving, one would think they had nothing to fear.

     From my resting place, I was able to see above the crowd and catch a glimpse of Kryssa as she spoke with her sisters. On one occasion she had caught my attention and tried to wave me over, but I had declined. The last thing I wanted was everyone’s eyes to be on me, or to have to make my pledge to Tunder as well. This was a time for Lathmor, not for me.

     Through the constant thrum of voices and raised conversations, I kept an eye on the doorways and windows as though waiting for some sign of the Hyven to appear. The sun sank lower in the sky and disappeared behind the trees before I realized how tired my feet were. I pulled away from the marble statue to stretch my back.

     A yawn passed through my lips, bringing tears to my eyes for a brief moment before I noticed Elik headed my way. Upon seeing him, I smiled and waved, to which he lifted a goblet filled with the red drink.

     “What are you doing all the way over here?” he asked, having to speak louder than usual with all the Lathmorians gathered together.

     “Trying to stay out of the way,” I said and he laughed, offering me his drink. I shook my head, no, and he shrugged, taking a swig for himself.

     “Don’t you think it’s dangerous to be having a party right now?”

     “Yes,” Elik said, and I was surprised to see the smile flit across his lips. My brow furrowed and then it dawned on me.

     “We’re the bait,” I said and looked upon the scene with renewed vigor. I honed in on a group of merfolk, watching the way they spoke to one another. Their smiles were bright, but it didn’t reach their eyes and they spoke much louder than they needed to. The groups moved in small packs as though in a dance, but as I looked harder, I realized they were troops. Each one had a particular assignment, which Tunder was speaking about earlier, and they were remaining close together to be called away in an instant to their stations.

     “You see it now, don’t you?” Elik said and took another swig of the drink. The movement caught my attention and he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

     “That’s not even wine, is it?” I asked, trying to speak loud enough for him to hear, but not so loud as to alert anyone nearby.

     “Have a taste,” was his reply and he handed the goblet to me. I took a sip and scrunched my face up. It tasted like water that had been kept in the sun too long, humid and hot from the warm air, and stale.

     “That’s disgusting,” I said quietly and he laughed softly, this time I noted the way his eyes were still on alert as he pretended to be truly merry.

     “Don’t speak too loudly,” he said under his breath, just audible enough for me to hear. I nodded and let a smile grace my face as though I was having the best time of my life.

     “By the way,” I said, as though making pleasant conversation was all I wanted to do right now. “Thanks for letting me see the Outpost the other night.”

     “Kryssa thought you’d like it.”

     “I did,” I said. “I had no idea how much more there was to this place.” My gaze rose and scanned the crowd; each face remained happy and merry unless you looked closer. Even at the end of the room, the newly crowned king was seen downing a goblet of the red-dyed water, to look as though he was out of sorts. Stretching out further, I tried to listen for other sounds outside of the discordance of voices; straining to hear something which would tell me we truly were under attack, but once again, no call had been made from the shores. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Hyven had figured out a way to sneak in unannounced again.

     “Calmric!” Elik bellowed beside me, and the head of a brown-haired merman turned our way.

     He flashed his white teeth, a dimple in his chin, and excused himself from his conversation with a pretty round-faced mermaid. As he approached, Elik whispered of Calmric’s station as one of the soldiers he was in charge of at the Outpost. With each step, I noted the way he walked with a slight limp in his right leg, his browned bare feet showing just beneath the cuffs of his black soldier’s garb.

     “Elik,” he said and slapped the merman on the back. His voice was soft, and yet strong at the same time. His frame lean and chiseled, with muscles spanning his chest beneath the dark shirt which tapered to a thin, trim waist. He turned his golden-brown eyes on me. I smiled, and looked back to Elik who sighed.

     “Lissie, Calmric. Calmric, Lissie.” His hand waved between the both of us and we shook hands. “Calmric just came back from the Outpost.”

     “Ahh,” I said and nodded as my hand fell back to my side.

     “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Are you enjoying the festivities?”

     “Of course,” I replied. “Although, I don’t care for the drink,” I scrunched my nose and he laughed.

     “Me neither,” he mouthed and stared into his cup as though it would be the death of him. Shifting his focus away from the red liquid he looked at Elik and then back to the mingling group of Lathmorian mermaids. “I’ve been trying to get one of these mischievous creatures to be mine tonight, but it seems I’m to be alone.” Shocked by his words, I shifted my focus to Elik to see how he would respond to such talk.

     “I have been trying as well,” taken more aback, I waited for him to laugh and say it was all a joke, when something in the back of my mind warned me to listen harder. “I think we’re doomed tonight.”

     “I think so too. For a moment, I thought I had one, but it turned out I was wrong. Although I could’ve sworn there was something between us.”

     “Was there a glimmer?” I asked catching on to their play of words and they both smiled. Calmric turned to me and though his lips were stretched wide to reveal his white teeth, his eyes spoke of something dangerous.

     “Yes,” he said and looked away. “There was a glimmer for a moment, but it was gone before I could find it.”

     “Is the glimmer the important part?”

     “The glimmer is everything!” Calmric turned back to me. “It is the glimpse that gives instinct, the moment when I know I can pursue. But in this case, it was gone too quickly.”

     “Will it return?” Elik asked, before he took another swig of his drink. There was an inquisitive worry in his voice.

     “I’m not sure. For a while I thought so, but I pursued it and found nothing.”

     “Then you will be alone tonight?” I asked, still playing at words.

     “Yes,” he nodded his head, “I believe so.”

     Just as the last word had left his mouth, a loud scream rang throughout the room and everything stilled for an instant.

     Every eye and ear was turned toward the many windows and doors, waiting upon instinct to take them into action. My heart skipped a beat and I cast my eyes about the dim room, waiting for something to appear.

     Within a fraction of a second, three things seemed to happen at once. A figure, clad in dark clothing became visible at the end of the room standing next to the throne, and as a cry gathered in my throat, a hand clamped over my mouth and I was entrapped in the arms of Elik as he held me back. His cup of dyed water hit the floor with a banging crash and the glass shattered, as the contents splattered on my feet like spilled blood.