wrath of the Sea Queen (111 page)

Vin
finally
stirred and opened his eyes.  Somehow, he heard Salma's words to C
a
eli and
understood her concern regarding
the influx of energy continuing to
bolster
him.  C
a
eli was offering him
an un
encumbered
stream of energy
, which h
e could feel stead
ily drain
ing out of her. 
Unfortunately, her own reserves were already vastly depleted. 
Vin sat up slowly, slightly dizzy, but C
a
eli did
n
o
t
s
top sending the energy his way
. 
She
was
s
o focused on the flow of her gift,
that she
allowed
it
to
turn
her
mind
further
in
ward
.
  Rika
had been waiting for an opportunity exactly like this one and
ambushed
C
a
eli
as she walked within her own thoughts
.

"
You cannot stop now.  He will take all that you can give, and it still won't be enough. 
You are not
skilled
enough to save him. 
He will die unless you
permit
me
to
help you.  Why do you resist?  We would both benefit from the arrangement.  You cannot imagine the wondrous skills I could teach you.
"

"
Vin will not die.  Salma said he would be fine.
"

"
What does she know of real healing?  She only plays at helping people
with her bandages and bottled drugs
.  You and I hold the true power to grant health or deny it
.
"

"
That's not true!  Salma helps lots of people
.
  Just because I can heal a wound does not make me a doctor.  Salma
has vast knowledge, tons of experience, and
is
highly
skilled.
  By comparison, I am
greatly
lacking
.
"

"
You are so much more
than her
.  You just can't see it yet.  Instead of letting me show you,
you
debate
with me. 
In truth, y
ou
deny me for a man.  He is a fine specimen
,
for certain,
but you need not choose between us.  Y
ou can have both. 
It will be better for him, too.
  In fact, your relationship could evolve
into something
…
spectacular,
as mine
once
did.  O
f course
, you could lose him entirely
if you
a
re not careful
. 
You must see that I am trying to help you. 
If I did
n
o
t care, then I would let you continue
this fruitless venture
.  H
e will die, and your reason to refuse me would be gone
. 
A
s you
can
see, I
a
m trying to save you both
.
"

"
You speak
of good intentions
and great possibilities
,
but
your words
do not ring true.  You
are
giving
m
e a headache
.  G
o away
, Rika
!
"
  C
a
eli's command was insistent
though
weak as her ener
gy continued to pour
unfettered
into Vin.

Rika's presence
faded away from
C
a
eli's mind, but the distraction caused her to
completely
lose track of the aid she was sending Vin. 
She did
n
o
t know how to stop
the flow of energy
now
.  In another couple of minutes, she would be completely drained
and at the mercy of the water surrounding her
.  She would be at Rika's mercy.  Too late, C
a
eli
discovered
Rika's duplicity.

"
C
a
eli, stop
!
"
  Vin's
stern
warning
jarred
her
awareness.
  His hand gently closed over
Salma's
and pulled it away from his
chest
. 
Releasing Salma's hand
sufficient
ly
sever
ed
the outpouring from C
a
eli
, but he held their link open
.

"
Vin, you're awake
!
"
 
Relief washed over Vin as C
a
eli's
similar
feelings
flowed
across their link
.

"
Yes, and apparen
tly
just in
time.  I don't understand
the
portion of the
conversation I overheard, but you are right not to listen to
this lady
.
This is not the first time
I have heard
you
talk
ing
to her, and
I think we
need to
talk about this
further
. 
Actually, there are several recent events we need to
discuss
.
"

"
I would like that
very much
, Vin.  I could
sure
use your help.  I
a
m so confused.
"

"
Sit tight.  I will be there in five minutes. 
We will finally have our talk. 
And C
a
eli
;
t
hank you
.
"

Vin assured her that he was all right.  It would not take more than five minutes to reach the hotel from the lighthouse.
  Vin could let Be
n bring Salma back alone and run down the beach
by himself
.  His gift could get him
there
even
faster
.
  After overhearing the last few exchanges between C
a
eli and Rika, Vin was more than a little
anxious to
find out exactly wh
o
C
a
eli
had been
talking to
and what
she
wanted
. 

Vin knew that C
a
eli
had taken
a huge risk to help him
and something
had gone
wrong.  She had almost gone too far. 
Having heard the way
the woman
spoke
condescendingly
to C
a
eli,
Vin easily determined the source of th
e
wrong turn
.