The noise from the waterfall dissipated under the surface and after just a few feet, the pool became clear. Leaving the churning and tumbling behind, I swam down and down until I could see the bottom. Julian bumped up against my side and nudged me toward the large rock wall that had created the water fall. I was confused until I looked a little closer.
At the base of the outcropping, and hidden deep under the rushing water, was a cave. All of my friends and the remaining selkies had disappeared, presumably into this tunnel. I swam toward the opening, surprised to see that it was larger than I’d originally thought. Bracing both arms against the entrance, I tried to see through the depth of the cave. However, beyond the first few inches, everything looked dark.
I felt another shove against my back and resisted the urge to punch Julian in the face. Instead, I pulled myself forward feeling a bit of satisfaction when my tail slammed against the selkie’s body.
The cave was so black that I needed to use my hands to guide me through. Although I could hold my breath for a long time once I transitioned, a little spark of panic tumbled in my stomach. What if I couldn’t get air? What if I drowned? But I quickly tried to squash those ridiculous notions. Selkies needed to breathe too, so I doubted they would lead us into a trap. At least not one that would drown us.
The cave seemed to go on forever. I twisted and turned around curves and boulders, sometimes scraping my body against the sides. After what seemed to be several minutes, I noticed a bit of light ahead. It was just enough to make out the dark rocky walls interspersed with ledges and grooves that showed the history of how this cave had been formed. Millions of years had carved their markings and made a lasting impression on the earth.
The deep, calm interior pool became the welcome center. When I surfaced, I immediately began searching for my friends only to be disappointed when Julian arrived and I didn’t see any of the others. He nodded toward the far side of the pool, expecting me to follow. Instead, I took in my surroundings. The cave ceiling was at least a hundred feet high and the entire opening seemed to be as vast as a house. Large flame lanterns hung periodically along the walls, high enough above the water not to be a problem. They cast an eerie glow heightened by the uneven rocky walls enclosing us. Water dripped and dropped from the ceiling, but in the distance, I thought I heard voices.
Wanting to find my friends and get out of here, I hurried to the side of the pool in time to see Julian step from his skin and walk into a darkened area. A large, flat rock provided the perfect structure for a wading beach and as I propped myself up on to it, I turned so that my back faced Julian. I didn’t need him observing my change, especially since I suspected it was going to be painful.
It was. And the more I tried to ignore the sharp breaking and twisting of bones and muscle, the more it hurt. But I sat there in utter silence, deciding that now was not the time to show any more weakness. I’d already made enough bad decisions that potentially cost my friends their lives, it was the least I could do to try and be strong for them.
I don’t even know how long I sat there before I felt like I could move again. Changing into my other form had always been so easy and welcoming for me. Perhaps it was because of the situation, but I also secretly wondered if something more was happening to me. With everything else going on right now, my capture in particular, I decided not to worry about that at the moment.
“Here,” Julian’s calm voice cut into my thoughts. “You’ll need it.”
I turned to see him holding a blue silk robe in his extended hand. Briefly, I thought perhaps he was uncomfortable with my nudity, until I saw that he wore something similar. Although his robe seemed to be thicker and longer than mine, it was still the same royal blue color which appeared almost black in the limited lamp light.
I grabbed the robe but refused to thank him for it. When I tried to tuck my legs underneath me though, my bones protested to the sudden movement. Apparently, I needed a little more time to recover. I was embarrassed at this and it only made my blood boil more. It was when Julian sat down next to me that I almost lost control. I didn’t want to be around him and right now he knew I couldn’t get away. I let out an exaggerated sigh and tried to face my back toward him.
He laughed softly at my childish behavior. “You don’t need to hate me so much, Eviana,” he cooed.
“What? You kidnapped all of us! Why wouldn’t I hate you?” I turned so that I could look him directly in the eye. “If you hurt Brendan, I swear-”
“You’ll what?” He cut me off.
“I’ll kill you,” I sneered.
Julian looked at me for a few moments without saying anything. I was about to turn away when he snorted and another irritating smirk appeared on his face.
“And I think you would, too.”
He stared off at the distant edge of the pool where we’d entered through the underground tunnel. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he hugged himself. It was such an odd movement for someone of his size and age. It almost humanized him for a brief instant.
Speaking to the distance he said, “Our kinds are not supposed to be together. It doesn’t ever work out.” He shook his head before continuing. “You’re going to have to let him go, Eviana. You don’t belong together.”
There were a thousand things that I wanted to say to him at that moment. Like it’s none of your business or he’s my soul mate and that it doesn’t matter what kind of shifters we were. But what I said instead surprised even me.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
Something about his slumped shoulders and faraway thoughts led me to believe he’d walked a day in my shoes. He had loved a mermaid once.
This time his laugh was forced and the smile seemed to cause him pain. “Very perceptive.” He looked at me. “I’m impressed.”
I blushed at his praise and broke the eye contact.
“Yes, I have personal experience with a situation not unlike your own and believe me when I tell you that it just won’t work out.”
“Brendan and I are different,” I stated.
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, we are,” I foolishly argued. “I left my home to be with him. I gave up my responsibilities and my clan because I couldn’t bear the thought of living without him. We’ve grown up together, know each other’s deepest secrets, and want nothing more than to be with each other.”
Julian chuckled again and looked at me with sympathy contorting his face.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Young love.”
He let go of his knees to stretch out his legs. Crossing one over the other at the ankles, he leaned back and gazed upward like he could watch the stars. “Brendan is a good kid, but he’ll leave you one day. It’s his duty and he won’t be able to ignore the call.”
Julian was referring to the fact that all selkies had to mate with a human in order to prolong their line. Brendan told me that he didn’t want that for himself and I always believed him.
“He won’t do that,” I countered.
Again, Julian glanced my way in pity. “He will, Eviana. It may not be now, or five years from now. But one day the call will be too much for him. It’s the bane of our existence. He won’t be able to fight his nature forever.”
I found myself momentarily speechless. Here was Julian, an older and supposedly wiser selkie telling me that my boyfriend, the only person in this world I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, would someday leave me to impregnate another female. And once that was done, he would stick around until the birth, stealing the child and raising it on his own as they all do. Could I handle that? Could I help him raise another woman’s child? Would I be able to get past that betrayal?
“And it would seem as though you have obligations of your own,” Julian continued, bringing me back to the present.
“Huh?” I so cleverly replied.
Julian smiled. “You’re the next in line amongst the Dumahl clan. I’m sure this entails much respo
nsibility in your future.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I guess you haven’t heard then. I’ve been shunned. No leadership in my future.” I watched Julian’s face to see if this was news to him. It stayed annoyingly blank.
“That is interesting, but I don’t believe it will stop your advancement.”
“What are you talking about?” I felt like I’d asked that question a zillion times in the past few days.
“You will be a leader, Eviana. There is no denying it. In fact, your powers are already increasing. You cannot be with Brendan.”
“My powers?”
“Yes. Your ability to control humans and other shifters?” He looked at my stunned expression and chuckled. “Did they teach you anything?”
I had to join him in laughter. “No, they didn’t as I’ve so grudgingly learned the last few days.”
The first I’d really heard about this mind control stuff was when we met Jeremiah Williams, and I certainly didn’t like what I’d discovered.
“But you know about mermaid abilities?” he prodded.
“Yes,” I said, even if I didn’t fully understand everything. “And I know they aren’t supposed to appear until we take leadership. I don’t know why that is, exactly, but that’s what happens.”
“Well, I’ll tell you that it has nothing to do with leadership.” He pointed to my heart. “It’s in there. You are either born with it or not. And you, Eviana, are strong.”
He was the first person to ever call me strong. Strong-willed, strong-minded, sure. But not strong in a powerful and useful way. For an instant, I let my mind absorb that compliment to its fullest. If only my mother and father knew that. If only my bratty sister knew what I could supposedly do with my mind, then maybe she would have some respect for me. Or maybe I could force her to.
I thought about Kain and his position now. Would he be able to forgive me if he knew what I could do? I could help him if he needed me and together we’d rule our families with strength and power. I could actually become what I was meant to be.
And then I thought about Brendan. He’d been warned about mermaids as a child. And now it seemed as though the danger for him was more real than ever. I sighed and shook my head then picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the water as far as I could. It barely made it halfway, but the ripples distracted me from my reality for a while.
“What is it?” Julian asked with sincere interest.
“I was just thinking about something Brendan told me. He said before his father left him that he warned him to stay away from mermaids.” I turned to look at Julian. “Apparently, he was right.” I tried to smile at the irony of it all, but could barely muster a grin.
“He told you that?” Julian questioned.
“Yes. I think he found it amusing considering that we’d already met by then.”
“Hmm.” He didn’t say anything else for a while. I tossed another pebble into the annoyingly calm waters and was surprised when Julian followed my lead. It seemed to be calming for the both of us. Suddenly, I had a thought.
“Can I control you?”
That earned me a full out laugh this time. “You’re not that good, Eviana.”
“But I think I did something at the bridge. I think that maybe I controlled some of your selkies.”
“They aren’t my selkies,” he was quick to correct me. “And, yes, I think your abilities manifested when you were afraid. But it isn’t enough. Not yet.” Instead of being fearful of my abilities, Julian almost seemed…proud. Like he was going to enjoy the day when I’d have enough power and control to act as puppet master to all other creatures. “Put your robe on.”
“Why?”
“Because they are waiting for us.” Julian stood and walked away from me. “Your legs should be good by now.”
I wanted to throw a pebble at him for noticing my weakness before. But my legs were in fact healed and pain-free, so I stood and wrapped the soft silken robe around my naked body. I noticed that my head didn’t hurt nearly as bad, thanks to my change. Doing a quick assessment of all my injuries, I realized I felt pretty good considering the situation.
Julian was quickly disappearing into the darkness, leaving me alone with the steadily dripping water. I called after him.
“Where did they take Brendan?” My feet slipped on the damp rocks and I tried not to look too uncoordinated as I hustled after Julian.
“He’s with the others,” his voice echoed off the barren walls.
“I want to see him,” I demanded.
“I’m sure you do.”
It seemed as though our little bonding session had ended and it was back to business for the both of us now. I continued to ask, poke, and prod for more information, but it appeared that Julian was finished speaking to me. He didn’t seem like an evil minion, but he refused to answer my questions about why he’d kidnapped us.
When I finally gave up, I realized we must have walked a half a mile deeper into this never-ending cave. At some point, the rocky ledges gave way to a carved pathway. The walls of the tunnel had been carved out to allow for more elaborate torches and high ceilings. I felt like I was in a castle with stone walls and a damp interior. But this castle was hidden somewhere far underground. Someplace where no one could find it. Or us.
There was a door up ahead and to the left. It was the first one I’d seen and it was made of stone. Impressed, I had to look at it a little bit closer. The thing must have weighed a ton and it was unclear to me how the hinges were set.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
Julian stopped in front of the door and began to pull it open. “It’s where we’re going.” I leaned out past him to look further down the tunnel. It didn’t seem to have an end in sight, so perhaps this doorway would take us to our destination after all. Julian tugged until the door opened and waved me inside.
“After you.”
Not wanting to appear scared, I discretely leaned my head in to see if I could tell what waited for me. It looked like another large room, hollowed out of the massive rock mountain. More torches lit the area and I saw several bunk beds on one side with a small stone table on the other. And sitting around it were all of my friends. Everyone except for Brendan.
“Where is he?” I demanded again.
“He’s safe for now. It will all depend on you.”
I was tired of his cryptic words and hidden agenda. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“You will. Now, please join your friends. I’ll be back shortly.” With that, he quickly moved behind my back and shoved me inside.
I fell to my knees and as the giant stone door banged shut, Daniel rushed to my side. The change must have helped to heal most of his injuries too, although I noticed his right eye was still a little bit swollen.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded my head and pushed up to my feet. We moved to the far side of the room where Kain and Carissa sat side by side on a stone bench. My heart dropped a bit when I saw her curled up against him, practically sitting in his lap. Kain’s left arm draped over her shoulder and his head rested against the top of hers. He made no attempt to acknowledge my presence and that hurt more than anything else.
Daniel and I sat down across from them on an identical bench. We all wore the silk robes with Carissa and me in short ones and Daniel and Kain in the version similar to what Julian had put on. No one spoke. Although the silence was beyond uncomfortable, I certainly didn’t know what to say. This was all my fault and I would rather suffer in silence than have my friends yell at me.
“So now what do we do?” Daniel finally asked.
I didn’t raise my head to see that he was looking at me and not Kain. Why I was suddenly the one in charge completely dumbfounded me. Wasn’t it apparent that I was incapable of such responsibilities?
“Do you know what they might want?” Carissa looked up at Kain and asked.
He shrugged. “I have no idea, although I think we should come
up with some kind of plan to get out of here.”
“Does anyone know where we are?” asked Daniel.
“In a cave,” Carissa replied dead pan.
“I’m guessing we’re in Virginia,” Kain said, ignoring her response. “I’ve heard about these systems of underwater caverns, but I don’t think very many humans have been able to explore them before.”
We all sat and thought about that for a while until Daniel interrupted the silence again.
“So how do we get out?”
“I don’t know,” Kain sighed.
“I have an idea,” I said, suddenly feeling hopeful again.