Beyond the Sea (42 page)

“Yes. I’m guessing it’s near; Vaianu would want to keep it near to guard it.”

“Could it be underwater?”

“I don’t think so,” Melia said, shaking her head.

“I can’t see anything, Melia,” Peter said apologetically.

“It’s ok, we can.” Melia rested her head for a minute, putting it on Peter’s shoulder. “Who brought you here?”

“The key thing.”

“Key-ask,” Melia sounded out for him. “And did you go to that cave right away?”

“No, there was a clearing in the woods.”

Melia was already on her feet. “Do you think you can show me?”

“I don’t know. It was dark then. I couldn’t see where I was going.” Peter swallowed. “I’ll do my best.” He got up and held a hand out to Melia.

“What are you thinking?” Nerina asked, stumbling in the rocky sand.

“I’m thinking,” Melia answered in Mermish. “That Vaianu wouldn’t keep the egg far away. Did he sneak in through the weeds or up the cliff?”

“Through the weeds. But on the other side of the cave than I was on.”

Melia nodded, the wheels in her head spinning. “We need to find it,” she said simply.

“Even if I could lend an extra pair of eyes and see in the dark,” Peter began, his face grim, “There is a lot of ground to cover. It could be anywhere.”

“You’re right,” Melia agreed and translated for Nerina. She bit her lip, looking around the ominous beach. “Jamie!” she exclaimed, the idea popping into her head.

“Jamie?” Peter said dubiously.

“Yes! She can do a spell!”

“A
what
?”

“A spell. I have a spell book.” Madly, Melia dumped the contents of the bag Nerina had managed to hold onto. She grabbed her phone and dialed Jamie’s number. “Argh!” she cried. “It’s not working.”

Peter took the phone from her. “You have no service,” he explained, seeing the lack of bars. “I never get service this close to the water.”

Melia nodded, quickly recapped everything to Nerina, who was completely clueless about cell phones, grabbed Peter’s hand and ran away from the shore.

“Jamie!” Melia shouted, once her best friend picked up the phone. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your date with Jeff, but I have an emergency.” She spat out what had happened. “Ok, thanks, Jamie.” She hung up and smiled. “She’s on her way.”

“Jamie’s a witch?” Peter stammered.

“Not really,” Melia hastily explained. “She could be, if she practiced.”

“Anyone can be a witch?”

“Not really,” she said again, nervously looking at the rocky studded water. “Jamie is very in tune with the elements; it comes naturally for her.”

“When this is over, you’re going to explain this all to me,” Peter said, his blue eyes dazed.

Melia smiled at him. “When this is over. I promise.” The three slowly walked back to the water. Melia glanced at Vaianu’s body; strewn unnaturally on the rocks, blood dripping down his face.

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done,” Peter said, feeling more than a little hollow. “Keeping watch over a dead body that can’t really die because its soul is trapped in an egg while waiting for a possible witch to come and help us find it.”

Melia laughed slightly. “Yea, it’s not your typical night.” They sat back in the sand, not speaking until Jamie called. Peter stayed along the water with Nerina while Melia raced to greet her friend. Jamie took the contents out of her large bag, carefully laying the ancient book on the ground. Melia gave Nerina the flashlight to hold. The Oceanid looked at it in wonder, turning it around, shining the light in her face.

“Shine it here,” Melia instructed. She flipped through the pages. “There!” she said in Mermish. She shook her head and in English spoke, “This is the spell, Jamie. It says…it says to cast a circle.”

“I don’t know how to do that,” Jamie admitted, feeling a black ball of guilt drop in her stomach.

“You can try,” Melia coaxed. “I think you can.” She stood. “Come on, let’s get started.”

Following Melia’s translation, Jamie drew a pentagram in the sand. She put a candle inside a tall jar and lit it. She had seen the egg in her visions, so she knew exactly what to look for. She closed her eyes, repeating the incantation over and over. The flame grew, higher and higher, until it reached the top of the jar, the yellow light dancing in the wind. A tiny ember crackled off. Instead of floating on the breeze and sizzling out, it hovered, slowly growing brighter and brighter.

“Jamie,” Melia whispered.

“Wow,” Jamie couldn’t help but say when she saw the little ember. “Ok, um, show us the egg. Please.” The ember whisked away. The four scrambled to follow it. They scaled back up the cliff, past the cave and into the weedy trees. They tripped over fallen logs and jagged rocks. Finally, Melia caught the scent of something.

“Seaweed,” she said, her voice quiet. The ember hovered above it, warmly glowing in the dark night.

“Thank you,” Jamie spoke, her voice unsure. The ember burned brighter and then extinguished. With no light, Peter and Jamie were blind. Melia gently pushed past them, her hands touching the plant. Hidden in a blanket of seaweed was Peter’s phone and the egg. Melia picked it up. It resembled an ostrich egg in its size and texture. Vaianu’s soul slithered around inside, an iridescent blue shining through the thin shell.

Melia led the way back to the cave landing.
 
“What you did can never be undone,” she spoke. “But you will never kill again.” She stepped to the edge of the cliff and raised the egg above her head. Her eyes widened in terror and the egg slipped through her fingers. The translucent light hovered above the wet rocks, its beauty reflected off the slick surface.

“Now,” Peter said, taking Melia’s hand. “It really is over.”

“No.” Melia let out a shaking breath. “Vaianu. He’s gone.”

-Chapter
 
17-

“What do you mean, he’s gone?”

“I mean his body isn’t there!” Melia told Peter, motioning to the drop off.

“We need to go!” Nerina shouted. Though she was speaking Mermish, it wasn’t hard for Peter and Jamie to discern her message. They raced to the road. Jamie threw her bag in the back seat and opened the passenger side door for Nerina. Peter jumped into the R8, taking the keys from Melia. He stomped on the gas, not letting up until they were in sight of The Ridge.

“Are we in danger?” Jamie asked as soon as they closed the door to Melia’s room.

“Not yet,” Melia said, staring uneasily out her large windows. “Now that Vaianu’s soul is gone, it will take him time to heal. And he won’t be as reckless.”

“We have time then,” Peter assured himself. “Until he will attack again.”

“Yes,” Melia agreed. With a sigh, she sunk down on her bed. “Jamie, you were amazing. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“I’m tired,” Melia announced. She shook her head and rested it in her hands. “You guys can go home and sleep. I promise you that you are safe for a few days at least.”

“You should come over,” Peter offered. “Both of you.”

“I’m not leaving my mother,” Melia told him. “You can stay.”

“I will.” His eyes met Melia’s. He wasn’t going to let that creep of a creature hurt her. Jamie stayed a while longer; her heart wouldn’t stop racing. Tired, everyone quickly showered and got ready for bed. Nerina settled comfortably in the guest room across the hall from Melia’s room. Peter wrapped his arms around Melia, pulling the blankets close. He didn’t plan on letting her go until morning.

“Peter?” Melia whispered, feeling horribly guilty he had been kidnapped at her expense.

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

Peter kissed her neck. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I know. I’m so glad I have you. And I’m sorry you got mixed up in this mess.”

“I’m not. Melia…I would get mixed up in a million more messes if it meant being with you.”

Melia twisted around in Peter’s arms. “That’s wrong, Peter. I-I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You deserve someone like you. Someone human. I’m not right for you.”

“You are perfect for me.”

“No, I’m not! I’m half merrow and half Oceanid. I belong in the water. This-this world isn’t mine! I’m intruding and lying and pretending to be someone I’m not. What kind of future do we have? I’ll always miss the ocean. I’ll always have to lie. And what about a family, Peter? I don’t even know if I can give that to you. I’m not what you want. You might think so, but I’m not.”

The seriousness in her voice scared Peter. “Are you breaking up with me?” The words spilled from his mouth against his will.

“Yes. No. I-I don’t know.”

“Is that what you want?”

“No. I don’t want to go a second without you. I love you, Peter. I love you so much that I think it would be better if you never saw me again.”

Peter’s heart pounded. “I don’t want to ever be without you, either. Melia, I can make up my own mind. If I want to be around danger, I think that’s my choice, right?”

“I guess so.”

“And I fully know who you are, what you are and what that means. And I accept it. Everything. I love you, the whole you.”

“But—” Melia objected.

“—Listen,” Peter interrupted. “I choose you. I love you. If you don’t want to be with me because you don’t love me, then don’t. But if you’re trying to protect me, leaving me would do the most damage.”

Melia closed her eyes. She was so tired and wanted this day to end. She wanted to wake up happy. She wanted to feel the sun on her face and hear the crash of the waves on the shore. “Ok,” she agreed. She held tightly to Peter, listening to his heartbeat. With Peter, she had love. She had hope. She had a promise of a better tomorrow. Those were things Vaianu would never have.

*

“So the ceasg wasn’t really bad then, right?” Jamie asked carefully.

“Not really. I don’t think she agreed with what Vaianu was doing.”

“But overall, you’d group them with the ‘in between things’?”

“Yes, because they have powerful wish-granting magic that costs you your soul.” Melia put a spoonful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth, hoping Nerina would give in and try it. “I promise it’s good,” she said with a sigh. Teaching Nerina how to be human was exhausting. Melia wondered if she had been as much trouble. Nerina was even more easily distracted than Melia was. Giving up, Melia stayed home from school the last two days to keep watch over her friend.

After dinner, the girls went up to Melia’s room, flipping through channels. Nerina sat close to the TV, reaching out to touch the screen every now and them. Jamie stopped on a talk show; today’s rerun featuring paternity tests.

 
“Is that normal for humans?” Melia asked, tipping her head curiously.

“To not know who the father is?” Jamie asked. When Melia nodded, she said, “I wouldn’t say ‘normal’ but it’s not unheard of.” The host had the DNA results in his hand. He paused dramatically before revealing who the father was (in this case, it was the mother’s best friend’s boyfriend). The cameras followed the crying girl backstage.

“I totally called it,” Jamie said, shaking her head. Then the screen went blank. A second later, “BREAKING NEWS” replaced what they had been watching.

“Good afternoon,” the reporter spoke. “I’m Marissa Barkly with WES, interrupting your programming with a Special Report. San Morado Police say there may be a killer on the loose, as they found a body in the rocky waters of the public beach. Details on how the victim was slain have not yet been released. Police urge San Morado residents to be extra vigilant and cautious and to report any suspicious activity immediately. We will return now to regular programming. Tune in tonight to hear the full report. I’m Marissa Barkly, WES News, California.”

Melia and Jamie turned to face one another. Nerina pounced on the bed, asking what happened. Melia quickly explained.

“Vaianu,” Nerina hissed. Jamie shook her head.

“Jamie,” Melia said sternly. “Don’t be naive. The beach. The ocean. Vaianu…”

“But it can’t be him. If he didn’t end up bleeding to death, then he’s at least seriously injured.”

Melia shook her head. “In the Marines, you have a leader.”

“Yea, he’s called a General.”

“Well, if the General is killed in war, the others don’t just stop, do they?”

Fear enclosed Jamie’s heart. “No.”

“Killing Vaianu isn’t going to stop this, Jamie. Someone else will rise into his position. I-I don’t know how it will stop. But I have to do something.”

Jamie’s brow furrowed; the problem ran deeper than one crazy adaro. Melia was right. Taking down Vaianu wouldn’t set things right. She didn’t understand the underwater politics. She barely understood human politics. But she knew enough to know that even if she wanted to, there was no way she could make a difference in a war. Could Melia?

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.” She combed her hair to the side of her head, roughly raking her fingers through it. “What-what if Vaianu was right about me?”

“He’s not,” Jamie countered quickly.

“Not about me being a great leader of a human-hating army, but about me being a great leader in general.”