Fathoms of Forgiveness (Sacred Breath, Book 2) (11 page)

“Yes, that’s why it’s a secret. I’m not telling her.”

“You’re choosing to betray Adlivun for my father? How can you do this? Aazuria is more our family than Vachlan—she looked into an audience of men and was somehow able to pick out my son. She saved my life. She just lost her sister, and she couldn’t bear to lose you too. I couldn’t bear it, mama.”

“Alcyone, my star. You know how you meet someone, one person in your entire life who really gets under your skin?”
Visola paused to give her daughter a sad smile.
“Your dad’s face has never stopped haunting my dreams. Please understand that I have to do this. I’m going to sneak away during the funeral.”

Alcyone knew that she could not disobey her mother’s wishes. She trusted her.
“I understand, mama. I felt that way about John. The boys’ father, John Murphy. Isn’t that a boring, common name? It’s so American.”
She nodded, blinking away nostalgia.
“I couldn’t tell him my name was Alcyone, so I said Alice. For a moment in time, I forgot everything and became that person. Alice Murphy, a fisherman’s wife. We were just regular ol’ John and Alice…”

“I wish I could have been there at your wedding,”
Visola signed.

“It was nothing special. I had no friends or family on land, and I knew no one. It was a marriage of desperate convenience—I needed John to take care of me.”

“Love is often both desperate and convenient,”
Visola responded. She picked up the dress which was laid out on the bed, and began to undo the clasps on it. She reached out and gently began to peel the layers of blankets away from her daughter.
“Here, let me help you get into this.”

Visola helped her daughter to slip out of her nightgown and into the green dress that Callder had chosen. Alcyone felt embarrassed that her shaking hands were so incapable that her mother’s broken fingers were doing what she could not.

“I was supposed to take care of you in your old age,” Alcyone said as Visola adjusted the gown.
“This is all wrong. It’s all reversed. You already took care of me once.”

“Maybe your father will beat me until I’m crippled and you’ll still get a chance to take care of me.”

“Mama! That isn’t reassuring.”

“Sorry, sweetheart,”
Visola said with a smile.
“Truth is that I’m the luckiest mother ever to have enough strength to take care of my daughter twice. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

Alcyone looked at her mother solemnly for a moment before speaking in a pleading voice.
“Don’t go, mama. We have been separated for so long. Now after just a few weeks together…”

“I must, Alcie. Trust me on this. Will you help me? Sometime after midnight, pretend like you just discovered I’ve gone missing. Tell them to hold off on their attack, okay? Do anything you can to stop them from attacking Zimovia. They won’t be successful.”

“What if they won’t listen to me?

“They will. Here, stand up sweetie, let me look at you.”

Visola helped her daughter up, and Alcyone’s hands hung loosely at her sides.
“Mama, don’t you care about Zuri? She lost her father and Corallyn. If something happens to you, she’s going to lose her mind.”

“No, she won’t. She’s got Trevain to help her through. He’s the perfect devoted boy-toy.”

“Boy-toy!”
Alcyone protested, uncomfortable with her son being called this, but then she saw that her mother was smiling. Leave it to Visola to entice a smile out of her even as they prepared for the funeral of her childhood friend
.

“You know, mama, I spent so many years regretting ever leaving Adlivun. Now, after what happened to Corallyn, I’m beginning to think that it was for the best. I experienced so many different aspects of life. I have my two boys. Even if I died now, or even if I had died in that asylum… I would have left some mark on the world in my sons. They would carry on something of me in them long after I was gone. What has Corallyn left behind? Nothing.”

“I know how you feel, Alcie.”
Visola looked at her daughter lovingly.
“I feel the same way about you. If I never did anything good in the world, if I never achieved anything at all, my life still couldn’t have been meaningless because of you. I have tried so hard to hate your dad with a vengeance, but how could I? He gave me you.”

“Anyone can pop out sperm. It doesn’t make him a good person, and you should not allow nostalgia and paternity to stand in your way of fighting this war.”

“Sweetie, I said I couldn’t hate him as much as I would like to. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to kill him dead as a doornail!”
Visola smiled, and then frowned.
“What the hell is a doornail? Anyway, Corallyn did leave something behind. Memories. We have her in our memories, and I’ll never forget that crazy kid.”

Alcyone nodded.
“I love you mama. Please be careful,”
she signed, before reaching out and hugging Visola tightly.

“I love you too, baby,”
Visola said, returning the hug with gentle fierceness. She hoped that it would not be the last time she held her daughter.
“Let’s go honor Corallyn.”

Alcyone smiled, and began to swim out of the room. She had forgotten how much easier it was to move in water than on land, and she was thrilled that she did not need her mother’s help to move her legs. She felt somehow stronger once she was engaged in the familiar motion of swimming.

When the two women emerged from the room, they were startled by guards rushing through the corridors, swimming past them in a flurry. Visola frowned, sensing that something was wrong. She reached out and drew her daughter closer to her, and swam upwards through the tunnels. The cathedral where the funeral was being held was in a dry room, so it was closer to sea level than the bedchambers. Underwater, tunnels did not need to be perfectly horizontal, and could be positioned at every angle, or even be completely vertical. Visola now navigated one of these vertical hallways, before reaching the intersecting corridor and swimming to the cathedral.

When she entered the room, the first thing she became aware of was the way that Aazuria was shouting orders to guards. Trevain had his head in his hands, and Elandria looked terrified. Queen Amabie had her arms crossed across her chest, and Callder was pacing back and forth restlessly. No one was paying attention to the urn which contained Corallyn’s cremated ashes. Something important was disrupting the private ceremony.

“What’s going on?” Visola asked with puzzlement, as she wiped her wet bangs out of her eyes. “I was only gone for a few minutes.”

Aazuria turned to look at Visola and her daughter. She did not hesitate or break it to them gently; there was no time. “No one can find Sionna,” she said bitterly.

Visola swallowed. She turned to make brief eye contact with her daughter, and saw Alcyone’s worried expression. She looked at Queen Amabie, and saw pity and fear in the woman’s eyes. This was serious. Everyone was assuming the worst.

“Have you asked the infirmary staff?” Alcyone questioned.

“Of course,” Aazuria said with a scowl. “She has been missing since around the time we found Corallyn’s body. We were so distracted by the body parts that we did not realize this.”

“It’s not possible,” Visola said softly. “I pumped up security over a hundred percent after they took Corallyn. I even have the Ningyo warriors standing watch. We’re so heavily guarded that not even the tiniest stray fish can break into Adlivun.”

“Well, evidently someone did,” Queen Amabie said.

“There’s a note,” Naclana said, as he burst into the room.

“What does he want?” Aazuria asked. “Tell me at once. Summarize.”

Naclana lifted his shoulders helplessly. “The same thing he’s been requesting all along; Visola.”

Aazuria exchanged a look with Trevain before turning to gaze at Queen Amabie. Visola walked into the center of the room, and put her hands on her hips.

“We can’t sit on our asses and wait any longer. It’s obviously not working. We need to change things up.” Visola spoke with great forcefulness. “Here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going. While I’m gone, Trevain and Aazuria must get married and go through the coronation. It will be good for Adlivun to have a King and Queen again,” Visola said. “You will stop preparing to attack Zimovia at once, and place all our troops in a defensive position.  Do you all understand me? Bolster our defenses.”

Aazuria found herself nodding, even though she did not agree with this strategy. At the moment, Visola was too determined. Arguing with her would be futile.

 “Trevain will serve as a figurehead commander for our forces,” Visola continued. “I know this seems like a strange decision. Aazuria could do it, but she has a reputation of being a bit soft when it comes to the military. They’ll walk all over her. Trevain has an aura of newness about him—the lost son of Adlivun returning home after fifty years. The only thing better than a general leading the forces is a king.”

“Grandma, I don’t think I can…”

“You will. I’m deputizing you, Trevain,” she told him, conclusively. “You ran a ship—you know how to be in charge. Consider it a promotion from being Captain. I saw your library. I leafed through your books on naval warfare. You have all the knowledge you need to do this.”

“Theory and practice are two very different…”

“Even if you were not my grandson, and even if you were not marrying the princess, I would still ask you to be the Admiral of our fleet. We need your modern perspective in our navy. I shot you in the arm. Atargatis blew your boat up, and you’re still standing. You’re tough, grandson. You can inspire this country. Zuri will help you make decisions, and Queen Amabie will be here until things settle down. You won’t be alone.”

Trevain shook his head. “I really don’t…”

“It’s not up for discussion,” Visola said. “I’m going to get my sister back. There is no way that I’m letting her come back in pieces like Corallyn did.”

Aazuria stared at her friend for a moment before beginning to nod slowly. She realized that reasoning with her was impossible. “Okay. I understand, Viso. You have to do what you have to do. I support your decision—I appreciate that you’re willing to sacrifice yourself to save your sister.”

“Thanks, Zuri.” Visola bowed slightly from the waist. “I knew you would understand.”

“Please be safe, Visola,” Aazuria said softly. The princess extended her arms to her friend, and Visola walked forward to embrace her. At the last second, Aazuria shifted her weight and slammed the back of her hand into Visola’s head. It happened so fast that Alcyone barely had time to shriek. The general started falling to the floor, but Aazuria caught her around the waist and gently lowered her.

“Forgive me, my friend,” Aazuria said tenderly, looking down at Visola’s closed eyelids. She turned to the others in the room. “I hate to do this, but I must forfeit Sionna.” She saw in the surprised and incredulous expressions that someone was about to argue with her and she violently gestured to Corallyn’s urn. “I have lost my sister too, but there is no way in any dimension of hell that I am going to let Visola make a martyr of herself on some wild goose chase. Her foolish recklessness is endearing, but this situation calls for patience; and we all know that patience has never been Visola’s strong suit. Am I right?”

“I agree with your decision, Princess Aazuria,” Queen Amabie said, saluting Aazuria and inclining her head ever so slightly. “To protect those we love, we must sometimes use great force.”

Alcyone nodded too as she stared at Visola’s unconscious body. “Thank you, Aazuria. You have saved my mother’s life.”

“Visola’s life was hers to give,”
Elandria interjected with hesitating hands.
“She deserved the freedom to sacrifice herself if it was her wish! Would you not have done the same for me, Aazuria?”

Aazuria cast her eyes downward and could not respond. She felt a pang of remorse as she looked at Visola’s peaceful expression as she lay on the floor, her red hair spread out all around her.

“This dude is my grandfather, right?” Callder asked. “I just don’t understand how he can do this shit.”

Alcyone moved across the room to sit beside her youngest son, and she slipped her arm around him comfortingly. Meanwhile, Trevain was crouching down over his grandmother, and shaking his head.

“She may have seemed crazy to you, Aazuria, but I really believe she knew what she was doing,” he said crossly. “You told me what a brilliant strategist she is, and what an amazing general. So, why don’t you trust her?”