Immortal Essence Box Set: Aligned, Exiled, Beguiled (43 page)

Which was worse? I wondered.

Michael fell to his knees and closed his eyes.

“Michael?”

“You. Are. Exquisite,” he said, sounding as though he were in agony. His arms fell to his sides, and dangled like a rag dolls.

Anxious about what might be wrong, I lifted my dress by the hem, and pushed through the water, toward Michael.

Your soul mate.
The words rushed through my mind.

“Michael,” I said again. As I walked, the sand suddenly shifted beneath my feet, and I fell to my knees. The frigid water prickled my dry skin like thousands of tiny stings. I gasped in shock and hauled my feet under me to stand. At that moment though, a very large, very heavy sneaker wave crashed down on my shoulders, knocking me into the water, pressing my chin against the sand. When it retreated, it dragged me with it.

I fought against the current, digging my fingers into the sand, grasping for anything solid.

Would Michael notice I was no longer on the beach? A strangled shriek surged through my throat.

“Help,” I screamed, and swallowed some of the brackish water. I knew in seconds I would tumble off the shallow sandbank, and be lost to the deep gloom below.

Refusing to give up, I threw my head above the water and searched the beach for Michael. Another wave smashed over me. It roared in my ears, the sound like an angry tiger. Unprepared, I took in a mouthful of water, its briny saltiness icy. The wave grabbed hold and pulled me further out, off the sand bar, and into the great nothingness beyond.

I scrambled, fighting to regain the edge, my fingers tearing on the rocky reef. The wave continued to tug me away, and the sand I clutched tumbled over the edge, and disappeared into the pitch-black depths.

I was sinking—not drowning. Oh, no. I’d live. As a kelvieri only a few things in the Universe could kill me, and water wasn’t one of them. 

Down.

Down.

Down.

Like a wet sock . . .

Our palace shaman once explained a kelvieri’s body absorbs salty water like a sponge, weighing us down. I shuddered at the thought of an eternity at the bottom of the sea as a bloated statue.

It appeared I might not have a choice

Colorful fish mocked my desperation, swimming around, oblivious to my suffering. I clawed at the water, and moved my feet. But I continued to sink.

“Michael,” I tried to scream, filling my mouth with water.

So I wouldn’t die, but I wouldn’t be doing a whole lot of living either. Random thoughts skimmed through my mind. Like: What did I have to show for my life? What good had I done? Accomplished?

Nothing of great importance.

Except, well I’d been kissed. I knew what it meant to love and be loved. Didn’t I?
But a kiss?
Loving? Those weren’t really contributing to the greater good of my planet.

In that bleak moment I realized I wanted to—make a difference. Somehow, and in some way I wanted to improve the lives of my fellow countrymen. I couldn’t from the dark depths of the Alayeahean Sea though.

“
Cret
,” I tried to shout, swallowing more water, hating my need to be rescued.

My dress stirred around me like a colorful cloud. My jacket grew heavy, as though it was sewn together by thread as heavy as bricks, pulling me down more rapidly.

I was so concerned about my lame attempts at being leader, being a good girlfriend, being the kind of kelarian my parents would be proud of. None of those things mattered now. I’d hang out with the fishes, the whaletins, and . . .

A dark shadow swam past. If it was a sharire I might be in trouble.

Michael must realize I was gone by now. Would he think I used Britorent and left?

Offering a silent plea to the gods, Ith and Aetha, I prayed they’d help me out of this mess.

3. Black Hole Sun

The moon’s light didn’t reach this deep, and the inky darkness churned. My kelvieri eyes allowed me to see though. A large, sleek shape moved in my direction. It cut slowly through the water like a knife through flesh.

Closer and closer.

I saw its rounded nose. Two big eyes zoned in on my floundering form. Its mouth slightly opened, giving me a view of all its razor sharp teeth. When it got close enough I would fight it, probably even kill it, but I wasn’t looking forward to the encounter.

The sharire was within ten feet now, and closing fast. It must’ve realized my predicament because it suddenly shot below and aimed its body so it was directly under me, and vertical.

I’d be swallowed whole.

Huh, I hadn’t thought about the prospect of spending years in the belly of a sharire.

“No!” Again I tried to claw my way to the surface.

Why was I so stupid? Michael wasn’t that scary.

The sharire traveled upward. It decided to meet me halfway. Maybe if I moved my legs as if I walked on land, it would help. I tried to take a step, and suddenly shot upward and sideways through the water.

Whoa. Had something so simple worked? Turning, I saw Michael. He punched the beast directly in the nose. The sharire shook its head back and forth. Michael treaded water, moving his hands as though waving, his feet hanging precariously close to the sharire’s mouth. I guessed he waited to see if the creature would swim away.

Relief flooded my veins. He saved me—again.

My reprieve was short lived though. The sharire recovered and came at Michael again, its tail whipping as it jetted toward him. Michael moved to the right at the last second and grabbed the sharire by an eye socket and the top of its mouth, and twisted. A loud crack reverberated through the water. The sharire’s tail flicked a couple more times and then the beast was still.

Michael killed it. He certainly wasn’t human if he could manage such a feat. He was as strong as a kelvieri.
Maybe stronger.
 

I tried to move my hands the way Michael did, and kick my feet. It didn’t help. My body was descending again, and I swore if I made it out of the sea, as soon as I had the chance, I would learn to swim.

Michael let go of the sharire. I watched it slowly float away, leaving a trail of red blood. This area would be full of ravenous beasts within minutes. One sharire was bad enough. But dozens . . . I shuddered.

One of Michael’s arms wrapped around my waist, and he began to tow me away, out of danger. As we went, I watched sharire after sharire emerge, circling, their senses honed in on the blood, on an easy meal. A cerulean serpent, twice the size of the largest sharire, slithered into view causing the sharires to dart away like scared guppies. The serpent nudged the dead body with its nose once, opened its mouth and ate the carcass whole.

Would the serpent come after us next?

Michael couldn’t get us out of this water fast enough. As I searched our surroundings, watching the underwater scenery change, I realized something. We weren’t moving upward. It actually seemed like we were going deeper.

Once more, I thought about Michael’s origins. A human would not have been able to hold his breath so long. Nor would he have been able to swim so deeply. Though his body appeared human, he certainly wasn’t.

My insides twirled up with worry. I couldn’t escape him. He was stronger than I (which frustrated me). But I had to do something. Try to protect myself. I pounded on Michael’s forearm with my fist. His grip on me tightened.

“What’s going on?” I tried to ask, hating that I was at Michael’s mercy. Of course, when I spoke, water filled my mouth, and I sounded like a gargling fish. Frustrating. He smiled, and held up a finger, telling me to wait a minute. I’d wait all right, but only because I didn’t have a choice.

We neared a huge rock, more like an underwater mountain. A reddish orange substance oozed from its crevices and blackened. I realized the mountain was an active volcano.

Mosses in tangerine, lemon and lime grew in clumps along the surface. Anemones, sea flowers in fuchsia, and starfish clung on and swirled in the deep current. Fish of various sizes and colors darted in and out of the lavish growth, reminding me of a highly populated city. In the center, near the bottom, loomed a gloomy cave entrance, which appeared to be where we were heading.

Apprehension intensified in my stomach.

I searched Michael’s face for any sign of malice. All I read in the lines and furrows was concentration.

Once we entered the cave, Michael swam upward quickly. The seawater went from black to navy to turquoise, then emerald to lilac, and finally powder blue.

Within seconds we broke the surface. I took an unnecessary breath, coughing and sputtering out all the water I’d swallowed. After Michael lifted me onto a black lava rock, he splashed out. I hate to admit I
really
noticed the way his white shirt clung to every muscle on his torso and arms.

Sulfur mingled with seawater, filling the room with the stench of rotten eggs.

My stomach turned and I puked.

A strong hand rubbed my back.

“Where are we?” I asked, wiping my mouth with my hand. The cave emitted an eerie green light, allowing me to see all the way to the top, some fifty feet in the air. All around us were magma rocks in various stages of hardening. High above were horizontal salt lines, giving me an idea how far the water could rise. A constant drip dripping came from my right, and on the left a small stream followed a path to a dribbling waterfall.

Michael bent down so his face hovered next to mine. “This is the way to Helker. I told you your parents are here. Don’t you want them freed?”

I searched his beautiful face, afraid to believe, afraid he spoke the truth. And if it was the truth, what did it mean? Kelarians in Helker were only brought here while they awaited trial, or after they were tried and convicted. Helker was a punishment. No one went into Helker of his own free will. And no one left until the appointed time of release, which usually meant never.

“Of course I do,” I said. “But what crimes did they commit? Why are they here?”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t know. They were here before I . . .” He paused, wiped his eyes, and shook out his hair.

I waited for him to continue.

“They’ve been here a while,” he finished, his voice flat.

“How are we going to get them out?”

He looked away, his lids covering his expressive eyes. “There’s only one way,” he finally said.

“And?” I asked, trying to keep hold of my patience. What was his problem? Why did he feel the need to be so evasive? “Look, whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I just wish Zaren—”

His features hardened. Standing, he pulled me up with him.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed my elbow.

I ripped it from his grasp and stomped on his booted foot with my heel.

“Knock it off, Michael. I’m not your prisoner.”

His eyebrows rose in question, though he didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, I’m not a weakling on another planet anymore. Kelari is
my
home. I am a kelvieri and the Princess of Alayeah. Tell me what’s going on right this second, or I’ll kick your
ass
back to Earth.”

Michael’s lips quivered, the right side rose, as though he were trying not to laugh, but found it difficult to succeed. “Admit it’s a great looking ass though. Right?”

“Michael!”

“Not even a ‘thank you’ for saving your life from that gigantic—what was it? It reminded me of a great white shark, only much bigger.” He muttered as he spoke, rubbing his fingers through his wet hair, sending wet droplets raining onto my face.

“Sharire,” I said matter-of-factly.

He gave me a curious look.

I sighed. “It’s called a
Shar
. Ear.” I pulled my braid around and twisted water from the ends. “And, thank you,” I added with a sneer.

“It was nothing,” he replied, lifting his shirt to adjust his pants, giving me a delicious view of his tanned, too toned abs.

Catching me staring, he continued, “No need to be kicking my gorgeous ass. I’ll show you what’s going on. Come on.” He gave a flourishing bow. “Up those stairs.”

The “stairs” appeared out of nowhere and were nothing more than well-placed rocks. I hesitated, and then placed one foot in front of the other.

We walked a few steps in silence. I had too many questions for him to keep quiet for long. Finally I said, “What did you do with Ith and Aetha?” I’d never heard of anyone spending long periods of time with the gods. Usually, the only time kelarians saw them was when they made their journey to become a kelvieri. The gods changed them. They left. Not even our shaman spent time with them. And he was supposed to have a direct link.

Michael cleared his throat. “First, they showed me Kelari. It was awesome to see
your
world.” His voice turned gruff when he said, ‘your,’ and my stomach tightened. “The land, the mountains, seas, streams, the elements, and the animals, are all similar to Earth, but Kelari has so much more. Like the sharire, that thing was massive.”