Just Breathe (47 page)

Camira was right. Yileen was here.

“He must’ve put himself inside the charm.” Gavin rubbed his forehead. Of course. He’d somehow stuffed four ancient Elementals into the other gems on the necklace. It would require the strength of a seasoned Sentinel to keep them in check every time one broke free. And Yileen had been one of the most powerful Sentinels in the history of man.

Gavin grinned.
Well played, old man. Well played.

The disembodied voice of his mentor said,
Killara leaving for the Dreaming, but part of him still live. You must choose, Camira. Let him go or keep what left?

She sniffled. “If I keep what left, he never be whole again.”

No. Not without help.

She paused for a long moment, then raised her chin. “Then, I ask you to join with him, Uncle. If you wish to be his help.”

Something akin to a smile infiltrated the glow.
You very generous, Camira. A good, wise heart beat inside you. I accept with gratitude, Niece.

The light thinned into a straight, laser-like line and beamed from the stone into Killara’s chest. The boy’s body jerked and arched off the bed. Muscles tensed, his lids fluttered rapidly, and his teeth clamped together. Machines beeped loud alarms. Gavin’s world tilted. As the door flung open with an army of nurses behind it, the light snuffed out, Killara relaxed into the bed, and the footprint moonstone crumbled to dust in Camira’s palm.

Holy fucking hell.

“Move aside,” one of the nurses said, wedging her way between Gavin and the bed.

Killara’s eyes opened, but Yileen stared back. Not his physical features, but his soul shone through those warm brown windows. No doubt about it.

His spirit lifted, Gavin turned to Camira as she threw her arms around him. The shock nearly knocked him over. He returned her hug with a laugh.

Chatter warbled around them. “This is impossible.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Let me see that chart again.”

“…persistent vegetative state…”

“No, you don’t,” a nurse warned Killara, who tried to remove the breathing tube from his mouth. “Not until we get a doctor in here.”

“Please, he want to talk,” Camira said.

It would be a while before the medical staff deemed him well enough to remove all the apparatus, but Gavin didn’t need to hear Yileen’s voice to know he was there and whole again, blended with Killara’s life force. Yileen’s bright, lively, perfectly balanced aura proved it.

Gavin laid a hand on Killara’s arm. “I’ll catch up with you soon, my friend.”
In the Dreaming.

The boy—and Yileen—nodded.

“Thank you, Gavin.” Camira’s voice stopped him as he reached the door. “For everything.”

He smiled and strode out of the room, down the hallway.

One unexpected light in a sea of sadness. He didn’t dare hope for more. But he was heading for the Dreaming anyway.

Chapter Forty-eight

Adriene would be royally pissed when Zoe got home. It wasn’t safe to take a boat out on the ocean alone, especially since the seas were very unpredictable after the shifts in Balance last night. But she couldn’t take another moment in that house with so many memories of the past and fears of the future.

And she owed someone else a goodbye.

Lily, can you hear me?
she called out with her mind.

I’m here.
The voice came from a little south of her.

Zoe steered the boat in that direction.
You got time to chat?

For you? Always.
A smile lightened the whale’s words.

Within a few minutes, splashes and blows decorated the horizon with stunning, wavy portraits. Judging by the massive churning, there must’ve been twenty or thirty humpbacks ahead. Zoe smiled despite the heaviness of dread pushing like Jupiter’s gravity on her shoulders.

She slowed her approach and cut the engine. The sea bubbled around her. The Zodiac bobbed in reply. Lily surfaced, Araluen close behind.

Zoe shed her clothes down to the bathing suit underneath and jumped in the water. She swam to Lily and hugged her. “What made you change your mind?”

Lily’s happiness shone through the blue beaming off her.
The wise little one convinced me. He and Kadee.

A blow misted the air behind them, and the surrogate whale’s huge black back parted the aqua surface. She lifted her head and offered a baleen-filled grin.
I’m happy to take Araluen as my own calf. Lily and I have agreed to share responsibilities in his rearing.

“I knew you wouldn’t let the Wyldlings and Wæters down, Lily. Your heart is too good. And if the two of you are taking care of Araluen together, he’ll have the greatest mothers in the world. Thank you. Thank you
both
so much.”

How hard it must’ve been for Lily to give up the one she loved most. Yet, in the end, she hadn’t really lost anything. She’d gained the help she needed, the station the world needed, and by the looks of it, a new friend, too.

Zoe swallowed the rock of worry clogging her throat and inhaled a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about your new position. It looks as though I have a new job, too. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to translate for you anymore. I—”

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. There would be no beating them back, so she let them flow. “All my life, I’ve struggled to find my place in the world. The first time I saw a whale, I
knew
studying your kind was what I was meant to do. When I decoded your language and learned about your history, the depth of your intelligence, the immensity of your culture, I realized I could use the knowledge to get ahead in my field. A cetacean biologist who understands whales? It’s a golden opportunity for research that would keep my career hopping for decades.

“But my experiences over these last few months have taught me that sometimes having the wisdom to resist the lure of temptation is worth more than the payoff of succumbing to it. That’s why I’m here now.” She stroked Lily’s rubbery skin. The whale reached out a massive pec fin as if to hold her hand. Zoe accepted.

“Much as I would love to keep this beautiful gift of translation, it doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to you.”

The pod of curious humpbacks closed around them.

You can do this, Zoe,
she told herself, even though the thought of giving away her most precious possession ripped her up inside.

It was the right thing to do.

Zoe focused on the Watery music inside her. She visualized the notes rising like a spring from her heart, up the column of her throat, and out her mouth. Silvery human letters, words, and meanings spun around the blue animal sounds, darting in and out, like tiny fish chasing each other. Two different languages from the same fountain. Shimmers streaked the air, wove and bound together into a pulsing sphere in her open palms. A sad whale song and murmured farewells emanated from the glittering ball.

Zoe’s heart tripped. She took a deep breath. “This is my gift to you and the Wæters.” She held out the orb. “With my translating ability, you’ll be able to communicate with the human Elementals as well as the whales. It’ll make your job a lot easier, and you won’t have to go looking for me every time you want to talk to a human Elemental.”

Lily tentatively swept her great flipper over the ball.
On behalf of the Wæters, I thank you, Zoe. I will use this generous gift wisely.

When Lily touched it, the sphere’s glow dimmed. Zoe surveyed the gathered crowd of a hundred or more whales. PITA, Guppy, Reaper, Target, Honeydew—a sea of dear friends she’d had the honor of communicating with and learning from this season. Their words had taught her so much. She’d never forget a single conversation.

The whale voices smoothed from recognizable phrases into familiar but indecipherable squeaks and chirps.

“I love you, my friends,” Zoe whispered. Tears rolled as the ripples of comprehension slipped out of her clutching grasp.

The light from the sphere dissolved, and the clarity of the ocean acoustics Zoe had become so attuned to lost its sharpness. Meaning blended into confusion. She was pretty sure she heard,
We love you, too,
as the final current of understanding swirled, and the sea swept it away.

* * * *

The fog of the Dreaming had lifted, replaced with yellow rays of sun, blue sky, green earth, and a few dying red embers on the muddy ground. The fresh wash of colors elicited an air of excitement and new beginnings, but Gavin could only think about endings.

He made his way to the Sentinels’ great castle and wandered through the flagstone corridors to the chamber where the leaders waited.

Erin, Kai, Camira, Seth, Wyland, and a new Council member—Killara—rose from the old jarrah wood table as he entered. Gavin bowed his head to them out of respect and glanced at the only empty seat. Council leader.

He ambled to the table and laid his hands on the polished wood. So many memories of leading this Council, yet none of them really belonged to him. Yileen had always been the leader, even after he died. Guided by the Songlines he’d interpreted, he’d worked through Gavin, and played Fate like a well-tuned fiddle.

Killara stood slowly, walked to Gavin, and embraced him. “It’s good to be back, mate.”

“And good to have you back. I missed you, old man.” It was an odd but pleasant sensation, feeling Yileen’s awesome power through the conduit of someone else’s body. His mentor, but not exactly. Killara was in there, too. Different voice, youthful glow, no more accent, yet still Yileen.

When he stepped back, Gavin said, “If it pleases the Council, I have a request.”

How to say what he needed to without sounding ungrateful? He rubbed the hard spikes of his hair and paced. Six sets of eyes followed his path.

“I’ve served Wyldlings for six years as a Sentinel. In that time, I learned a lot about what it means to be a protector of humanity, a force of good for the benefit of mankind. I also made a lot of mistakes. But beyond the bad decisions and shortsightedness, something happened recently that convinced me I’m not cut out to lead. I fell in love.

“When the Dreaming called me to rescue Zoe a few months ago, I was broken, beaten, and bitter. I’d lost a good friend to the Fyres. I blamed myself for her death. I did a lot of stupid things as a result. But Zoe brought me back to life. She found my burnt soul and rebuilt it with the Water I’d lost. She restored my Balance and showed me how to love not only her, but also myself.

“I’m not sure where our future together is heading, but I’m positive I can’t go on without her. If I have to give up my life here in Australia to be with her, I will. She’s my music, my Water, my life—my everything.

“Because my feelings for her put me in direct opposition to this job, I can no longer fulfill my responsibilities as a member of this Council. I respectfully resign from my post as leader, and I move that Killara assume my position immediately.”

He paused and bit his lip. This last part was the hardest. “In addition, I’d like to forfeit my Sentinel powers so I can be with Zoe.”

The councilors looked at one another. Mumbles of disbelief filled the air.

Killara’s brow smoothed. “Relinquishing your powers is a very serious request that can’t be undone. Are you certain you want to do this?”

Yileen stared through the teenager’s eyes, like a concerned papa bird counseling his fledgling son before he leapt from the safety of the nest into the endless sky of the unknown. Gavin saw no judgment. Lots of pride. But most importantly, a willingness to let go.

Gavin inhaled a breath and released it slowly. He was ready to take that leap and risk crashing a thousand times for Zoe. “I’m certain. I love Zoe. This is the only way we can be together. Where she goes, I go.”

“I wish you happiness in your new life with your muse. Go with her if you must, but take a day to think about your decision.” Yileen nailed him with a pointed stare, then tacked on, “You may change your mind.”

Gavin quirked his head to the side. “You know something I don’t?”

The old man flashed a familiar, blinding smile from behind Killara’s young features. “Many, many things. This is your home. Don’t forget that.”

“Never. Thanks, mate.”

In turn, the councilors each stood and said a few words of appreciation for Gavin’s service to the Council and the Wyldlings. Even Camira and Wyland had kind things to say. Warmth flooded Gavin’s veins. He would miss these people, but being with Zoe would be worth the sacrifice of giving up his life as a Sentinel.

Once the pleasantries were finished, Gavin thanked them and headed toward the door. Pockets of conversation resumed among the Sentinels. Gavin stopped beside Killara and dropped his voice. “I took good care of your Harley. It’ll be at my place when you’re ready.”

Killara’s smile widened further, and he nodded. “Should you choose to give up your Sentinel powers, return here tomorrow night, and we shall perform the ritual.”

“I’ll see you then.” Gavin grasped Killara’s outstretched hand and shook. A comforting, familiar tingle passed between them, then the colorfully painted Elemental walls of the Council chamber spun in a swirl of red, yellow, green, and blue.

Gavin closed his eyes…

…and awoke on the quiet stretch of beach where he’d left his body for the Dreaming.

The sun was heading for the horizon. He stood and checked his watch. Five o’clock.

Shit. He scrambled to the Harley, kicked the bastard wide open for one last ride, and raced toward Jack’s house.

I’m coming, Zed. Please don’t leave without me.

Chapter Forty-nine

When Gavin arrived at Jack’s fifteen minutes later, the drive was empty. No lights on inside. No whale song teasing his Dreamsense.

Fuck.

He sprinted to the door, flung it open, and rushed inside. “Zed?”

Silence. A few brown boxes lined the lounge room walls. None of Jack’s stuff was here. The computers were gone.

Double fuck. If he hurried, he might make it to the airport before her flight took off.