SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (27 page)

Calum
nodded without looking at me.

»I
don’t care,« I whispered. »I could never love anyone else as I love you anyway.
Please...you want it too.«

He
shook his head.

»Don’t
make it even more difficult for me than it is. It was hard enough to break away
from you last night. I don’t think I have the strength to do it again.«

I
fell back onto my bed with a sigh.

»I
don’t know if I can bear it.«

»I’ll
help you.«

With
a smile, he lay down next to me and started to nibble on my earlobes, brushing
his lips over my cheek and towards my mouth.

»That’s
incredibly helpful,« I murmured.

»Should
I stop?«

»Don’t
you dare.«

»Do
you have more questions?«

»Later...maybe,«
I mumbled, beneath his lips. Then I thought of one.

»So
wasn’t my mother Ares’ partner, then, after...?«

Even
though I didn’t finish the sentence, he understood what I meant. »In theory,
yes, but Ares had already been chosen as the King’s successor back then. He
knew his responsibilities towards the clan, and his partner, Egin, had been chosen
for him long before. He went back. The price he and your mother paid was too
high for a single unguarded moment.«

Could
any price be too high for that, I wondered? The way I was feeling right now, I
doubted it.

Calum
continued. »When Elin was born, Ares was unable to love him in the way he
needed. And when Egin died and he was given to his adoptive parents, it got
even worse. Every time Elin went to see Ares, the distance between them had
gotten bigger.«

Calum
fell silent.

When
we arrived at the parsonage after school the following day, Peter was in the
library with Dr. Erickson. I felt instantly annoyed; what was he doing here? It
was down to us what we decided to do.

»Peter,
don’t get involved. I don’t want you to get drawn into this.«

I
turned to Calum. »Tell him it doesn’t have anything to do with him,« I
demanded.

But
Calum looked from Peter to Dr. Erickson and said slowly: »I think it does,
actually. Have you given this proper thought, Peter?«

Clearly,
I had missed something important.

»Um,
I’m still here, you know.« I interrupted impatiently.

»Peter
has decided to become Dr. Erickson’s successor.«

I
stared at Peter in confusion.

»What
does that mean?«

»Sit
down first, you two.«

Dr.
Erickson gestured towards the armchair.

»As
you know, this responsibility has been in my family for centuries.
Unfortunately, Sophie and I were not lucky enough to have children of our own.
But there must be someone to follow in my footsteps, and Peter seems to be a
good choice.«

I
looked over at Peter in amazement.

»He
is brave, honest, trustworthy, and—most importantly—he’s your ally. Believe me,
you’ll need that in the time to come.«

He
gave Peter an encouraging smile, then turned to Calum.

»They
will soon demand to hear your testimony...and your decision.«

Dr.
Erickson wasn’t smiling anymore now; he looked serious and tired.

»How
much time do we have left?« I asked.

»Elin
will soon tell the Great Council what he saw, I’m almost certain of that,«
answered Calum. »If he had already told them, the clan elders would have demanded
my return by now. But that’s not enough for Elin. He isn’t sure how much
support there still is for me in our clan and he wants to make a big deal of
this. The Great Council has representatives from all the different clans, and
each one is able to present his charges to the council if there are any
conflicts. Elin won’t let the chance to expose me slip him by. Entering into a
relationship with a human and exposing our secrets is punishable by death.«

»Calum,
what about the next full moon night?« asked Peter. »If I’ve understood
correctly, you have to swim? But does it have to be together with the others,
or can you do it alone?«

»If
I don’t do it, I die. I can’t survive on land for longer than four weeks.
Swimming alone probably wouldn’t be the same as doing it with the others, but I
think it should be enough.«

»Then
next time you should pick a lake where no one can find you.«

»I’d
come with you, so you wouldn’t need to be lonely,« I whispered quietly in his
ear.

He
looked at me angrily. I tried to disarm him with an innocent smile, but failed
miserably. He didn’t need to respond, for I already knew what he would say; he
would never take me with him ever again. But I still reached for his hand and
held onto it tightly.

Turning
to Peter, Calum said: »If I don’t present myself to the clan and face up to my
actions, everything will get worse. I’ll only be playing into Elin’s hands.«

»Perhaps
you should speak with Ares,« Dr. Erickson suggested. »He can advise you, and
besides, we need to know how much Elin has told them. I find it hard to believe
he’s kept it to himself.«

Calum
nodded thoughtfully.

»You’re
right. Ares would understand.«

»But
how would that work? How can you make contact with him, where would you meet
him? Isn’t it dangerous?«

Calum
shook his head.

»Don’t
worry. If I call him, he’ll come.«

Chapter Eighteen

My
heart dropped into my stomach when Calum told me I was to accompany him to his
meeting with Ares.

»He
wants to meet you. After all, he didn’t know anything about your existence
before.«

He
looked at me thoughtfully. »He seems to have aged so much in the last few
months, I never would have thought it possible. He was completely different
when I spoke to him. I don’t know whether it was your mother’s death or the
arguments with Elin that have weakened him so much, but he was almost
unrecognizable.«

»I’m
scared, Calum. What if he doesn’t like me, or if I don’t like him? He’s my
father, but I don’t know how to behave towards him. I mean, this whole mess is
kind of his fault.«

My
words were much more accusatory than I had meant them to be.

»You’ll
like him.« Calum, at least, sounded and beyond doubt.

Three
days later, it was time. What was I supposed to wear for meeting my father for
the first time? Especially, when that father was a waterman? Even Amelie
despaired at my attempts to find something suitable. It didn't really matter,
but I was trying to procrastinate. While Calum was waiting impatiently with
Bree in the kitchen, I eventually pulled on some jeans and a blouse and threw a
pullover around my shoulders. I tied my hair up into a ponytail.

Calum
smiled at me as I came down into the kitchen.

»You
look stunning,« he whispered into my ear. I elbowed him in the side as Amelie
struggled to suppress her giggles.

We
walked out to the car and drove off. It was still dark, but it wouldn’t be long
before the rising sun appeared in the sky, glowing deep red.

Calum
and Ares had chosen an isolated spot on the beach. No one would be here at this
time of night. But what about other watermen? I decided to keep my distance
from the water, just to be on the safe side.

My
nerves were making me shiver, and Calum had to practically pull me from the car
onto the beach. When I saw Ares, I was shocked. He must have been a very
beautiful man once. His facial features were still even, but deep lines
traversed his face. Only his silver eyes still shone vibrantly, although a pale
haze was beginning to dampen them. Calum always looked so human that I often
forgot what he really was, but Ares really looked like he was from another
world.

His
lips conjured a smile when he saw us, and for a brief moment I saw the face of
the young man who had fallen in love with my mother. But just as swiftly as the
illusion had appeared, it vanished again.

Ares
sat down on the shore, the waves washing around his body. »I can’t leave the
water,« he said, looking at me apologetically.

Calum
went over to him and gave him a hug. I smiled and squatted down in the sand.

Ares
looked at me in silence. »Hello, Emma. You look so much like your mother. I’m
very happy that you were brave enough to come with Calum. You have to believe
me, if I had known back then that Brenda was expecting a child...«

»What
would you have done?« My words sounded sharper than I had intended.

He
thought for a long time before answering me. »Yes, what would I have done?« He
shrugged helplessly. »You have to understand that I saw no other way out. I
thought it would be better if I just disappeared.«

»Better
for you,« I said accusingly.

He
nodded and fell silent.

Then
Calum began to speak, telling the whole story from the very first day we had
met. While he spoke, Ares didn’t interrupt him one single time. Lost in
thought, he either gazed out at the sea or looked at me.

When
Calum had finished speaking, Ares stared at us in silence.

»I
sensed that something in you had changed, Calum. I hoped you would speak to me
when you were ready. But the same thing happening to you that happened to me?
Fate repeating itself? If the two of you weren’t sitting here before me I would
never believe it.«

»We
don’t know what to do. We don’t know what Elin will do,« I said, without
responding to his words.

Ares
nodded.

»Elin
hasn’t reported it yet. That both surprises and worries me. I saw his wound,
but he didn’t want to tell me who gave it to him. I’m worried that he’s
scheming something terrible. I’m sure he’ll bring a charge against you to the
Great Council, where the chances that you will be punished are much greater. I
don’t know how I can help you,« he said, turning to Calum. »We could reveal
Emma’s secret, perhaps.«

Alarmed,
Calum shook his head. »That’s much too dangerous. What if they decide to kill
her? There haven’t been any halflings for centuries. We can’t do that under any
circumstances.«

»You’ll
have to tell her the whole truth,« insisted Ares.

Calum
shook his head.

»Don’t
make the same mistake I did with her mother.« His tone became bitter with
regret. »She may have understood my decision if I’d had the courage to tell her
about our world.«

Calum
was still pressing his lips tightly together. I stretched my hand out towards
him, but when I saw him stiffen I shrank back without touching him. What was it
that I didn’t know?

»Think
about it. That’s the only advice I can give you. It’s the only way out.«

Then
Ares looked at me with his silver eyes, and I recognized myself in them. »Emma,
I don’t know whether you will ever be able to forgive me—whether you can ever
understand my actions. I loved your mother very much, but I wasn’t brave enough
to stay with her. And when I had to decide, I chose the path that seemed to be
the right one. I had a responsibility to my people. But I made her unhappy, and
I’m very sorry for that.«

He
paused. When he continued, his voice sounded tender.

»I
would have given anything to be able to speak with her just one more time. But
when I found her, it was too late.«

»You
saw her?«

He
looked out at the sea, his fingers moving the water gently.

»At
the moment when she came into contact with the water, she could hear me. She
called to me.«

I
looked at him, not understanding.

»When
our loved ones are in water, we can hear and find them no matter where they
are. I knew that she would never have gone into the water willingly, as Dr.
Erickson had forbidden her from that. I also suspected that she wouldn’t escape
Elin this time.« He covered his face with his hands.

»I
couldn’t save her. When I found her, she was almost dead. She died in my arms.«

So
that explained why she had looked so peaceful.

»I
wish you had never met Calum.«

I
didn’t know what I was supposed to say to that.

»Can’t
you recognize me as your daughter?«

»In
our society, the King doesn’t control the laws, but instead is more bound by
them than anyone. That’s why my offense was so reprehensible. If Brenda hadn’t
followed me to the lake, then perhaps everything would have turned out
differently. It must have been such a shock for her when she saw me there. And
when Egin spotted her, it was too late. I didn’t go back to the humans, and
hoped that this would save her. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Egin was a clever
and calculating woman. She sensed that my heart was already taken and she never
forgave me for that. Our son grew up with her hate.«