The Marked Ones (33 page)

Tristan was suddenly crippled with guilt for everything she must have gone through since Ardhi had first shown up that evening and interrupted what she must have thought was a ‘date.’ ‘Pintang-wait-’

She turned, and held her hand up to him. ‘Don’t apologize, Tristan. It’s insulting. Just leave me be.’ She marched off, back up the stairs, shoving past Bane, who grimaced at Tristan.

‘Did you shag her too?’ He mouthed.

‘No,’ Tristan mouthed back.

Bane cupped his hands in prayer and looked heavenward. Tristan rolled his eyes and looked away, assessing the damage to his beautiful, brand new home away from home, thinking that he could hold Ardhi underwater for at least fifteen minutes if he had to-five minutes
longer than Ardhi could hold a breath.

⁓

Ivyanne glanced at Pintang as she ascended the stairs and flopped herself down on the bench seat across from where Ivyanne was at the control panel, letting out a massive sigh.

‘Are you okay?’ Ivyanne asked her, concerned. They’d gotten Pintang up to date on the run down the beach, and Ivyanne felt awful to have dumped the sordid tale on her friend like that. ‘I know this must be a lot to take in... for what it’s worth, I lost him too. My best friend, I mean. I have
no idea what he’s thinking anymore.’ She increased the throttle, and the boat shot forward again.

‘I wonder if
he’s thinking the same thing.’

Ivyanne was taken aback by the trace of malice in Pintang’s tone. ‘What?’

Pintang sighed again, studying Ivyanne unhappily. ‘You’ve changed too, you know. One year ago, Ardhi was your world. How would you feel if the only person in the world you needed suddenly up and left you, like you left him?’

‘But, he was being so-’

‘I know!’ Pintang cut her off. ‘But still.... two weeks on land and you’re in Tristan’s bed? Who wouldn’t be devastated by that?’

Ivyanne felt guilty tears prick her eyes as she recalled her conversation with Tristan earlier. ‘Is this about my feelings for Ardhi...or yours for Tristan?’

Pintang glared at her. ‘I care for Tristan, but that’s not the point.’ She looked away. ‘You’re my princess, so I’ve held my tongue. But you broke my brother’s heart. And then you stole away the one guy I cared for, while lying to us all about your history with my boss-who you’ve managed to crush for a second time apparently.’ Pintang’s blue eyes were blazing. ‘Two men weren’t enough for you?’

Ivyanne was completely tongue-tied. ‘It didn’t happen just like that.... okay?’ she frowned. ‘And why is it suddenly so wrong for me to be torn between two guys, when I was asked originally to choose between three?’

‘Because you didn’t give them all a fair chance.’ Pintang said quietly. ‘You kicked Ardhi away and welcomed Tristan with open arms.’

‘Because I already knew Ardhi!’ Ivyanne countered. ‘I barely knew Tristan!’

‘So?!’ Pintang demanded. ‘You should have shown Ardhi the loyalty he showed you, and gone back home the moment you saw how miserable you were making everyone here!’

Ivyanne recoiled as though she’d been slapped.

Tristan burst out from below the deck. ‘Are you guys fighting?’ he looked from Ivyanne’s stricken face to Pintang’s snarling one, and instantly put his arm around Ivyanne’s shoulders. ‘Are you okay?’

Pintang let out a growl of frustration. ‘The fairest of them all has won the heart of the fairest of them all....and there’s nothing
fair about any of it!’

‘Hey, cool it, okay?’ Tristan chided. ‘Ivyanne doesn’t need this.’

‘No, she’s right,’ Ivyanne wiped at her tears and shrugged off Tristan’s arm. ‘I just want to sort this out and leave this place before I do any more damage.’

Pintang sat back down on the chair and crossed her arms. ‘Fine by me,’ she snapped. ‘The sooner, the
better.’

Ivyanne turned back to face the water, blinking away the tears. It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself, and start thinking about what everybody else needed from her. And as far as Seaview went, they needed her to get
gone.

33.

Lincoln had counted himself lucky when Ardhi went over the side of the boat, blood spraying from his nose. But that didn’t mean he’d solved his problem. He was in a perilous situation, with no clue as how to get out of it.

The motor!
A voice inside his brain seemed to shriek. Rev the engine! Get out of here! Lincoln dropped the oar instantly and clambered to the bow of the small boat, his stomach lurching in time with the heaving ocean beneath him as he tried his hardest not to stare at the ink black water. He went to pull on the lever that Ardhi had, but his sweaty hand slipped straight off.

At that moment, there was a rumble from the sky. Lincoln looked up, surprised to see a flash of blue against fast-forming clouds-clouds which had not been there minutes before. The thunder, the lightning, the rocking of the boat as the water beneath it began to toss more than it had been on the way out-it all sent a shiver of fear through Lincoln. As if he wasn’t out of his comfort zone enough! Now he had a
squall to deal with?

The engine spluttered, like an old man wheezing on a cigarette, and Lincoln panicked. But before he could grab it again, the boat went dead silent. ‘
No!’ he reached for the cord and gave it a tug. There was a whir, but it merely ticked over and died once again. ‘Piece of crap!’ He leaned over the outboard, searching for the button Ardhi had thumbed to prime it.

The boat dipped again, and another boom of thunder broke the night. Lincoln had to brace himself on the outboard to keep from pitching over the side. That’s when he spotted the small button, and reached out to tap it. But he was grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and sent flying. Lincoln’s vision blurred and the world tilted crazily, seconds before his back impacted against something cold and unforgiving, rattling every bone in his body.

⁓

‘Is that a storm?’ Tristan pointed out at the horizon. The large moon had started to disappear behind clouds almost the moment they’d left the jetty and seconds before, the sky had lit up a deep purple, silhouetting the hulk of the rocky island before them.

‘There are no storms are forecasted for tonight!’ Pintang said, her eyes widening. She turned to Ivyanne, some of the malice evaporating from her gaze. ‘Could this be Ardhi’s doing? Like you said?’

‘It
could and is.’ Tristan said, peering out through the shield. ‘He must be angrier than we thought-look at those clouds piling up!’

‘He’s going to kill him.’ Bane said, matter-of-factly.

Ivyanne whimpered, twisting the throttle again.

Pintang looked like she was turning green. She got to her feet, marching up to the stern. ‘When I find that brother of mine, I’m going to break every vindictive bone in his body! He’s ruining
everything! This is my life here! He can’t just show up and start picking people off like a deranged lunatic!’ She glanced back at them over her shoulder, eyes flashing. ‘I’m going to have to leave the resort aren’t I?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Ivyanne said softly. Her face was so grave, Pintang wouldn’t be able to doubt her sincerity. ‘I hope not. In the very least, we’ll be able to siren anything Ardhi tries tonight out of Lincoln’s head, so you can stay. Provided we get to him on time.’

Tristan turned to Bane: ‘Does Ardhi know you’re gay?’

‘
No...’ Bane said. ‘He was so pissed off to see me that I actually let him think I was here for her, for kicks.’

Tristan groaned, not wanting his nephew in the line of fire should it all come to a confrontation. ‘Do yourself a favor, okay? Either go down to my closet and try to find a big, gay shirt-or be prepared to scream ‘I’m a fairy!’ the moment he sees you tonight. It
might just save your life.’

Bane crossed his arms and glared at Tristan. ‘Why don’t I just borrow the shirt
you’re wearing now?’

‘Shut up.’ Tristan said with good humor. A crack of thunder made them all jump, and all four faces lifted to the heavens. ‘It’s Ardhi,’ Tristan said softly, reaching into the console and producing his own fishing knife from within, hoping Pintang didn’t see. ‘We’re running out of time.’

‘A boat!’ Ivyanne suddenly exclaimed, interrupting him. ‘Look!’

Tristan turned around, instantly spotting the glint of stainless steel against the black water. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the two men on board-they appeared to be wrestling. ‘Hurry!’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Flatten the throttle!’

⁓

Ardhi was towering over him, dripping salt water on Lincoln’s face, stinging his eyes. ‘She
told you, didn’t she?! If I was feeling remorse for having to end you before, well I can thank her for relieving my conscience now!’

‘Before
?’ Lincoln groaned as he realized he’d walked right into a trap. Or a net cast by a skilled fisherman. ‘You were waiting for me, weren’t you?! Is Adele even in trouble?!’

Ardhi chuckled and advanced on him. ‘Grey, Adele is the
least of your problems.’

‘What are you going to do?’ Lincoln asked, beginning to sweat despite the sudden drop in temperature. The heaving of the boat was making him queasier than his fear. He thought of his mother and how her life had been stolen in a similar predicament, and his teeth gnashed together in anger- Lincoln couldn’t drown too! His father wouldn’t survive it. His grip on the boat tightened as he prepared to fight for his life.

Ardhi’s teeth gleamed, his posture coiled like a snake ready to strike, seemingly unaffected by the way the water tossed the boat around. ‘It really depends on how much you know...... which can’t be that much, right?’ His eyes sparkled mischievously. ‘I mean, if you knew I was a mermaid, you’d have to be an idiot to try and drown me, right?’

‘I
wasn’t trying to drown you!’ Lincoln spat. ‘I was trying to knock your teeth out of your pretty little head!’

The kick connected with Lincoln’s stomach, harder that he’d ever been struck before. The air gushed out of his lungs and he fell back, gasping.

‘You look like the proverbial fish out of water,’ Ardhi jeered, crouching before Lincoln and grabbing a tuft of his hair painfully in his fingers. ‘Which of course, isn’t true given how green you are! Clearly, you shouldn’t be anywhere near the water, let alone getting involved in love triangles you have even less right to be in!’

‘
It’s not a triangle!’ Lincoln hollered, elbowing Ardhi in the face with enough force to break his attacker’s grip on his hair, but not enough to stun him ‘She chose him. We lost, okay? Walk away! Or you know what?’ Lincoln felt the fight go out of him as another wave of nausea rolled over him. The boat was rocking too much for him to focus on a thought let alone an action. ‘Just kill me... I don’t want to face a life without her anyway!’

‘
You can’t live without her?!’ Ardhi repeated, incredulous. He grabbed Lincoln by the collar of his purple polo shirt and violently shook him. Lincoln had the presence of mind to admire how easily Ardhi shook him, as though Lincoln were weightless. ‘You’ve known her for two weeks! Try loving her for your entire adult life! You don’t know pain, okay? You were just a stupid flirtation with her dirty old boss and nothing more!’

Lincoln gripped Ardhi by the wrists, threw his head back, then brought it forward with force, smashing his skull into the nose of the other boy’s. The blinding pain was quickly replaced by agony as Ardhi released his hold and dropped Lincoln back against the hard edge of the centre bench seat. He could hear Ardhi, cursing and stumbling around, but Lincoln didn’t wait to see how he was doing-he pushed himself up and searched for something to use as a weapon, cradling the freshly throbbing part of his spine with one hand.

But when he straightened, he realized that a light was shining onto his profile, blinding and white, the roar of a larger, more powerful engine clear despite his aching head and ringing ears. Another boat. He had a chance-if he could just buy time.

He spun back to Ardhi, who was reaching for a lethal looking gaff, and delivered a kick into his side. ‘It’s
you that doesn’t have a clue!’ Lincoln roared, struggling to keep his balance until he got his foot back. ‘I was there before any of you bastards! I was her first kiss and she was mine! You’ve wanted her since you became a man? Big freaking deal! I’ve been in love with her since we were eleven!’ Lincoln lifted his foot to kick Ardhi again, but the more agile boy caught it.

‘What?!’ Ardhi’s face had turned white. ‘
How?’

‘We grew up here together, every summer! She saved my
life! We fell in love and we hid it from everyone. Year by year I watched her blossom, anticipating the day she’d be mine for good-but then she vanished, and didn’t come back until two weeks ago!’ Lincoln’s voice broke but he tugged his foot out of Ardhi’s grasp. ‘I recognised her-god I’ve been waiting for her all this time- but she lied to me, pretended to be the sister of the girl I’d loved-one who was dead. That’s pain, kid!’ Lincoln paused for breath, noting that Ardhi’s eyes were wide with horror. ‘You’ve lost one love? I’ve lost two, and they’re all wrapped up in her!’

‘I don’t believe it!’ Ardhi screamed. Lightning turned the sky purple and thunder boomed like it might shake the stars free of the heavens above. ‘She’s never mentioned you!’

‘It was a secret! One of many! And the only one I was in on, until today!’ Lincoln’s stomach lurched as the ocean lifted and dropped the boat angrily. ‘Since she came back, I’ve watched you, Tristan, and every other man make a play for her thinking I was insane for being drawn to her, and betraying the dead sister for wanting her-but unable to control it! I’ve been sick with jealousy and mocked by all of you!’ He scowled. ‘But I worked it out, because that’s how well I know her. And today, I finally worked up the guts to confront her..... only for her to admit it was true, tell me she never stopped loving me- but too bad -because she fucked someone else this afternoon and now she has to leave me forever-again!’ Tears streamed down Lincoln’s face. ‘So boo freakin hoo to you, your best friend doesn’t love you back. But as far as my pain and torment goes, you don’t know shit!’

Ardhi was staring at him, transfixed. ‘I didn’t-’

‘Lincoln?!’ A voice suddenly broke the night air, paper thin against the wind but shrill. ‘Is that you? Ardhi?!’

Lincoln turned, and lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light. ‘Ivyanne?!’ His heart leapt into his throat. ‘Yeah, it’s-
Oof!’ The wind was knocked out of Lincoln as Ardhi suddenly threw his full weight into his side, winding him. He got one last glance at the shimmering night sky before his body hit the water.

                                        ⁓                                  

‘They went over!’ Ivyanne tore her white sundress over her head and flung it at Pintang before pulling on the brake-not caring if they hit the other vessel now that it was empty. ‘Ardhi knocked him in! I have to help!’

Pintang brushed away the dress and rushed to the rail, leaning over to peer at the smaller boat below as they coasted closer. ‘Ardhi!’ her voice was frantic, her short blue dress billowing in the wind. ‘What are you
doing?!’

But Ivyanne knew that Ardhi couldn’t hear his sister and even if he could, wouldn’t care. ‘
Link!’ A sob escaped her throat as she pulled frantically at the lower half of the red bikini she’d put on after her shower and glanced back at Tristan who was kicking off his board shorts. ‘God what if he’s already...?’

‘He couldn’t have-they were unarmed and it’ll take Ardhi longer than a
minute to drown him Ivyanne!’ Tristan had changed from his blood-splattered dinner wear to a pair of swimming trunks while they drove out, so within seconds, he had snatched up a wicked looking curved blade and was over the rail and crouched on the side of the boat. ‘We’ll find them!’

Ivyanne was instantly comforted by his declaration. Suspended by one hand on the rail, leaning over the water, knife raised-naked and rippling, Tristan suddenly resembled a bronzed statue of some mythical god on a ledge. Power seemed to reverberate off him. At that moment, her choice for king seemed more fitting than she’d ever dreamed-her mother was right. Always had been. Tristan was her match.

‘Tristan don’t kill him!’ Pintang yelped. ‘He needs help!’

‘He’ll be beyond help if he kills that guy!’ Bane said, taking the wheel of the boat.

‘He’s right,’ Tristan nodded, leaning out, surveying the choppy black water. ‘But I’ll try to bring him out alive. Bane! Keep the engine running, okay? And if it looks like we need help-’

‘I’ll do it,’ Pintang said in a small voice. ‘I can drive a boat all right.’

‘Right,’ Bane nodded. ‘Go man.’

‘Wait for me!’ Ivyanne shoved Pintang out of the way and cleared both decks with a single swan dive, beating Tristan’s splash by half a second. The moment she was under, she kicked the bikini bottoms free before bringing her feet together and duck-diving.

The fuse happened straight away, she knew that the second she flicked her knees again. She straightened, shooting a few feet down, willing her eyes to adjust to the murky, blackish green water, blinking when they did-dismayed that they revealed nothing immediately, but shadow.

Tristan’s transition took a few seconds longer, but he cut through the water ahead of Ivyanne, using his powerful upper body in a way she never bothered with. She followed him, heart racing, bubbles gushing out of her as the excess air she’d taken in slipped out. Almost instantly, she could see the hull of the small fishing boat, a mere shadow in a slightly lighter gloom. Tristan got to it first, breaking the surface of the water, pulling her up with him.