Fathom Page 9

  “That’s odd,” I mumbled.

  “You can hear them?” Aletheia leaned forward, whispering. “We can’t. You must be getting your sensory powers. You shouldn’t have them yet.”

  “Huh?” I put down the chicken sandwich.

  “Those come after mind reading.”

  “Oh,” I shrugged in obvious sarcasm, as if it were no big thing.

  Aletheia smiled. “Well, no two rulers are alike.”

  “When do you plan on focusing her teaching?” Mom asked Aletheia.

  “It has already begun,” she answered. “All the preliminaries are out of the way.”

  Mom nodded and chomped down on the purple leaf.

  “We need to focus on your teachings every day. There will be no breaks from your learning.” Aletheia lowered her voice. “You have to be prepared for when your husband returns.”

  My husband? It was strange hearing Thayde called anything other than my boyfriend.

  “What happens when Thayde returns?” I asked.

  “He may not be himself when he does.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Excuse me,”

  The three of us looked up to the Egyptian man who had decided to take the chance and approach us.

  “I noticed you were sitting alone. May we join you?”

  “Thank you,” Mom began, “but we prefer to be alone.”

  “Are you sure?” He pressed. “It’s not right for three lovely ladies to be dining alone.”

  I was getting impatient and glared at him, the heat rising in my body.

  “She said we prefer to be alone. That means you leave, now.”

  He held up his hands and backed away.

  Mom’s face was filled with alarm. “Aletheia, look at her eyes!”

  Aletheia cupped my chin, turning my face toward hers. Her eyes widened.

  “Morgan, control yourself.”

  “What a pig!” I exclaimed. “How dare he not take no for an answer!”

  “I think it’s time to leave.” Aletheia and Mom stood, waiting expectantly.

  I rolled my eyes and took one last look at the three men who sat in silence watching us. The blonde one looked inquisitively at me.

  Piling into our rented SUV, I wrapped my purple shawl around my shoulders and eased back into the plush seat.

  “So what’s the big deal?” I asked.

  Aletheia turned in the passenger seat, steadying herself as Mom pulled out of the parking spot. “You have much evil in you. You must learn to control this if you want to survive.”

  “Survive?”

  “It will kill you if you don’t get hold of it, Morgandy,” Mom added.

  “What’s wrong with my eyes?” Curious, I pulled a mirror out of my purse and took a good, long look. They were nearly black. “What is this?”

  “We call it The Look. You’ve heard of the phrase ‘if looks could kill’? You literally can kill with your looks. The black is the buildup. It’s your first time summoning it and thankfully it didn’t release. We would have been in terrible trouble if it had.”

  “The Look,” I repeated. “Don’t we have any names that don’t start with ‘The’? The Look, The Blessing, The Shadow, The Fire. I mean, it’s really lame.”

  Neither one of them spoke for a moment. Aletheia sighed. “These are old names handed down from many generations. I doubt very much they were concerned with being ‘cool’ when they were coming up with the names.”

  She turned to face the front of the car and we drove in silence until we got back to the house. Once there, I went straight to my room and locked the door. Staring in the mirror that hung above the set of drawers, I was relieved to see my eyes had changed back to their normal color.

  I paced to my bedroom window and watched Naira play in the water. From my position up high, I could see down into the lake at the schools of freshwater fish gathered around her. Waves of green water splashed as they darted around her and she chased them. They seemed to be playing tag with her. I grunted a slight laugh and rubbed my tired eyes. My chest felt heavy, and I rubbed at the area just over my heart.

  The little full-sized bed looked inviting with its numerous pillows and fluffy quilt. I lay on my side on the bed and enjoyed the cool breeze drifting in through an open window. The sound of Naira’s laughing lulled me to sleep.

  I stood in a room completely foreign to me. Neon stars and moons glowed all over the walls and the ceiling, giving the illusion of floating in space. A small bed stood in the corner, and next to it, a bedside table with a nightlight of a fairy sleeping on a mushroom. It was sweet and unusual. Inching closer, I touched the fairy’s colorfully lighted wings and was surprised they were cool to the touch.

  A contented sigh drifted from underneath the covers and I froze, unsure what I should do. The person in the bed shifted and the covers pulled back to reveal a beautiful little girl. She looked about four years old. Her long blonde hair lay in ringlets on her pillow. Long black eyelashes lightly kissed her chubby cheek. She reminded me of Naira.

  I leaned forward and stroked her forehead as my mom used to do to me when I was little. Her long lashes opened and she stared right at me.

  “Hi Mama,” she said in a tiny, groggy voice and held her arms up to me.

  “Hi,” I stammered and sat down on the edge of the bed. She climbed into my lap and began to suck her thumb.

  “Daddy says I dream you,” she said sleepily.

  “Dream me?”

  She nodded and sighed. “But I know you’re real.”

  I looked about the room, my eyes perfectly adjusted to the darkened room. Above her bed the name ‘Leigh’ was painted onto a little sign. On the opposite wall, just above a little desk and chair, hung a few family photos.

  She began to twitch slightly and I knew she had already fallen back asleep. Carefully, I tucked her back into her bed and when I finished, walked across the room to take a closer look at the pictures.

  In the first picture, she and Thayde were holding each other in a tight embrace, their faces smooshed against each other. The second was of my mom and Tammer. The third, was Thayde and I, lip locked in a cute kiss. I realized that this child, Leigh, must be ours.

  The door cracked, startling me, and a dark haired man walked quietly into the room and knelt next to the bed. It was Thayde. Taking Leigh’s little hand in his, he kissed it lightly. She opened an eye.

  “Mama was here again.”

  He bowed his head and held her hand to his cheek. “Oh yeah, sweet pea?” His voice cracked.

  “She stayed a little,” Leigh drifted back to sleep. Thayde kissed her forehead and stood. I followed him as he left the room. He walked into a small, cozy living room and stood in front of an open fireplace. On the mantle were more photos of us and Leigh. He was looking at one in particular – a lovely black and white picture of me, only it was an older me. He held his face in his hands and dropped to his knees.

  “Morgan,” he moaned and began to cry. My heart sank as I realized I was dead.

  The shock jolted me awake and I opened my eyes to the evening sun glowing amber across the lake. A flock of geese drifted in on the breeze, their funny feet outstretched as they touched down on the water. The smell of fresh coffee made its way over the open banister and I could hear Mom and Aletheia stirring a spoon in their cups as they talked.

  So Thayde was going to live and I was going to die later? The dream confused me. They had always meant something in the past. I’d been led to believe he would die. Now I was dreaming of having a child together? It didn’t make any sense.

  “You aren’t going to be able to do this.” The awful voice echoed in my mind and I closed my eyes, trying to focus on getting rid of it.

  “Not only is Thayde going to die, but you are too.”

  “Go away,” I said, holding my head tight between my hands.

  “You can’t handle this.” It didn’t sound like my voice – it sounded deeper, but not a man’s voice.

  “
I can handle anything.”

  “Really? Handle this.”

  A sharp pain struck me in the heart, taking my breath away. I felt as if I’d been sucker punched. I clawed at my chest as the pain radiated upward through the side of my neck and made its way to my face. The agony of it crawling across my cheek made me want to pass out. I could hear myself sucking in tiny breaths of air through my mouth, sounding as if someone was choking me.

  In desperation, I reached across the bed to the glass of water sitting on the edge of the side table. The tips of my fingers barely reached it and I batted at it several times before the glass fell to the floor shattering. Moments later, Mom and Aletheia flew through my door. As the blackness overtook my vision, my lungs began to scream for oxygen. Mom placed her hands over me and a silver glow seeped into my chest, dulling the pain. The sheer exhaustion from the incident left me feeling lifeless.

  “This is not normal.” Aletheia paced the room the way Tammer did when he was upset.

  “It’s Thayde,” Mom answered. “Limus cursed him with The Shadow and Morgan is starting to feel what he’s going through now.”

  “Their cording must be very strong for her to feel his pain so severely.”

  “This is what Thayde’s going through?” I panted, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

  “It is part of what he is experiencing. You won’t feel the full effect of what he feels, but you get the idea. It will get worse each time until The Shadow kills him.”

  “How can he handle the pain?” I asked and Aletheia stopped pacing.

  “His will must be strong to be able to continue living through it. I only hope they are able to find Limus soon. At the rate The Shadow is growing, it won’t be long.”

  “Mama?” Naira stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with terror. Mom pulled her into her arms and rocked her gently.

  “It’s all right, love. Morgandy’s not feeling well at the moment,” she reassured. Naira didn’t say another word and Mom left the room with her.

  “We must go for a swim in the lake,” Aletheia ordered and made her way for the door. “I will meet you downstairs in five minutes.”

  I didn’t want to go for a swim in the lake. The incident had exhausted me and the last thing I wanted to do was get some exercise, but it seemed I didn’t have a choice. Cursing under my breath, I dragged myself off the bed and fished around for a bikini.

  Downstairs, Aletheia tapped her foot as she waited. Clad in a deep purple bikini that looked like a second skin, it was perfect for her long black hair and pale skin. For a split second, it made me wish I were that white again.

  When I reached the bottom of the steps she raised a perfect eyebrow. “You know that swimming will help, don’t you?”

  “Actually, all I want to do is go to sleep.” I trudged toward the doors that led onto the stone patio. Moss grew between each of the stones, creating a checkered carpet look and I paused, admiring its beauty.

  “That’s the worst thing you can do at this point.” Aletheia made her way down the rock steps toward the beach on the edge of the lake. “Sleep will only allow your subconscious to have its way. It’s time for you to take back control.”

  Her movements were graceful and delicate. I admired her.

  She turned. “Yes?”

  “You’re a lot different from any of the other mermaids I’ve met,” I said.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I gave up a lot to be who I am.”

  I shook my head. “What does that mean?”

  She motioned for me to follow and we stepped onto the dock. “You cannot become who I am without great personal sacrifice.”

  When I didn’t answer, she continued. “I had to give up my powers in order to gain all the understanding I have.”

  “What?” I stopped at the edge of the dock. “Why? Why would you prefer to have knowledge over powers?”

  “Knowledge is power.” She answered.

  “Yeah, so if you’re in a fight you can just knowledge your enemy to death?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound as sarcastic as it had.

  “You will learn,” she said with confidence and dove into the water with hardly a splash. “Let’s go.”

  I jumped into the cold water and opened my eyes. It was clear and the bottom of the lake dipped into green nothingness about sixty feet down. I grabbed at my bikini bottoms as they floated past me, looking at my tail after I phased. The autumn sun made it shine like amber.

  Aletheia watched, suspended a few feet below the surface. Her lovely tail was a dark purple and her black hair fanned out around her body. The silver bangles she wore on her left arm twinkled as the setting sun shone down through the water.

  “Still can’t believe you’re a mermaid?” She asked.

  “Sometimes, I think it’s all been a dream,” I agreed.

  “It’s time to wake from your dream, Morgan.” She descended toward me, her hair turning into the shape of a tornado as it pulled along after her. “Being The Link means having your wits about you every second of the day. It is understanding that life is not all sunshine and roses. I know you’re young, but the sooner you realize just how huge this responsibility is, the better it will be for everyone.”

  I felt indignant and it must have shown. She touched my shoulder, her hand light and cool.

  “I will seem harsh, but it is only because we have little time to play about. I don’t want you to think I am not considering your feelings, however, your life is no longer just yours. You are the ruler of our kind. You are in the public eye now and many obstacles and priorities will confront you as you try to cope with it all. I won’t be able to teach you everything, but what I can teach will help you in the process of learning everything. It will take time.”

  The enormity of being The Link hadn’t fully hit me until just then and I struggled to wrap my mind around it. Before, knowing I was The Link had been an inconvenience, but now, realizing that it wasn’t just about me anymore but the entire merpeople population really hit home.

  “What are we going to do?” I asked. The sun was setting and I knew the water would grow dark as soon as the sun hid behind the mountains.

  “We are going to face one of your biggest fears.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Swimming in dark water,”

  Fear froze me in place. I did not want to deal with one of the hardest things I had to face right then and there.

  “When you’re The Link, you must fear nothing. If you fear, you will doubt and if you doubt, you will lose. You cannot lose, ever.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Are you ready?”

  “No.”

  She smiled. “The fear of not seeing is not knowing what is there.”

  “Yeah,” I gulped.

  “You must force yourself to see.”

  My look must have said it all.

  “Merpeople are able to see in the blackest of waters.” She curled herself around me and placed her hands on either side of my head. “We can change our eyes to be able to see in the darkness. We call it The Sight.”

  I recalled a year ago, watching Tammer surface in his pool and thinking I had seen his eyes white. At the time, I dismissed it as a trick of the eye – something I had imagined.

  “They turn white?” I asked

  “Yes. Focus on that and bring the power through. You will be able to see in the dark.”

  Her hands were now warm, warmer than the cool water surrounding us. It seemed to help me focus and I closed my eyes, calming myself and pulling the powers through me. When I released the golden orb, instead of breaking from me, it melted and as I opened my eyes, the world had greatly changed.

  I recoiled from the shock of seeing things so differently. Everything was black and white – like those old fashioned cartoons they didn’t color in. Aletheia smiled cocking her head.

  “It’s a lot different isn’t it?”

  “It’s freaky.” I stared at the world around me, astonished to
be able to see everything from the tree stumps that covered the floor of the lake to the numerous fish swimming away from us.

  “Yes, but now you can see!” She pushed the bangles back on her arm. “Do you feel afraid?”

  I did. It was weird and being able to see everything was almost a sensory overload.

  “Is it better not being able to see?” She questioned.

  “I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “There’s a lot to take in.”

  “We should practice swimming this way.” She swam downward. Seeing her looking like a cartoon made me giggle nervously and she looked back at me.

  “You make a pretty cartoon!” I said, following her. I caught her smug smile as she turned away again.

  Into the depths of the lake we swam, careful to avoid the downed trees and various snowmobiles and cars that had found their home on the muddy bottom. With the world in black and white, it was simple to see anywhere I wanted. The enormity of some of the fish in the lake caught me off guard. An irritated looking, eighteen foot sturgeon glided out of our way as we neared him.

  I knew McCall’s Payette Lake was a glacial lake. I also knew the tales of Sharlie, a sea-like monster who supposedly made the lake its home. I was always taken with the idea that an elusive creature lived in the lake and once or twice when I had visited with my father, I was sure I’d seen something. Now, as we made our way along the bottom, my heart began to race in the anticipation of running into it.

  Aletheia stopped swimming and faced me. “You have to calm yourself. Your heart is beating completely out of control! What’s wrong?”

  “Just nervous. Have you heard about Sharlie?”

  She nodded. “The tall tale is that there’s a hole in the bottom of this lake that leads to the ocean. Sharlie lives in there. Supposedly.”

  “Is it true?”

  “Why don’t we see for ourselves?”

  Um, no. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Aletheia sensed my hesitation and placed her thin hand on my arm.

  “You have to face your fears.”

  “Yeah, well it’s not really the best of days to be doing this.”