Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2) (24 page)

Another, louder boom made everyone scurry to the pool.

“Mother of Pearl!” Galadriel yelped. “What is that?”

“Alaster,” I growled. “When I get out of here, there’s no telling what I’m going to do to that sea serpent, especially if he ruins my house, too. Let’s get the weapons.”

“Sure thing, boss!” Jax leapt out of the pool.

“Wait!” Ash pointed to the nets strung along the ceiling.

“Good idea.” I scanned their position. “If we hide around the room and lure the guards under, I can use Alaster’s nets to capture them. And for the others, we can use the javelins.”

Jax tossed everyone a javelin except Ash because of her hand. I sang to Colin because he was human now, and told him to stay hidden with Ferdinand. Ash cowered behind me as I crouched down by the hatch within reach of the net-release mechanisms. Ferd and Colin hid by the bar, and Jax and Galadriel ducked behind the stack of loungers. I clapped twice to cut the lights. Tension mounted. I scanned the dark room, my eyes roaming from the door to the hatch, waiting for the ambush. Ash clung to my waist, trembling.

“Are you scared?” I whispered.

“Yes.”

“It’s okay. I’ll get us out. Stick close to me.”

“Okay.” Though she agreed, something in her voice told me she didn’t believe me. The lack of faith stabbed me. I had to gain her trust back and prove I could protect her, once and for all.

Upstairs, something slid against the floor. The door opened.

“It’s over, Princess!” Alaster barked, followed by laughter.

Gasoline rushed down the stairs like a waterfall. He lit a match and the stair case ignited in flames.

Ash shrieked.

“Into the pool!” I yelled.

We all dove in and phased into our tails so we could splash the staircase. Eventually, the flames went out, but the doorway and beyond was a ring of fire.

“There’s no need to panic,” I said, not only to myself, but everyone else as the fear gripped my mind. “The bonefish thinks fire is our kryptonite but he doesn’t know about firemen.”

“Firemen?” Jax asked, his eyes bulging.

“Men who put fires out—with water.” Ash touched Jax’s arm gently. “My dad’s one. They’ll come right away, but we’ll still need to avoid the smoke.”

“Oh,” he said relieved, curiosity piqued, “and they know to come?”

“Yes,” Ash said, “on land, we’re trained to report fires.”

Galadriel snuggled up next to Jax. “They’re quite brave, or so I’ve read. We haven’t anything to worry about.”

Ash’s anxiety didn’t lessen, though. It was obvious the fire wasn’t her only concern.

“You okay?” I tried to comfort her with my arms.

“Colin’s out there in the smoke.”

“Oh, right.” At this point, Colin was the least of my worries.

Ferdinand swam back and forth, and wrung his hands. If he forgot his towel, he’d be streaking until he found another strip of cloth.

I gave the group my most convincing smile. “If all else fails, Jax and I will persuade the humans. We don’t have a choice but to wait it out.”

Galadriel gave a wink, oblivious to the danger we faced. She reveled anytime I broke down and resorted to persuasion. This time I felt justified. This is why mermen had the power to begin with—to protect the mers’ secret identity.

Knowing my house burned above me, when there was nothing I could do about it, infuriated me—all the memories, our furniture, my life as I knew it, destroyed. By Uncle Alaster of all people. There goes my idea of living here until Ash finished high school. What would we do now?

Sirens finally grew closer. Time for the game plan.

“We’ll need to leave as soon as we get out of here. Alaster will most likely have an army for our capture. We’ll have to persuade someone to drive us or get our hands on a car. If the whole house doesn’t burn down, we’ve got cash hidden. We’ll make a run for the Pacific. It’s only a three hour trip.”

Sadness filled Ash’s eyes as she looked away. I squeezed her hand, accidentally touching her knuckle stumps. She cringed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said softly.

“This isn’t how I expected everything to play out.”

“We should go home,” Galadriel interrupted. She held her shoulders high, regal almost. She took Jax’s hand.

“Home, as in Florida?” I asked.

She flapped her lips. “Natatoria, of course.”

I raised my right eyebrow. “Really?”

“I can no longer sit back and allow my people to be treated like this. Not only the fraud from switching babies, but kidnapping, unassisted conversions, hijacked promisings, and attempted murder, for what? Royal placement? Absurd. I must see my mother, father, Azor and Alaster are punished for their crimes. As eldest daughter, I will take the throne and tell the truth.”

“Become the Queen?” I turned to Galadriel in surprise. “Wow. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“After everything, I have no choice.”

Ash reached out with her good hand to me and squeezed hard.

“I will do my part as well, for Tatchi and my Queen,” she whispered in my ear.

I choked back my emotions. I’d never expected Ash to want to change into a mer, let alone fight our fight, and she didn’t even know the half of the history behind the King and my dad. I’d never been more proud of her before this moment.

I drew her into a hug. “I guess we’ll be going home, then.” I wasn’t sure if I should be happy, sad, or worried—but to finally get vengeance for everything Alaster and Azor had done put a smile on my face.

“I’ll need help with my parents,” Ash said softly in my ear, “oh, and Colin. He’ll need a family, too.”

She tried to remain brave, but I knew this had to be rough on her.

“Sure—or I can look for some essence upstairs.”

Galadriel glared and shook her head. “No.”

I creased my forehead.

“He’s lucky to be alive. We’ll leave it at that.”

I lifted my hand. “Whatever you say, Queen.”

Keeping Colin human was a better idea anyway, quiet and docile. And who knew how he’d react once he had fins again. We didn’t need a merman with amnesia tagging along, especially when we stormed the castle. With a little persuasion, the Lanskis would take him in, no problem.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“I think so.” Ash forced a smile.

“This is mighty brave of you,” I said. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“No,” she said, fear behind her voice. “But I want to be with you.”

“The Lanskis will always be your family.” I squeezed her hand.

“I know.” She squeezed back.

I popped my head above the water and took in a whiff of smoke by accident. Colin had put the towel up to his nose, but was coughing just the same. Ferdinand leapt to his feet. He grabbed Colin, threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and charged up the stairs through the burning doorway.

“No, Ferd!” Jax yelled and jumped up onto the deck.

The smoke poured through the open door like a chimney as we joined Jax on the deck, covering our noses with our hands.

“Now what?” Ash shrieked, clinging to my arm. “Do we run for it?”

Fire rimmed the door jam like a flaming hoop of death. Just watching the flames made me ache for water as badly as when Alaster chained me to the wall and left me to dry.

Masked aliens in yellow appeared. Stuck in mer survival mode, my brain took a second to register they were firemen. They charged down and hoisted Galadriel and Jax over their shoulders. I moved out of the way for them to take Ash first. She fought and cried for me as she disappeared out of sight.

I wanted to follow, but the smoke coated my lungs and the fire licked the walls. I contemplated waiting in the water when my head began to pound and sleepiness took over. I slumped down, content to close my eyes, if only for a second.

:::

ASH

Friday morning, April 22
^nd

“No!” I stretched my fingers for Fin as he disappeared into the billowy blackness below. The masked man carrying me muffled my name. I peered beyond the glass and found blue eyes—my father’s.

“Dad,” I said as sleepiness took over. “Fin’s in there, too. We can’t leave him behind.”

 He nodded and everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, a woman in a navy blue paramedic uniform was placing an oxygen mask over my nose and tending to my burns.

“Ashlyn, Thank God you’re all right.” Dad knelt before me. A tear had made a clean trail through the soot on the side of his cheek. “Who else is in the basement?”

“Fin,” I squeaked out.

“Anyone else?”

On my left, Jax and Galadriel sat with paramedics fussing over them. Ferdinand and Colin weren’t anywhere. Did they get out? I shook my head.

Dad clenched his jaw. “How did the fire start?”

“We were in the basement, and there was an explosion. We were trapped.” I reached up and hugged his neck. “Dad, they have to get Fin out.”

“They’re inside looking for him right now.” He smoothed back my hair and held me close. “I’m so lucky. I almost lost my little girl.”

I wiped my cheek with my good hand and hid the other within the folds of a blanket someone had wrapped around me. Seeing my mutilated hand would freak him out more. I huddled up, though I wasn’t cold. Oddly, the early morning breeze didn’t chill me like it usually did.

Jax and Galadriel were anxiously watching like me, waiting for someone to pull Fin from the flames. A crash on the right hand side of the house shattered my nerves, and I gaped in horror as part of the walls crumbled inward. Finally, two bundles of black ran through the smoke pouring from the front door—empty handed.

I gasped and tried to stand. “Fin?”

Dad held me tight. “Stay still, honey. Your burns need tending.”

Burns? Didn’t he see I'd miraculously healed? All the paramedic did was swab dirt off perfectly pink skin. I wiggled to free myself. Fin was still down there.

With my new super-sonic hearing, I picked up bits of conversation between the firemen. They’d gone back inside for the last person and weren’t able to find him. Dad put his arm on my shoulder and squeezed.

“But he can’t be missing.” I pried myself away from Dad’s grasp and jumped up, taking off the oxygen mask. “Galadriel! Jax! Do something!”

Jax stood and spoke in Natatorian. “What do I say?”

“Just tell them to keep looking, to find Fin! He’s still down there.”

At that moment, there was a boom, and the house collapsed and sank in on itself. A huge plume of smoke floated into the early morning sky. I shrieked in horror. “Oh dear God. No!”

Galadriel appeared at my side. She tucked me under her shoulder and stroked my hair. We cried and hugged one another as the flames victoriously devoured the broken remains of Fin's human home. Though the scene looked bad, my heart told me Fin was still alive.

“He’s not gone, Galadriel. He can’t be.”

“I know. It’s hard to believe,” she said through sobs.

“No,” I swiveled and stared into her eyes. “He’s alive. I feel him here.” I tapped my finger over my heart.

“Really?” Hope washed over her face. “Then how did he get out?”

We looked at the water and spoke in unison. “Alaster.”

“I’m on it,” Galadriel said as she motioned to Jax.

Jax sang a quick song to tell everyone they were never there as they ran to the water. I started to shrug off the blanket in an attempt to follow when I heard Mom’s voice.

“Ashlyn!” she yelled. “Let me through. That’s my daughter! William, is Ashlyn there? Is she okay?” Mom muscled her way through the police line and charged over to us. “Are you all right?” Her eyes fell on me in relief. “What happened?”

“Mom.” I dipped my head and pulled the blanket up around my shoulders to hide my torn dress. “It’s okay. I’m safe. Fin came home last night and… there was an accident.”

Her expression morphed from fear to anger. “What do you mean an accident? Ashlyn Frances, you could have died. The house is destroyed. What kind of accident would do this?”

“Karen,” Dad said sharply. “Stop! Fin didn’t make it out, so….”

Mom blinked, then turned to me. Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”

She enveloped me with her arms and I melted into them. She’d loved me even when I wasn’t the boy she’d expected to give birth to, and though our relationship was often disjointed, I wanted her as my real mom more than anything. I sobbed harder. My human life and my family were no longer mine. All of it was a lie and if Fin didn’t survive, where would I belong?

“Mom,” I breathed in desperation. Fin had to be alive somewhere.

She took my face between her hands. “Where’s Colin?”

My brain scrambled for an excuse. Where was he?

“Right here, Mrs. Lanski,” he said from behind us.

I turned in shock as he walked up—grimy and gritty. A bloody beach towel circled his waist. He gave me a divided look of understanding and confusion.

“Oh, my dear boy,” she exclaimed and hugged him hard around the neck. “What happened? You’re bleeding!”

“I’m not. It’s only on the towel,” Colin said flatly. “Ash, where’s my dad?”

“Oh, no! Is he inside as well?” Mom shrieked.

I stared at Colin in astonishment. Did he not remember what happened in the basement?

Colin took Mom’s hand. “It’s going to be okay, Mrs. Lanski,” He sang. “Why don’t you go home? And Mr. Lanski, you go ahead and finish up fighting the fire. We can handle things here.”

I almost fell over. As a human, he knew how to mer-sing. And like robots, Mom and Dad hugged us both one last time and then followed their persuaded assignments.

“No,” I whispered. “How?”

Colin gave a questioning glance. “How what?”

“You’re singing.”

“Of course I sing. You’ve heard it lots of times.”

“But you converted? How did you convert back?”

“Huh? I didn’t convert.” Colin wrinkled up his face. “All I remember is being stabbed and then I woke up on the dock.” He rubbed the pink scar on his side. “Where is my father by the way?” Hate filled his eyes.

“You converted and had legs in the basement. We were all locked inside and your Dad started the fire, tried to burn us alive… or bury us. Take your pick. You don’t remember any of that?”

Colin’s eyes narrowed. “I only remember being stabbed.”

“Um,” I looked away. “Ferdinand must have changed you back. He’s full of surprises.”

“Ferdinand?”

“He showed up after you converted. He must have had some essence on him.”

“Well, then where’s Fin and the Princess?”

Lightning bolts of panic shot into my veins. We were wasting time. “I don’t know where Fin is. Galadriel and Jax went in the lake to get him, but she’s not back yet—” I was torn. Should I leave and find Fin now? What if he was in Natatoria already? I couldn’t leave my parents without an explanation of where I’d gone. “I need to find him.”

“Jax? Who’s Jax?”

“Ash!” Georgia ran down the small hill with Callahan on her heels. Darkness crossed Callahan’s face and his hands formed into fists. His strides lengthened.

Crap.

“You better mind mojo him if you don’t want another black eye,” I said quickly.

“Why you son of a—,” Callahan said through his teeth.

“I mean Ash no harm. I’m her friend. Forget what you saw on the beach,” Colin sang.

Callahan blinked and shook his head. He looked off to the side, then his eyes found me, in concern. “Ash, what happened? Are you okay?”

I inhaled deeply in relief. “There was an accident.” I looked to Colin for support.

“Yeah,” Colin said. “We’re lucky to be alive. Ash saved my life.”

I chuckled and creased my forehead. “I did no such thing. Don’t listen to him.”

Georgia took my shoulders in her hands and shook. “Your Mom called our house frantic at 6 this morning looking for you and then Callahan had your phone for some reason and finally answered it. After the prank at the club, you disappeared. Where did you go last night?”

I opened my mouth as visions of Alaster almost drowning Callahan came back to me. Only air whooshed out. So much had happened.

“Ash came to our house after Callahan dropped her off. Don’t you remember Cal?” Colin asked, ticking his head to the side.

Callahan flustered under Georgia’s hot stare. He wouldn’t remember after Alaster mind mojo’d him.

“Uh, yeah… I dropped her off,” he said. “And here’s your phone back, Ash.”

Georgia hit him in the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Sorry.” Callahan held up his hands. “The night’s a little fuzzy.”

Thirty missed calls highlighted the screen, mostly all from Georgia and Mom. There were two from Fin’s old number—Fin’s Dad—and a message from him. My heart sprung into a gallop. What did Fin’s dad want?

Georgia let out a frantic huff then flung her arms around my neck. “This is so crazy. I’m so happy you’re alive. I was freaking out.”

“I’m okay.”

She cried on my shoulder, but all I could think about was Fin. Was he okay? Had Galadriel and Jax found him already? What about Alaster?

“We should be going now.” Colin’s hand found mine and he squeezed.

“Go?” Callahan’s jaw tightened in jealousy. Colin would need to mer mojo that away for me and I couldn’t disappear to Natatoria on Georgia without an explanation, like Tatiana had done.

“Yeah.” I closed my eyes briefly. “Colin, please tell them I’m going on a trip to… Africa. A mission trip and I won’t be home for a while and I’m postponing college and the Olympics.”

“What?” Georgia’s tone was livid. “No way! What mission trip? Since when—”

At the musical sound of his words, Georgia and Callahan’s eyes glazed over. I hated every second of it.

“And tell Callahan to take good care of Jaime. She’s a good catch.”

Colin creased his brow, but told him anyway. Before I knew it, Georgia and Callahan were hugging me good-bye and wishing me luck. The magic mer-eraser had wiped away two of my friends from me and neither were the wiser. My stomach gave a hot pinch. I wanted to throw up.

“My family—” I breathed out. “I can’t leave without explaining.”

“Let’s do it,” he said. “But we have to hurry.”

I looked up at Colin as he tipped his head toward the house.

Panic swelled in my heart. “Just go tell them I’ll be back later and that I’m okay. I have to find Fin.”

I ran for the lake instead.