The Evensong (49 page)

I shut my mouth. Naturally, I wouldn’t give him that pleasure. I could think of something better.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t be—”

I spit in his face as he spoke. He stopped, looking surprised for a second, and then smiled. “Well now aren’t you brash.” He wiped his face as he stood. “Untie her. She won’t be going anywhere.”

He walked off, ducking through a thin fracture in the wall I hadn’t noticed before. Omar stood there for a moment, not moving, and I kept my eyes glued on the bright cave entrance far ahead. He finally knelt down and untied the fabric that had been in my mouth before working on the rope.

“How’s your head?” he asked quietly as he worked at the knot.

“Great,” I spat, “since you knocked me out with a rock.”

“I’m sorry, all right?” he said as he paused to look at me. “I had to get you out of there . . .”

“And
why?
” I asked. “Is this another one of your stupid attempts to get me away from Linden?”

“I wouldn’t call it stupid,” he said as he began to unwind the rope. “I’d call it sensible.”

My shoulder hurt more as the rope fell away. I grasped it and clenched my teeth. “You are so hopeless, Omar. When are you going to understand that—”

“I understand things
perfectly.
And I know how to fix them,” he said, shaking the rope in my face as if to prove it. I laughed mockingly as he walked away. He too went through the fracture, and I was left alone.

I rested my arm in my lap, hoping my shoulder would quit hurting. Gingerly, I reached up to touch my head. The worst of the pain was near my temple, and the skin around it was sensitive to the touch, as well as sticky. When I pulled my hand away, there was blood on my fingertips.

I cursed and bit my lip. I was fighting down panic, though it was surging up in my chest and threatening to explode. For now, I had to keep it down. Aidan could be bluffing. Maybe we weren’t very far from the house. Still, the question remained: why was I here?

I stood shakily, bracing my hands against the wet rock behind me. Brown and white gooseneck barnacles dotted some of the wall and ceiling, and some of the rock beneath my feet was slick with algae. How Aidan had ever found this place, I didn’t know.
I could be miles away,
my pessimism whispered as I stood at the edge of the rock. The mouth of the cave seemed so far away, and I glanced down into the water. It looked so deep as it lapped against the rocks, black and cold. With this kind of current, there was no way I could swim my way out of here. I’d be tired by the time I reached the exit, and there was no telling how far I would have to go once I escaped. Plus, Aidan and Omar would eventually notice, and I would be easy for them to catch up.

I backed up to the wall against, kneading my shoulder. Panic was getting hard to ignore now, and I opened my mouth to take a deep breath. It was so humid, it hardly felt like I was breathing. The sudden feeling of claustrophobia settled, and I sunk to the ground, keeping my eyes on the bright entrance.

“Riley.” Aidan’s faint voice called me from the fracture in the wall. He didn’t say anything after that, and I took it as a sort of summon, but I stayed put. A minute later, Omar climbed out and beckoned for me to follow.

“Why?” I snapped.

“You want to try to find your own food in here?” he asked, scowling before he disappeared again. I glanced around, briefly considering the possibility. Considering I knew very little about the minimum sea life around me, I didn’t have much of a choice. I stood again and carefully made my way across the rock, my shoes occasionally slipping. At the fracture, I looked inside, seeing mostly darkness until my eyes adjusted and I noticed a faint orange light. Omar stood just inside, waiting, and I slipped through.

Inside was another part of the cave, a sort of room with much more space than the other. In the center, Aidan had a fire going as he sat beside it, looking content. Water dripped from the ceiling, making small hissing sounds when it hit the burning wood.

“Don’t look so uncomfortable,” Aidan said, his voice echoing slightly. Omar left my side to sit across from him. There was a packet of something between them, and Omar tore open another. I took a few steps forward and then sat down; I wouldn’t associate myself with them. Aidan rolled his eyes and threw something at me. Instinctively, I caught it and stared. It was a packet of saltines.

“It’s food, isn’t it?” Aidan shrugged at my expression. I scowled and put the packet down. I didn’t want to eat anything from them, but my stomach was aching. Who knew how long I had been out? I grudgingly tore open the crackers and started eating.

Omar soon passed me a water bottle, and I took it, making sure I didn’t touch any part of him. This was better than nothing, and I’d eaten half of the crackers before I saw that Aidan was fiddling with cans of tuna. Naturally he would keep it to himself . . .

“Is someone going to explain?” I asked after a long time. I wrapped the remainder of the saltines and put them in my lap. The space was getting very hot, and the fire burned unnaturally slow, the logs barely turning white with ash.

“Explain what?” Aidan asked innocently.

I glared back at his yellow eyes across the flames. “I didn’t ask to be here.”

He smiled sardonically. “No one did, but this is the best place for us now.”

“What for?”

He held up his hands as he shrugged. “Anything. Simple negotiation.”

My eyes darted to Omar’s face, but he was staring into the flames. I stood, my head swimming. “You’re wasting your time. I’m not about to discuss anything.”

I tried not to sway as I went, and Aidan called me back before I could leave.

“We don’t have a whole lot of saltines,” he said, holding his hand out.

I grit my teeth and walked towards him, tossing the crackers into the fire.

PURPOSE

As the sun began to set, I was crouching on the edge of the rocks looking into the water for any movement. There had to be fish down there, or seaweed. I was just looking for another food option rather than relying on what Aidan thought he could spare. With some mild exploration, I found a few small tide pools in the corners, but I was sure I couldn’t eat starfish. Even if they were edible, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. When I found small bundles of kelp, I kept in mind where it was for future reference.

It was getting colder as the cave grew darker, and I retreated back to my normal spot in the corner. Pulling my knees up, I tucked my arms between them and my chest, trying not to shiver. If this was how I was supposed to survive this, so be it. I wouldn’t be the first to ask Aidan to make me a fire.

I didn’t have long to wait before Omar came out from the large crack carrying a folded blanket.

He dropped it on the floor next to me. “You can sleep on the other side. It’s drier.”

As my answer, I unfolded the blanket and draped it over myself. Omar just sighed and walked back the way he came. As if I would be anywhere near them by choice.

I huddled down further and watched the last of the sun disappear; the pale pink and lavender tint faded from the surface of the water, and the faded yellow of the sun stopped reflecting off the wet wall. It was all replaced with a cold gray, and I looked toward the opposite wall where Omar had gone. Their faint voices grew fainter still, and I wondered if there were more little hidden rooms further back. It seemed possible, and I tucked that fact in the back of my mind for later.

As it grew colder, my mind wandered into my greater fears. I came up with the worst-case scenarios as to why I was here; was I going to die? Was that their goal all along, to just kill me? It seemed unbelievable, and even further disbelieving since they hadn’t already done it. Then again, Aidan seemed like the type to prolong these kinds of things.

My mind began a desperate search for a way out. I stood and threw the blanket off me, standing at the edge of the rock. I could try to swim and see what happens; worst of the worst, there would be nothing there and I would have to swim back. Or if the current were strong enough, I’d be carried away, thus fulfilling the possible want of my death. Perhaps the waves would crush me against the rocks outside; even more dramatic. It was still worth a try.

I sat down, putting my legs in first. My body followed, tensing up with the cold temperature of the water. The water came in a little hard, and my body moved forward and back, scraping against the bottom of the rock at my back. Why my muscles loosened a little, I let go of the rock and tread water. I hesitated for a moment, and then reminded myself that I would rather die by natural causes than by whatever Aidan could think of.

I started swimming, taking long strokes against the water as it pulsed against me. After only a minute of this, I was already starting to feel tired. I gripped the rock wall next to me and looked back to the place I’d been sitting before. It wasn’t far away, and the mouth of the cave still loomed ahead much further. I wasn’t sure how I could do this.

I clapped a hand over my mouth when I felt something go across my thigh. I stifled the yelp, but got an idea the second it happened. I had been so in awe of the sea life before, how could I have forgotten?

Immediately, I turned around. Swimming that way was much easier as I was pushed along, and I hauled myself back onto the rock. I should have thought of projecting before. I quickly lay down, still dripping wet, and closed my eyes as I caught my breath. All I knew was that I had to hurry in case Omar or Aidan came by.

It didn’t take long, and I had to take a second to ground myself. The teeming lives around me were so tempting, but I chose the smartest ones I could find. I swam with a small darting fish as it made its way out of the cave. I jumped to several others until I finally was in the open ocean. It was almost impossible to tell if there was civilized land around, and I kept down my worry as I searched for something else that would help. I moved to the barnacles clinging to the outside of the cave, though this wasn’t the best idea. Their senses were muddled and foreign, though they reminded me of something else that could be nearby. I went to the wind and waited for the familiar call of a seagull.

I finally found one and immediately flew with it. From this height, I could see the land, though it was disappointing. It was a strange landscape that I didn’t recognize, and the nearest houses were far behind the expanse of dark rock. No one would be able to hear me yelling from the cave; the sound of the waves would drown it out, and they were too far away. But the seagull was flying inland, and I decided to stay with it in case there was something familiar I recognized.

This plan was all but brilliant, and I was just getting excited when my projected self was jerked out of the seagull. I hovered on the wind, confused, when it happened again, this time accompanied by pain as I was flung back into my body.

The pain exploded from my side, and I curled into a ball, gasping. It was too dark here, and I could only see the dark gray half-circle of the exit. There was the brief sound of fabric against fabric, and the thud as something hard collided with my side again. This time I yelled while tears sprung into my eyes.

“You think I don’t know when you’re up to something?” Aidan asked quietly as he lowered his foot. “I know what projection is. Omar filled me in.”

I could barely concentrate on what he was saying. I was just trying to breathe.

He crouched next to me and roughly pulled me up. I grit my teeth, a whimper still coming from my throat as my ribs protested. “Listen, Riley. I’ve made sure no one can find you here. Understand?”

He shook me hard and I screamed. “
What do you want?”

I looked at him through blurred vision; he smiled. “That’s a loaded question. I want a lot of things in life, and this is just a side project. Just fun.”

I didn’t grasp what he was saying. Clutching my ribcage, I glared and waited. He could tell I expected more, and he laughed quietly.

“Did you think this was something monumental?” he asked. “For me, at least?” I didn’t speak, so he continued. “I’ve killed other people before you. Generally the same pathetic people: witches. Once I know I’ve found one, it’s impossible to ignore. Like your friend Alysana.”

I hated hearing her name coming from him, and I was ready to start arguing, but he went on. “She was honestly just a pick of the bunch. Pretty, sure. But it’s half the fun getting them wrapped around your finger.” He smirked while he relived some of those memories, then looked back at me. “And that’s how Omar came along. I’ve got to hand it to him, I didn’t think he was so intuitive, but he confronted me about being an Elemental after your little incident.”

I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, not really wanting to hear any of this. Aidan seemed to be enjoying me reactions to everything he said.

“You know what I’m talking about,” he said as he sat next to me. I tried to move away, but the pain stopped me. One, if not more, of my ribs felt cracked or broken. “You know, when he threw you down in the swamps. I heard the nicer side of the story, but I can visualize what really happened. Ripping at your dress, hot-groined, heavy-breathed—”

“Shut up,” I spat.

Aidan laughed. “You have to relive that beautiful moment of passion! He wanted you so badly he just took it into his own hands. Guess you were a little too crafty for that, or just hung up on the undine.” He watched my face for any obvious emotions, but I tried to look neutral. “I’m still a little muddled on that one. A witch and an Elemental . . . strange. You know we’re considered the purest of beings, don’t you? Witches are just a sick hybrid manufactured over centuries.”