Water (27 page)

“So I’m not going to ask you to come with me because you are unafraid. I’m asking you to come with me in spite of the fear. If you don’t, if you stay here, you will lose more than just this war, you will lose yourselves. You will become mere myths – shadows of the reality you could have been. Don’t do this for me, or for Merrick, or even for your families. Neith and his violence have stolen your courage, and made you feel like you would be better off hiding in a hole in the ground rather than going into the blue to fight him for who and what you are. So I’m asking you to do this for yourself, to remind yourself that you are an Oceanid, a survivor, and that no one is going to steal that from you. I am going after Merrick and I will do everything I can to stop these Oceanids from starting a war, and there is a good chance that I will fail,but I would rather fail fighting for love than sit here and do nothing while my love dies. I have made my choice, and now you need to make yours.”

I turned and looked into every face as I spoke.

“I am going whether you come with me or not, but if you do come with me, you will be fighting for what you love too, because I can assure you, there will be nothing left of your home or your beautiful children if humans and Oceanids go to war.”

Maya stepped forward first, placing her hand on my shoulder and smiling at me.

“I will join you, Alexandra,” she told me.

One by one they took a step towards me, placing one hand on my shoulder or back, and the other on the Oceanid next to them until they had formed a full circle around me. Those that couldn’t reach me placed their hands on the Oceanid in front of them so that in the end we were all connected in a web of touch, each Oceanid murmuring their agreement to join me.

A thrill of hope ran through me at the fire in their eyes.

The last Oceanid to murmur their agreement was Sabrina. She was shaking as she did so, a deep gash in her forehead and the blood that still oozed down her face, bringing me back to reality with a jolt.

Her voice wavered as she spoke and I felt instantly guilty for forgetting about her in the chaos.

I pushed through the crowd to get to her, helping her to sit and hurriedly calling Marinus and Maya.

A few moments of concentration later and she smiled, her gash now a fading pink scar line.

“Maya, we’d better make sure everyone is in good health before we leave,” I commented as I hugged Sabrina, relieved that she was healthy again.

Maya nodded.

“I think you should also work out a good plan of attack before we all go rushing into the blue,” Marinus whispered, grinning.

I knew he was right but the idea of delaying our departure to make plans about strategy frustrated me hugely. All I wanted to do was to get to Merrick. Even taking the time to help the wounded Oceanids grated with the burning desire to race from the cave to try and find him. ButI gritted my teeth against the fear I’d so bravely talked about earlier, before nodding and informing the Oceanids that we would leave after taking some rest.

Livius, Marinus, Maya, Llyr, Muirgel, Sabrina and Qinn met me in the centre of the cave after the Oceanids had settled for the night in the remaining unspoiled avens.

They waited for me to speak, their deference sitting strangely as I realised they expected me to have the plan all mapped out. I cleared my throat, trying to think what the best place to start would be.

“Llyr,” I eventually began, scrabbling for an appropriate and clever strategy, the problem being that I’d never had to think how I was going to attack a group of power-hungry enemies in an environment I was almost completely unfamiliar with.

“How do Oceanids attack each other?” I asked.

He bobbed at me, clearly pleased I’d asked him first.”Well, my Queen,” he began grandly.

I shook my head. “Llyr, I don’t want any pomp and ceremony, just get on with it please.” I hadn’t meant for my irritation to spill over, but time was quickly slipping by.

He ducked his head sheepishly and continued less grandly. “We always attack together,” he replied. “There is strength in unity.”

Marinus interrupted him. “That’s exactly what Neith is going to be expecting,” he said. “Your best chance of avoiding capture is to create as many diversions as you can.”

“That puts us all in danger,” Llyr cut in.

“Let him finish.” Muirgel’s gentle voice cut through the brewing argument, her head cocked to one side as she listened to Marinus.

Llyr scowled as Marinus continued. “I agree with you, Alexandra, that we can’t stay here and hide, but rushing full-tilt into the ocean is only going to result in Neith gaining exactly what he wants. You.”

“Do you have a better plan?” I asked him, liking the sound of diversions.

He nodded. “Let’s wait a week.”

I was shaking my head before he had even finished his sentence.

“That way Neith will think you are not coming for him and let his guard down,” he continued.

“And probably kill Merrick,” Sabrina cut in.

The thought made me dizzy.

“Marinus has a point, Alexandra,” Livius interrupted for the first time. “I know you don’t want to wait, but a week is a good idea, we don’t need to let them know we’re moving until the very last minute.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“The instant your skin, or any of our skins for that matter, touches the water, I’m sure Neith will know you are on the move. He won’t have taken the chance of you coming after him without having posted guards along the route to warn him that you are on your way.”

“So you are also suggesting we wait.”

Livius shook his head and motioned for silence, showing us that he was worried our conversation was being overheard by unfriendly ears. Then he knelt on the dusty floor of the cave, before writing with his finger in the dust.

We travel by land to the ocean.

“That’s a good idea I guess,” I told him.

He smiled and nodded as the others’ eyes lit up.

I knelt beside Livius and wiped away his writing, while speaking at the same time.

“It’s not fair for me to ask you to all come with me though. I see that now. I will go alone.”

While I spoke, I asked the questions that would feed the semblance of an idea that was forming in my mind.

What talents do we have?

Livius quickly tallied up the talents within our army, while Muirgel expressed her confirmation of my decision loudly.

All in all there were eighty-two Oceanids that had agreed to help me, about thirty of them had offensive talents, some being Gurrers, some having the gift of weapons like the blue fireball I’d created and the ability to create heat and shock waves in the water, as well as the ability to manipulate the water.

About twenty of them had defensive talents, gifts of disguise, hearing, sight, smell and sonar location.

Qinn was the master of disguise and grinned at me as he stretched out his hand. I watched in astonishment as it disappeared, his skin imitating the cave floor and even other Oceanid clothing perfectly.

The rest were gifted with the ability to manipulate and understand Oceanid motives, impart dreams and influence emotions.

Sabrina took up the fake conversation as I continued to write in the dust.

If we all entered the ocean at different points, could we create enough confusion so that we can get to Madagascar and back on land to plan the attack on Neith?

They looked at each other, surprise registering on their faces before nodding.

Qinn wiped the dust clean to add a nuance to the plan, telling me it would be even more confusing if I entered the ocean, and then completely disappeared.

I mouthed “how” at him.

If I meet you about a kilometre in, I can completely disguise your scent, your shape, everything. You will literally disappear, he wrote.

I grinned at him, relief flooding through me as the plan fell into place.

They took turns trying to convince me loudly that my plan was foolhardy, that I should leave Merrick and go back home while the rest of us agreed to the eighty-two entrance points into the ocean around the South African coastline.

I sighed loudly. “I don’t know any more what to do,” I said. “I know you all mean well, but I’m so worried about Merrick.”

Maya, hugged me. “Wait a week, Alexandra, that way you will at least be a little safer.”

“OK,” I agreed, my voice bouncing around the cave.

Marinus and Llyr made comforting noises, while Maya slipped away to find Undine, who we had agreed would inform all of the Oceanids of our plan as they slept, including what transport to take, where to find human clothing, and where they were to enter the ocean. Most importantly she would warn them of the danger they were going to face.

I woke with a jolt, confused for a few moments by the dread that edged my exhausted scrambled thoughts, before the horrible memories of the day before settled into place and the anxiety about Merrick had me sitting bolt upright.

I had vacillated between sleep and waking all night, the sleep disturbed by terrible dreams of Merrick screaming in pain, and the waking drenched with frustration as I waited for the interminable night to be over.

I scrambled to dress in the grubby shorts and T-shirt I’d worn when I’d first hiked into these mountains, pulling on my socks and trainers and thinking how uncomfortable this clothing was compared to the luxurious cloth I’d been wearing since that first day with the pod.

Qinn and Sabrina met me outside my aven, dressed similarly in human clothing they had found – a previously necessary disguise for potential hikers that may have come close to finding the entrance to their cave. They looked at once strange and comfortable in their role as a young couple hiking in the mountains.

We left the cave as the sun tinted the horizon a golden pink, following a slight pathway in the dew- wet grass, which led across the ridge of the mountain range and quickly down into the plains I’d hiked across with Josh and Luke a week earlier.

I wondered briefly how they were doing, and whether Aerowen and Indra had had time to properly erase their memories before Neith made his traitorous speech. They had left with him, obviously more swayed by the idea of killing humans than living with them peacefully.

I gulped cool mountain air into my lungs, pushing the fury at their betrayal deep into my core as I focused on the journey ahead of us.

“Has anyone erased my Mom’s memories?” I asked Sabrina as we walked.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so,”

Qinn shrugged.

“So what is she going to think when I don’t come home?” I asked them, horrified that I’d completely forgotten about my mother in my desperation to get to Merrick.

Sabrina shrugged and took my hand as we walked, offering little help.

We reached the little town centre at midday, splitting up, and behaving as though we were complete strangers as we bought the bus tickets that would take us to our various drop-off points.

I called Mom, thankful to get her voicemail, and told her I had decided to stay with Dad for another month. I explained that I would make up the time at school later and that I was sorry to abandon her like this.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I put the phone down, because I knew she would be hurt and wouldn’t understand. The only relief was that she wouldn’t be worried that I was dead.

I hoped, as I got onto the bus, that I would be able to see her again in a month’s time, that I’d be able to introduce her to Merrick, and we could have dinner together.

Once on the bus though, the agony began.

While we’d been planning and strategizing, I’d been able to push the fear for Merrick that constantly edged my thoughts away, focusing instead on what I was doing to help him. Now the waiting began, and with it a roller coaster of emotions.

I comforted myself by remembering as many moments with Merrick as I could, his smile, the mischievous light in his eyes as he’d shown me how to swim that very first time, his lips on mine…

And then an awful image of Neith encapsulating Josh and Luke’s neck with his mouth would spring into focus, except it wasn’t my friends Neith was poisoning, it was Merrick, and I’d have to bend over and breathe deeply to fight off the nausea that overwhelmed me.

I berated myself dozens of times for not insisting he stay with me when I went to Talita, for not telling him I loved him, for not leaving sooner, despite the logic of our plan and the necessity of allowing the others to rest a while before they left.

Sabrina, Qinn and I had been the last to leave the cave, the others having woken from the dream Undine had sent them and left quietly in the night.

The only remaining Oceanid had been Livius, who had followed the three of us out of the cave and into the cool of the morning.

“I’m too old to come with you,” he had said, taking my hand in both of his. “But I will stay behind and begin searching for other Oceanids living as humans in your country. I’ll send them on to you.”

“Go to my Dad,” I’d suggested, a mixture of sadness and anger and love at how his protective instincts had failed us both.

He had nodded. “I will, and I know he will help you as best he can. He is a good man, Alexandra, and together we will send you as much help as we can.”

I’d hugged him, thankful for the support.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair before staring at the passing scenery as it flashed past my window, my thoughts automatically returning to Merrick.

It seemed wholly unfair that I would discover such a deep and wonderful love, only to have it snatched from me after a few short days of happiness. I raged at whatever unseen power had created these circumstances.

And then a snapshot image of Merrick popped into my mind, the way he’d held me as we danced and all anger slipped away and I would simply rest in the memory for a few moments, thanking the same deity for his kindness to me in giving me Merrick.

Sabrina left the bus at the first stop, winking at me as I watched her pick up her backpack through the tinted glass. I smiled a tight smile back at her, anxiety for her safety crinkling my forehead.

A middle-aged, paunched and cigarette smoke-enswathed man settled next to me, his appraising glance quickly followed by some irritating pick-up lines. I ignored him as politely as I could, closing my eyes and picturing what Merrick would say or do if he was sitting next to me.

I was deep in the memory of my afternoon in the sunshine with Merrick when I felt the man next to me hover his hand over my leg. I pulled my legs up, wrapping my arms around them as the irritation turned quickly to fury.

I turned and glared at him, then turned back to the window, gazing at the forest-encloaked hills as we wound our way down to Durban, and Qinn’s drop off.

The irritating man who had been sitting beside me shifted as a quiet voice requested he move seats. When I turned to see what was going on he had been replaced by Qinn’s disinterested profile.

“It’s not going to help us if you get into more trouble on land as well,” he muttered beneath his breath, a slight smile playing on his lips.

I bent over to rummage in my bag, pulling out a packet of crisps and cold drink I’d bought earlier.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I whispered while rummaging in the chip packet.

He adjusted his earphones, pretending to nod his head to the music muttering, “Middle-aged admirer?”

I smiled as I sipped my drink, looking out of the window.

“There are some practicalities we forgot to talk to you about last night,” he whispered.

I continued to stare out of the window.

“You’ve never been in the ocean before have you?”

I tossed my hair to show I hadn’t.

“The biggest thing you need to be careful of is the current. Swim across it as quickly as you can. If you can’t then try and swim under it rather than over it.”

I bent down again to put my cold drink away, nodding as I did so.

“Also be careful of fishing nets and shark nets, and stay away from humans,” he murmured. “And try and sleep a bit more. You won’t be able to sleep at all when you reach the ocean.”

I must have fallen asleep because the sound of the bus doors closing and the revving of the engine snapped me back to consciousness.

Qinn was walking away from the bus. A deep and unsettling loneliness filled me as I watched him go, before settling back into my seat to wait for the five-hour trip to be over.

I passed the time in planning. Planning how I’d tell Merrick how much I loved him when I saw him next, planning how I’d take my revenge on Neith. Once I’d exhausted those topics though, I turned to my plan for peace.

If this rescue mission was successful, I realised I would have to have help on land to complete my two-pronged peaceful strategy. The clean-up of the ocean would probably take some time, and I couldn’t exactly do internet research and start contacting influential humans while swimming around in the ocean.

I thought about asking Dad to help me, but doubted he would understand or even agree to use the avenues I thought would work best.

I wondered who else I could turn to. I didn’t have any close friends who would believe me, except maybe…

Josh had known about the Oceanids before Merrick had rescued me, I was pretty sure I could ask him to help me on land while I worked in the water.

The time slipped by quicker than I’d thought possible as I mapped out the finer details of my plan, comforting myself from the fear for Merrick by imagining his response to the plan, and picturing him being an integral part of it.

The bus stopped at a rickety sun-bleached, rusted construction. The only bus stop in the Transkei, my stop, was in the middle of nowhere.

I stepped into the heat of the afternoon as it closed around me, a physical force that made breathing seem difficult.

Changing quickly behind the rickety bus stop into the pale blue robe Sabrina had folded into my bag, I took in the gently rolling green hills sloped toward the ocean, some of them ending in dramatic cliff faces on which the ocean waves threw themselves violently.

I walked down the orangey dust road that I’d been told led to the beach, drinking in the last sunshine I’d be experiencing for a while and listening to the soft pad of my feet on the dry sand.

Conflicting emotions spun through me as I walked, relief at finally being able to look for Merrick, sharply contrasted with the fear of the fight I knew would come.

The dust road ended in the white powdery sand of the beach, which stretched, abandoned, but for a few Nguni cows on either side of me.

I turned and drank in the beauty of the myriad of greens that patchworked the land, breathing in the dusty, pollen-laden air, and saying goodbye, before turning back to the sea and diving beneath the azure blue waves.