Always Remembered (27 page)

No telepathy?
I asked Kieran to test
what Dad was saying. Kieran didn’t respond. He couldn’t hear me.
Bummer.

“What?” he asked a moment later when he
caught me staring at him.

“Nothing,” I said. “I just tried testing that
theory. Dad’s right.”

“Why would I lie about that?” Dad frowned up
at me, and then tapped the floor next to him. “Might as well get
comfortable. They bring food twice a day.”

“What do you do to pass the time?” Kieran
asked.

“Sit and wait,” Dad responded. I hated
hearing the dejection in his voice. Was he giving up?

“That’s what you do.” Aunt Brigid took a
fighting stance and grinned maliciously at Kieran. “Not me. Would
you like me to show you how I pass the time?”

“I wouldn’t advise it.” Drust stepped out of
the shadows, exposing his black eye. “She’s ruthless.”

His words belayed his actions when he bowed
politely to my aunt. She smiled back. It was genuine, too. Wow.
Miracles did exist. Then her eyes scanned the shadows. “What? No
takers?”

Kieran raised his hands. “I’m good,
thanks.”

Brigid laughed darkly, sitting next to my
dad. “What news do you bring, niece?”

“We have so much to tell you,” I said.
Circumstances could not be worse. How could I update them on
everything that happened and all that Ken planned without being
able to say anything important out loud for fear that the Blue Men
might hear? I would write in dirt or dust, but the stone floors
were relatively clean.

“It’ll have to wait. Sit, Meara,” Dad said.
“You look like you could use some rest.” I must have glared at him,
because he held up his hands. “No offense, but I’m sure you’ve been
through a lot. Take a nap. What else are you going to do?”

He was right, of course. Sitting on the other
side of my dad, Kieran stretched out his legs. I curled up next to
him and rested my head on his shoulder.
I won’t be able to fall
asleep. I’m too worried.
Those were the last thoughts I had
before I closed my eyes.

*****

The rattling of metal woke me. The door was
opening. Was it dinnertime already? I squinted in the darkness. The
guard wasn’t carrying a tray or anything. Then, my vision cleared.
“Vesh!” I whispered with excitement. They found us!

“Hey, sweetheart. You didn’t think we’d
forget about you, did you?” Vesh looked behind him, and then back
at me. “Wake the others. We need to go and fast, before any of the
guards wake.”

Kieran was already stirring. I shook my dad’s
shoulder until he started protesting. “Dad! We need to go. Our
friends are here to rescue us.”

“What? Who?” His voice was thick with
sleep.

I stood and tugged his hand, trying to help
him to stand. “Come on!”

Kieran woke our guards and Aunt Brigid. They
all roused easier than my dad. Sheesh! For the leader of our clan,
he sure slept soundly.

Vesh led us through the dry chamber, where we
had to reverse the process and let it fill with water. All the
Selkies changed to seals. We would be faster and harder to catch in
this form. When the chamber was full, Vesh opened the door and we
swam up the same corridor. It appeared to be the only way in and
out of the cell. When we reached the top of the passage, Dex was
waiting for us.

“Coast is still clear,” he informed Vesh
before taking his place at the back of our group. Vesh picked up
speed and turned down another corridor. We turned three more times
before I saw a door. Slate was waiting by it. That was a good
sign.

A relieved expression crossed Slate’s face
when he spotted us. He quickly swung open the door, and we filed
out. As we did, Vesh told us, “We’re going to swim as fast as we
can for as long as we can. We need to gain some distance and find
shelter. Meara, if you can contact Azuria, do it. We need all the
help we can get right now. They’ll be on our trail soon.”

“I’ll try,” I said. Azuria had always
contacted me, not the other way around.

Blue Men are helping us? You know them?
How did you meet them? You found Azuria? Who is it?
My dad
fired a series of questions at me. I wasn’t even sure that he
realized he was doing it. After all, he had been without telepathy
for months.

Dad.
I kept my voice calm and
soothing.
We can trust these Blue Men. They are friends with
Evan. I’ll explain everything later, but right now, I need to try
to contact the queen.

My dad glanced back at me sharply.
Queen?

The queen of the Blue Men,
I said.
Azuria
.

His eyes widened in amazement, maybe even
respect. I didn’t have time to think about that right now. I tuned
out the company around me and focused on contacting Azuria.

Azuria? Can you hear me? We could really use
your help.

At first, there was nothing. Then, she was
swimming beside me, her long hair trailing in the water like a
veil. No one else seemed to notice or react, so I assumed I was the
only one who could see her.

You’re right. The others can’t see me.
She winked at me and beamed with something like parental pride. It
was similar to the look my mom used to give me when I did something
that pleased her.
You did it. You rescued my son and your
Selkies. I couldn’t be more pleased.

Thank you,
I said.
Can you help us
get to safety?

Of course.
She winked at me, then
rolled onto her back and stretched out her arms. Her legs were
still propelling her forward, so she remained at my side, but she
held her arms straight and spread her fingers. Light pulsed from
her hands in waves and shot behind our group, starting as small
circles and growing larger the further away they moved.
That
will confuse my other sons. The ones who want to capture
you.

Wow.
I couldn’t think of anything else
to say, but her power was impressive.

When I am close to my home, I can harness
more energy.
Her laughter floated, ringing like soft bells. By
the confused expressions on my companions’ faces, I knew they heard
it, too. She only laughed harder.

Oh, I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in
a while. I do like you, Meara Quinn.
Her expression softened
when she looked past me at the Blue Men.
My dear sons. Keep them
safe. They are my pride.
She rested her hand on my shoulder; it
was soft and cool.
I know you will do your best, for both my
sons and your people. I can’t hold this form much longer, but I’ll
lead you to where you can rest. You’ll be safe for the night, I
promise.

Thank you for everything,
I told
her.

You’re welcome.

*****

“Ew! What’s that smell?” I was the first one
in the cave, and the rank, oily water hit me in the face.

There are a few eels that live here,
Azuria spoke. Her voice was faint in my head, and her image
flickered. I wondered how much longer she could hold it.
They
are harmless, although their odor takes some getting used
to.

You’re not kidding.
Who knew that eels
were the skunks of the ocean? How were we going to be able to sleep
in this polluted water?

Their scent disguises yours,
Azuria
said and then chuckled
. My sons will not find you here. Truly,
you are making a bigger deal out of the smell than it is,
Meara.
Her form wavered once and then disappeared, but I heard
her words.
Stay in the cave. I’ll contact you again
soon.

I wrinkled my nose, looking around for the
buggers. I didn’t see anything. The cave appeared to be empty,
although it was dotted with smaller holes like Swiss cheese. The
eels probably lived in those. I heard gagging behind me, which made
me smile. The guys had arrived.

“We can’t stay here,” Vesh complained. “It
reeks.”

“Azuria says it’s safe,” I said. “And, the
eel smell camouflages our scent.”

“Hopefully not permanently,” Kieran muttered
under his breath.

It took about a half hour, but Azuria was
right. We grew accustomed to the musky odor. Dad and Brigid went to
catch dinner. I warned them not to go far—that Azuria said we
should stay in the cave. Dad seemed freaked out that the Queen of
the Blue Men was talking to me, and neither he nor the others could
see her. Still, he promised that they would stay close and on
alert.

“We need to stretch after so many weeks in
captivity,” he said almost apologetically, but I understood. I
couldn’t imagine living in a cell for almost two months.

While they were gone, the rest of us staked
out our spots in the cave. They came back within the hour with a
variety of fish. We ate our fill, the group unusually quiet. The
eels made a brief appearance, gathering up the bones and scraps.
They chittered with Slate and Dex, who had bemused expressions on
their faces. Bobbing their snakelike heads at the rest of us, the
eels swam back into their holes.

“You can talk to them?” I asked.

“Sure.” Dex shrugged. “They didn’t have much
to say. They thanked us for the delicious snacks.”

“Can you talk to all sea creatures?”

“Most of them,” Dex said.

“Not that they usually have anything
interesting to say.” This came from Vesh. “Fish are pretty
stupid.”

“Well, I’m glad the eels don’t mind dining on
our leftovers,” I said. The remainders would’ve only added to the
stinky atmosphere if they hadn’t cleared them away. Then again, who
knew what else they had tucked in those cavern walls? Best not to
think about it.

With dinner over, fatigue settled it. The
escape was taxing on us all. Kieran put his arm around me, and we
settled in our spot. The others got comfortable, too.

“Where will we go now?” Vesh asked. He had
scooted back to the wall and was resting his chin on his bent legs.
He looked like a scared teenager. Where was the confident leader
that rescued us from the dungeon?

The water shimmered around Dad as he changed
forms. “You are welcome at Ronac,” he said, much to the shock of
all four Blue Men. “You kept my daughter safe and freed us. I
return favors.” His lips lifted in a small smile. “More than that,
I now consider you friends.” He crossed the cave and offered his
hand, first to Vesh, then to Dex and Slate, for a firm handshake.
“Friends are always welcome.”

When he reached Evan, he placed a hand on his
shoulder. “It’s good to see you again, Evan, although I must say
your appearance caught me off guard.”

Evan dipped his head and turned a deep shade
of indigo. He blushed more than me lately. Finally, he looked up at
my dad with a smirk. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m sure it is.” My dad patted Evan’s
shoulder in a friendly way. “And seeing as we have no other
entertainment for the evening, I’d love to hear it, if you’re
willing to share.”

The
group shifted and sought to find comfortable positions against the
cave wall. Without consciously doing it, they made a semicircle
around Evan. He felt like squirming under their curious stares. Not
even Vesh knew the whole story about Ken. The only one Evan told
was Deanna, and of course, she was not here. He hoped she was
staying under Ken’s radar. Tomorrow morning, Ken would realize they
were gone. That was when things would really get interesting.

“So…?” Vesh prompted, motioning for Evan to
begin. He had the attention of everyone in the cave, even Brigid,
who he barely knew. He sighed once, crossed his legs, and started
talking.

He told them about Ted Nolan, the internship
with Ken, and the nightmares and headaches he experienced last
summer. While he tried not to focus on any one person for too long,
his eyes kept returning to Meara. The more he talked, the more
dismayed she looked. Evan felt bad about that, too. What happened
to him was not her fault, and he didn’t blame her. She clearly
blamed herself though.

When Evan got to the part with Dr. Tenuis and
the clinic, Vesh’s eyes widened. “Martin injected you with our
essence?” Vesh gave a low whistle. “That’s really dangerous, man.
You could’ve died. That was the point where all the others did. I
thought after the last one, Ken was going to stop using it.”

“Apparently not.” Evan snorted with derision.
“Ken must’ve decided to take a chance on me.”

“They mutated others like this?” Kieran
gestured at Evan, and then snapped his hand back. “No offense.”

“Yes.” Vesh stepped in to explain, which was
good, because Evan knew very little about the earlier experiments.
“The previous males, some human, some not, died during transition.
Evan was the first to succeed.”

“Why?” Meara asked. It was a good question.
Evan wondered the same thing. What made him different?

“Evan was the first one that Ken sired.” Dex
spoke quietly from the far side of the cave, but everyone turned to
look at him.