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  “Come with me, Eviana.”

  “What about the rest of them?”

  “They will join us shortly.”

  Daniel squeezed my arms. “Don’t go with him,” he whispered into my ear.

  “She’ll be perfectly safe,” Julian replied, apparently capable of hearing private conversations.

  Kain stepped slightly ahead of me, effectively blocking my view of the selkie. “What do you want with her?”

  Julian stared at Kain for a moment. Then his gaze slid over to Carissa and back to me. The corner of his mouth turned up and Kain straightened his shoulders, puffing up for the fight.

  “My master wants to speak with her.” When none of us moved, Julian continued. “You have my word that he is only going to speak with her.”

  “Your word doesn’t hold much stake with us,” Kain chided.

  “No, but it means something to her.” He pointed at me again.

  At once, all eyes were on me but I just continued to stare at Julian. He hadn’t seemed cruel when we had our conversation not too long ago and there was something about him that made me want to believe him. It wasn’t trust, exactly. Maybe it was more of a mutual respect?

  “I’ll be okay,” I promised while moving away from my friends and toward the door. Pulling down the back of my short robe, I walked through the opening before turning to look at my friend’s faces. “Just sit tight and I’ll see you soon.”

  Daniel shuddered with emotion, terror filled Carissa’s eyes, and Kain stood as still as a statue watching me leave them behind. I followed Julian down the tunnel once he closed and locked the door behind him. We didn’t speak but somehow I didn’t have anything to say. I figured I needed to save my questions for whomever it was that I was going to see now.

  After another hundred yards or so, the tunnel began to lighten and we entered a second large cavern. But unlike the entrance into the pool, this one had been manipulated to accommodate a number of guests. Almost like a grand ballroom, it had hanging candelabras and archways breaking up the open expanse of the space. The center was filled with large pieces of rock, artfully placed together to create a tiled floor. Along the edges, humans, selkies, and other merfolk watched in silence as we passed by. It reminded me of Jeremiah’s home and I instantly got chills down the back of my neck. I feared I was witnessing another sample of what I’d one day be able to do - control my own army.

  We made our way to the opposite side where several thrones sat. There were three of them; one in the middle and one on each side, but slightly behind. The two on the sides were filled with one male and one female mermaid. I’d never seen them before even though I frantically searched my brain for some memory of their faces. It wasn’t until I noticed the man standing up next to the largest throne that my fear finally grasped every last nerve. I’d never forget those eyes. He held his arms out wide, gesturing for me to come closer.

  “Eviana Dumahl. It is such a pleasure to see you again. Welcome to my abode.”

  “Master Sutherland?”

  Lucian Sutherland, the man from Cotillion and the one leading the charge to reinstate The Legacy, stood ahead of me as pompous and confident as he was before. It is typical to bow slightly out of respect to other clan leaders, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Apparently, Lucian didn’t mind my lack of etiquette. Instead, he hustled up beside me and gave me a hug like we were best friends reuniting after several years. I pulled away and looked at him in disgust.

  “Why are we here?” I asked forcefully.

  “Well, you’re here because I need to speak with you. The others are here due to an unforeseen circumstance.”

  He twirled his fingers in the air like an eighteenth century composer. In fact, his outfit kind of reminded me of that era as well, with the long tail on his velvet jacket hanging down past his knees and the white puffy shirt underneath reminiscent of years past.

  “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “Oh don’t be so hasty, dear. You may very well have something to say after I’ve given you my proposition.”

  He began to walk back to his throne but when I tried to follow, Julian grabbed my shoulder and held me in place. Lucian’s theatrical display continued as he whirled around in front of his chair, effectively pushing the long coat tails behind him and out of the way so he could sit. Once settled, he waved his hand at someone in the back of the room and I heard another door open followed by scuffling. Julian’s hand tightened on my shoulder once the new guest became visible to both of us.

  Brendan.

  He was still in bad shape despite being forced through a transition earlier. In his human form, his ribs stuck out, his cheeks were sunken in, and his skin looked pale. The normally tall, statuesque figure was gone, replaced instead by a hunched, gaunt one. It was completely heart wrenching to see him like this. Julian allowed me to move toward Brendan, but his two human guards stopped short. They weren’t going to let me touch him.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered to my love.

  He tried to smile and for an instant his green eyes lit up the room. “I’ve been better.”

  I smiled back and felt the tears spill from my eyes. Lucian clapped loudly and startled us both.

  “Ain’t love grand?” he asked the room. No one responded except for the two mermaids in the other thrones who snickered in our direction. “Now, Eviana I need you to focus on me.” With great reluctance, I turned to face him, wishing I could hurt him somehow. “Now, it seems as if we have a bit of problem to deal with. You see, I heard you were able to take control of some of my selkies, and that is something that does not make me happy.”

  I heard Brendan shift his stance, uncomfortable with what was just revealed. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I denied.

  “Now don’t be coy, little girl. I’ve heard it from two of my best. You controlled them and I want to know how it felt.”

  “How it felt?”

  “Yes. How intoxicating was that power? That total control over another creature.” He placed his elbows on his thighs and leaned over. “It’s wonderful isn’t it?”

  “No!” I screamed.

  “No?”

  “I didn’t even know what happened. But once Julian told me, I realized how wrong it was. No one has the right to control another.”

  Lucian slumped back in his chair like he was bored and played with a piece of his blond ponytail. “Well that sure is a shame. I’d hoped this conversation would go in a much different direction.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The Legacy, Eviana. For too many years we’ve been suppressed and forced to live in a world where we’re not respected amongst both shifters and humans. The time has come to end those ways.” He stood again and waved over two selkies that replaced Brendan’s human guards. I recognized the female as one of our original captors.

  “What are you doing?” I asked with a shaky voice.

  “You’ll see,” he replied coyly as he nodded at the selkies.

  With one quick move, the female jerked Brendan’s hands behind his back. Not hesitating for a second, the young male pulled a knife from his belt and plunged it into Brendan’s stomach.

  “No!” I screamed. Brendan’s face contorted in pain but the female would not let him fall. I watched in slow motion as the male selkie raised his arm again, preparing for another thrust. This time, I felt the power rise in me without even thinking about it. I pushed it out from the center of my core, through my limbs, and past my fingertips.

  “Stop now!” I commanded.

  The room seemed to take in a collective breath as the selkies froze mid-motion before dropping to their knees and giving me the lost puppy look again. All of the humans followed suit, and much to my surprise, there must have been at least thirty of them. Julian seemed to be somewhat unaffected although he was shaking his head as if trying to get rid of my command.

  I took a brief moment to look back behind me at Lucian who smiled with the kind of pride
a father would have for his daughter. That just made me angrier and I knew we had to get out of here as soon as possible. But could we? Did I have that strength? Now was my chance to test it. I pointed to four humans kneeling along the back wall.

  “You. Come here and take these selkies away.” I found an older looking female who I hoped would have a strong, maternal instinct and said, “Help fix this wound.”

  Immediately, they sprang into action, doing just what I commanded. The selkies didn’t fight, and instead went willingly out of the room and out of my sight. I watched as several people assisted the female human with Brendan. They carried him out of the room as well, although his eyes never left mine the entire way. The green globes didn’t seem to represent the pain he felt and my stomach dropped when I suddenly realized I’d seized control of him as well. He had warned me about this and it was one of the worst feelings in the world to control someone I love like that. As quickly as it appeared, I dropped my newfound power and marched toward Lucian and his arrogant smile.

  “Why the angry face my dear?”

  “This isn’t right! I don’t want to have this kind of power over people. No one should!”

  He shot to his feet and closed the gap between us in a few strides. “We should! It is our birthright, given to us a long time ago by our creators. Being forced to live like a human is cruel and condescending.” His gray eyes bore into mine. “You just saved your pet’s life. Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

  “He’s not my pet! I don’t ever want to take over his mind again.” I sobbed, but didn’t care how immature I looked. This was something that I just couldn’t accept.

  “You will when you need him,” Lucian stated matter-of-factly.

  I shook my head. “No, I won’t. I can’t.”

  “You’ll be a leader soon, Eviana. And not only will you join me, but you’ll also bring along the Matthew clan as well.”

  This caught me completely off guard. “You people really don’t have your facts straight do you? I walked away from all of that. My mother shunned me and Kain hates me. I’ll never be a part of our families again.” I watched a hint of confusion pass over Lucian’s features before he quickly hid it behind his leader pretense. “You didn’t know that did you? Perhaps living in a cave in the middle of the Virginia mountains isn’t quite the best way to keep up to date with the world.” Feeling a little more confident, I threw back my shoulders and glared into his cold eyes. “That’s right. I mean nothing to them which means I mean nothing to you.”

  Without saying a word, Lucian Sutherland turned on his heel and marched back up to his throne. He sat down, resting his head in his hand like he was in deep thought. Julian’s arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me away, back toward the tunnel that led to my friends. As soon as we turned the corner and were out of sight of everyone else, the adrenaline that had flooded my body dissipated and left me trembling. They stabbed Brendan and I’d stolen his mind.

  “I’ll make sure he’s all right,” Julian said, surprising me for a moment. “Brendan. I’ll go and check on him. One of the mermaids is a healer and I am sure Master Sutherland doesn’t want him to die.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  I couldn’t even muster up the other questions I wanted to ask. So we walked to the room in silence, with the opening of the stone door being the only sound in the tunnel. I didn’t want to face anyone right now. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry. My world was falling apart, and I feared I’d just lost our only chance for escape.

  Almost two days passed before we were able to leave the room again. There were chaperoned bathroom breaks and three meals a day, but we’d been trapped. To make things worse, Julian never came by to give me an update on Brendan, and Kain and Carissa’s relationship seemed to be growing every day. If it wasn’t for Daniel, I think I would’ve lost my mind several times over.

  I felt so alone right now. And not knowing what kind of damage I’d inflicted on my relationship with Brendan was killing me. My power had overtaken him. He always took care of me and I loved that about him. But now it seemed like the tables had turned and I wasn’t so sure he’d be a willing participant.

  I silently cried myself to sleep every night. I missed my home and my family, and I wished more than ever I could go back and think things through a little bit more. What if I would have married Kain and taken him up on his offer to allow me to continue seeing Brendan? I still didn’t know how that would have actually worked out, but I was pretty sure none of us would be here right now if I’d just been unselfish and made the right decision for once in my life.

  When we were ushered to the great ballroom again, I was surprised to see that most of the humans were gone and more merfolk were in attendance. A part of me smiled at knowing Lucian had removed them from my presence. I’d been able to break his control over them. Even though he had just tested me, I imagined he was still hesitant to give me that opportunity again.

  The only downside was that we were counting on having their help to assist us in our escape. In one of the few conversations I had with my friends in our holding cell, I revealed that I’d taken over the minds of several selkies and most of the humans. I even went as far as telling them I appeared to have limited control of my newly discovered power. Their reactions were mixed; from shocked to inspired. Kain’s blank expressions left him somewhere in the middle. But regardless, we came up with a plan.

  Now that most of our strategy had failed to show up, I rapidly tried to count the remaining possibilities without being noticed. Nearly twenty mermaids, several of them clan leaders, now flanked the three thrones. This was not only disturbing because of the number, but also because I was disappointed to see so many following Lucian’s insane platform. There were ten selkies present and one of them was Brendan. He made very little eye contact with me when we arrived. I noticed Julian standing by his side, offering a hand on his shoulder. Perhaps there was more going on here and Brendan was just playing a role. Maybe he really did want to be by my side.

  It was the only shred of hope I could grasp onto.

  After a day in captivity, they finally gave us back our clothes. Freshly cleaned and pressed, not a stain on them. Whatever. It was better than the silken robes. The sound of our shoes clicking along the stones echoed throughout the cavern. The noise was ominous, like a ticking clock counting down to our big demise. The silence when we stopped felt even worse. I searched the thrones for Lucian, but he wasn’t here yet.

  A door slammed along the side wall, sending pulses of sound in chaotic waves around the room. Master Sutherland waltzed in like a king with several more mermaids following closely behind. They appeared to be escorting someone, but the way they surrounded each other made it hard to see exactly what was going on.

  “Eviana, such a pleasure,” Lucian said grandly. “I apologize for the delay, but I had to get a few things in order before continuing our discussions.”

  “I thought we were finished talking,” I said.

  Lucian walked up to his throne and made another elaborate show of sitting down. Today he wore black leather pants and a blood red silk shirt. His golden hair hung loose around his shoulders so he could artfully brush it out of his face when he needed something to do. Finally in his seat, he crossed his legs and propped an elbow up on the arm of the throne.

  “Oh no. We still have so much more to discuss. In fact, I’m surprised that you haven’t asked for me after your little display of power the other day.”

  I looked behind me at my friends and then to the side of the room at Brendan. They all knew what happened, but a part of me still cringed at my sudden abilities. Seeing my discomfort, Lucian laughed.

  “Let me guess, they don’t want to be around you anymore. Is that correct?”

  “No,” I pouted.

  “Well then, why the gloomy face?” He leaned forward in his chair. “You’re about to become the most powerful leader amongst the non-followers. They’ll all have to obey you.”


  I looked up at him in confusion and then back at my friends to see that they, too, had no idea what he was talking about.

  The shuffling of feet from the doorway area where their leader had emerged drew my attention to the side. The mound of people surrounding someone began to drag their prisoner to the center of the floor and directly in front of me. They dropped their baggage like a piece of trash and quickly moved away to the side of my friends and me. Stunned, I looked down at the battered mermaid before me and nearly lost all control.

  My mother’s tiny frame was broken and bruised. Her normally beautiful thick dark hair hung in mats and dripped with dirt and something else. As I looked more closely, I could see the cuts on her head, leading me to believe that I was seeing blood mixed in amongst the dirt. Her left arm appeared to be broken and one of her ankles was swollen bad enough that I doubted she could put any weight on it. The long purple sundress had rips and tears throughout, hidden only slightly by the patches of mud and blood. I couldn’t make my legs move fast enough.

  “Mom!”

  Bending my knees, I slid down next to her side while trying not to touch her and cause more distress. She turned her head up slightly, but it was enough for us to see each other. Tears stained her face and that fierce spark that made her who she was seemed to be gone. Her dark eyes were now just that - dark and empty. I rubbed my hand lightly along her cheek.

  “No, mom. What did they do to you?”

  “Eviana…” she whispered, but I couldn’t make out much more of the words. “…missed…father…worried…gone.”

  I leaned closer so that we could have our own private conversation. “I’m here now, mom. Don’t worry about me. You and dad don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  Her face blurred because of the tears filling my eyes. I didn’t even try to wipe them away since I knew the flow wouldn’t stop. My mother tried to position herself so she could see more of me. Her face was ripe with pain, but not as a reflection of the physical kind. This pain went much deeper than that.