“This is not normal.” Aletheia paced the room the way Tammer did when he was upset.
“It’s Thayde,” Mom answered. “Limus cursed him with The Shadow and Morgan is starting to feel what he’s going through now.”
“Their cording must be very strong for her to feel his pain so severely.”
“This is what Thayde’s going through?” I panted, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
“It is part of what he is experiencing. You won’t feel the full effect of what he feels, but you get the idea. It will get worse each time until The Shadow kills him.”
“How can he handle the pain?” I asked and Aletheia stopped pacing.
“His will must be strong to be able to continue living through it. I only hope they are able to find Limus soon. At the rate The Shadow is growing, it won’t be long.”
“Mama?” Naira stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with terror. Mom pulled her into her arms and rocked her gently.
“It’s all right, love. Morgandy’s not feeling well at the moment,” she reassured. Naira didn’t say another word and Mom left the room with her.
“We must go for a swim in the lake,” Aletheia ordered and made her way for the door. “I will meet you downstairs in five minutes.”
I didn’t want to go for a swim in the lake. The incident had exhausted me and the last thing I wanted to do was get some exercise, but it seemed I didn’t have a choice. Cursing under my breath, I dragged myself off the bed and fished around for a bikini.
Downstairs, Aletheia tapped her foot as she waited. Clad in a deep purple bikini that looked like a second skin, it was perfect for her long black hair and pale skin. For a split second, it made me wish I were that white again.
When I reached the bottom of the steps she raised a perfect eyebrow. “You know that swimming will help, don’t you?”
“Actually, all I want to do is go to sleep.” I trudged toward the doors that led onto the stone patio. Moss grew between each of the stones, creating a checkered carpet look and I paused, admiring its beauty.
“That’s the worst thing you can do at this point.” Aletheia made her way down the rock steps toward the beach on the edge of the lake. “Sleep will only allow your subconscious to have its way. It’s time for you to take back control.”
Her movements were graceful and delicate. I admired her.
She turned. “Yes?”
“You’re a lot different from any of the other mermaids I’ve met,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I gave up a lot to be who I am.”
I shook my head. “What does that mean?”
She motioned for me to follow and we stepped onto the dock. “You cannot become who I am without great personal sacrifice.”
When I didn’t answer, she continued. “I had to give up my powers in order to gain all the understanding I have.”
“What?” I stopped at the edge of the dock. “Why? Why would you prefer to have knowledge over powers?”
“Knowledge is power.” She answered.
“Yeah, so if you’re in a fight you can just knowledge your enemy to death?” I hadn’t meant for it to sound as sarcastic as it had.
“You will learn,” she said with confidence and dove into the water with hardly a splash. “Let’s go.”
I jumped into the cold water and opened my eyes. It was clear and the bottom of the lake dipped into green nothingness about sixty feet down. I grabbed at my bikini bottoms as they floated past me, looking at my tail after I phased. The autumn sun made it shine like amber.
Aletheia watched, suspended a few feet below the surface. Her lovely tail was a dark purple and her black hair fanned out around her body. The silver bangles she wore on her left arm twinkled as the setting sun shone down through the water.
“Still can’t believe you’re a mermaid?” She asked.
“Sometimes, I think it’s all been a dream,” I agreed.
“It’s time to wake from your dream, Morgan.” She descended toward me, her hair turning into the shape of a tornado as it pulled along after her. “Being The Link means having your wits about you every second of the day. It is understanding that life is not all sunshine and roses. I know you’re young, but the sooner you realize just how huge this responsibility is, the better it will be for everyone.”
I felt indignant and it must have shown. She touched my shoulder, her hand light and cool.
“I will seem harsh, but it is only because we have little time to play about. I don’t want you to think I am not considering your feelings, however, your life is no longer just yours. You are the ruler of our kind. You are in the public eye now and many obstacles and priorities will confront you as you try to cope with it all. I won’t be able to teach you everything, but what I can teach will help you in the process of learning everything. It will take time.”