Forever(51)
“I don’t know why I didn’t do it – at the time, I was just, upset. I’ve been feeling sick,” I was grasping at straws, feeling like an idiot. An idiot that had let her husband be bitten by a vampire.
“You are pregnant. Hasn’t Elan told you anything about it?”
I shook my head.
“Mermaids are vicious when pregnant. Many times, the families of the mermaid send them away to finish out the pregnancy with a maid who has been trained to cope with them. But the pregnancy isn’t long, so it’s not a huge concern.”
“How fast do our babies grow?”
“Very fast. It lasts a total of five months.”
“Five?”
“Five.”
Crap.
A hesitant knock sounded on the door and I spun to face Aletheia.
“Do not tell anyone!” I hissed.
“Mrs. Dartmoth,” Shirley’s voice called from the other side of the door. “The heads of the families are starting to arrive.”
“Thank you,” I managed to level my voice. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
“I suggest you keep a shield around you during the meeting.” Aletheia lowered her voice. “Don’t allow anyone to scan you, read your thoughts, anything. They will try. You must not let them see anything that could be considered weakness. Greet them, inform them of your plans and ask for their support. Allow them to speak freely and ask for their allegiance.”
“Will you come with me?” I know it sounded dumb, but without Thayde, I had lost everything that kept me grounded.
“All of us will be with you.” Aletheia offered her hand as she stood. “You already have our support.”
“I’ll be there in a moment,” I mumbled and attempted to return Aletheia’s smile as she closed the door. Frustrated, I rubbed my face with my hands. Pregnant and alone – it was the way my life was going to be from now on.
Anger coursed through my veins. Damn Flynn! I steadied myself on the bed and fought to find him. I dug through the earth with my mind, scanning the entire world and all I could find were remnants of where he had been. It was impossible to put a lock on a teleporter when they were moving. All I knew was that he was staying within Europe’s vicinity.
The grip of sleep curled through me and I fought to stand away from the inviting bed. There was so much more that had to be done. One day, I would find Flynn and I would kill him myself.
CHAPTER NINE
THE MEETING
It looked to be a great feat – stuffing the heads of the mer-families into the downstairs meeting room. However, stretching the walls of the room was so simple, I felt shy after I was finished. Most of them barely gave it a glance. I’m sure they had seen Troen do unbelievable things in their time.
Once everyone had settled into a large circle around me, I greeted them as graciously as I could, despite my feelings of absolute despair.
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” I began. “I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused many of you.”
No one batted an eye.
“I’ll get straight to the point: Herra Dartmoth is plotting to overthrow me and take my place as The Link. These plans have been verified by several sources. I am aware that she has attempted to contact several of you in asking for your support.”
Nothing. I sucked in a deep breath of air.
“I am asking you to join me and finish Herra once and for all.”
Several heads turned away.
“The fate of our species hangs on a very thin line. She is in contact with the Farasi vampire clan and wishes to combine our DNA with the vampires to create a new race and extinguish merpeople forever.”
“It would be the most heathen of acts,” an older man spoke up, “one punishable by death.”
“To create such a creature would be unthinkable.” Another continued.
“She would bring the wrath of the entire race upon her.”
I waited for them to finish before I continued.
“Then I ask you, will you enter into a bond with me? Will you pledge your allegiance to protect our race and fight with me to rid ourselves of Herra?”
Silence.
“Why do you not answer?” The sharpness of anger pricked at my nerves.
“There is a rumor,” a short man with dark brown hair and golden skin chanced to talk.
“Yes?”
“A rumor that our Link has already betrayed some of our own sacred laws. Why would we swear allegiance to one that cannot maintain the very laws she is trying to protect?”
“Consider the alternative,” I spat, “and as for these laws, let’s address them now, shall we?”
A mumble spread throughout the circle.
“The first law I broke was to save my dying husband’s life. It is ridiculous to rule that you cannot try and save the one you love! If one of us is dying, it is your duty and responsibility to help them as best you can. To ‘interfere’ with the dying is allowed. If, however, the person has died and you are attempting to use the dark arts to bring them back, it will not be allowed.”