ELEMENTS: Acquiesce by Kathryn Andrews (snow like ashes series .TXT) 📕

“How did this happen?” enquired Amatheia, gathering a selection of apothecary bottles from the shelves.

Rafe cleared his throat. “Sirens,” he said. “They attacked her.”

“Sirens have come here?” asked Amatheia, dripping ointment into Cordelia’s mouth.

“No, it happened at Slate Island.”

Amatheia’s eyes widened. “What were you doing there?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m listening.”

Amatheia soaked strands of dried dillisk in salt water ready to bandage Cordelia’s wounds, while Rafe began to explain his version of events. He’d barely started when he stopped talking. He gazed at Cordelia’s tail. He hadn’t really noticed the colours in the dark but as Amatheia dabbed the blood away in the candlelight, the colours became much clearer.

“What is it?” asked Amatheia, studying Rafe.

“Isn’t that…”

Amatheia nodded. “Go and get Triton.”

Rafe promptly left the medical chamber and sped along the tunnel.

“Tell him it’s urgent,” called Amatheia.

Outside, Breck was riding back to the tavern with Keeva. He’d tried to comfort her, he’d tried to reason with her but she was inconsolable. Keeva stared blankly into the darkness, the wind howling in her ears and her hair whipping at her face. She wanted to speak but the words wouldn’t come out. She wanted to scream and shout in anger but she couldn’t make a sound. She felt trapped in her own body, as though her soul was being pulled deep down inside. On the outside she was still and calm but on the inside she was frantically paddling in silence, trying to stop herself from sinking altogether, keeping herself afloat just enough to peer out.

When they reached the tavern, Keeva shrugged off Breck’s attempt to comfort her. She stared at the upstairs windows where she knew the babes would be quietly sleeping and somewhere inside was her mother, blissfully unaware that her husband and sons were dead.

Breck edged towards the door. “Come on Keeva,” he said softly, “let’s go inside.”

Keeva couldn’t move, her leaden feet firmly cemented to the ground. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She didn’t want to accept it. She was stuck in a nightmare, in a world where everything was black and she felt numb. She desperately wanted to be indoors with her mother. In her mother’s world they were still alive. She stared at the door, a temporary gateway between two alternate worlds. Outside she could remain in a warped denial, a place she felt lost and alone. Opening the door would suck the life out of her mother and turn Keeva’s hellish nightmare into reality.

TWELVE

REVELATIONS

“Come on Keeva, we have to go in.”

Keeva stood motionless as Breck moved closer to the door. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around the handle.

“No! No!” cried Keeva hysterically, causing Misty to step back, knocking a barrel over.

Keeva’s eyes were wild and her breathing rapid. The pain in her stomach was gut wrenching, as though someone had put their fist in her throat and were pulling her stomach out. She lashed out at Breck as he tried to put his arms around her, persisting until she gave in. He held her tight while she cried into his chest beneath the warm, fuzzy glow of the oil lamp hanging above the door.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Breck loosened his grip and pulled back slightly, gently lifting Keeva’s chin with his hand. She shied away.

“Look at me,” he said.

Keeva slowly raised her head, her sad eyes vacantly staring at Breck.

“You can’t tell people about this,” he said, “not all of it, they’ll think you’re mad.”

Tears streamed down Keeva’s face and she wiped them away with her sleeve.

Suddenly the door opened.

“What’s all this noise you’re making out here?!” scolded Mrs Kelly, “You’ll wake the babes.”

Breck removed his flat cap and Keeva stared at her mother as though she had seen a ghost.

“What’s the matter with you?” asked Mrs Kelly, curtly. “Is your father and the boys back yet?”

Keeva’s chin wobbled and her eyes welled up again.

“What is it Keeva? What’s wrong?” asked Mrs Kelly. She walked towards Keeva and reached out to touch her arm. “Are the men okay?”

Keeva shook her head as the tears fell.

“Where are they Keeva?”

Keeva trembled as she tried to speak but the words got stuck in her throat.

“There’s been an accident,” said Breck. “They fell off the cliff.”

Mrs Kelly turned a paler shade of white, “But they can’t swim,” she said with concern.

“I’m afraid they won’t be coming home,” said Breck.

Mrs Kelly looked at Breck with puzzlement, shaking her head in disbelief, clinging onto every ounce of hope that he was somehow mistaken, but Breck didn’t retract his words.

“No, no,” said Mrs Kelly, her voice breaking as she fell to her knees with grief.

When Rafe found Triton he was with Mazu. The three of them hurried back to the medical chamber where Rafe told them what he’d seen. Amatheia was doing everything she could to keep Cordelia’s tail from drying out.

“Where are the others?” asked Triton.

“I don’t know,” said Rafe, “the last I saw them they were in the water near Slate Island.”

“We’ll send a search party,” said Mazu.

“No need, they’re on their way,” said Triton. Then he turned to Rafe, “I want to see all of you at sunrise. Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal,” replied Rafe. He left, closing the door behind him.

“This was unexpected,” said Triton.

“Did you really have no idea?” asked Amatheia.

“We had some information, but not this,” said Triton.

“I tried to find you this morning,” said Amatheia.

“You knew about this?”

“Not for certain, Cordelia came to ask me about her tail. Her description suggested this might be the case.”

“What are we going to do?” asked Mazu.

“I haven’t decided yet,” said Triton, “but it does rather put a new spin on things.”

“This is all too much to take in,” said Mazu, cupping her face in her hands. “She doesn’t even know.”

“Thankfully, Amatheia is doing a grand job of looking after her,” said Triton, leaning over Cordelia. “Let us know when she’s well enough to speak.”

“She will recover, won’t she?”