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

“Then how did you…”

“Are you saying you’ve seen something like that before?”

Cordelia nodded. “Are you saying you created that bubble yourself?”

“To tell you the truth I’m not sure how it happened. One minute I’m in the hole and the next minute blue sparks are flying from my fingers.”

Cordelia’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Has this happened to you before?”

Flynn closed his eyes briefly before responding. “A long time ago.”

“I think you’re an energy carrier,” whispered Cordelia.

“A what?” whispered Flynn.

“An energy carrier. We have to get you out of here.”

“Why? And why are we whispering?”

Cordelia heard footsteps in the tunnel.

“Shhhh! I’ll explain later. Just try to stay calm.”

A gentle knock came at the door. It was Mazu and Amatheia with food and water for Flynn.

“You’ve to keep your strength up,” said Amatheia, smiling.

“Maybe afterwards I could take Flynn outside?” suggested Cordelia. “I think he’d benefit from the fresh air.”

“Not tonight,” said Mazu, “the lighthouse is on lock-down. Zamira won’t give up that easily, an attack is almost certainly imminent.”

“Besides, don’t you think Flynn’s had more than his share of fresh air of late?” asked Amatheia. “A good night’s sleep, that’s what he needs.”

“Where’s Triton?” asked Cordelia.

“In the lookout with Irvin. Lana’s gone to get changed, you’d do well to do the same. You’re dripping water everywhere.” Mazu’s tone was firm. She may have been speaking to royalty but Cordelia was still a child in her care who needed some form of order in all this madness.

Cordelia kissed Flynn on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

After changing into dry clothes, Cordelia bumped into Nerissa and Masika in the tunnel.

“Cordelia,” said Nerissa.

“How’s Flynn?” asked Masika.

“He’ll be fine with some rest and a hot meal. I can’t thank you enough for what you did. I’m forever in your debt.”

“It was no trouble,” said Nerissa.

Masika stood quietly.

“Are you alright Masika?” asked Cordelia.

Masika shrugged. Cordelia reached out and gently squeezed Masika’s arm.

“It was scary for a while,” said Masika. “I felt a little out of my depth.”

“But you did it,” said Cordelia. “You were nervous but you did it anyway, you saved Flynn.”

“You were amazing,” said Nerissa.

Masika smiled. “Where are you going now?” she asked.

“To the lookout,” said Cordelia. “Lana’s up there with Irvin and Triton keeping watch incase of attack.”

The three mermaids made their way to the lookout and when they arrived, instead of ravens flying across the sky, shooting stars were descending like fireworks, glowing brightly against the charcoal sky. While the merfolk watched from the lookout, Zamira watched from her perch on Slate Island with Orlenda and Branna by her side. As tears fell from her eyes, she sang her song of death. One after the other the stars continued to fall until sunrise wiped that spectacular display from the sky.

There had been no sightings of the ravens all night, not at the lighthouse at least and when Irvin looked through his telescope that morning he could see no sign of them. Slate Island had been deserted. The only creatures he could see were the white horses grazing outside who had found their own way home. A feeling of relief spread amongst the merfolk and they quietly celebrated their victory. The town was full of hustle and bustle as people flocked to the beach to see for themselves if the gossip was true. Hundreds of ravens had washed up on the rippled, wind blown sand that morning, enough to feed the town for an entire week. Triton and Mazu put on their finest clothes and walked into town to see excited families gathering ravens like it was Christmas morning and flinging them over their shoulders to take home and cook.

For a while at least there came a great calm and the sea became civilized once more. Through April the temperatures rose and the days grew longer. In the surrounding areas the potatoes grew and the hunger soon came to an end. For the town folk, their darkest days were over. It was the most stable time Cordelia had experienced in recent months and she spent it being studious, practising for the diving championships and helping Flynn to rebuild his strength. Keeping busy helped her to live a life without Breck but it was breaking her heart. She needed to see him for the pain was too much to bare.

While Flynn was grateful for the hospitality he’d received at the lighthouse, living in a school for merfolk was not ideal. Cordelia had an idea.

“Get dressed,” she said, pulling Flynn’s bedcovers back. “You’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going?” asked Flynn, bemused.

“Out.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Flynn. “You know what this town’s like for gossip.”

“There’s someone you need to meet. Someone like you.”

Flynn looked curiously at Cordelia. “It’s really not something I’d like to explore.”

“You have a unique gift, don’t you want to know more about it?”

“Not really.”

“At least talk to him. Wouldn’t it be something to know you’re not the only one?”

Flynn didn’t respond.

“If not for you then do it for him. He’s young, he has no father and frankly, he’s been through hell.”

“Sounds like you’ve a soft spot for this boy.”

Cordelia’s cheeks flushed red. “He’s been a good friend. He understood what it was like to lose your parents.”

“How old is he?”

“Eighteen.”

Flynn’s eyes widened. “I told you, I’m not interested. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous? It got you off the island didn’t it? If anything, it saved you.”

“This time perhaps.”

“What d’you mean this time? Did something happen before?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“You’re being stubborn,” said Cordelia, marching out of the chamber.

Cordelia dithered outside the lighthouse, wondering whether to go to Breck or not. Anxious thoughts raced through her mind. Would he be pleased to see her? Would he have met someone else by now? Would Keeva be there? Would they be angry with her for what happened to the Kelly men? Was it her fault? After much deliberation, Cordelia walked briskly to the peat