When the Sea Burned Read online

  “It can be fixed,” Cara soothed. She stared at the rock, and moments later it flowed together, closing up. “See?”

  “Wow! You did that?”

  Kira grinned. “You’re not the only superhero out here, sweetie. If you break it, odds are one of us can fix it.”

  Cara snorted. “We won’t get the chance. I hear Surge is watching you constantly. If you sneeze, he’ll be there with a hanky and a doctor.”

  “You’ve heard strange tales, if that’s what you think. He’s hiding under the sea, doing whatever he does all day. My nannies are in charge.” She gestured to Yui, who was talking to one of the selkie guards. Maybe he was giving them privacy.

  Cara shook her head. “Trust me, he’s watching you personally. Tremor and Raze still have to step in from time to time and shut us down. You don’t want to know what damage a PMS woman with earthquake powers can do.”

  “So you were trying to make a water jet,” Kira said, gesturing to the repaired rock. “What have you tried so far?”

  Alicia frowned. “I’m supposed to make a small but super-dense stream, but every time I try it’s more like a killer geyser. All I want to do is turn on the faucet.”

  “Maybe it’s the imagery,” Kira suggested. “Raze says I learn differently than a natural born fire elemental. He had to adjust the way he taught me. Here, why don’t you think of things that produce a weak stream?”

  “Oh, what about my mom’s water fountain? The stupid little cherub smirks as it pees. The constant tinkle makes me crazy,” Cara suggested.

  “Or a squirt gun,” Kira offered. “Maybe you need to think in dinky little bursts.”

  Alicia smiled and looked over the water. This time she didn’t just draw on the power; she tried to channel the wimpy cherub. A small stream shot far over the water. “It worked!”

  The ladies cheered as she attempted the squirt gun, amazed at how much easier it was to work in bursts. Every image her tutor had brought up (spears, daggers, blasts) had made her push too hard. Maybe she had more power than he was used to.

  “Maybe you were trying too hard,” Kira suggested, mirroring her thoughts. “Try to have fun with it.”

  “Thank you,” Alicia said, incredibly relieved. Maybe the fault wasn’t solely hers. She practiced for a few minutes and accepted Cara’s suggestion of quitting on a good note. She invited them to see the house.

  Coral was in the kitchen assembling a tea tray when they came in, and she offered to serve it on the terrace when they’d finished the tour. By the time the ladies assembled at the table, Alicia knew she liked Cara very much. She was a strong woman who knew what she liked and was completely comfortable with her girly side. She also wasn’t afraid to ask awkward questions.

  “How are you and Surge getting along?” Cara asked as she took a sip of coffee. She had a curious assortment of delicacies on the tea tray nearest her, and her white teeth flashed as she crunched through what looked like a sandwich of thinly sliced rock layers.

  Alicia decided not to sample her snacks. They were probably segregated for a reason, and she noticed Kira didn’t seem the least tempted by Cara’s meal. Of course, Kira’s food also looked odd; a tiny dish of dark pudding actually sparked. “He’s okay, I guess.”

  “I’d always heard he was grumpy.”

  Alicia frowned as she thought about it. “I think he’s more clueless than anything. You know, I don’t think he understands women, though he has his moments.” She gestured to the house. “He built this so I wouldn’t have nightmares under the water.” She got a warm feeling remembering the trouble he went to.

  “How is that going?” Kira asked, touching Alicia’s hand in sympathy.

  “I slept last night,” Alicia said with a relieved smile. “No bad dreams for once.” She glanced at the otters frolicking in the terrace pool. There was hardly a room without water. She wasn’t used to otters as pet, but it was nice to see something warm and alive.

  “Excellent,” Cara said. “You’ll have them from time to time, but it will get better.”

  “It helps to stay busy,” Kira offered. “Cara’s going to the elemental university, and both of us spend a lot of time practicing our abilities. Girl’s night helps, too.”

  “What else do you do? I admit I like being around people, but I’m not sure what to do with myself,” Alicia admitted. “I nearly went crazy stuck in that old palace.”

  “I’d love to see it,” Cara said with a grin. “I loved the Little Mermaid as a kid. I totally wanted to be Arial.”

  Alicia snorted. “I’ll take you there and see if you’re still excited.”

  “The important thing is to get out and see what interests you,” Kira advised. “Walk the mall just to get used to it, come and see my place, go visit Cara’s town. She lives in the Garden of the Gods outside Colorado Springs.”

  “Really? You flew in, then?”

  Cara shook her head. “Tremor brought me through a portal. The old elementals, the powerful ones, can do that. Surge could bring you any time you wanted, or you can travel with us. Say the word, and we’ll go.”

  “Give her your number,” Kira urged. “That way we can stay coordinated.”

  “What’s up with these cell phones, anyway?” Alicia asked as she added Cara to her contacts. Now she had three. “I see lots of mers with them in the palace, but how can they work under water?” Come to think of it, hers had survived shape shifting and Surge dragging her through the water.

  Cara smirked. “They’re an elemental thing, run on elemental tech, or “magic”. The air elementals station beacons in the ether, and that’s what we use for cell service and Internet. Human tech can’t pick up our signal, but we can tap into theirs on land based servers.”

  “Cool. That’s how we get cable under the sea,” Alicia said, impressed. She finished her tea and glanced longingly at the pool. She was feeling dehydrated. “Do you mind if I soak while we talk? I don’t want you to leave, but I’m feeling parched.”

  “Go for it,” Kira said, moving to a lounge chair next to the water. “I swear I have to snack constantly or I’m famished. You haven’t lived until you’ve had fire energy.”

  “I don’t think she’d care for it,” Cara said slyly, bringing her plate with her as she sat on the edge of the pool. “But you’re right about the snacking. I’m always hungry.” She munched on a tar baby that was shaped like a black gummy bear. “I wish I could share these. They’re addicting.”

  “I’ll stick with sharing coffee, thanks,” Kira said dryly. “Have you thought about what you’re suited for, Alicia? What do you enjoy?”

  Alicia mulled it over. “I like managing stuff and helping people. I liked working at the Marina because I got to interact with people and I enjoyed the bookkeeping. I like numbers.”

  “Maybe you could help Surge. As the Sea King, he works with people all day long. Not everyone likes to deal directly with people (I don’t), but it’s an option,” Kira suggested.

  “I’m not sure he’d go for that. Besides, I don’t know what he does all day,” Alicia admitted.

  “You have rights. Walk into the throne room and see what’s going on. Ask to manage your own finances. Shoot, start a business if you like. You’re the Sea Queen, girl.”

  Alicia blew out a breath. “That’s the trouble. I’m not his queen, or his wife. I’m just a monster he keeps out of the way.” Realizing they’d never get it without the backstory, she told them about her encounter with the Fates, Surge’s behavior since that first meeting, the slime pit he’d dumped her in, the segregation, everything.

  By the time she’d finished, Cara was rigid with anger. “If he hadn’t redeemed himself slightly by building this house, I’d say he deserved to have his balls ripped off.”

  “You think? I knew he was a jerk,” Kira agreed. Smoke rose from her, giving the impression that she was about to combust. “You poor girl.”

  Alicia sighed. “Yeah, it’s sucked. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the house, but it’
s been depressing.”

  Cara set aside her teacup with a decided clack. “Ok, out of the pool! Let’s go.”

  “Where?” Alicia asked as she obeyed.

  “Anywhere. My place. You deserve to let off steam, and I can’t think of a better place to let loose than in a desert. What can you hurt?”

  “Ah…”

  “Don’t worry,” Kira said, linking arms with Alicia in a show of solidarity. “We’ll bring you to the water when you need it, but she’s right. You need to get away from here. No wonder you don’t know what you want; you’re still traumatized.”

  “Losee!” Kira called, and a large fire cat leapt over the rail and looked at her curiously. “We’d like a portal to Cara’s place, please.”

  The cat looked at Alicia and smiled slowly, revealing sharp white teeth.

  “She’s with us,” Kira said firmly. “Surge can deal with it.”

  Losee swished his tail and the portal appeared.

  “Come on, Alicia. Let’s go have fun,” Cara said, and swept into the portal.

  Chapter 4

  Sweat dripped down Surge’s bare back as he focused his power on the sword. It glowed blue as it rested on the rough stone worktable in Raze’s workshop. Discarded prototypes lay on the countertops and hung from the walls. The forge glowed dimly, heating another ingot, just in case. They’d been working non-stop on the weapon to kill the Oracle, with spotty success. Raze and Tremor had tried dozens of metal/mineral combinations, but hadn’t found any that could be charged with all of their power at once.

  “It’s no use,” he gasped. He straightened, stretching his back. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “It won’t hold a charge.”

  “That’s the fifth prototype with that mineral blend,” Tremor said as he made a note on his clipboard. “I think we can safely discard it.”

  Raze propped a hip on the lip of the dangerously hot forge, oblivious to the heat. “We can charge it with one or two energies, but not all three.”

  “It’s a new technology. We will find the answer,” Tremor said. Tremor was huge, nearly seven feet of massive power. His skin was like living marble, unnaturally smooth and clear with an artistic tracery of blue veins. He wore a midnight blue pleated kilt, and his white gold hair was cut short. His eyes of copper-rimmed bronze were frustrated as he set aside his notes and stared at the sword. He idly picked up an old hunting knife Raze kept as a scraping tool and walked it through his fingers as he considered the problem. “It wouldn’t be a problem if the Oracle couldn’t block us.”

  Surge grunted and took a gulp of kelp tea. He’d missed it for so many years that he drank pots of it now. “Killing her is going to be tough, but according to the prophecy, it’s the only way to stop her.”

  The Fates (may they rot in hell) had sent them dreams. To prevent a cataclysmic war, they had to kill the Oracle. They recommended a weapon imbued with the powers of the four major elementals. Trouble was, Wind was still imprisoned and they couldn’t make a weapon yet that held all their powers.

  “I had another dream,” Tremor said, surprising them. “I saw the Oracle sneaking into our workshops after we forged our wedding jewelry. She stole the scraps of material we’d used and made a medallion. That’s how she became immune to our powers.”

  Raze straightened. “I thought she was stealing our technology and weapons.”

  “It felt like a dream from the Fates,” Tremor said solemnly.

  “Lovely. The Fates convince us to make wedding jewelry and put it in their keeping, and now this. That was the stupidest thing I ever did.” Well, right after the tsunami, Surge admitted privately.

  “How does that enable her offspring to have her powers? Have the elements mutated her genes?” Raze asked.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think she has Wind’s power. His jewelry was made by his children, and I didn’t see her steal those scraps in the dream,” Tremor mused. “I do know she’ll never stop trying to kill us. Peace isn’t in her, and the current Oracle is nearing the end of her life cycle.”

  “At least she’s childless,” Surge pointed out. He didn’t think it would last, though. The Oracles always reproduced; this was just a reprieve.

  “I’d love to bomb her compound, but she’s nearly as bad as the Fates. Without the weapon to cloud her sight, she’d see us coming. That’s why assassins never work.” Raze said darkly.

  Tremor nodded absently, his mind obviously elsewhere. “I’m going to investigate some other mineral blends and we’ll try it again soon.” He waved as he walked through a portal.

  Surge rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m done for today. Let me know when you’re ready for the next go.”

  He felt strongly that the Oracle had to die, but she wasn’t the only barracuda out there. Olan’s terrorists were causing enough trouble. He needed to stamp them out, but the ocean was big and it took time. Meanwhile, he had to keep security tight and Alicia’s power controlled, not to mention all the politics that came with the job.

  A mer guard was waiting for him as he exited the workshop. They were given orders never to disturb him here, and this couldn’t be good news. “Yes?”

  “Your wife left with her friends, sir. We’ve checked, and she’s currently in the Garden of the Gods. We’ve dispatched a team to keep an eye on her.”

  “She didn’t tell anyone she was leaving?” Surge demanded. “She’s supposed to take one of you with her at all times.”

  “The fire cat opened a portal and they left before we could stop them,” his guard said evenly. It wasn’t his fault, and they both knew it. He’d have thought her friends would have better sense. They’d been elementals long enough to understand the dangers.

  Surge pulled out his phone and tried to call Alicia, but she didn’t answer. Failing that, he attempted to contact Cara and Kira without success. It was the first time he’d ever used the numbers, so maybe they’d checked their caller ID and decided to ignore the unknown caller. That, or they knew it was him and conspired to frustrate him. Annoyed, he finally tried Tremor’s cell.

  “Yes?” Tremor drawled. There was music and laughter in the background.

  “Is my wife in your custody?” Surge demanded.

  “I believe she’s visiting under her own authority,” Tremor answered, amused. “The ladies seem to be enjoying her company.”

  Surge sucked in a hard breath, trying to calm down. “She left without her security team.”

  “Were you worried? I assure you, she’s safe in my home.”

  “She’s not having any trouble with control?”

  “She’s surrounded by desert,” Tremor reminded him dryly. “My Cara went on at length how it was much better for her than leaving her “trapped in a slimy, vermin infested snake pit”. Whatever have you been doing, my friend?”

  Surge dismissed the guard and paced. “I had to protect locals. I didn’t realize she was having trouble at first.” Because he’d been angry, and he’d wanted to keep her far away from him. “I built her a house to make up for it.”

  “She wants to stay here tonight. Cara invited her.”

  “Absolutely not. She needs the sea. In fact, she’s probably dehydrated right now.”

  “We have a saltwater pool here, Surge. I know how to care for my guests,” Tremor said irritably.

  Surge wasn’t reassured, not when he pictured how he’d found his wife crawling to the throne room, nearly mummified with thirst. He hung up and opened a portal to Tremor’s house, materializing in the foyer.

  Tremor greeted him with a raised brow. “That didn’t take long.” He didn’t seem overly pleased.

  “I don’t mean to insult your hospitality, but I need to see her. You don’t know how bad she gets,” Tremor said by way of apology.

  “This way, then.” Tremor led him through the beautifully shaped and polished sandstone house to an indoor courtyard containing a pool full of mud. It was fed by a small waterfall, and a handful of women, his wife included, relaxed in t
he ooze. “I adjusted the mineral level for your wife, and the water is from the sea.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it,” Surge said, relieved to see that Alicia was well cared for. It seemed he could add Cara’s house to the approved list of safe visiting.

  The ladies caught sight of him and the laughter died. Cara and Kira didn’t look happy to see him, but Alicia seemed supremely relaxed. He wondered how much it had to do with the quart jar of icy drink in her hand. It was almost empty.

  “Alicia, I’m happy to see that you’re well. May I speak to you for a moment?”

  Alicia considered him thoughtfully and hopped out of the pool, balancing briefly on the edge. He wasn’t prepared for the way his body responded to the sight of her mud slicked glory. She had borrowed a bikini, but the little triangles didn’t cover much. She was primitive, earthy, and utterly enticing. He wanted to roll in the mud with her.

  She smiled wryly. “We were so dirty when we came back from driving dune buggies, we decided to hop right in the mud instead of hosing off.” She seemed to walk straight, though there may have been an extra swagger. She seemed confident in a way he hadn’t seen before.

  “You had fun?” Surge concentrated, determined not to be sidetracked by the mud painted bikini she wore. He couldn’t tell what color it was, but it might be fun to wash her off and find out…except that he was focused. They needed to talk.

  “Definitely. I had no idea mud could be so much fun,” she said with a smile. She flicked her hair off her shoulder, causing her nipple to shift under the wet bikini.

  “Right,” he said hoarsely. He averted his gaze. “I’d like to talk to you.” He opened a portal to their home and waited.

  She rolled her eyes and glanced at the ladies. “If you don’t see me for a couple of days, come rescue me.”

  “Bet on it,” Cara said fiercely. “We’ll invade.”

  Kira smirked.

  “I’m not arresting you,” Surge said irritably. “I just want to talk.”

  Alicia shrugged and stepped through the portal into their bathroom. She looked around. “Impressive. It’s a good way to keep from tracking mud all over the house.” She walked to the sink, plugged it, and began to remove beads from her muddy hair. They made little clinks as she added them to the sink.