02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (43 page)

“
Thank God!
” I slumped on my board,
overcome with relief, and smiled back at her.

“
Let’s go wave ride riding!
” she
cried, as excited as if it were the very first time.

I tried to look stern, “
Listen, I have
something to tell you. This is very serious... they’re coming for
you. The bad people are coming
.”

She laughed, like tiny bells tinkling and
crystal goblets ringing.

“
I’m serious!
” I cried, “
I had a
vision!
”

“
It’s alright
,” she smiled as she
looked around, “
There’s nobody here.
”

I sighed, “
I’m here to warn you, they’re
going to come
.”

“
Yes,
” she smiled slyly, “
but you
also say you won’t come home to live with your sisters
.”

I cringed a little, realizing she had decided
whether or not to believe me based on what she wanted to hear.

“
No
Lorelei,
” I said softly,
“
This isn’t the same thing... I can see what’s going to happen
and I know you’re in danger. Please believe me.
”

“
Yes Marina,
” she said with a twinkle
in her eye. It was infuriating.

“
We need to get you somewhere safe
,” I
said, casting my eyes about, “
What if you went far out to
sea?
”

“
I know where to go!
” she said with
dancing eyes, “
I’ll show you.
”

Before I could object she had gripped my
board and was tearing through the water at breakneck speed. Seafoam
flashed by my eyes as I lay down and held on for dear life. After
several minutes of this her pace slowed and she delivered me to the
now familiar spot.

“
Let’s visit my pets!
” cried Lorelei,
as she towed me into the little cove, slipping the surfboard
between the two sentry rocks.

She called out and a score of furry little
otters broke the surface. Within minutes my surfboard was covered
with the playful creatures. Not fearful of me at all, they launched
their slippery bodies onto my lap, furiously pushing each other off
in an aquatic game of king of the hill.

“
Lorelei, you have got to listen to
me!
” I yelled harshly, and all of their little heads snapped to
attention.

She frowned at me reproachfully, “
You
frighten them
.”

I looked at the apprehensive little otters,
wishing Lorelei took me as seriously as they did,
“
Sorry.
”

They all went back to their games, with me
trying to talk to Lorelei in between her dives into the thick
seaweed, where she twirled sinuously around the slippery kelp. She
surfaced by my board, playfully flipping little bits of kelp at me,
laughing her crystalline laugh while I tried to make her understand
the gravity of the situation.

I was reminded of Cassandra of ancient
mythology. I knew exactly how she must have felt, for I too had
been given the gift of prophecy, and on this occasion it looked as
though I was fated to be ignored.

A loud buzzing roar descended upon us, and
before we had a chance to react the horror show I had seen coming
began to unfold before my eyes. A long fast boat screamed up to the
cove entrance, and I could see a couple of big men swiftly lower a
net that blocked us from the open sea. I looked frantically around
for an escape and was sickened to realize that we had positioned
ourselves in the perfect mermaid trap.

I could ditch my board and take my chances
climbing the rocky cliff, but Lorelei was in a dangerous
predicament. She saw the men, and her eyes went dull with terror.
She swam in rapid circles, panicking like the wild creature she
was.

“
Lorelei! Listen to me!
” I screamed at
her, needing to make her understand how to get around the
underwater net. If she could just calm down and think, she could
dive for the bottom and lift it to swim under. The two huge men
lowered an inflatable into the water. They were unusually large,
the size of Boris, and Shayla’s description of her assailants came
to mind.

I kept yelling to Lorelei, trying to break
through the terror that fogged her mind. I waved and pleaded,
desperately trying to get her attention, but she was insensible
with fear and past the point of all reasoning. Two men headed my
way in the little boat at precisely the same time Lorelei made a
frantic dash for the cove opening, running straight into the net. I
started to paddle to shore, scanning the rocks for a foothold when
I heard her bloodcurdling shriek.

I froze and turned back to see her being
hoisted onto the boat deck, hopelessly entangled in the net. I saw
a huge man fall upon her, wrestling her down, pinning her arms. She
gave a mighty thrash of her tail and let out a terrible screeching
cry, a vocalization I had never heard from her. It was my vision
come to pass and it was even more dreadful to see it in person. I
knew what would happen to her next and I hesitated for a split
second, loathe to leave her to suffer it alone.

A hand clamped onto my arm and the decision
was made for me. I was yanked onto the inflatable, my surfboard
leash torn from my ankle, arms pinned behind my back. A slight
white haired man wearing a tailored suit steered the boat while an
enormous brutish looking one with curly hair held me immobile. He
was severe, determined and strong, and I turned to see a face
thickened from fighting. His nose was flattened from many past
breaks and his dark eyes flickered away from mine, avoiding
contact.

I was lifted up onto the boat to see that
Lorelei was still causing the other large man considerable trouble.
She thrashed again, knocking him overboard with her muscular tail.
He clambered over the side and brutally backhanded her across the
cheek, stunning her momentarily.

“Stop it!” I screamed, “Leave her alone!” I
was held motionless by the other monstrous brute.

The slim, elegantly dressed man looked me
over, barking out commands in what sounded like German. He ran his
hand through his white hair with an imperious demeanor.

“Let her go! Just let her go and I swear I’ll
come with you.”

He smiled, but his gray eyes were icy, “Now
why would I give up either one of you?”

I could see Lorelei was weakening, coughing
up water and moving less and less. The man removed the netting from
her tail and bound her wrists behind her back. She seemed to be
going into shock and I turned to the thin man with eyes like cold
steel.

“Please” I begged, “Let me go to her, she
needs help... she’s never been through this.”

“And you have,” he smiled triumphantly.

Lorelei choked and coughed, gasping as though
she was drowning on the air that started to fill her lungs. The man
who had hit her kicked her over with his foot, watching bloodlessly
enthralled as she lay gasping. I knew she thought she was going to
die.

“Stop it you animal!” I bellowed, my anger
rising. Now I started struggling against the one who held me,
stomping hard on his instep with my heel and rearing my head
upwards to slam into his chin. I caught him off guard and he reeled
a bit, recovering to grasp my wrists in one hand and my ponytail
with the other. He yanked my head back hard, making me gasp for
air.

I was instantly reminded of Joe and a lump of
cold hard rage started forming inside of me, “Cretin bastards!” I
choked out.

The one in charge laughed in amusement, a
high shrill sound that made my hair stand on end. He issued another
command in the same ugly language. I couldn’t tell if it was Dutch
or German but it sounded harsh and guttural. The big oaf released
me and I raced over to Lorelei’s side, cradling her head and trying
to soothe her.

I looked up to meet the leader’s eyes, “I’m
going to untie her now,” I told him, “She won’t be any danger to
you.”

He laughed again, clearly enjoying himself,
“As you wish.”

I glared at him, loosening and pulling the
cords from her wrists. She shrieked in agony as the transformation
began in earnest, and I tried to calm her, taking her hands and
making eye contact.

“
You’ll be alright. It’ll be over soon...
just keep looking at me
.”

She nodded, pupils dilating as she locked her
eyes onto mine. Her skin lost its iridescent sheen and the hands
that clutched mine burned hot as the webbing disappeared, leaving
behind human flesh and bone.

“
Marina? What do they want?
” she
gasped through the pain as her legs took their final form.

“
Just be still
,” I cautioned her,
“
I’ll try to find out
.”

I looked up at the three men who
dispassionately watched her suffering, staring down at the helpless
naked girl sprawled on the deck. I placed myself protectively in
front of her, and looked up at them with contempt.

“Do you have something for her to wear... or
do you want her to freeze to death?” I spat out.

“Why certainly Marina,” the slim one said in
precise English, “Do we look like monsters?”

I studied him with narrowed eyes. He was
cruelly handsome, with high slanted cheekbones and piercing slate
gray eyes. His English had a slight British accent, but it was
obviously not his native tongue. He could be Swiss or Czech, or
from a whole host of European nations; I had a feeling he owed his
allegiance to none.

He knew who I was, and Evie’s warnings rang
in my ears. I’m sure she never expected it would come to a brutal
kidnapping, but these people were clearly ruthless, and I had no
idea what they wanted from me or Lorelei. I held my tongue, not
sure how much I should give away. Their leader went to the front of
the boat and returned with a thin blanket, watching as I hastily
wrapped it around Lorelei toga style, knotting it at her waist.

Lorelei tottered on her new feet, as wobbly
as a newborn foal, and I held her up, steadying her with both
muttered words of encouragement and my sturdy back, grown strong
from all the swimming and surfing I’d been doing lately.

“Who are you?” I asked, directing my question
to the obvious brains of the operation.

He hesitated, “You may call me Peter,” he
smiled without warmth, flashing perfect white teeth.

“What do you want with us?”

“I suggest you ladies take a seat,” he said,
ignoring my question and gesturing gracefully to a bench at the
back of the boat. I walked Lorelei over to it and we sat. The two
big men took up positions on either side of us, with the thin one
taking the helm. If either one of us could make it to the water we
would be home free, but they were clearly not going to allow that
to happen.

“As a precaution,” said Peter, giving an
order to one of the big ones who produced a pair of handcuffs,
binding us to one another through a bracket on the boat. Lorelei
looked down at her manacled wrist with big eyes, overwhelmed by
everything she saw. I remembered how it felt to be suddenly thrust
into an alien world in an alien body, to be forced to transform and
held against your will.

“Yeah,” I said sarcastically, “We’re really
dangerous.”

Peter laughed his unpleasant laugh, “Ah, but
surely you understand your considerable powers of persuasion. I
took the precaution of hiring
non
-English speaking guards.
You mustn’t waste your time trying to sway them.”

So he knew, I thought. He must be part of the
so called “bad faction” of the association. Clearly they were much
badder than Evie had imagined. I steadied Lorelei with my free hand
and we lurched back in the seat as the swift boat took off into the
sea, heading north towards the harbor.

Ethan, I thought. What would he think when he
realized that I never made it back? I had surely been missed by
now, and Ethan would know that there was something wrong. My bag
would be found on the beach– Evie’s ability to track my phone would
make certain of that. Cruz knew I had gone to warn Lorelei, so it
would tell them nothing they didn’t already know, other than the
fact I’d made it into the water. I was on my own, and looking over
at Lorelei shivering in fear by my side, I knew that I was her only
hope.

I thought about what my father would do as I
evaluated my circumstances. I had to think rationally, to be
scientific in my approach, and I would also need to lie
convincingly. The boat was fast, and I was right about our
destination as we arrived at the harbor. Two large coolers appeared
on the deck and I realized in horror that we were to be moved in
them. I looked into Peter’s merciless gray eyes.

“We could drug you... if you’d prefer,” he
said, “Otherwise, we simply need to transfer you to the van.”

“We could suffocate in those,” I said, my
throat tight with fear.

“Perhaps,” he shrugged with a sadistic smile,
“As I said, we could drug you first...”

I
will
make you pay for this, I
thought, overcome with a murderous impulse as I looked at him.
Lorelei startled by my side and I was reminded that she could hear
some of my stronger thoughts. I steeled myself, turning towards
her.

“
We have to get into those boxes,
” I
told her, nodding towards the coolers.

“
Boxes,
” she repeated numbly.

“
I’m sorry
,” I said, “
Believe me,
I’ll do everything I can to get you back home... I
promise
.”

We were unshackled as the boat neared the
harbor. I was unbearably hot in my wetsuit, and I unzipped it to
the waist to peel it back, revealing my lacy bra. In my haste to
get into the water I hadn’t changed into a swimsuit, but at least I
was better covered than poor Lorelei. I saw the men watching me but
there was nothing to do for it. I glared at them, catching the eye
of the one with dark curly hair who flushed red and looked
away.