Forbidden Worlds - Box Set (50 page)

Tiran laughed. “You have a place?”

“New York. It’s a big city.”

“Is it near the water?”

Mara made a face. “Near enough. Of course, the ocean there isn’t like this. It’s…colder and not as clean. You probably wouldn’t like it.”

“I’d give it a try, if it’s where you’d like to go.”

Mara sighed and nestled deeper into the crook of his arm. “Actually, I like it right here for now. Do we really have to leave?”

“It would be wise to move on…but there are so many other places like this. We can decide later. For now, let’s enjoy the moonrise.”

* * * *

Mara stretched across the bed, sated and sleepy, but strangely alert. In the dark, she reached for Tiran, but felt only the smooth surface of the bed. Her fingers slid into the heated indentation left by his body. He’d only just left.

She rose, led by curiosity more than concern. She imagined catching him in the act of making another surprise for her, as he had that afternoon with a table and chairs overlooking the beach, set with a feast of underwater delicacies.

When she reached the hidden door that led outside, she heard voices and froze.

The words were muffled, but the intent was clear. Someone had discovered their hideout—was it Poseidon?—and Tiran was trying to protect her.

With her heart thundering, she ran back into the bedroom area and found the robe Tiran had made for her from the remains of her cover-up and a net of dark seaweed. She’d watched him in awe as he fashioned the shiny, limp seaweed leaves into a material softer than silk. The robe closed around her and formed to her body.

Now what? she wondered. She didn’t dare go outside.

She went back to the door and listened, but the argument had stopped. Good. Maybe Tiran had convinced whomever it was to go away and leave them alone. He’d be back any minute and she’d be ready to leave with him and head anywhere they had to go to be free.

A minute stretched to five, and he didn’t return. After what seemed like an hour, she finally stuck her head out of the hidden door and looked down the dark beach. She saw no one. Footprints in the sand led from the shelter to the edge of the water and disappeared. Had Tiran gone swimming after his argument, not realizing Mara had woken up?

She had to know. She stepped outside and the night wind whipped her long robe around her legs. For the first time in months, she felt cold.

The voice of reason stopped her before she took another step and warned her to go back inside. She’d been safe in there, and Tiran would return as soon as he could. There was no one around, nothing to fear.

But she wanted him. She needed to know everything was all right.

Yet logic won out. He’ll be back, she thought, turning to duck inside the shelter.

Strong arms locked around hers from behind. She screamed as her back collided with a hard body.

“There you are.”

Poseidon.

Mara struggled against his iron grip. “Where’s Tiran? What did you do to him?”

“I did nothing. He’s been called back to our city to face punishment for his crimes—and I’ve been sent to collect the evidence.”

“What evidence?”

“You.”

She pushed back against him, trying to kick at his massive legs. He held her steady, his arms rigid to the point that she found it hard to breathe. Before Mara could form another question the air around her dissolved into a thousand sparkling pinpricks. Her body faded away and she knew nothing but the sensation of rapid movement. The brilliant shimmer turned dark around her, and a biting cold seeped through her scattered molecules—

Then, nothing but blackness.

Chapter 4

Prince Tiran took his place before the Atlantean Triumvirate, but he did not look at the three venerable elders who presided over Atlantean law. His gaze, instead, rested on his brother, Poseidon, who stood next to a solid block of sea glass imprisoning Mara, frozen in time like an alabaster statue.

Poseidon made an attempt to look sympathetic, even as his hand caressed the smooth contours of the substance that held Mara in stasis. She could remain there forever, untouched, unharmed and completely unaware of her surroundings. Tiran feared that would be his punishment for being with her—he’d be forced to spend the rest of his long life looking at her inanimate body encased in the blue-green glass.

He would not allow that to happen.

“Tiran, son of Mykonos, do you understand the crime of which you have been accused?” Doremus, another of the elders, asked.

The question drew Tiran’s attention away from Mara. “I understand, but I wish to speak on my own behalf.”

“You may, though an excuse will not lessen your punishment if you are found guilty.”

“I understand. I’d like to cite the Articles of Autonomy which make provisions for granting asylum to members of other cultures. I submit, regardless of the punishment I receive, that the human woman be granted her freedom and be taken away from the island on which I found her, where she had been held prisoner.”

Doremus looked back at his colleagues. Mykonos frowned, his expression one of unyielding disappointment in his younger son. The third elder, Niros, seemed sympathetic. He consulted a portable data chip reader that he held in his hand and Tiran hoped he might be reading the Articles of Autonomy for himself.

Doremus stepped back. “It seems we have two different matters to decide here. One is whether your congress with the human is a punishable offense. You don’t deny that you spoke with her, and told her of our existence, and you had a sexual liaison with her that may have resulted in conception?”

Tiran felt a surge of pride. If Mara had conceived, there was an even greater argument to allow her to remain in the city with him. He nodded. “I don’t deny any of that.”

“The second matter is the one regarding your interpretation of the Articles. You say this human is oppressed, and that she asked you to free her from her captivity?”

“That’s correct.”

“Did you also broach the subject with Mykonos and continue on your course of action against his advice?”

Tiran glanced at his father and saw no sympathy in his dark eyes. “Yes. That is correct.”

“I must ask, did you do this with the knowledge and assistance of your brother, Poseidon?”

At that question, Poseidon’s hand dropped from the glass. The satisfied expression on his face dissolved. Tiran would not have had to implicate Poseidon in the events that had taken place. The Triumvirate had the right to search his thoughts for signs of guilt. Lying was pointless.

“Poseidon was aware of my intent to become involved with the human. Yes.”

“And Poseidon has also had congress with this human?”

“I have not!” Poseidon spoke out of turn, and all eyes in the Hearing Room turned to him. “I have not.”

“Only because I stopped you,” Tiran countered. “But Poseidon’s guilt is not the issue at hand. I ask that you decide my fate and hers before you pursue his involvement.”

Doremus nodded. “In that, I concur. One problem at a time. Have you anything else to say, Tiran, before we deliberate?”

“Only that I ask you to review the Articles and decide if I should have ignored a request for help.”

“A request the human could not have made, if you obeyed our laws and stayed away from her.”

“Regardless of the circumstances, a request she made without knowledge that I possessed the power to help her. Her need was so great that she asked a stranger for help, and so immediate that she also relied on Poseidon, believing he would give her aid as well.”

Doremus turned to the others. “I believe we are ready to discuss this matter in private.”

With that, a wall of water solidified between Tiran and the members of the Triumvirate. Though he could hear nothing, he could see them discussing the matter. He kept his eyes on Niros, who gestured to the data chip reader in his hand. That gave Tiran hope that perhaps he might have a champion among the three, even if it wasn’t his own father.

On a cool current, Poseidon swirled over to Tiran. “You should not have interfered, brother. I would have taken the female away and no one would have been wiser.”

“You were using her, Poseidon.”

“But she’d have been well used—and completely satisfied. Now, because of you, she may end up nothing more than a decoration in the Gemstone Caves.”

Tiran raged inside. The thought of Mara remaining forever encased in her glass prison, no more than a curiosity among the other ancient creatures that had been similarly captured and put on display in the caves, incensed him. But he didn’t dare fight with his brother in the Hearing Room in view of the Triumvirate.

“I will not allow that to happen,” he said, his voice even.

Poseidon laughed. “Don’t you think she would make a fine addition to the gallery? The other creatures we keep in stasis could use a new companion.”

Tiran turned away and settled his gaze on the three men still arguing beyond the solid wall of water. It seemed that Niros held court now. While he spoke, Mykonos shook his head and Doremus nodded. Two against one in Tiran’s favor, it seemed.

Forbidden to leave during the deliberation, Tiran and Poseidon had little to do but wait. To avoid further conversation with his brother, Tiran dissolved into an invisible current and floated above the glass that encased Mara. She looked so fragile to him, her helplessness a reminder that as a human, she would never truly fit into his wondrous world beneath the sea. Here, even free of her incarceration, she would be at the whims of his people, always an outsider, regarded with mistrust. He decided that if she were sentenced to remain encased and taken to the Gemstone Caves, he would free her and take her away, even if it meant once again facing the wrath of the Triumvirate.

* * * *

When deliberation finally ended, the wall of water melted into a wide blue current that seeped into the floor. Tiran morphed into his human form and stood ready, his gaze averted from that of his fathers.

“Prince Tiran.” Doremus addressed him, and he stepped forward. “In the matter of your disobedience, we have decided we cannot make an exception to our rules merely because you are the son of one of the Triumvirate. Your punishment will be the temporary loss of your air-breathing capabilities. This will prevent you from going above to have congress with humans. The period of your punishment will be two years.”

Tiran bowed his head. He’d expected no less.

Doremus continued. “In the matter of your interpretation of the Articles of Autonomy, we must agree that Atlanteans have the right and responsibility to help those in need. This human asked for help in freeing herself from captivity and you agreed to provide it. Therefore, before your punishment begins, we will allow you to return her above, and find a suitable place where she may exist free of her captivity. We regret that we cannot grant her asylum to live among us, but our society could not bear the intrusion of a human at this time.”

Tiran nodded. At least he could help Mara escape from her island prison.

“You may dissolve the glass, Tiran, and take her away. Understand that you have one day to complete your obligation to her, then you must return here or you will forfeit your freedom entirely and be placed in stasis yourself.”

“I understand.” Tiran turned and put his hands on the glass. How could he tell Mara that he would have to break the promise he made to stay with her forever?

* * * *

Mara awoke in Tiran’s arms. They lay on the bed in their shelter, warm and dry, covered with a gossamer blanket and nothing else. When his face came into focus above her, she smiled and he kissed her.

“It was a dream, wasn’t it?” she asked through a yawn. “I dreamed Poseidon came and captured me.”

“He did. It was no dream.”

Mara tried to sit up, panicked that Tiran’s brother might return. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her into the soft contours of the bed. “Don’t worry. He’s not coming back. We have only a short time together. Let’s make it count.”

“What do you mean? You’re leaving?”

“I can’t stay. Be with me now, then I’ll take you to see your father, as I promised. After that, I’ll take you to a neighboring island where you can find your way home or wherever you want to go.”

“No! You’re coming with me! You promised you would come with me!” Tears burned in the back of her throat. This wasn’t how her fantasy was supposed to end.

“It’s forbidden. I must return to my city. I have no choice.”

“I’ll stay right here, then. You can visit me and I’ll live here.”

Tiran shook his head. “I can’t. Be with me one more time, Mara, before I have to go.”

She searched his eyes, hoping to see a hint of mischief, wishing he were playing a trick. His expression was earnest and his eyes didn’t lie. He truly had no choice.

She kissed him through salty tears and wrapped herself around him, reveling in the warmth of his skin, the taste and feel of him.

They made love without words, first tenderly, then savagely. This time, Mara left Tiran sleeping and walked along their little beach. The foamy waves washed over her feet and gently drew her deeper into the embrace of the sea until she floated on the shallow breakers, lost in a perfect dream. She would have stayed there forever, buoyed by the water, but Tiran found her. He carried her back to shore, where he helped her put on the robe he’d made for her, then swept her up in a sparkling whirlwind and whisked her back to her father’s compound.

Tiran didn’t materialize with her. He hovered around her like a soft breeze as she walked up her secluded beach and took the path through the dunes. The moment she approached the buildings of the compound, the alarms began to sound. Within seconds, the security force surrounded her. Though they looked relieved to see her, they treated her suspiciously. They refused to lower their weapons until Thanatos arrived, breathless and pale, and ordered them to stand down.

Mara held out her hand to her father. Although the guards remained vigilant, they stepped back to allow him to take her hand.

“Did they hurt you?” he asked, his voice whispery and weak. The creases around his eyes and mouth seemed deeper than she remembered, and his silver hair was uncombed.

“No, Papa. I’m fine. And I’m always going to be fine. I’m going away so that you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

He dropped his hand from hers and sighed. “I’ll have you taken back to New York immediately, if that’s what you want. I’ll assign a security force to stay with you there and keep you safe.”

“I don’t want that. I’m going away where you won’t have to worry about me. I’ll contact you when I’ve settled. I’ll change my name and no one will know who I am. I promise, I’ll be safe.”

Mara hoped it were true. Without Tiran by her side, she wondered if she would be able to build the life she wanted. A warm breeze stirred between her and her father, and in it, she felt Tiran’s gentle touch.

“Mara, you know I’ll do anything to keep you safe. You don’t have to be alone.” The desperation in her father’s voice chipped away at her resolve. The gray cast to his skin, and the thinness of his lips, belied that fear for her safety had nearly destroyed his health. He would never stop trying to protect her from the world, and the stress would eventually kill him.

“Papa, I won’t be alone. I promise. I’ll be safe and happy, and if you ever need me, I’ll come. But I can’t live in your gilded cage anymore. This life is killing us both.”

He bowed his head.

Mara put her hand on his shoulder. “I promise I’ll be all right.” She hugged him and kissed his cheek, then stepped back and melted away into Tiran’s prismatic embrace.

Together they surged over the sand and out to sea, leaving Thanatos Zander surrounded by his bewildered security guards, tears glistening in his dark eyes.