Instead of taking such a foolish risk, he sat down at the edge of the ravine. "So, what now?" he shouted. His voice echoed against the rock below, disappearing into the void. "What do you want?"
He didn't receive a reply, yet for some reason he felt a satisfied, unseen presence. Frustrated beyond belief, Jaden lay down and absently stared upward. It was so dark down here that even he, with his mermen eyesight, couldn't see very well. For some reason it comforted him. It made him forget how dirty he was inside, so dirty that all the waters of the ocean couldn't cleanse him.
"You know," he absently started to speak. "I'm in love with my twin. Yes, my twin brother. Crazy, isn't it? You can come out and eat me now, I deserve it."
Again, silence was his only answer. Jaden would have been frustrated but he sensed the creature still lingered there, in the waters beneath. He decided he didn't particularly like the thought of facing a monster anyhow, but if it wanted to hear him rant and rave, Jaden could give him that.
"It's been like that for as long as I can remember. I mean, at first, it was normal sibling love." He paused, wondering how much a creature would understand, before realizing the entire thing was absurd and stupid. The beast might be listening to Jaden's voice in preparation of attacking him. Strangely calm at the thought, Jaden didn't try to flee. Instead, he continued, "Well, I'm not sure you know, but with us, feelings toward brothers should be pure, chaste. I can't think of Chrys as just my twin, though. I want more. It hurts so bad that he can't give me more, and that I have to hide it from him."
Warmth invaded him, as if the presence tried to comfort him. The arousal he'd experienced rubbing against his twin returned with a vengeance. Jaden found himself lightly touching his own scales, imagining Chrys's hand on them.
The dark force seemed to egg him on, pouring sensual energy inside him. With his right hand, Jaden tweaked his nipple. In his mind, Chrys did everything. With the forbidden power there, invading him, it didn't even seem so far-fetched.
Pleasure swept through him as he explored his own body. He saw Chrys on the bed, gasping, rubbing against him. He dreamed his sibling's beautiful lips mouthed his name, "Jaden". Chrys had woken up and touched Jaden while fully aware. And someone else lingered there, too. Aurus, perhaps… and the presence. The presence! Oh, Sweet Sea Mother!
Jaden yelped, suddenly aware of what he'd said and done. What was he doing? Anyone could be down there, and if they found out about his secret they could use it against him and Chrys. How could he act so shamelessly?
"I have to go," he said hastily, his body still buzzing with unfulfilled arousal.
Nothing and no one tried to stop him as he swam out of the Forbidden Zone. By the time he made his way back to the bandit hideout, he felt a bit calmer. Thankfully, Chrys still slept and Jasper didn't comment upon Jaden's departure. Jaden lay down next to Chrys and closed his eyes. This time, when sleep took him, he dreamt of darkness engulfing him whole.
Chapter Three
A few weeks later
Chrys felt excited. Tonight, they'd finally put their plan into practice. At last, he'd get to see Aurus after so much time spent apart. He burst into their small room, ready to hammer out the final few details with his twin.
The place was empty. Chrys frowned. Where could Jaden have gone, now of all times?
Confused, Chrys swam out into the hallway. He admitted being separated from his twin frightened him. Their circumstances had forced them to spend more time apart, as they'd gone to do their commissioned tasks for Jasper. The possibility existed that the bandit could have sent Jaden out, but Chrys doubted it. He'd noticed Jaden had been disappearing a lot lately, off to Sea Mother knew where. It mostly happened at night, when they were supposed to be sleeping. Chrys had tried to follow his twin once, but he'd been stopped by the ever-watchful bandits who kept to the rule religiously. One of them needed to be under supervision at all times.
He wondered if Jasper knew where Jaden could be. After all, the thief leader had a knack of controlling everything within his reach.
Swallowing against the knot in his throat, Chrys went in search of Jasper again. The older mer had only just dismissed him after informing him everything was in place for their little mission. Jasper didn't like to see him, or be in his presence, so searching the bandit leader out could lead to unpleasant consequences.
Jasper remained right where Chrys left him, conversing with his so-called lieutenant. The two thieves spotted Chrys and gave him twin looks of disgruntlement. "What are you doing back?" Jasper asked.
Chrys forced himself to face the other mer calmly. "I just thought you might know where Jaden is."
Jasper had the audacity to chuckle. "Lost him, have you?"
Dialy just rolled his eyes. "He left while you were talking to Jasper."
"Where?" Chrys cried, hating the desperate sound of his voice. "Where did he go?"
"Why haven't you asked him?" Jasper said, his voice tinged with amusement. "You must have noticed he leaves quite regularly."
How could Chrys explain he felt uncomfortable pushing his twin into a confession Jaden did not want to make? If his brother wanted him to know, Jaden would have said so already. But Jasper would laugh at Chrys if he said that. "I noticed," he answered, "but it's not exactly like I can go with him."
It didn't answer the question directly, but thankfully, Jasper didn't prod. Alas, the answer he gave Chrys couldn't be more horrid. "He went to the Forbidden Zone," he told Chrys. "We have men watching him but, so far, he seems to just go in, stay inside for an hour or so, then leave again."
Chrys gaped. No wonder his twin hadn't told him about it. "But it's dangerous! He could get killed down there."
Jasper shrugged. "I don't care." Chrys wanted to protest, to kick and scream, but Jasper stopped him with a dark glare. "Just this once, we'll go after him. He would probably return on his own, anyway, but we can't risk a delay."
Chrys nodded and sent a mental prayer to the Sea Mother to protect his twin. What could Jaden be doing there? Why would he go to the Forbidden Zone when all their lives, they'd been told what a peril it represented? Chrys couldn't understand, and the idea Jaden could have died without Chrys even being there made him cold inside.
* * * *
Jaden sat on the edge of the ravine, absently staring into the darkness. In the abyss beyond, lay the Forbidden Zone.
As apprehensive as he felt about it, he found the solitude strangely comforting. With the weight of the soon-to-come masquerade ball bearing down on him, Jaden was choking. He could no longer withstand the watchful eyes of the bandits. Chrys's optimism had become somewhat tiresome, as well. Perhaps it was easier for his twin, since the person he loved would be at that ball, within their reach. But Jaden's heart's desire would be forever forbidden. Jaden couldn't even risk revealing his feelings, lest he be parted from Chrys.
And yet, even with everything that had happened, Jaden found a weird calm in this Forbidden Zone. The lingering presence within seemed to watch him still, but Jaden never once felt any hostility come from it. He didn't know how he even realized it, for no beast had ever shown itself. But Jaden did indeed sense it deep inside.
Since that first night, Jaden had continued to come here, every time leaving one more piece of him behind. Before long, he'd spilled all of his secrets into the darkness, to whoever may be listening. A rash, foolish action, it soothed some of his pain.
"The party is today," he said out loud. "Chrys is going to meet with the prince. And I'll be left out of it, as always." Jaden sighed. "Am I selfish for feeling like this? I don't know what to do."
Unsurprisingly, he received no reply, but inside him a warm wave of affection surged. Whoever watched—the mysterious beast or someone else entirely—cared about Jaden. That made all the difference in the world. Soon enough, Jaden would not have his twin anymore. Chrys's affection would naturally go to Aurus. At least he wouldn't be left all alone.
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much."
A voice stopped him from saying anything else. "Jaden! Jaden!"
Jaden easily recognized his twin's call. He felt a restlessness he knew couldn't be his own. The bandits must've followed him when he came here, but didn't dare go after him when he entered the Zone. Perhaps it would be best if Chrys remained outside also. He didn't want to risk making the beast angry.
He sighed and directed a regretful glance toward the darkness beneath. "Sorry," he whispered, not even sure why he apologized. "So sorry."
With that, Jaden swam off toward his twin. He met Chrys halfway and realized that, indeed, his brother had joined him in the dark waters. The bandits had not come after them, though. Perhaps they'd felt the beast's silent warning.
Chrys's arms wrapped around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "You fool," he whispered. "How can you risk your life like this?"
"I'm perfectly safe," Jaden replied, although in truth, he couldn't be one hundred percent sure of it. "There's nothing here that can hurt me."
Chrys broke the embrace and scowled. "What about the mysterious creature? Even Jasper and the others are frightened."
Jaden offered his twin a smile. "I'm not them, and neither are you. It doesn't want to hurt us. Can't you feel it?"
At first, Chrys looked puzzled, but then, his eyes widened in astonishment. "You're right," he said. "How come I didn't sense it before?"
Jaden shrugged but didn't answer. He suspected Chrys had been too preoccupied with thoughts of Aurus to be receptive to the call coming from the darkness.
"Well, anyway," Chrys continued, "we have to go. We'll return here later, okay?"
Jaden nodded, a small surge of excitement swelling inside him. He didn't know what would happen today, but it might very well change his life.
* * * *
Deep within the cave, the beast stirred, discontented. Its prey had once again escaped. The beast had been waiting for the little mer to trustingly enter its lair. Then he would be captured and… no one would ever see or touch him again. The beast would make sure of that.
For the moment, it would wait for the mer's return. It had no doubt this would, indeed, happen. Atlanteans were nothing if not resourceful, and this youth, while naïve, knew his way around the sea. Fortunately, that wouldn't help him when he finally succumbed to the beast's pull.
* * * *
"All right. You can go inside the palace through the left servants' entrance. I've bribed some guards to let you in. Don't take your mask off, no matter what happens. Remember, after you get in, you're on your own."
Chrys nodded as he took in Jasper's instructions. To Chrys's surprise, the thief had agreed to help them out with no reluctance. In fact, he seemed quite excited about the idea of unleashing Chrys's curse on an unsuspecting mer soldier. Chrys didn't know if he appreciated the thought, but at least it got them Jasper's cooperation.
Jaden fidgeted, his scales changing color in his nervousness. He would be joining Chrys inside the palace. Guilt twisted inside Chrys once more. He shouldn't be dragging Jaden into this. They risked a lot, more so since Jasper refused to stay behind to ensure they actually had a way out. Chrys counted on getting to Aurus and perhaps enlisting his love's help. But what if he couldn't get to Aurus? What if Aurus had found someone else and forgotten about Chrys and Jaden?
Chrys took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. They couldn't back out now, with everything set and ready. All the arrangements had been made. If push came to shove, they could always summon a whale. He snorted at his own thoughts, drawing Jaden's attention to him.
"I'm glad you think this is funny," his sibling said. "We'll be caught. I just know it."
Chrys gave his brother a smile he didn't feel. "We won't. Have faith. The Sea Mother is by our side."
Jaden ceased his protests. They proceeded to put on their masks and costumes, graciously provided by Jasper in exchange for a generous amount of coin. Chrys admitted that, if nothing else, their stay in the slums had taught them the vital skill of thievery.
Distantly, Chrys wondered why the bandits had been so accommodating about the masquerade in the first place. They'd never let him and Jaden go anywhere together, and now they'd suddenly changed their minds. Chrys had a very bad feeling. Once they left the ball, they couldn't return to the thieves. Even Jasper couldn't keep the others' hostility at bay forever. His cohorts must have gotten tired of Chrys and Jaden's presence and intended to get rid of them.
They left the room and silently headed outside to where the band of thieves waited. The hideout seemed to have completely emptied. Chrys frowned. Obviously, Jasper wanted to help Chyrs and Jaden into the ball so he could use them to get his men inside the palace. How many Atlantean nobles would lose their valuables today?
Chrys felt guilty about helping the bandits, but at this point, he'd become an outlaw himself. He counted his blessings that he was alive, and made a mental note to find some other refuge after the party.
Silence reigned as they left the thieves' hideout and infiltrated the city. It was easy enough to enter Atlantis, but the palace would be a different matter entirely. Guards surrounded every section of the citadel, vigilantly supervising the long trail of carriages. Sea creatures of all sorts pulled the coaches, braving the line of guards. Chrys swallowed against the knot in his throat at the sight, and his heart clenched. So many people seemed to be lining up for the prince's attention. What chance did Chrys have to get to him?
Strangely enough, Jaden encouraged him. With a swish of Jaden's tail, a ripple of water swirled to Chrys, hitting him hard. "Don't look so down, now," Jaden said. "We're going to see your boyfriend. Cheer up."
Chrys glared at his twin, but inside, he felt thankful. Jaden's smile did wonders for his mood. He focused on his task and on listening to Jasper's advice. After a thorough explanation of the guards' shift patterns, Chrys took Jaden's hand. He was as prepared as he would ever be.