Tidal Magic Read online

  Grabbing a fluffy gray towel, I tucked it under my arms. “I found a MerFae.” His stupefied expression was priceless. I snickered. “You know, half Fae, half Mermaid.”

  Shaking his head, he glowered. “I warned you not to drink saltwater, Bex. Grab a bottle from the cooler. You’re delusional. Mermaids aren’t real. Enough with the movies. We have a job to do.”

  Heaving a sigh, I gestured to the beauty paralleling our ship. “Riva, this is my Mate. Kai, meet Riva.”

  Grumbling, Kai followed my line of sight. His mouth dropped open in shock. “Um. Hi?”

  Riva grinned. “Well met, Kai of Fire.”

  His gaze snapped to mine. “Fire?”

  I nodded. “She doesn’t seem to understand the Fae part, and I didn’t have a lot of time to explain it.” I pitched my voice louder. “Riva, are you ready?”

  “On it.” Arching her back, she dove beneath the waves in a quick burst of speed. Her tail made short work of the distance. Within seconds she was beside the massive whale. Gently, she touched the creature’s side.

  Confusion colored Kai’s tone. “Bex, what is she doing?”

  I shrugged. “I’m not sure, but look. The whale is turning. Start the motor.”

  As he busied himself behind the wheel, I stared intently at Riva.

  The original Water Elemental, Queen Amadahy, didn’t have an Anchor of her own. So how exactly could we be related? The other Water Fae were out. None of them had awakened after their race nearly depleted the magic of our world and went into a self-induced slumber. Well, with the exception of Amadahy and my father, Dax. Was that the missing link? Had Dax made a pitstop on his way to sire me?

  Could Riva be… my sister?

  Riva

  The effortless ease with which the whale slid through sea was astonishing. Sliding my palm along her barnacle-laden side, I made sure to keep well away from her massive tail. I felt like a spec of sand next to her.

  Her nervous anxiety filtered through my fingers. She didn’t want to migrate alone. If I was honest with myself, I could totally relate.

  Who was this Bex and how could she possibly possess a power similar to mine?

  Nearing the shore, I pushed feelings of reassurance to the whale. She couldn’t go any farther without risking herself. As she settled, I swished to the surface.

  Fortunately the beach was vacant. Well, almost. The male whale’s desperate cries rang out as his fins sought for purchase in the soft silt.

  Bex hadn’t caught up with us, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I called to my center, and the ocean before me lit in a teal glow. I whispered, “Rise.”

  The tide began to build. Seconds passed before it was forty feet high and blotted out the shoreline. Methodically, I directed a tendril of power down to the seafloor to keep my body anchored. Clapping my palms together, I unleashed the tsunami.

  White foam crested from the wave with a deafening roar as it crashed against the coast. Agitated specs of broken shells beat against my skin from the concussion. Gritting my teeth, I directed the flow to keep him engulfed.

  The happy hum of his partner broke through my concentration as she slapped her mighty tail against the water. His answering drone vibrated the small hairs inside my ears. Gently, I let the sea return to its former calm as they departed.

  Rolling my eyes, I called out, “You’re welcome!”

  Bex’s boat drifted to a stop beside me, and the motor cut off. Patting the silver railing, she grinned. “That was awesome!”

  My cheeks heated. “It was nothing.”

  Kai joined her side. “No. You did well. Extremely so.”

  An earnest expression stole across Bex’s face. “Would you like to come aboard? I think we need to talk.”

  I sighed. “I can’t. I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

  She frowned. “Care to fill me in?”

  Should I tell her? They seemed to be good people, but I wasn’t sure.

  Kai nodded. “We might be able to help you.”

  My brow furrowed. “I’m looking for a Gate.”

  Jin

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get close enough to hear their words without risking discovery. Why was she speaking to humans? They were dangerous.

  Collin whispered, “We should just take her, Jin. What are we waiting for?”

  Jin shook his head. “I don’t want to show our hand just yet. The humans could have weapons. You know the stories we grew up with. Have you ever seen one this close?”

  “Nope, and I don’t like it. It’s forbidden.”

  Jin chuckled. “Yes, but why? They seem friendly enough. I admit their clothing and hair color is a bit odd. Big red is built like one of our best fighters. I never knew the males of their species could grow so… large.”

  “Do you have penis envy, Jin?”

  He snorted. “Of course not. You know as well as I that two claspers are better than one. Besides, look at the way he looms over the white-haired female. It’s almost as if she is his. Judging by her stance, she doesn’t seem to mind. They must be a couple.”

  “Who cares? Let’s grab Riva and go home. She’s right there, Jin. Right there!”

  Jin hissed, “Shh! Keep your voice down!”

  Riva’s spine stiffened. Shifting to the side, she scanned the coastline.

  Before she could spot them, Collin tugged them beneath the surf.

  Ugh. His brother’s big mouth had probably ruined the element of surprise.

  Knowing sound carried through water, Collin mouthed, “Now?”

  Indecision flashed through him. Lifting a brow, he replied, “We wait.”

  Bex

  “Riva? Is everything all right?”

  Fear tightened the corners of her eyes. “I think so. I thought I heard something.”

  I gave Kai a meaningful look.

  Without missing a beat, he stepped back. Ruby light lit his skin and blurred his tall form. Heat rolled off him like a mirage. Between one blink and the next his shift completed. Shaking out his auburn feathers, he took to the sky with a screech.

  Oh, how I loved his hawk form. Powerful, predatory. Mine…

  Riva’s gasp halted my gawking.

  “What the fuck is that!”

  I laughed. It seemed she’d mastered the new term. “That,” I pointed to Kai as he patrolled the ocean, “is still Kai. He can shift into many different things and probably thought his Demon side would scare you.”

  She stumbled over the unfamiliar word. “D-demon?”

  “Yes. Kai is half Demon, half Fae.”

  Her face screwed up. “Does he not possess Water like us?”

  Somberly, I shook my head. “No. Once upon a time we each carried all four Elements. Then I died and went to Hell. My death shattered the link, and we’ve never bothered to repair it. Don’t worry though. If someone is out there, he will find them.” At her shocked expression, I clarified, “Obviously I’m not dead. I think you should come back with us so I can explain a few things.”

  She caressed the water with her splayed fingers, and her lips thinned. “I can’t. I have to find the Gate.”

  “So you’ve said. What do you know of the Gate? Is it just the Gate or is it the Rune Gate?”

  After a brief hesitation she reached into the pouch slung across her hips and produced a black shell. Clenching it to her chest, she closed her eyes. Pain flitted across her features as she held it out. “My father, King Riker, left me a message. He said I have to find the Gate. You see, his letter also says that he isn’t my father. Evidently, my mother, Queen Nanu, had an affair before their union.”

  Opening the shell, I quickly read the sheaf of seaweed. It had to be the same. Who else could Nanu have Mated with? “The man your mother screwed is named Dax. The Gate is a Rune Gate. The Fae traveled to Earth through it eons ago after they depleted their own plane of magic. Earth and Water didn’t have enough power to close it behind them. The other Elementals, Fire and Air, followed them to our wo
rld.” Tapping the page, I queried, “What’s this about a pearl?”

  Kai’s cry of outrage immediately halted my curiosity.

  He opened his beak, and a stream of fire lit the water’s surface. Steam hissed up in agitated puffs on contact. Clawing at the air, he cawed before winging back to our ship. Touching down on the deck in leather loafers, he growled, “I spotted two Mer, er, men? Mermen? They dove too deep for my flames. We need to move.”

  Riva glanced back to where the interlopers had been spotted. Squaring her shoulders, she offered her hand. “Where are we going?”

  She seemed uncomfortable in my jeans and tank, but I didn’t want her to have to run around half naked. I nearly cried when she sent her starfish back into the ocean. She had looked so torn.

  Peeking over my shoulder, I took in her death grip on the leather armrest. Her porcelain skin had taken on a sickly pallor. Pitching my voice to be heard over the motor, I shouted, “It’s perfectly safe! We’ll dock in an hour or so!”

  Jerkily, she nodded.

  Turning around in my seat, I debated whether taking her in was wise. She’d probably never left the safety of the sea. I didn’t even know how long she could survive on land.

  It was ironic, really. I could handle Demons, Fae, Angels, the Sundering, but toss in a Mermaid and I was completely out of my depth.

  Of course there were stories. Everyone grew up with them, but they were complete fiction. At least I’d thought they were. Did she even know the world nearly ended?

  Repairing the land was a tedious business, but one I’d latched onto eagerly. The distraction provided much-needed relief from my time in Hell. What had been a few moments seemed to stretch for an eternity. Fortunately, I only relived the torture in my dreams. By the time I awoke, the memories were gone as if they’d never been.

  Riva’s voice seemed to echo from a million miles away. “Are you coming, Bex?”

  Only then did I notice the boat had stopped.

  Shaking myself, I pasted on a smile. “Yes.”

  Jin

  They’d followed the vessel’s wake as far as they could but were unable to keep up.

  Swishing beside him, Collin grumbled under his breath. “We should have taken her when we had the chance.”

  Jin sighed. “Riiiight. I don’t know about you, but having the scales melted from my body doesn’t sound very appealing.”

  “What was that thing? One second he was a man, then a fire-breathing bird!”

  Calculating the ship’s trajectory in his mind, Jin deduced they would need to follow until nightfall. What they were going to do when they found her, he still didn’t know. Collin had a point though. They were no match for that kind of magic. He swallowed a mouthful of bile with the revelation, and his voice turned hoarse. “I don’t know.”

  “We should go back. Warn the others.”

  Collin’s words made sense, but it simply wasn’t an option. If they returned to the Arctic castle without Riva… He shuddered.

  Their father’s obsession with the Atlanteans would surely be the death of their people. Jin had to find Riva. He simply wasn’t strong enough to take on Berin by himself.

  Swishing ahead, Jin answered his brother’s ridiculous notion. “Return home if you like, but I’ll not be joining you.”

  Collin scoffed, “Yeah, I can picture it now. Second son returns without the heir or the Atlantean Princess. Do I look like I have a death wish?”

  Jin grinned. “Neither do I, Brother. We must find her.”

  Chapter 4

  Riva

  My legs wobbled beneath me as a sick feeling settled inside my gut. Skidding across the floor, I barely made it to the strange white bowl in time to throw up.

  Closing the lid, I rested my cheek against the cool surface. I’d thought landsickness was folklore. My stomach had definitely proven me wrong.

  A crinkle drew my gaze to Bex. She leaned against the doorframe, and her bow-shaped lips lowered in sympathy. Brandishing a square sack, she nodded encouragingly. “These are saltines. I know you don’t want to eat them, but if you do, I promise you’ll feel better. Just take it slow.”

  Bracing my hands on the plastic, I peeled my face from its resting place. Fuck, I felt terrible.

  Stepping into the small room, Bex knelt beside me. “I also have some ginger ale. It’s a drink that will help with the nausea.”

  Figuring anything was better than dry heaving, I snatched the glass from her fingers. Bubbles formed on the amber surface. After a cursory sniff, I took a small sip. Hmm. It was sweet.

  Bex grinned. “Drink up. We have a long journey ahead of us. This actually brings me to my next question. Are you afraid of heights?”

  My thoughts rolled. “Heights? Fuck, Bex. I don’t even know where we are, and now you’re saying we need to go further above sea level?”

  She chuckled. Shifting to the side, she grabbed a black device from her back pocket. She pressed a button, and the screen lit. Tapping the display, she pointed to a map. “Yes. Our current location is Ireland. We haven’t been able to get everything up and running, but this should help. See, we’re here.”

  Pushing away my curiosity, I noted the red dot and nodded.

  She pinched her thumb and forefinger, and the image shrank to encompass the Atlantic and a good portion of another continent. “We need to get here. Tabula Rasa.”

  I stumbled on the unfamiliar term. “Tab uh lah Ray za?”

  “Close, but no. Tab ooh lah Rah suh. It’s Latin for ‘clean slate.’ Our Mistress has rebuilt the city of San Diego into the main hub for the new world. She named it Tabula Rasa.”

  At my incredulous look, she continued, “Like I said, it’s going to take some time to explain everything. First and foremost we need to check in with Sora. She will know what to do and can help find the Rune Gate.”

  My brow furrowed. “Why would this Sora person want to help? What do any of you gain?”

  Bex’s tone softened. “Knowledge. All are welcome. It was the first thing Sora ensured. Besides, what choice do you have? It seems to me you could use a hand. Whoever is following you probably won’t give up. I don’t know how fast your people can swim, but I imagine it won’t be long before they find us. Can you all walk on land?”

  My shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. I admit I was afraid to try. The people following me are from the Arctic Ocean. Their King has gone mad. He wants my power. The Mer your Kai spotted are his sons. Prince Jin is next in line for the throne. Collin is second born. Before I met you, I found a sunken ship to get some rest. They were searching for me and their voices awoke me. For some reason they think if I marry Jin he will share my magic.”

  A threatening growl rumbled from Bex’s chest. “It’s possible, but only if you accept him, Riva. How did they even know about your Fae side?”

  I shrugged. “No clue. I’ve always known I was different, but not why.”

  Tipping her chin, Bex seemed to arrive at a decision. “Well, if you’re feeling better I have something to show you.”

  Stepping outside the crumbling dwelling, I leaned heavily on the back of a chair. Black scorch lines marked the structure’s walls at regular intervals. Half of the roof was missing and made an eerie keening as the wind howled across its surface.

  Kai frowned beside me. “The Sundering destroyed most of the buildings. We’ve done our best to repair the land, but it’s up to the people who have been left behind to fix the buildings.”

  My nose wrinkled in confusion.

  He elaborated. “My father led his Demons to Earth and nearly ended the world. We eventually prevailed though.”

  Okkkayyy. Whatever that meant. Moving my focus to the sea crashing against the rocks below, I mumbled, “Um, than—”

  His hand slapped over my mouth before I could finish my sentence. A ruby haze lit his iris as his voice lowered to a rumble. “Never thank a Fae, Riva. Ever. Do you understand?”

  Startled by his reaction, I mutely bobbed my head.

  S
atisfied, he released his grip. “Apologies but doing so gives away a portion of your power. Strike the word from your vocabulary if you can.”

  Bex settled her palm on my shoulder reassuringly. “He’s right, Riva. Be very careful with that phrase.” Squeezing once, she padded across the grass toward the cliff. “Now, are you ready to see my magic trick?”

  Dumbfounded by the entire ordeal, I answered, “Sure.”

  The air around her form shimmered for a brief moment. Blue light flashed brightly and snapped my lids closed of their own accord. A chuff brought them open again. My mouth dropped open in shock.

  Tiny rainbows danced across every strand of her white coat. Sharp nails tipped the edges of four very large paws. As she lifted her lips into a smile, I stepped back in fear.

  Kai soothed, “Shh. It’s just Bex. This is her Wolf side. She can shift at will.” He pitched his voice louder, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Within a blink, large wings appeared on either side of her spine. Their frosted lengths sparkled in the light of the descending sun.

  I gasped. Magic trick indeed.

  Kai grinned in approval. “Beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Very.” I’d never seen such a creature. Hesitantly, I approached her side. Lifting my hand, I paused.

  Her tongue lolled to the side and she coughed.

  Kai smirked. “She’s laughing at you. Go ahead. She won’t hurt you.”

  Gently, I ran my fingers through her iridescent fur. The texture was surprisingly soft. Biting my lip, I asked, “Why does she sparkle?”

  “Bex fused a diamond coating to her skin. It’s a Demon deterrent.”

  Again with the Demon thing. Ugh. I hated the unknown, and this was definitely heading into the surreal.

  Dropping down on her forelegs, Bex whimpered.

  Kai intuited her intention. “She wants you to ride her.”

  I threw him a queer look. “I can barely walk, and now you want me to get on her? Why?”

  He sighed. “The only way to get home is to fly.”

  Fly? Yeah, nope. Dropping my arm, I scoffed, “I don’t think so. I need to stay and find the Gate. I can’t go off to the other side of the world.”