Chapter 14
14
H ollyn paced the room she’d been given to sleep in, anxiety about tomorrow’s gift-giving ceremony filling her mind. She had no idea how to make her idea for a gift a reality. She was stuck in Hanupali City, and even if she could get out, Poseidon could be in any of the world’s oceans currently. How would she ever find him? It was impossible, but she didn’t have any other ideas. She was going to lose Kai, and just the thought of that was enough to make her desperate enough to do something crazy—like leave the city and…and…and what? She didn’t have the first inkling of where to go and what to do.
She groaned and covered her face in her hands. This was not what she needed to be doing right now. She was losing her mind over Kai when her real focus needed to be on the crown. She just couldn’t seem to let go of the idea that even if she had to be on the run for the rest of her life, she’d rather run with Kai.
It was time to do something. She swiped the compass Kai had given her off the table and headed toward the door. But just as she reached for the knob, a soft knock sounded on the other side.
Was it Kai? Had he come to give her an idea for a winning gift?
She flung the door open, but Kai wasn’t standing on the other side. Instead, she met the shy smile of Oleen.
“Hi. I hope you don’t mind me showing up to your room, but I wanted to have a little girl talk if you’re up for it.”
Hollyn felt an urgency to figure out the gift situation, but in the moment, something told her this was just as important.
“Come in. There’s a seating area over here.”
They crossed the room and sank down on two plush chairs. For a full minute, they sat in silence, making occasional eye contact.
“So, have you thought about tomorrow at all?” Oleen’s question seemed appropriate considering the circumstances, but Hollyn wasn’t quite ready to admit she was struggling with the task.
“It’s all I can think about, really. I don’t want to mess it up.”
Oleen smiled. “You really like him don’t you?”
“I do really like Kai. He’s one of the best men I know. Do you think I have a shot tomorrow?”
She seemed to think it over for a few seconds before she said, “There will be some amazing gifts tomorrow, and to be honest, most of the city is rooting against you because you’re a siren. They say you’ve mesmerized him.”
“But he was the first man I’d ever met who didn’t get hypnotized by my voice. He has helped me through a lot of bad situations, and I…I just really, really like him.”
Her face softened, and Oleen said, “I think you’re the right person for him. That’s why I’m here to help you.”
“Maybe you can help me with something.” If anyone had information about the world below the ocean surface, Oleen likely would. But a sudden thought occurred to Hollyn, something she would be wise to keep in mind. Why would she help Hollyn become her own replacement?
“Sure. I’m happy to help.”
Hollyn took a deep breath and a chance that Oleen had good intentions as she blurted out, “What do you know about Kai’s father?”
Oleen gritted her teeth and made a noise of disgust. “He’s not the most trustworthy guy to be around, but according to my mother, he did have feelings for Uma, and she claims she loved him. But the minute my grandfather forbade the relationship, Poseidon moved on and never looked back. He has never returned since, but I can tell my mother still thinks about him at times. She’s a talented artist, and to be honest, her drawings are always of him.”
Hollyn nodded. “I think it would mean a lot to Kai to meet him. Do you have any idea where he might actually be?”
“His palace isn’t too far from here, but there’s no guarantee he would be there. He tends to travel a lot.”
“When you say it’s not too far, could a person swim there and back before tomorrow morning?”
Her eyes widened, and she said, “Oh, no! You can’t leave the city! It’s too dangerous out there. Between you and me, one of the major issues facing the city are the roaming gangs of underwater people who will attack anyone who leaves. Makoa has been trying to find a way to protect people, but he hasn’t figured it out yet. It’s one of the reasons, my mother lost faith in his ability to rule.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Being Queen? Not really. I mean, I want to make a difference for my people. That’s the only thing I miss, but honestly, no one really ever listened to my ideas. Like, I told Makoa that we should build impenetrable tubes that would protect traders and travelers as they go from city to city and that we should set up protective weigh stations along the paths. We could unite with other cities and split the guard duties amongst them all. But he never wanted to try any of my ideas.”
Hollyn stared in awe of the other woman’s mind for problem-solving. She had really come up with some solutions that might not be perfect but were better than trying nothing. “I’m impressed. I think those are great ideas that should be tried.”
Oleen beamed with the praise, but she shook her head as she said, “The gangs are why you shouldn’t attempt to leave the city for any reason.”
“But if I were to, is there an easier way out than going through the gate? I don’t want anyone to know I’m gone if I can help it.”
“There are escape tunnels beneath the palace that lead people out through coral caves, but please, don’t even talk like that. You don’t want to be outside the protection of the city alone.”
“Okay. I’ll stay put, and I really do like talking with you Oleen.”
She reached over and patted Hollyn’s hand as she said, “I told you that I need friends. I do hope we can continue to be friends even when we become sisters tomorrow.”
“I would like that.”
The conversation ended, and Oleen left quietly. Hollyn waited for her to disappear down the hallway before she exited the room and began looking for a way to the tunnels below the palace.
* * *
It had taken her longer than she’d hoped to find the tunnels Oleen had told her about, but once she was outside the city, Hollyn swam quickly through the water, following the compass’s direction, hoping that it really would point her toward Poseidon. She tried not to get distracted by the vibrant sea life that went about their lives around her, and she risked trips to the surface when she needed to breathe, but she found she could go longer and longer between times as she learned to pull huge gulps of air into her lungs before swimming on.
After some time, she began to worry that the compass might not actually lead her to what she most desired. Maybe it was busted and that’s why it was basically in the family museum instead of being used.
She thought about turning back, but then, she began to worry that she might not be able to find her way. She paused and looked behind her, not recognizing anything through which she’d just swam. Trying not to panic, she breached the surface to pull in some oxygen, but when she dove back toward the part of the water in which she was swimming, she saw several, large silhouettes swimming after her.
Was this one of the roaming gangs coming to attack her? Oleen had warned her that this was a real possibility, but she’d done it anyway. Now, if she didn’t get out of this, she would disappear without a trace, and she didn’t like the idea that Kai would think she’d just abandoned him. She needed to get away from them and find her way back to the city.
Her instinct was to find cover, so she dove down toward a rocky looking section of the sea floor. She found a spot where she could duck down into a cave-like structure. From her spot, she could watch them swim back and forth, clearly searching for her. Soon, though, concern started building in her mind that there would come a time when she needed to take a breath. Would they give up and move on before that time came? She sure as hell hoped so.
Yet, they continued to circle the area, and Hollyn could feel her anxiety cutting her air supply short. All she could think about was her next breath. She needed to make a break for it—try to out swim them.
Her mind made up, she waited until they were the farthest away from her as they had gone before and took off for the surface, swimming as fast as she could. She could feel them closing in, and she knew she’d been a fool.
Her head broke the surface of the water, and she sucked in deep, gulping breaths. She felt the arms grab her, and she fought against them as they pulled her back down under the water. She wrenched an arm free, but almost immediately, it was in another’s strong grip. She felt helpless even as she continued to jerk at her limbs to try to free them. Their beady eyes held evil intent as she met their hateful gazes. These were definitely not people from any civilized city.
As she fought them, the compass slipped from her fingers, and she searched the blue depths, trying to see where it had gone. Suddenly, another figure began to ascend from the sea floor. She watched in wonder as a giant of a man with long, flowing white hair and a white beard launched from out of nowhere into the fight. The minute her captors got a look at the bare-chested man coming up on them, they let her go and began to swim away as if their lives depended on it.
Hollyn felt like she needed to pull her head out of the water to clear the panic still spinning in her head, so she swam for the surface once more. She couldn’t believe what had just happened to her, and she just wanted to be back in Hanupali City with Kai.
Her would-be savior breached the surface beside her, and in a booming voice, asked, “Are you okay?”
She stared at him for a few long seconds before she shouted back, “No. I am not okay. What is going on in this ocean?”
The man chewed his bottom lip as if he were somehow responsible for the crime that had almost been committed against her. “You’re right. I should do a better job of monitoring things. I tend to get distracted easily.”
Hollyn stared at the man, wondering if he were absolutely nuts. Just her luck—she’d been saved by a madman who thought he was responsible for the comings and goings of the ocean.
“Look! I appreciate your help, but I need to get back to Hanupali City. Any chance you can point me in the right direction?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll take you there myself. I haven’t been back there in years, but I seem to recall liking the place.” The expression on his face wasn’t quite a smile, and she had to wonder if one of her attackers had given him a bump on the head before they’d swum away. In the end it didn’t matter because she just needed help, so she would take anyone willing to get her back to Kai.
“That would be amazing.”
“Oh, and I found this. Does it belong to you?”
Hollyn nearly hugged the crazy man as he held up the compass Kai had given her. She pulled it from his hand and held it against her chest as she said, “Thank you! This is very special to me, and I appreciate you returning it.” She pocketed the compass and held out her hand to him. “I’m Hollyn Oates.”
He took her hand in his and shook with a force that verged on painful, but she forgot any discomfort as he said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Poseidon, god of the oceans.”
He didn’t give her a chance to react. Instead, waving in a motion that meant to follow him as he dove back down into the water. She couldn’t believe the turn of events and treaded water in awe of her luck for a moment before she gave a small chuckle and lowered herself into the water after him.