Book 3 - Chapter 28 (1/2)

”WAKE UP, SHAYE.” Shake. ”Wake up.”

Shaye heard the voice from a long, dark tunnel. Yes, she thought. Must. Wake. Up. Trouble was nearby. Trouble for her, for Valerian. Gradually consciousness worked through her mind, chasing away the darkness.

”Wake up.”

Slowly she cracked open her eyelids. Sunlight glared down at her and orange-gold spots danced before her vision. Dry cotton filled her mouth. Sand and salt coated her entire body. Her clothes were stiff, as if they'd soaked and dried right on her. The sound of lulling waves greeted her ears, soothing, familiar. Yet... wrong. The smells weren't right, either. Yes, she smelled salt, but not orchids. Not Valerian.

”Valerian,” she said. Her throat felt raw, scratchy. ”Valerian.”

”No. It's me.”

Her attention veered to the speaker. Her... ”Mom?” She rubbed at her eyes. ”What are you doing here?”

”I've been haunting the beach since you were taken. Are you - ” her mother gulped ” - okay? Did they hurt you?”

”I'm fine.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Kathleen pa.s.s her, dark hair hanging in tangles around her sandy face. ”What's going on?” Shaye demanded of her.

”We were brought back to the surface,” she said, never slowing.

Brought back... Understanding clicked. Yes. The dragons had invaded Valerian's room, had threatened to take her to the surface, then rendered her unconscious. She shoved to her feet. Her equilibrium was off balance, and she swayed. Her mom wrapped an arm around her waist.

”Are you sure you're okay?”

”Yes. I'll be fine,” Shaye said, ma.s.saging her temples to ward off the dizziness. When the world righted itself, she catalogued her surroundings. White-gold sand stretched as far as the eyes could see. Waves crested to the beach, leaving sea foam in their wake. The sun shone brightly, no hint of crystal.

There was a group of scuba-clad men sitting nearby, reminiscent of the time Valerian came to the surface. They were gazing around the beach in confusion.

”I wasn't here when they arrived,” her mom explained, realizing the direction of her gaze. ”But I questioned them when they awoke. They can't recall their names, why they're here, or even how they got here.”

Had the dragons wiped their memories, too? Sleep, woman, they'd told her. On the morrow, you will not remember any of this. But she did remember. Everything. Kathleen, too, had seemed to remember.

”There's even a boat docked over there.” Her mom pointed to the right. ”The men inside don't know anything, either, but I saw the initials OBI on some papers, whatever that means.”

”I still don't understand why you're here,” Shaye said, pinning her with a frown.

Tamara's expression became tortured. ”After you disappeared, the police arrived at the tent. They didn't believe us when we told them what had happened. They laughed at us, said you girls had probably gotten bored and taken off. All I could think was that you were gone, I'd never see you again, and the last words between us had been harsh.”

”I - ” didn't know what to say, Shaye realized. Her mother had never shown her such a vulnerable, repentant side.

”I haven't been the best mother. I know that,” the distressed woman rushed on. ”And I know things will probably never be comfortable between us. I'm just glad you're okay.”

Tears burned Shaye's eyes as she wrapped her arms around her mom. ”Thank you for that.” She'd wanted closure, and she'd gotten it.

Tamara hugged her back, expelling a shaky breath.

”So you're happy?” Shaye asked her.

”Yes.” Her mom drew back and wiped at her own tears with the back of her wrist. ”I think Conner truly is the love of my life, and Preston seems to like me. They're at opposite ends of the beach, pa.s.sing out fliers with your picture and asking if anyone's seen you.”

Wow. For the first time in her life, Shaye felt like she had an actual family. An honest-to-G.o.d family. But... ”I have to go back, Mom.” She wanted - needed - Valerian. He probably thought she'd left him on purpose. If he wasn't - No! She wouldn't think of him as dead. He was strong, the strongest man she'd ever encountered. He would have gathered his army and defeated the dragons.

”I have to go back,” she repeated.

”Go back where, exactly?”

She didn't have time to explain. ”Just... find Conner and Preston and tell them I'm okay. Tell Preston I'm sorry for the way I acted at the wedding. I'll return if I can. If not, know that I'm happy and that I've found the man of my dreams, too.”

”But - ”

”Trust me. Please.” Shaye gave her mom one last hug and moved toward the water. All around her, women in Atlantean robes were awakening. Any beachgoers probably a.s.sumed they'd come from a costume party, and had drunk and swum afterward.

”Are you going back?” Kathleen asked, suddenly at her side.

”Yes.”

”I want to go with you.”

The whole world could come if they wanted. She didn't care, as long as she could go back herself. She loved Valerian. There, she'd admitted it. She did. She loved him with all of her heart, a heart she'd once thought too cold to care for anyone. But she couldn't deny her feelings any longer.

Fear had made her do so, she realized that now. When faced with the choice to live without Valerian... there was no greater fear than that. He loved her, too. She wouldn't doubt him any longer. He loved her for exactly who she was; he didn't want her to change.

Water lapped at her ankles, sand squished between her toes. Rising, rising, the cool liquid soon hit her calves, her thighs. If those dragons hurt her man in any way, she'd hunt them down and destroy them.

She swam as far as she could, all the women with her, then dove under the water. When she didn't see the portal, she came back up for air. Hours pa.s.sed, but they didn't give up their search. Shaye's body tired, her lungs burned.

”Why are we doing this?” Kathleen panted as she treaded water beside her. ”I... I can't remember.”

”Atlantis.” Shaye swallowed a mouthful of salty liquid. ”The nymphs.”

”The who?” Kathleen's face scrunched in confusion. So did everyone else's - except Brenna's. She possessed an aura of determination, just like Shaye.

”I hate to swim,” one of the women said. ”I'm going home.”

”Me, too.”

”This is stupid.”

”I don't even know how I got here. Wasn't I at a wedding?” On and on they muttered as they swam back to the beach.

They were forgetting, just as the dragons had promised, and Shaye was suddenly afraid of the same happening to herself. Already Valerian's face was blurred in her mind. ”I won't forget,” she said between labored breaths.

”We have to get back,” Brenna wheezed.

They swam under and up for an hour longer. By then Shaye was shaking with fatigue. Tears streamed down her cheeks, tears of frustration and fury. If she didn't go back to sh.o.r.e, she would drown here. Brenna, too. The need to get back to... what was his name?

I will not forget. Valerian. Yes! That was it. His name was Valerian, and she loved him. ”One more dive,” she told Brenna.

Brenna was gasping for breath, but she nodded. ”Need. Joachim.”

If they failed to find the portal this time, they would swim back to sh.o.r.e and try again tomorrow. Try every day until they succeeded. When Shaye went under, the salt stung her eyes. But she pushed herself farther than ever before, Brenna at her side.

The ocean's bottom remained out of sight.

Shaye's arms and legs shook violently. Fish brushed against her. d.a.m.n this, she mentally cried. Brenna stopped moving, her hands and feet stilling, and Shaye grabbed on to her. She switched directions, angling upward. But it was too late. She'd pushed herself too far and didn't have the strength to swim the rest of the way up.

At first she panicked, flailing, opening her mouth, desperate to fill her burning lungs with oxygen. She swallowed more water instead. Still she retained a grip on her friend, trying to get them both to the top.